Search

This book provides detailed information on the history, analysis and applications of chlorine and bromine isotope geochemistry. This largely extended 2nd edition has incorporated most research published between 2014 and 2023, and contains also significantly more information on the earliest experimental data obtained during the early 20th century. This 2nd edition describes isotope studies done on terrestrial samples, and also incorporates the fascinating chlorine (and bromine) isotope ratio investigations obtained from extraterrestrial and astronomical studies, and thus it shows the full extent of the current status of knowledge of this subject.

In an era of public Mars fascination, this book offers an objective presentation of the challenges of crewed Mars missions and discusses scenarios of Mars settlements under scientific, technical, social, economic, ethical and political aspects. With the aim to make the reader comprehend what is plausible and what is at stake, the book tries to clarify misconceptions and half-truths spreading rapidly in the public. The authors argue that approximations and misinformation should be countered for two main reasons. First, to avoid missing out on the benefits that Mars exploration may bring, including major scientific discoveries and an inspiring, federative human endeavor. Second, to remediate dangerous delusions – such as the idea that humanity could be transferred there should the Earth become inhabitable in the near term. In preparation for this book a group of European, world-renowned scientists from fields as diverse as astronomy, planetology, geology, biology, philosophy, or economics, as well as astronauts and science-fiction writers, was gathered to discuss Mars missions ranging from near-term robotic missions, all the way to large-scale settlements and even the feasibility of terraforming. For each, they draw arguments from their domains of expertise to discuss what is feasible and what is desirable. The result provides researchers with an objective review of the field, policy makers with a reference to make informed decisions, and the general public with a tool to form educated opinions.

Treatise on Geochemistry, Third Edition, 8 volume set is an invaluable resource for geoscientists and others seeking to understand the origin, evolution, and functioning of our inhabited world, in service of a sustainable future.Our need to understand our planet is being reshaped by two ongoing scientific revolutions: the discovery of thousands of exoplanets and the advent of the Anthropocene. These seemingly disparate revolutions challenge us to deepen our understanding of Earth, as our best path to understanding how inhabited planets work. Geochemical knowledge and discovery are at the heart of this challenge, the crossroads where all geoscience subdisciplines meet – much as chemistry is often said to be the'central science', geochemistry is the'central geoscience'. Treatise on Geochemistry fills the gap between mature and established geochemical knowledge, including analytical developments and the rapidly evolving frontiers of the field. - Provides complete and comprehensive coverage of all aspects of the multi-disciplinary field of geochemistry - Restructured to streamline and consolidate topics and draw explicit connections to the twin revolutions of Astrobiology and the Anthropocene in each volume's introductory chapter - Updates to the new edition include new and expanded coverage of emerging topics like cosmochemistry, planetary geochemistry, and exoplanets - Follows a common template, making the work consistent and easier to navigate

This book surveys the models for the origin of life and presents a new model starting with shaped droplets and ending with life as polygonal Archaea; it collects the most published micrographs of Archaea (discovered only in 1977), which support this conclusion, and thus provides the first visual survey of Archaea. Origin of Life via Archaea's purpose is to add a new hypothesis on what are called “shaped droplets”, as the starting point, for flat, polygonal Archaea, supporting the Vesicles First hypothesis. The book contains over 6000 distinct references and micrographs of 440 extant species of Archaea, 41% of which exhibit polygonal phenotypes. It surveys the intellectual battleground of the many ideas of the origin of life on earth, chemical equilibrium, autocatalysis, and biotic polymers. This book contains 17 chapters, some coauthored, on a wide range of topics on the origin of life, including Archaea's origin, patterns, and species. It shows how various aspects of the origin of life may have occurred at chemical equilibrium, not requiring an energy source, contrary to the general assumption. For the reader's value, its compendium of Archaea micrographs might also serve many other interesting questions about Archaea. One chapter presents a theory for the shape of flat, polygonal Archaea in terms of the energetics at the surface, edges and corners of the S-layer. Another shows how membrane peptides may have originated. The book also includes a large table of most extant Archaea, that is searchable in the electronic version. It ends with a chapter on problems needing further research. Audience This book will be used by astrobiologists, origin of life biologists, physicists of small systems, geologists, biochemists, theoretical and vesicle chemists.

