The questions “How did life on Earth begin?” and “Are we alone in the universe?” are arguably two of the most intriguing in science. While until recently these questions tended to be relegated to the “too difficult” box, the attempts to answer them have now become extraordinarily vibrant and dynamic frontiers of science.
Internationally renowned astrophysicist Mario Livio describes how the quest for cosmic life follows two parallel, independent lines of research: cutting-edge laboratory studies aimed at determining whether life can emerge from pure chemistry, and advanced astronomical observations searching for signs of life on other planets and moons in the solar system and around stars other than the Sun.
He examines how using knowledge acquired through ingenious chemical experimentation, geological studies, advanced astronomical observations, and imaginative theorizing researchers have managed to delineate a plausible pathway leading from the formation of the Earth to the appearance of the early biological cells. He also draws on astounding findings of astronomers and astrobiologists in the last three decades —discoveries that have brought us to the verge of being able to detect extraterrestrial life.
Livio’s new book, co-authored with Nobel Prize laureate Jack Szostak, Is Earth Exceptional?: The Quest for Cosmic Life (Basic Books), is available for sale.
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