The Planets Quotes

“The story of the Eridania Basin and the possible scientific promise it holds was pieced together by using the results from different instruments on different spacecraft over many years, spanning several scientific disciplines: geology, chemistry, spectroscopy, laser altitude ranging and photography. The estimate of the age of the surface required the Apollo lunar rock samples from 50 years ago, and radiometric dating techniques which require an understanding of nuclear physics. The estimate of the age of the surface requires a model of the entire Solar System in order to interpret the measured crater density, which illustrates another important idea. The Solar System is a system; no planet is an island; no planet can be understood in isolation, just as the structure of any one living thing on Earth cannot be understood in isolation. Organisms are a product of evolution by natural selection, the interaction of the expression of genetic mutations and mixing with other organisms, in the ecosystem and the wider environment. The planets formed in a chaotic maelstrom from motions as random as the impact of a cosmic ray on a strand of primordial DNA, and whatever worlds emerged from the chaos have had their histories shaped profoundly by their mutual interactions throughout their evolution; the Late Heavy Bombardment is a beautiful example.”
― Brian Cox, The Planets

“Four billion years ago, as life began on Earth, Mars was also Earth-like. It had oceans and rivers and active geology and complex surface chemistry; the ingredients of life.”
― Brian Cox, The Planets

“What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.”
― Brian Cox, The Planets

“we now suspect that Mercury, the innermost planet, began life much further out and was deflected inwards to its present-day seared orbit.”
― Brian Cox, The Planets