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Astronomer Peter Linde takes the reader through the story of the search for extraterrestrial life in a captivating and thought-provoking way, specifically addressing the new research that is currently devoted towards discovering other planets with life. He discusses the methods used to detect possible signals from other civilizations and the ways that the space sciences are changing as a result of this new field. "Are we alone?" is a mystery that has forever fascinated mankind, gaining momentum by scientists since the 1995 discovery of the existence of exoplanets began to inspire new ways of thinking in astronomy. Here, Linde tries to answer many philosophical questions that derive from this area of research: Is humanity facing a change of paradigm, that we are not unique as intelligent beings? Is it possible to communicate with others out there, and even if we can-should we?
Originally published in Swedish in 2013.
- Preface
- A Cosmic Perspective
- How is a Planetary System Formed?
- The Development of Life on Earth
- Alien Life at Close Range?
- Exoplanets: From Speculation to Reality
- A Menagerie of Planets
- Exoplanets: In the Future
- Signs of Life from Earth
- How Many Civilisations Are There?
- Where is Everybody?
- SETI: The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
- Journey to the Stars
- What do the Aliens Look Like?
- Appendices
- Index
Peter Linde has been fascinated by astronomy since childhood and is involved in many projects that convey this commitment in popular science form. Previously, he worked as an assistant professor in astronomy at Lund University, Sweden. As a researcher, he has been active in advanced analysis of astronomical imagery, participating in studies of solar-type stars and stellar populations in nearby galaxies. Recently, he has been engaged in simulations for the European Extremely Large Telescope, which is now being built.
"The author's clear, crisp text is complemented by boxes that examine specific topics in more detail, and the book is extensively illustrated with relevant and informative diagrams, images and artist's impressions. The text is so well-structured that it can be read through from start to finish or dipped into at any point. Informative, thought-provoking, easy and enjoyable to read, this is an altogether excellent book."
– Ian Nicolson, Astronomy Now, July, 2017
"Linde's book is a mix of already well-known and new topics, meant for popular-science readers."
– P. Chapman-Rietschi, The Observatory, Vol. 137 (1257), April, 2017
"In this book the reader gets a first course on different methods that are used in various ways to search for extraterrestrial intelligence, and planets that might be suitable for life. The book gives a wide overview of for example SETI research with radio telescopes, the techniques employed there, and what are the results so far. [...] The Hunt for Alien Life is a great book for finding out more about the background of exoplanet research. It's detailed and well-written."
– AstroMadness.com, December, 2016
