The Stardust Revolution - by Jacob Berkowitz (Paperback)

About the Book

This book describes how we're in the midst of a third great scientific revolution, five centuries in the making: the Stardust Revolution. It is the merging of the once-disparate realms of astronomy and evolutionary biology, and of the Copernican and Darwinian Revolutions, plac...

Book Synopsis

In 1957, as Americans obsessed over the launch of the Soviet Sputnik satellite, another less noticed space-based scientific revolution was taking off. That year, astrophysicists solved a centuries-old quest for the origins of the elements, from carbon to uranium. The answer they found wasn't on Earth, but in the stars. Their research showed that we are literally stardust. The year also marked the first conference that considered the origin of life on Earth in an astrophysical context. It was the marriage of two of the seemingly strangest bedfellows--astronomy and biology--and a turning point that award-winning science author Jacob Berkowitz calls the Stardust Revolution.

In this captivating story of an exciting, deeply personal, new scientific revolution, Berkowitz weaves together the latest research results to reveal a dramatically different view of the twinkling night sky--not as an alien frontier, but as our cosmic birthplace. Reporting from the frontlines of discovery, Berkowitz uniquely captures how stardust scientists are probing the universe's physical structure, but rather its biological nature. Evolutionary theory is entering the space age.

From the amazing discovery of cosmic clouds of life's chemical building blocks to the dramatic quest for an alien Earth, Berkowitz expertly chronicles the most profound scientific search of our era: to know not just if we are alone, but how we are connected. Like opening a long-hidden box of old family letters and diaries, The Stardust Revolution offers us a new view of where we've come from and brings to light our journey from stardust to thinking beings.

Review Quotes

"[An] intriguing look at . . . 'stardust science, ' a surprising blend of astronomy and evolutionary biology. . . . With an engaging tone and accessible science, Berkowitz shows how the current search for Earth-like planets orbiting other stars could also reveal [other life-forms] born of the same dust that made us."

-Publishers Weekly

"An engaging, lively discussion of the astronomy and biology underpinning the new sciences of astrochemistry and astrobiology.... A pleasurable read.... Highly recommended."

-Choice

"In [t]his lively and meticulous book, Berkowitz tells the incredible story of how we're discovering our true cosmic origins--reflected in every atom, molecule, and grain of matter in the universe. Read it and you'll never look at the night sky, or yourself, the same way again."

-Dr. Caleb Scharf, director of astrobiology at Columbia University and author of Gravity's Engines

"Our ancestors are stars in this 'extreme genealogy, ' which follows the history of discoveries that blossomed into a new field. . . . Berkowitz gracefully chronicles the work and passion of physicists, chemists, and other 'stardust scientists' who probe the universe for signs of life."-Scientific American

"With a delightfully readable style, Berkowitz illuminates the greatest scientific story of our time: the search for humanity's origin and place in the cosmos."

-Steven J. Dick, former NASA chief historian and author of Life on Other Worlds

""Our ancestors are stars in this 'extreme genealogy, ' which follows the history of discoveries that blossomed into a new field. . . . Berkowitz gracefully chronicles the work and passion of physicists, chemists, and other 'stardust scientists' who probe the universe for signs of life."-Scientific American"An engaging, lively discussion of the astronomy and biology underpinning the new sciences of astrochemistry and astrobiology.... A pleasurable read.... Highly recommended."-Choice"[An] intriguing look at . . . 'stardust science, ' a surprising blend of astronomy and evolutionary biology. . . . With an engaging tone and accessible science, Berkowitz shows how the current search for Earth-like planets orbiting other stars could also reveal [other life-forms] born of the same dust that made us."-Publishers Weekly "With a delightfully readable style, Berkowitz illuminates the greatest scientific story of our time: the search for humanity's origin and place in the cosmos."-Steven J. Dick, former NASA chief historian and author of Life on Other Worlds"In [t]his lively and meticulous book, Berkowitz tells the incredible story of how we're discovering our true cosmic origins-reflected in every atom, molecule, and grain of matter in the universe. Read it and you'll never look at the night sky, or yourself, the same way again."-Dr. Caleb Scharf, director of astrobiology at Columbia University and author of Gravity's Engines

About the Author

JACOB BERKOWITZ is the bestselling author of Jurassic Poop: What Dinosaurs (and Others) Left Behind, winner of a 2007 American Institute of Physics Science Writing Award. His book Out of This World: The Amazing Search for an Alien Earth was selected as a SkyNews best astronomy book for 2009. He has written for the Globe and Mail, is a former Dibner Fellow in the History of Science (Huntington Library) and is a writer-in-virtual residence at the Institute for Science, Society and Policy, University of Ottawa.