Product Description

Suppose someone claimed that we are not running out of petroleum? Or that life on Earth began below the surface of our planet? Or that oil and gas are not "fossil fuels"? Or that if we find extraterrestrial life it is likely to be within, not on, other planets? You might expect to hear statements like these from an author of science fiction. But what if they came from a renowned physicist, an indisputably brilliant scientist who has been called "one of the world's most original minds"? In the The Deep Hot Biosphere, Thomas Gold sets forth truly controversial and astonishing theories about where oil and gas come from, and how they acquire their organic "signatures." The conclusions he reaches in this book might be at first difficult to believe, but they are supported by a growing body of evidence, and by the indisputabel stature and seriousness Gold brings to any scientific enterprise. In this book we see a brilliant and boldly orginal thinker, increasingly a rarity in modern science, as he developes a revolutionary new view about the fundamental workings of our planet. Thomas Gold is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, a Fellow of the Royal Society, and an Emertius Professor at Cornell University. Regarded as one of the most creative and wide-ranging scientists of his generation, he has taughtat Cambridge University and Harvard, and for 20 years was the Director of the Cornell Center for Radiophysics and Space Research.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #63206 in Books
• Published on: 2001-06-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 264 pages

Review
From the reviews:

"always original, always important, usually controversial, and usually right"
- FROM THE FOREWORD BY FREEMAN DYSON

"an extraordinary theory from one of the world's most original minds."
- NIGEL HAWKES, THE TIMES, LONDON

"The leading supporter of the abiotic theory in the U.S. is Prof. Thomas Gold of Cornell. His 1999 book, The Deep Hot Biosphere (Springer-Verlag) is a thorough discussion of the issues. It is based in part on research financed by the U.S. Geological Survey. Among prominent scientists whose work supports the abiotic theory are Jean Whelan of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Mahlon Kennicutt of Texas A&M University, and J.F Kenny of the Gas Resources Corporation."
- http: //www.humaneventsonline.com/article.php?id=4092

"There is much to be said about this important book a ] . Gold exhibits the irreversible and universal genius that we recognize in Aristotle and Leonardo da Vinci. a ] The versatility and range of knowledge exhibited is remarkable. a ] The Deep Hot Biosphere is a highly interesting and important book; it should be required reading for every geology student." (David Deming, Journal of Scientific Exploration, Vol. 17 (2), 2003)

"Thomas Gold is a physicist who is not afraid of controversy. a ] His big new theory a ] is that oil and natural gas are produced by geology and chemistry of the hot deep layers below the Eartha (TM)s surface a ] . The book is the best kind of science writing: contentious and passionate, with all the evidence there for you to weigh up." (New Scientist, August, 2001)

About the Author
Thomas Gold is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, a Fellow of the Royal Society, and an Emiratus Professor of Physics at Cornell University. Regarded as one of the most creative and wide-ranging scientists of his generation, he has taught at Cambridge University and Harvard, and for 20 years was the Director of the Cornell Center for Radiophysics and Space Research.

Customer Reviews

Forget Earth in upheaval; this is geology itself in upheaval
Those who have recalled Dr. Gold's work for NASA and his controversial pursuit of 'deep black goo' in oil drill samples from Sweden will be delighted to read of the full story here. An audacious synthesis of facts into a revised world-view of the science of geology as stunning in its' implications as continental drift theory was in the last century. Anecdotes from classical historians such as Seneca are interwoven with compelling data on the influx of carbonaceous materials from space during the formation of the Earth. Briefly, the Earth we live on is neither so stable nor so homogenous as those raised on the color geology books have been led to believe. The interior heat of the Earth has distilled the organics into the coal, oil and gas deposits we use today--if true, implying a stunning abundance of fuels beneath our feet, literally 4% of the volume of the oceans themselves, according to one estimate. The economic implications of this work alone make it worth reading.

Ahead of his time
I think this is a very important book. Its a shame that he passed away in 2004. Since now we see data coming in from Titan showing Hydrocarbon seas. I think he's concept will given time be found to be right. In the USSR these theories are taken seriously, not surprisingly they are the number one oil producers in the world now. The West keeps ignoring the evidence and the author presents his cases. One of the most interesting books, I read this one after Paul Davies "Origin of Life" and they both complement one another. Hopefully more deep drilling will be done. I found his theories on Earthquakes, metals, and diamonds very interesting as well and they do seem to make sense.