Synopses & Reviews
The search for life beyond Earth takes the human mind and spirit back down long corridors of cosmic history, probing the ancient questions of who we are and where we came from. Life Beyond Earth is the story of this exploration.
A stunning blend of words and photographs crafted by Timothy Ferris, whom The Christian Science Monitor called "the best popular science writer in the English language today," Life Beyond Earth combines more than 100 illustrations with Ferris's rich, thought-provoking text and observations from such leading scientists as Freeman Dyson, Richard Gott, and Stephen Jay Gould. Drawn from Ferris's critically acclaimed, two-hour PBS documentary, the book covers broad swaths of time and space, from the South Pacific explorations of Charles Darwin and Captain James Cook to the latest space-probe searches for life and organic matter on Mars, Europa, and Titan.
Ferris fans and newcomers to his work alike will celebrate this, his most ambitious picture book since the classic Galaxies, which was hailed by Isaac Asimov as "a very good candidate for the most beautiful book in the world." As James Gleick, author of Chaos, remarked about Ferris's most recent bestseller, The Whole Shebang, "What luck that the universe has Tim Ferris to report on its condition!"
Review
The Washington PostFerris...is a compassionate and clever guide....If there are more great discoveries to be made, Ferris would be someone you'd want around to explain them.
Synopsis
The search for life beyond Earth takes the human mind and spirit back down long corridors of cosmic history, probing the ancient questions of who we are and where we came from.
Life Beyond Earth is the story of this exploration.
A stunning blend of words and photographs crafted by Timothy Ferris, whom The Christian Science Monitor called "the best popular science writer in the English language today," Life Beyond Earth combines more than 100 illustrations with Ferris's rich, thought-provoking text and observations from such leading scientists as Freeman Dyson, Richard Gott, and Stephen Jay Gould. Drawn from Ferris's critically acclaimed, two-hour PBS documentary, the book covers broad swaths of time and space, from the South Pacific explorations of Charles Darwin and Captain James Cook to the latest space-probe searches for life and organic matter on Mars, Europa, and Titan.
Ferris fans and newcomers to his work alike will celebrate this, his most ambitious picture book since theclassic Galaxies, which was hailed by Isaac Asimov as "a very good candidate for the most beautiful book in the world." As James Gleick, author of Chaos, remarked about Ferris's most recent bestseller, The Whole Shebang, "What luck that the universe has Tim Ferris to report on its condition!"
About the Author
Timothy Ferris is the bestselling author of seven books on astronomy and a regular contributor to
The New Yorker and
The New York Times Magazine. An emeritus professor at the University of California, Berkeley, he lives in San Francisco.
Table of Contents
ContentsPreface
I. Are We Alone?
In the Beginning
Evolution
The Habitable Zone
The Origin of Life
The Ice Zone
Terraforming
II. Is Anybody Listening?
Visitors
The Infosphere
Message in a Bottle
Destiny
Other Voices
Units of Measurement
Acknowledgements
Photo Credits
Index