Aliens : the world's leading scientists on the search for extraterrestrial life Cover Image

Book

Aliens : the world's leading scientists on the search for extraterrestrial life / edited and with an introduction by Jim Al-Khalili.

Al-Khalili, Jim, 1962- (editor.). Al-Khalili, Jim, 1962- Aliens and us. (Added Author). Campbell, Dallas. Flying saucers. (Added Author). Dartnell, Lewis (Un)welcome visitors. (Added Author). French, Chris. Abducted. (Added Author). Grady, M. M. (Monica M.). Next-door neighbours. (Added Author). McKay, Chris. Home sweet home. (Added Author). Preston, Louisa. Further out. (Added Author). Sella, Andrew. Randomness versus complexity. (Added Author). Seth, Anil, 1976- Aliens on Earth. (Added Author). Stewart, Ian, 1945- Monsters, victims, friends. (Added Author).

Summary:

Scientists from around the world weigh in on the latest advances in the search for intelligent life in the universe and discuss just what that might look like. Included are essays from a broad spectrum of the scientific community: cosmologists, astrophysicists, NASA planetary scientists, and geneticists, discussing the latest research and theories relating to alien life. --Adapted from Amazon.com.

Record details

ISBN: 1250109639
ISBN: 9781250109637
Physical Description: 232 pages ; 22 cm
Edition: First U.S. edition.
Publisher: New York : Picador, 2017.

Content descriptions

General Note:

Originally published in Great Britain by Profile Books Ltd, 2016.

Formatted Contents Note:

Aliens and us: Could post-humans spread through the galaxy? / Martin Rees -- (Un)welcome visitors: Why aliens might visit us / Lewis Dartnell -- Flying saucers: A brief history of sightings and conspiracies / Dallas Campbell -- Aliens on earth: What octopus minds can tell us about alien consciousness / Anil Seth -- Abducted: The psychology of close encounters with extraterrestrials / Chris French -- Home sweet home: What makes a planet habitable? / Chris McKay -- The next-door neighbours: The search for life on Mars / Monica Grady -- Further out: Could the moons of the gas giants harbour life? / Louisa Preston -- Monsters, victims, friends: Aliens in science fiction writing / Ian Stewart -- Randomness versus complexity: The chemistry of life / Andrea Sella -- Electric origins in deep-sea vents: How life got started on earth / Nick Lane -- Quantum leap: Could quantum mechanics hold the secret of (alien) life? / Johnjoe McFadden -- A cosmic imperative: How easy is it for life to get started? / Paul C.W. Davies -- Alone in the universe: The improbability of alien civilizations / Matthew Cobb -- It came from beyond the silver screen! Aliens in the movies / Adam Rutherford -- What are we looking for? An overview of the search for extraterrestrials / Nathalie Cabrol -- Are they out there? Technology, the Drake Equation, and looking for life on other worlds / Sara Seager -- Good atmosphere: Identifying the signs of life on distant worlds / Giovanna Tinetti -- What next? The future of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence / Seth Shostak.