The Planetary and Geological Context of Life

Abstract

Life is not known to exist on any other planet except the Earth. Why is life a feature of the Earth and not of neighboring planets? What are the conditions on the Earth that support the evolution of life? One way to achieve a broader understanding of the life-supporting characteristics is to compare the planetary and geological features of the Earth and other planets. Study of planetary landforms offers new insights into the dynamic processes and the physical context of the Earth, which has supported the origin and development of living matter. This comparison has become possible only since the 1960’s and 1970’s, as a result of improvements in the ability to view and measure planetary phenomena via satellite technology and remote sensing. Manned exploration has yielded actual samples of the Moon’s surface, and unmanned interplanetary missions have contributed analytical results from the surface of Mars and detailed information about other planets. By analyzing the similarities and differences between the planets, the dynamic features which have made the Earth an enclave of living matter, as opposed to being another lifeless planet of the Solar System, will become more apparent.