New Frontiers in Astrobiology presents a simple and concise overview of the emerging field of astrobiology. Astrobiology studies the evolution, origin, and future of life on Earth and beyond. This book provides a brief overview of the current research and future status of this fascinating field. The book covers a wide range of topics from the history of astrobiology, the big bang, prebiotic chemistry, theories of the origin of life, extreme environments on Earth, and the quest for intelligent life in space. Currently, there is a critical gap in knowledge related to the future scope of astrobiology and its applications in science and society. The hallmark of the book is that it takes critical perspectives to analyze the new frontiers in astrobiology post Mars 2020/ExoMars missions that encompass the latestdevelopments in the detection of biosignatures and habitability beyond our Solar System (exomoons, exoplanets). The book will be a valuable resource for students, researchers, and scientists who seek greater insights into understanding the current status and future of astrobiology. - Explores the background and historical developments in astrobiology - Provides concise cutting-edge reviews on fundamental questions on origin and distribution of life on Earth, habitability beyond Earth, and future of life on Earth - Integrates contemporary and critical views in new frontiers in astrobiology

Approaching the settlement of our Moon from a practical perspective, this book is well suited for space program planners. It addresses a variety of human factor topics involved in colonizing Earth's Moon, including: history, philosophy, science, engineering, agriculture, medicine, politics & policy, sociology, and anthropology. Each chapter identifies the complex, interdisciplinary issues of the human factor that arise in the early phases of settlement on the Moon. Besides practical issues, there is some emphasis placed on preserving, protecting, and experiencing the lunar environment across a broad range of occupations, from scientists to soldiers and engineers to construction workers. The book identifies utilitarian and visionary factors that shape human lives on the Moon. It offers recommendations for program planners in the government and commercial sectors and serves as a helpful resource for academic researchers. Together, the coauthors ask and attempt to answer: “How will lunar society be different?”

Space Science and Public Engagement: 21st Century Perspectives and Opportunities critically examines the many dimensions of public engagement with space science by exploring case studies that show a spectrum of public engagement formats, ranging from the space science community's efforts to communicate developments to the public, to citizenry attempting to engage with space science issues. It addresses why public engagement is important to space science experts, what approaches they take, how public engagement varies locally, nationally and internationally, and what roles'non-experts'have played in shaping space science. Space scientists, outreach specialists in various scientific disciplines, policymakers and citizens interested in space science will find great insights in this book that will help inform their future engagement strategies. - Critically examines how expert organizations and the space science community have sought to bring space science to the public - Examines how the public has responded, and in some cases self-organized, to opportunities to contribute to space science - Outlines future engagement interests and possibilities

This book aims at providing a brief but broad overview of biosignatures. The topics addressed range from prebiotic signatures in extraterrestrial materials to the signatures characterising extant life as well as fossilised life, biosignatures related to space, and space flight instrumentation to detect biosignatures either in situ or from orbit. The book ends with philosophical reflections on the implications of life elsewhere. In the 15 chapters written by an interdisciplinary team of experts, it provides both detailed explanations on the nature of biosignatures as well as useful case studies showing how they are used and identified in ancient rocks, for example. One case study addresses the controversial finding of traces of fossil life in a meteorite from Mars. The book will be of interest not only to astrobiologists but also to terrestrial paleontologists as well as any reader interested in the prospects of finding a second example of life on anotherplanet.

This collection contains 115 peer-reviewed papers on the expanding scope of exploration of space and of challenging regions of the Earth presented at the 16th Biennial ASCE Aerospace Division International Conference on Engineering, Science, Construction, and Operations in Challenging Environments, held in Cleveland, Ohio, April 9–12, 2018.

