Contents

pp v-x

List of contributors

pp xi-xiv

Preface

pp xv-xviii

Part I - Planetary systems and the origins of life

pp 1-2

1 - Observations of extrasolar planetary systems

pp 3-20

2 - The atmospheres of extrasolar planets

pp 21-40

3 - Terrestrial planet formation

pp 41-61

4 - From protoplanetary disks to prebiotic amino acids and the origin of the genetic code

pp 62-88

5 - Emergent phenomena in biology: the origin of cellular life

pp 89-110

Part II - Life on Earth

pp 111-112

6 - Extremophiles: defining the envelope for the search for life in the universe

pp 113-134

7 - Hyperthermophilic life on Earth – and on Mars?

pp 135-148

8 - Phylogenomics: how far back in the past can we go?

pp 149-177

9 - Horizontal gene transfer, gene histories, and the root of the tree of life

pp 178-192

10 - Evolutionary innovation versus ecological incumbency

pp 193-209

11 - Gradual origin for the metazoans

pp 210-222

Part III - Life in the Solar System?

pp 223-224

12 - The search for life on Mars

pp 225-240

13 - Life in the dark dune spots of Mars: a testable hypothesis

pp 241-262

14 - Titan: a new astrobiological vision from the Cassini–Huygens data

pp 263-284

15 - Europa, the ocean moon: tides, permeable ice, and life

pp 285-312

Index

pp 313-315