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An Astrobiologist's Search for the Origins and Frontiers of Life
by Nathalie A. Cabrol
One of the world's leading astrobiologists takes us on an awe-inspiring journey across the cosmos to investigate some of humanity's most profound questions: Are we alone in the universe? And, how did life on Earth begin?
We are in a golden age in astronomy, living on the cusp of breakthroughs that will revolutionize our understanding of our place in the cosmos in. Yet a profound question remains: Are we alone in the universe?
We have never been closer to answering this question. In The Secret Life of the Universe, astrobiologist and the director of the Carl Sagan Center at the SETI Institute Nathalie A. Cabrol takes us to the frontiers of the search for life. The book's odyssey begins by exploring how life began on Earth in order to understand what's necessary for its existence elsewhere. What role did our Moon play? And could life on Mars have seeded life on Earth?
Cabrol continues this dazzling interplanetary tour, illuminating the likeliest places for life in our neighborhood: While Mars and the icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn are among the top contenders, recent missions are redefining the limits of habitability to include unexpected worlds. Finally, we seek life beyond our Solar System, becoming witness to a revolution in the night sky: the realization that there are as many planets as stars in our galaxy. With more than 300 million exoplanets in the habitable zone of their stars in the Milky Way alone, to think we are alone, or the only advanced intelligent civilization, may be little more than nonsense.
The Secret Life of the Universe is a comprehensive and authoritative guide to the search for life. This is an exhilarating journey for anyone who has ever looked up at the stars and wondered what might be out there.
"Some people are in the enviable position of loving their work. Cabrol is one of them, and it shows in this wonderfully sweeping book…This is a book for anyone with an interest in scientific discovery and a perfect choice for any budding astronomer or astrobiologist. Combining enthusiasm and knowledge, Cabrol gives a lovely guided tour of the possibilities of the cosmos." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"This stimulating survey…details how [Cabrol] and other scientists search the cosmos for extraterrestrial life…Cabrol has a talent for making technical research accessible for general readers and serves up a bounty of fascinating trivia…Amateur astronomers will be spellbound." —Publishers Weekly
"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
"The Secret Life of the Universe delivers on the grand promise of its title. Intimate and cosmic, it is the passionate traveler's tale of a distinguished scientist approaching the most fascinating questions of all." —Ann Druyan, writer, producer, and director of "Cosmos"
"Of all the popular books on the search for life that are now being published, this one is quite special. Written by an outstanding astrobiologist, Dr. Nathalie Cabrol, The Secret Life of the Universe takes you step by step through each of the top candidates in the solar system and beyond into the Milky Way where life could exist, and how we are looking for it. Nathalie tackles advanced concepts and explains them with ease. I highly recommend this book!" —James L. Green, former NASA chief scientist
This information about The Secret Life of the Universe was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Nathalie A. Cabrol is a French-American explorer and astrobiologist and the Director of the Carl Sagan Center at the SETI Institute. She researches habitability and life beyond Earth, develops science exploration strategies for NASA for Mars and Titan, designs robotic field tests, and leads projects in planetary science and astrobiology. Cabrol documents life's adaptation to extreme environments and the effects of rapid climate change. She has written over six hundred peer-reviewed publications and conference proceedings and has published four books on planetary science. Cabrol also holds the women's world record for free and scuba diving at altitude. Born in France, she lives in California.
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