Under what conditions does life arise and how is it distributed in the cosmos? This is the focus of the author, who presents important facets of a young scientific discipline in detail: · What is life and how does it function? · The origin of life on Earth · Cosmic conditions for life as we know it · Life in the solar system and beyond · The search for extraterrestrial civilizations. Additionally, the exciting field of astrochemistry is discussed, which explains how the molecular building blocks of life form under cosmic conditions. The book is aimed at interested students of natural and engineering sciences, high school graduates, lecturers, teachers, and last but not least, amateur astronomers.