Sep 17, 2019 | ISBN 9781588346643
“Posing a far-reaching question—what will alien life look like when humankind finds it?—the coauthors of Exoplanets explore possible answers in this lively, imaginative, and accessible look at cutting-edge exobiology. This is a marvelous introduction to a field fueled by both imagination and science.” – Publishers Weekly, starred review
“As galactic tour guides, the authors demonstrate an infectious, playful curiosity alongside their technical prowess, maintaining a light touch with some heavy science. Will appeal to sf newcomers and budding space nerds.” - Booklist
“This relatively easy read is an appealing addition to the growing body of recent works addressing the possibility of extraterrestrial life. VERDICT Both popular science and sf readers will enjoy this extrapolative natural history.” - Library Journal
“The prose is straightforward, and the authors make the potentialities of exoplanet life intriguingly real. […] A curiosity-whetting investigation of imagined life beyond our world.” - Kirkus Reviews
“Imagined Life, a speculative romp by two scientists that examines what life might be like on worlds very different from Earth. Trefil and Summers, a physicist and planetary scientist, respectively, at George Mason University, spend the first few chapters providing an overview of the science of life beyond Earth, from astronomy to biology. The fun really begins, though, when they examine a range of hypothetical worlds and their ability to support life.” - The Space Review
“At the outset, Trefil and Summers’ book is an excellent introduction to the basic ideas of the study of astrobiology, explaining what experiments have shown us so far, what scientists are searching for, and the underlying physics and chemistry. The language is very accessible, always emphasizing the questions scientists are asking, how we’ve discovered answers, and how much we still don’t know.” –Emily Lakdawalla, The Planetary Society
