Epic of Evolution Seven Ages of The Cosmos

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1、EPICOFEVOLUTIONOtherBooksbyEricChaissonCosmicDawn:TheOriginsofMatterandLifeTheInvisibleUniverse:ProbingtheFrontiersofAstrophysics(withG.B.Field)TheLifeEra:CosmicSelectionandConsciousEvolutionRelativelySpeaking:BlackHoles,Relativity,andtheFateoftheUniverseUniverse:AnEvolutionaryApproachtoAstrono

2、myAstronomyToday(withS.M.McMillan)TheHubbleWars:AstrophysicsMeetsAstropoliticsintheTwo-billion-dollarStruggleOvertheHubbleSpaceTelescopeAstronomy:ABeginner’sGuidetotheUniverse(withS.M.McMillan)TheThirteenthLabor:ImprovingScienceEducation(coeditedwithT.-C.Kim)CosmicEvolution:TheRiseofComplexityi

3、nNatureEPICOFEVOLUTIONSEVENAGESOFTHECOSMOSERICCHAISSONIllustratedbyLolaJudithChaissonColumbiaUniversityPressNEWYORKColumbiaUniversityPressPublishersSince1893NewYorkChichester,WestSussexCopyright©2005ColumbiaUniversityPressAllrightsreservedLibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationDataChaisson,E

4、ric.Epicofevolution:sevenagesofthecosmos/EricChaisson;illustratedbyLolaJudithChaisson.p.cm.Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.ISBN0–231–13560–2(cloth:alk.paper)1.Cosmology.2.Life—Origin.3.Matter—Constitution.I.Title.QB981.C4142005523.1—dc222005045452IColumbiaUniversityPressbooksareprinte

5、donpermanentanddurableacid-freepaper.PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmericac10987654321Toourparents∞ContentsPrefaceixPrologue:CosmologicalOverview11.ParticleEpoch:SimplicityFleeting472.GalacticEpoch:HierarchyofStructures793.StellarEpoch:ForgesforElements1324.PlanetaryEpoch:HabitatsforLife1905.Chemic

6、alEpoch:MatterPlusEnergy2486.BiologicalEpoch:ComplexitySustained2987.CulturalEpoch:IntelligencetoTechnology369Epilogue:AWholeNewEra433FurtherReading443Glossary445Index463Preface“Everythingflowsandnothingstays.”—Heraclitus,aGreekphilosopheroftwenty-fivecenturiesagoWHENCONSCIOUSNESSDAWNEDamongthean

7、cestorsofourcivilization,menandwomenperceivedtwothings.Theynotedthemselves,andtheynotedtheirenvironment.Theywonderedwhotheywereandwhencetheycame.Theylongedforanunderstandingofthestarrypointsoflightinthenighttimesky,ofthesurroundin