Aliens: The World's Leading Scientists on the Search for Extraterrestrial Life

Jim Al-Khalili

May 2017 · Macmillan + ORM

About this ebook

In these lively and fascinating essays edited by theoretical physicist Jim Al-Khalili, scientists from around the world weigh in on the latest advances in the search for intelligent life in the universe and discuss just what that might look like.

Since 2000, science has seen a surge in data and interest on several fronts related to E.T. (extraterrestrials); A.I. (artificial intelligence); and SETI (search for extraterrestrial intelligence). The debate has intensified over whether life exists outside our solar system, what that life would look like, and whether we’ll ever make contact.

Included here are essays from a broad spectrum of the scientific community: cosmologists, astrophysicists, NASA planetary scientists, and geneticists, to name just a few, discussing the latest research and theories relating to alien life. Some of the topics include: If life exists somewhere in space, what are the odds that it evolves into something we would recognize as intelligent? What will space travel look like in the future, and will it all be done by cyborg technology? How long until we are ruled by robot overlords? (This is actually a serious consideration.) Are we simply a simulation in the mind of some supreme being, acting out a virtual reality game?

For those who have ever wondered, Is there anybody out there? here are the latest theories and evidence that move us closer to answering that question.

About the author

Jim Al-Khalili OBE is an Iraqi-born British theoretical physicist, author, and broadcaster. He is currently professor of theoretical physics and chair in the public engagement in science at the University of Surrey. He has hosted several BBC productions about science and is the presenter of BBC Radio 4’s The Life Scientific. In 2007, he was awarded the Royal Society Michael Faraday Prize for science communication, and his books include Quantum: A Guide for the Perplexed, Paradox: The Nine Greatest Enigmas in Physics, and Life on the Edge: The Coming of Age of Quantum Biology, which was nominated for the Royal Society Winton Prize in 2015.