Includes bibliographical references and index.

"It is very unlikely that little green humanoids are living on Mars. But what are the possible life forms that might exist in our Solar System and how might they have evolved? This ... book on the possibilities for alien life addresses the intrinsic interest that we have about life on other worlds -- reinforcing some of our assumptions and reshaping others. It introduces new possibilities that will enlarge our understanding of the issue overall, in particular the enormous range of environments and planetary conditions within which life might evolve. ... discusses a broad range of possible environments where alien life might have evolved; explains why carbon-based, water-borne life is more likely than its alternatives, but is not the only possibility; applies the principles of planetary science and modern biology to evolutionary scenarios on other worlds; looks at the future fates of living systems, including those on the Earth."--,Source other than Library of Congress.

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