Rare Earth

What determines whether complex life will arise on a planet? How frequent is life in the Universe? In this exciting new book, distinguished paleontologist Peter D. Ward and noted astronomer Donald Brownlee team up to give us a fascinating synthesis of what's now known about the rise of life on Earth and how it sheds light on possibilities for organic life forms elsewhere in the Universe. Insightful, well-written, and at the cutting edge of modern scientific investigation.

Peter D. Ward is Professor of Geological Sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle.