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"We've all asked ourselves the question. Looking up at the night sky, it's almost impossible NOT to wonder: Are we alone in the universe? In [this book], Space.com senior writer Dr. Michael Wall treats that question as merely a jumping-off point. He considers, for instance, the myriad of questions that would arise once we do discover life beyond Earth (an eventuality which, top NASA officials told Dr. Wall, is only drawing closer). From the unexpected--do...
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Everyone is curious about life in the Universe, UFOs and whether ET is out there. Over the course of his thirty-year career as an astrophysicist, Adam Frank has consistently been asked about the possibility of intelligent life in the universe. Are aliens real? Where are they? Why haven't we found them? What happens if we do? We've long been led to believe that astronomers spend every night searching the sky for extraterrestrials, but the truth is...
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n November 12, 2002, Dr. John Chambers of the NASA Ames - search Center gave a seminar to the Astrobiology Group at the OUniversity of Washington. The audience of about 100 listened with rapt attention as Chambers described results from a computer study of how planetary systems form. The goal of his research was to answer a dec- tively simple question: How often would newly forming planetary systems produce Earth-like planets, given a star the size...
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"Humans have always been fascinated with the possibility of extraterrestrial life, often wondering if we are alone in the universe. Drawing on the author's 50 years in the field, this book looks at the subject of extraterrestrial life, separating knowledge from conjecture, fact from fiction, to draw scientific and technical conclusions that answer that enduring question and examine the possibility of remotely exploring life on other worlds"--
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Why Earth’s life-friendly climate makes it exceptionaland what that means for the likelihood of finding intelligent extraterrestrial life
We have long fantasized about finding life on planets other than our own. Yet even as we become aware of the vast expanses beyond our solar system, it remains clear that Earth is exceptional. The question is: why? In Lucky Planet, astrobiologist David Waltham argues that Earth’s...
We have long fantasized about finding life on planets other than our own. Yet even as we become aware of the vast expanses beyond our solar system, it remains clear that Earth is exceptional. The question is: why? In Lucky Planet, astrobiologist David Waltham argues that Earth’s...
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"A young planetary scientist intimately details the search for life on Mars, tracing our centuries-old obsession with this seemingly desolate planet. Mars was once similar to Earth, but today there are no rivers, no lakes, no oceans. Coated in red dust, the terrain is bewilderingly empty. And yet multiple spacecraft are circling Mars, sweeping over Terra Sabaea, Syrtis Major, the dunes of Elysium, and Mare Sirenum -- on the brink, perhaps, of a staggering...
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This thrilling story of science, the Cold War, Nazi research, atomic anxieties, secret spy planes and the space race draws on original archival research, declassified documents and interviews to present a narrative history of humanity's hunt for alien life, including the military and CIA's secret, decades-long quest to study UFOs.
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"Long before space travel was possible, the idea of life beyond Earth transfixed humans. In this fascinating book, astronomer Jon Willis explores the science of astrobiology and the possibility of locating other life in our own galaxy. Describing the most recent discoveries by space exploration missions, including the Kepler space telescope, the Mars Curiosity rover, and the New Horizons probe, Willis asks readers to imagine--and choose among--five...
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"Finalist for the 2011 Lane Anderson Award, Fitzhenry Family Foundation" "One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2011" "One of Library Journal's Best Sci-Tech Books for 2011" Ray Jayawardhana is professor and Canada Research Chair in Observational Astrophysics at the University of Toronto, as well as an award-winning science writer.
An insider's look at the cutting-edge science of today's planet hunters
In Strange New Worlds, renowned...
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Since its formation nearly five billion years ago, our planet has been the sole living world in a vast and silent universe. Now Earth's isolation is coming to an end. Over the past two decades, astronomers have discovered thousands of 'exoplanets' orbiting other stars, including some that could be similar to our own world. Studying those distant planets for signs of life will be crucial to understanding life's intricate mysteries right here on Earth....
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Using a variety of innovative techniques, astronomers have recently discovered thousands of planets that orbit stars throughout our Milky Way galaxy. Donald Goldsmith presents the science of exoplanets and the search for extraterrestrial life in a way that Earthlings with little background in astronomy or astrophysics can understand and enjoy. Much of what has captured the imagination of planetary scientists and the public at large is the unexpected...
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Since the beginning of human history Mars has been an alluring dream-the stuff of legends, gods, and mystery. The planet most like ours, it has still been thought impossible to reach, let alone explore and inhabit. Now with the advent of a revolutionary new plan, all this has changed. Leading space exploration authority Robert Zubrin has crafted a daring new blueprint, Mars Direct, presented here with engaging anecdotes. The Case for Mars is not a...
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"Harvard's top astronomer lays out his controversial theory that our solar system was recently visited by advanced alien technology from a distant star"--
In late 2017 scientists at a Hawaiian observatory glimpsed an object soaring through our inner solar system, moving so quickly that it could only have come from another star. Loeb showed it was not an asteroid; it was moving too fast along a strange orbit, and left no trail of gas or debris in...
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There are tons of movies about aliens coming to Earth. Sometimes they come to be our friends, sometimes they come to destroy us-and sometimes they come to make circles in our cornfields. But what about reality? Do scientists actually believe there is intelligent life somewhere out in space? In fact, many scientists spend their days looking for signs of life throughout the galaxy. Others look for ways to make contact with aliens if they exist. And...
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"One of the most powerful questions humans ask about the cosmos is: Are we alone? While the science behind this inquiry is fascinating, it doesn't exist in a vacuum. It is a reflection of our values, our fears, and most importantly, our enduring sense of hope. In The Possibility of Life, acclaimed science journalist Jaime Green traces the history of our understanding, from the days of Galileo and Copernicus to our contemporary quest for exoplanets....