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Start giftingThe Secret Life of the Universe
‘A mind-altering and exhilarating read’ Helen Macdonald, author of H is for Hawk
‘Of all the popular books on the search for life that are now being published, this one is quite special’ James L. Green, former NASA chief scientist
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.
We are living in a golden age in astronomy. Over the last few decades, space exploration has revolutionised our understanding of our place in the cosmos. We now know that not only are there many habitable environments within our solar system, but there are millions of exoplanets within our galaxy that could support life. Yet a profound question remains: are we alone in the universe?
Nathalie 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 of Jupiter and Saturn, and Pluto. Finally, we seek life beyond our Solar System, looking at the recent revolution in the night sky: the realization that there are as many planets as stars in our galaxy.
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.
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.