Ebook: Stardust: the Cosmic Seeds of Life

How did life originate on Earth? For over 50 years, scientists believed that life was the result of chemistry involving simple molecules such as methane and ammonia cooking in a primordial soup. Recent space observations have revealed that old stars are capable of making very complex organic compounds. The stars then ejected the organics and spread them all over the Milky Way Galaxy. There is evidence that these organic dust particles actually reached the early Solar System. Through bombardments by comets and asteroids, the early Earth inherited significant amounts of star dust. Was the develo.;Stardust; The Cosmic Seeds of Life; Preface; Contents; List of Figures; List of Tables; List of Boxes; Prologue; About the Author; Vanilla in the Stars; Chapter 1: Where Do We Come From?; Chapter 2: Rocks and Dust in the Planetary Neighborhood; Chapter 3: Impacts from Beyond; Chapter 4: Descendants of Stars; Chapter 5: Glowing in the Dark; Chapter 6: Stardust in Our Eyes; Chapter 7: The Oldest and Brightest; Chapter 8: Neon Signs in the Sky; Chapter 9: Stars as Molecular Factories; Chapter 10: Smoke from Stellar Chimneys; Chapter 11: Gems from Heaven; Chapter 12: Diamonds in the Sky.