Note: Intro -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Preface -- About the Author -- Contents -- Part I: Common Themes -- 1. The Discovery of Extraterrestrial Worlds -- Introduction -- Radial Velocity: The Pull of Extrasolar Planets -- Transit: The Shadow of a Planet Cast by Its Star -- Microlensing: The Ghosts of Hidden Worlds -- Now You See It, Now You Don't: Formalhaut B and Beyond -- What Worlds Await Us? -- Chthonian Worlds -- Helium Planets: Gravestones for Former Stars? -- Carbon Planets -- Cannonballs -- Aquaplanets with Ice Mantles -- Dream Worlds -- Conclusions -- 2. The Formation of Stars and Planets -- Introduction -- Gravity's Role in Star and Planet Formation -- The Effects of Neighboring Stars -- Brown Dwarfs -- The Planets of Red Dwarfs -- Alternative Routes to Rome -- Energy and Life -- Planetary Heat -- Atmosphere, Hydrosphere and Biosphere -- Conclusions -- 3. Stellar Evolution Near the Bottom of the Main Sequence -- Introduction -- Stellar Evolution and the HR Diagram -- Spectral Features of M and K Dwarfs -- Spectral Features of K-Class Stars -- Structure of M- and K-Class Stars -- The Stellar Furnace -- Spectacularly Faint Dwarfs -- A Primer of Stellar Evolution -- The Life of an "Ordinary" Red Dwarf -- The Fate of the Most Massive Red Dwarf Stars -- The Missing Piece -- Flings for Mid-Range M-Dwarf Stars -- The Evolution of Orange K-Dwarfs -- Which Stars Burn Helium? -- The Second Ascension -- The Fate of the Smallest K-Dwarf Stars -- Pulsations -- The End of the Lowest Mass K-Dwarfs -- Conclusions -- 4. The Living Planet -- Introduction -- Plate Tectonics: A Primer -- Glorious Granite -- The Mantle and Oceanic Crust -- Eclogite -- Constructing Continents -- Assembling a Continental Jigsaw -- The Role of Mantle Plumes in Continent Formation -- Just How Does Plate Tectonics Work?. , The Past, Present and Future of Tectonics on Earth and Other Worlds -- The Organization of Early Plate Tectonics -- The Construction of Continents and the Heat-Death of a Planet -- Plate Tectonics and the Stability of a Planet's Biosphere -- Conclusions -- 5. The Carbon Dioxide Connection -- Introduction -- Carbon Dioxide: The Essential Gas -- The Fate of Carbon Dioxide -- Life Under the Thick Lid -- Super-Volcanic Eruptions -- Photosynthetic Miners -- Conclusions -- 6. Stability of Habitable Atmospheres on Red Dwarf Worlds -- Introduction -- Tidal Locking -- The Atmosphere After Tidal Locking -- The Coriolis Effect -- Atmospheric Modeling -- The Effect of Topography -- Conclusions -- 7. The Development and Sustenance of Life -- Introduction -- Our Alien World: The Hot, Deep Biosphere -- The Concept of the Stellar Climatic Habitable Zone -- What Is Life? -- How Does Life Arise? -- From Stellar Fluff to Complex Cells -- Sense and Sensibility -- Oxygen: A Contradiction -- Multi-cellularity -- The Links Between the Biosphere and Geosphere -- Identifying Living Worlds -- Conclusions -- Part II: Life Under a Crimson Sun -- 8. Red Dwarfs, PAR and the Prospects for Photosynthesis -- Introduction -- A Primer on Photosynthesis -- Action Spectra and Beyond -- Wavelength and the Products of Photosynthesis -- Physical Constraints Imposed on Photosynthesis by Red Dwarf Stars -- The Effect of Planetary Climate -- The Temperature Limits of Life -- The Effect of Star Spots -- Conclusions -- 9. Gliese 581d: The First Potentially Habitable Water-World Discovered? -- Introduction -- Gliese 581g: Now You See It, Now You Don't -- Gliese 581d: An Ancient Water World? -- Orbital Migration and the Composition of Gliese 581d -- The Nice Group -- The Late Heavy Bombardment -- Putting Gliese 581d's Formation and Early History in Context -- The Fate of the Gliese 581 System. , Conclusions -- 10. The Evolution of an Earth-Like World -- Introduction -- The Development and Fate of Planet Gliese 667Cc -- Future World -- The Geodynamo and the Preservation of the Atmosphere -- Stellar Evolution and the Ultimate Fate of the System -- Sustainability of Life on Other Worlds -- Conclusions -- Final Thoughts -- Dwarfs, Metals and the Fate of Life in the Distant Future -- The Last Stars Exit Stage Right -- Conclusions -- Glossary -- Index.