'A highly readable, entertaining and mind-expanding read from a formidable scientist' iNews
'A highly informative survey of the current state of astrobiology' Literary Review
Over the last few decades, space exploration has revolutionised our understanding of our place in the cosmos. We now know that there are many habitable environments within our solar system. Yet a profound question remains: are we alone in the universe?
Nathalie A. Cabrol, leading astrobiologist and director of the Carl Sagan Center at the SETI Institute, takes us to the frontiers of the search for life. This book's odyssey begins by searching for how life began on Earth in order to understand what's necessary for life to exist elsewhere. What role did our moon play? And could life on Mars, or another world, have seeded life on Earth?
Cabrol continues this dazzling interplanetary tour, illuminating the likeliest places for life in our neighbourhood: Venus, Mars, the icy moons ofJupiter and Saturn, and Pluto. Finally, we seek life beyond our solar system, looking at the recent revolution in the night sky: the realisation that there are millions of exoplanets within our galaxy that could support life.
The Secret Life of the Universe is both a comprehensive and authoritative guide to the latest discoveries and an awe-inspiring exploration of what this means for us as humans on Earth today. It's an exhilarating journey, perfect for anyone who has ever looked up at the stars and wondered what might be out there.
'A highly informative survey of the current state of astrobiology' Literary Review
Over the last few decades, space exploration has revolutionised our understanding of our place in the cosmos. We now know that there are many habitable environments within our solar system. Yet a profound question remains: are we alone in the universe?
Nathalie A. Cabrol, leading astrobiologist and director of the Carl Sagan Center at the SETI Institute, takes us to the frontiers of the search for life. This book's odyssey begins by searching for how life began on Earth in order to understand what's necessary for life to exist elsewhere. What role did our moon play? And could life on Mars, or another world, have seeded life on Earth?
Cabrol continues this dazzling interplanetary tour, illuminating the likeliest places for life in our neighbourhood: Venus, Mars, the icy moons ofJupiter and Saturn, and Pluto. Finally, we seek life beyond our solar system, looking at the recent revolution in the night sky: the realisation that there are millions of exoplanets within our galaxy that could support life.
The Secret Life of the Universe is both a comprehensive and authoritative guide to the latest discoveries and an awe-inspiring exploration of what this means for us as humans on Earth today. It's an exhilarating journey, perfect for anyone who has ever looked up at the stars and wondered what might be out there.
'In this cutting-edge, wide-ranging survey of a truly extraordinary subject, the celebrated scientist Nathalie Cabrol takes us on an odyssey full of astonishing possibility, crossing vast distances and many scales to tell the story of our search for extraterrestrial life. The Secret Life of the Universe weaves together the history of space exploration, planetary science, the changing technological and intellectual frameworks of SETI, and deliberations on the very nature and meaning of life. It's a mind-altering and exhilarating read for anyone who has ever wondered: are we alone?' Helen Macdonald, author of H is for Hawk