Bobby López Personal Library
Series: Book 1 in the Ocs series
Rating: Not rated
Tags: Physics, Lang:en
Summary
Amazon Best Seller - #1 in Astronomy, Astrophysics
& Space Science, and Cosmology
"This book is a great intro to the topics of human
civilizations throughout history, sustainability of our world,
and astrobiology - covering the formation of life on Earth, the
future of life, and explores the search for life elsewhere in
the Universe." - Amazon review Our Cosmic Story is a big picture view of our Universe and
the potential it has for life and civilization. We start by
briefly looking back at the story of Earth and its great
civilizations, understand how life itself evolved Homo sapiens,
review the challenges and risks that a species entails in
developing a civilization and growing into a space-fairing
entity, and then explore the makeup of the Universe to gain
insight into the chance of other sentient creatures living
elsewhere. The quest to reach beyond the confines of our world is a
natural consequence of being a very small part of a grand and
dynamic Universe. Looking up at the sky instills within us some
expectation that we are not alone, and we wonder if there is
not something amazing happening out there somewhere. This sense
of awe may not be exclusive to Earthlings; for in a galaxy
truly far away, there could be creatures with similar musings
as they peer towards our corner of the Universe. The idea that
we share a common experience with others in the cosmos is
something to keep in mind while reading this book.
Chapter Overview
Introduction
“The surface of the Earth is the shore of the cosmic
ocean. From it we have learned most of what we know. Recently,
we have waded a little out to sea, enough to dampen our toes
or, at most, wet our ankles. The water seems inviting. The
ocean calls.” - Carl Sagan ** Precious little time exists where we get a chance to reflect
upon life, to smell the roses or to look at the cosmic picture,
yet it is important to find the time for such reflection when
the grand Universe is on our doorstep. How did life get
started? How did our fantastically complex civilization
develop? When will we encounter other civilizations out there,
if ever? This book will explore our history and place in the
Universe, examine why Earth is so hospitable for life and
civilization, and consider the likelihood for life to exist on
other worlds, some that may be far more different than our
own. Regardless of the possibility of countless other life forms
existing on rocky barges adrift in the cosmos, we should still
hold the belief that humanity is special. Our world is rare
enough that we may appreciate it just as much as if we are in
fact alone. Recent studies have shown that, while life's
ingredients are common throughout the Universe, the exact
quantity and assortment of chemicals and minerals that make up
Earth are unlikely to exist elsewhere. This may have
significant consequences for life and evolution on another
world that's close in properties, but not quite the same as
Earth. For a close-to-home example, both Mars and Venus can be
considered distant cousins of Earth and once thought to be
habitable, though you wouldn't want to book a vacation to
either of them anytime soon. While Mars and Venus are rocky
bodies with solid cores, Mars today lacks a dense oxygen-rich
atmosphere and liquid water on its surface because the planet
is simply too small. Venus is nearly the same size as Earth,
but is far too close to our scorching Sun. There are many other
variables of habitability to consider as well, many of which we
will explore in upcoming chapters. The physical makeup of Earth
and how it compares to other planets in the solar system is an
important starting point for understanding where we may find
life elsewhere in the Universe. Even though we may currently be well off on Earth, humanity
should make every effort to voyage into space, if only for the
practical reason that our planet will not support life forever.
We may one day need to flee Earth in order to preserve the
existence of our species from a variety of cosmic and
terrestrial extinction events, like asteroid impacts and
supervolcanoes. Currently, all of our proverbial eggs are
dangerously in one basket. While the lack of evidence of life
on other worlds may suggest at first that the endeavor to
colonize space is futile, this is a dangerous assumption we
just cannot afford to make. The act of colonizing space will of course come at initially
great cost, but in the long run it may pay off in ways we
cannot even imagine. Many great explorers like Marco Polo, Sir
Francis Drake, Ferdinand Magellan, and Charles Darwin risked
their lives and boldly faced peril to sail across vast oceans
in the name of science and discovery. Diseases and other
formidable barriers attempted to stop them from making
progress, but they pushed on in the hope that a better future
lay ahead. These great explorers, and many great thinkers
throughout history, have helped to lay the foundation our
civilization stands on today. Whatever our future may hold, let us not forget where we
came from or fail to cherish our home. Protecting Earth for as
long as possible may be important for facilitating our ability
to leave it someday - and perhaps in our need to return to it,
should space be more unforgiving than we had realized. Our
planet is not a place that we can spoil with the assumption
that a better one will eventually be found. Assuming that our
long-term existence is assured will be the ultimate undoing of
our way of life. Many of Earth's past civilizations made this
arrogant assumption about their destinies, and it resulted in
their swift demise. In order to begin to understand how humanity has achieved
all that we have so far, and further our chances of carrying
our knowledge into space, there is one thing that must always
be with us: a collective sense of hope and drive to improve the
whole of society. The motivation to pass down prosperity to
future generations has the power to be a catalyst for expanding
into a spacefaring civilization that can counter the constant
threats against our world. While great things will still be
accomplished if we stay grounded to Earth, it would be tragic
if future generations one day forget that we once long ago
nearly made it to the stars, but did not. I hope that this book heightens your sense of wonder about
our tiny but special place in the cosmos, as well as fires your
imagination and intensifies your intrigue in exploring the
potential for other worlds where we may one day call home.
OUR COSMIC STORY - LEFT FLAP
Facts About the Cosmos
Promising Exoplanets
Habitability for Civilizations
Stars with... ... a long lifetime and stable magnetosphere ... a safe galactic location and orbit ... sufficient metals and oribiting planets ... a planet in the habitable zone ... a planet of the right size and stability Planets with... ... a large fraction of surface water ... land areas with precious metal deposits ... a magnetic field for atmospheric protection ... plate tectonics to recycle the atmosphere ... a thin oxygen rich atmosphere Life with... ... an organ where intelligence emerges ... tool and communication capable bodies ... a balance of aggression and altruism Civilizations that... ... can build a mostly altruistic society ... advance in technology and technique
OUR COSMIC STORY - RIGHT FLAP
The First Great Civilizations
Great Thinkers
Key Civilization Drivers
Questions for the Reader
If we ever colonize space, what do you think will be our
destiny there, and will we find alien civilizations asking
similar questions?
Chapter 1: Setting the Stage for Life and Civilization
Chapter 2: Evolution and the Building Blocks of Life
Chapter 3: The Rise of Civilization on Earth
Chapter 4: The Engine of Modern Civilization
Chapter 5: A House of Cards: The Downfall of Civilization
Chapter 6: Exploring the Cosmos
Chapter 7: The Boundaries of Habitability (Habitable Zones)
Chapter 8: The Scale of Things
Chapter 9: Is Anybody Out There?
SummaryFrom the Author
From the Inside Flap