"This book covers a range of topics relevant to the search for life in the Universe, including cosmology and its implications for the emergence of life, the habitable zone in the Milky Way Galaxy, the formation of stars and planets, the study of interstellar and interplanetary matter, searches for extrasolar, planets, the synthesis of organic material in space, and spectroscopic signature that could be used to detect life. This is an invaluable resource for both professional researchers and graduate students."--Jacket.