From Habitability to Life on Mars explores the current state of knowledge and questions on the past habitability of Mars and the role that rapid environmental changes may have played in the ability of prebiotic chemistry to transition to life. It investigates the role that such changes may have played in the preservation of biosignatures in the geological record and what this means for exploration strategies. Throughout the book, the authors show how the investigation of terrestrial analogs to early Martian habitats under various climates and environmental extremes provide critical clues to understand where, what and how to search for biosignatures on Mars. The authors present an introduction to the newest developments and state-of-the-art remote and in situ detection strategies and technologies that are being currently developed to support the upcoming ExoMars and Mars 2020 missions. They show how the current orbital and ground exploration is guiding the selection for future landing sites. Finally, the book concludes by discussing the critical question of the implications and ethics of finding life on Mars. - Edited by the lead on a NASA project that searches for habitability and life on Mars leading to the Mars 2020 mission - Presents the evidence, questions and answers we have today (including a summary of the current state of knowledge in advance of the ESA ExoMars and NASA Mars 2020 missions) - Includes contributions from authors directly involved in past, current and upcoming Mars missions - Provides key information as to how Mars rovers, such as ExoMars and Mars 2020, will address the search for life on Mars with their instrumentation

Practical Guide to Vegetable Oil Processing, Second Edition, includes an up-to-date summary of the basic principles of edible oil refining, processing, and deodorizing, serving as a hands-on training manual for chemists, engineers, and managers new to the industry. The 15-chapter book includes current information on the bleaching of green oils and coconut oil, quality requirements for frying oil applications, and more. Written for the non-chemist new to the industry, the book makes it simple to apply these important concepts for the edible oil industry. - Provides insights to the challenges of bleaching very green oils - Includes new deodorizer designs and performance measures - Offers insights on frying oil quality management - Simple and easy-to-read language

Useful to school librarians, teachers, and faculty, this book explains the range of possibilities for creating immersive learning experiences through the use of virtual worlds, virtual simulations, virtual collections, exhibits by libraries and museums, and archives.There is a renaissance occurring in education with immersive learning via virtual applications and environments, even at the elementary school level. This widespread new movement is happening over more platforms than before—Second Life, Open Sim, Unity3D, Curio, and others. Teaching and Learning in Virtual Environments: Archives, Museums, and Libraries presents readers with the scope of possibilities for education in virtual environments today. Written from the perspective of the practitioner, it provides a wealth of teaching tips for virtual environments and for combining virtual environments with other emerging technologies for libraries and education.Chapters describe how recent developments in technology have made web-based virtual worlds more accessible for teaching and learning and discuss the unique benefits and affordances of educating in virtual environments as well as their applications to different subjects. The teaching applications cover the primary and secondary school levels, higher education and graduate-level environments, and even beyond formal education into building immersive'information experiences'for professional training applications, library users, and the general public. The text provides an up-to-date overview for educators, academic and public librarians, and archives and museum staff on recent developments with immersive learning; presents innovative programs and teaching ideas; covers administrative issues; and addresses the student's perspective as well.

Divided into two parts, the first four chapters of Comets and their Origin refer to comets and their formation in general, describing cometary missions, comet remote observations, astrochemistry, artificial comets, and the chirality phenomenon. The second part covers the cometary ROSETTA mission, its launch, journey, scientific objectives, and instrumentations, as well as the landing scenario on a cometary nucleus. Along the way, the author presents general questions concerning the origin of terrestrial water and the molecular beginnings of life on Earth, as well as how the instruments used on a space mission like ROSETTA can help answer them. The text concludes with a chapter on what scientists expect from the ROSETTA mission and how its data will influence our life on Earth. As a result, the author elucidates highly topical and fascinating knowledge to scientists and students of various scientific backgrounds, allowing them to work with ROSETTA's data.