Since its first publication more than twenty-five
years ago, ''How to Build a Habitable Planet'' has
established a legendary reputation as an accessible yet
scientifically impeccable introduction to the origin and
evolution of Earth, from the Big Bang through the rise
of human civilization. This classic account of how our
habitable planet was assembled from the stuff of stars
introduced readers to planetary, Earth, and climate
science by way of a fascinating narrative. Now this
great book has been made even better. Harvard geochemist
Charles Langmuir has worked closely with the original
author, Wally Broecker, one of the world's leading Earth
scientists, to revise and expand the book for a new
generation of readers for whom active planetary
stewardship is becoming imperative. Interweaving
physics, astronomy, chemistry, geology, and biology,
this sweeping account tells Earth's complete story, from
the synthesis of chemical elements in stars, to the
formation of the Solar System, to the evolution of a
habitable climate on Earth, to the origin of life and
humankind.The book also addresses the search for other
habitable worlds in the Milky Way and contemplates
whether Earth will remain habitable as our influence on
global climate grows. It concludes by considering the
ways in which humankind can sustain Earth's habitability
and perhaps even participate in further planetary
evolution. Like no other book, ''How to Build a
Habitable Planet'' provides an understanding of Earth in
its broadest context, as well as a greater appreciation
of its possibly rare ability to sustain life over
geologic time. |
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