Contents

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents vii
3. 1. Caught Up in Life 1
4. 2. Living Science 11
5. 3. Defining Life 23
6. 4. A Well-Behaved Universe 36
7. 5. Well-Behaved Observers? 58
8. 6. Life in the Cosmos 70
9. 7. Life among the Stars 93
10. 8. The Planetary Phenomenon 111
11. 9. The Inner Solar System 122
12. 10. The Outer Solar System 140
13. 11. Extrasolar Planets 154
14. 12. Life and Time 165
15. 13. Making Cells from Scratch 178
16. 14. Building Biospheres 188
17. 15. Molecules 199
18. 16. Metabolism 229
19. 17. The Tree of Life 245
20. 18. Exceptions 264
21. 19. Intelligence 273
22. 20. The Story of Life 289
23. Abbreviations 303
24. Notes 305
25. Acknowledgments 326
26. Index 327