Astrobiology

The Search for Life Elsewhere in the Universe

Extraterrestrial life is a common theme in science fiction, but is it a serious prospect in the real world? Astrobiology is the emerging field of science that seeks to answer this question.

The possibility of life elsewhere in the cosmos is one of the most profound subjects that human beings can ponder. Astrophysicist Andrew May gives an expert overview of our current state of knowledge, looking at how life started on Earth, the tell-tale 'signatures' it produces, and how such signatures might be detected elsewhere in the Solar System or on the many 'exoplanets' now being discovered by the Kepler and TESS missions.

Along the way the book addresses key questions such as the riddle of Fermi's paradox ('Where is everybody?') and the crucial role of DNA and water - they're essential to 'life as we know it', but is the same true of alien life? And the really big question: when we eventually find extraterrestrials, will they be friendly or hostile?

"May's new book is an eloquent, well researched and thought-provoking introduction to a fascinating area ... should be on the shelf of every fortean, every ufologist (whatever your favoured theory) and everyone with even a passing interest in the sky at night."

Mark Greener in Fortean Times, Christmas 2019 – 4 stars

Available from all good bookshops, as well as online retailers such as Amazon.com and Amazon UK (ISBN 978-1-785-78342-5). Also available as an audiobook from Dreamscape and in a hardback illustrated edition (ISBN 9781785789700):

From David Hambling's 4-star review of the 320-page illustrated edition (Fortean Times, Christmas 2023):

"Gorgeous images from the Hubble and James Webb telescopes ... interspersed with pictures from science fiction"
"A great introduction to the field ... tells you everything you need to know"