Alien Earths

Have dinosaurs evolved on other worlds? Could we spot a planet of glowing organisms? What nearby star systems are positioned to observe Earth passing in front of the sun? These are just a few of the questions that Lisa Kaltenegger has joyfully tackled. As the founding director of the Carl Sagan Institute at Cornell University, she has pioneered interdisciplinary work on the origins of life on Earth and the hunt for signs of life, or biosignatures, elsewhere in the universe. Alien Earths ... chronicles her insights and adventures spanning an idyllic childhood in Austria to her Cornell office, which previously belonged to the astronomer Carl Sagan

Becky Ferreira, New York Times

Lisa Kaltenegger is an enthusiastic guide to the search for life beyond our planet — and the new technologies that could help it succeed ... [the] director of Cornell’s Carl Sagan Institute, stands out from the crowd of authors as one of the world’s leading practitioners of astrobiology, with extensive personal involvement in the field. She writes with exemplary clarity about the remarkable diversity of the thousands of planets already identified beyond our solar system — and explains how we could detect clear signs of biology in outer space from the vast influx of data provided by a new generation of ultra-powerful telescopes over the next few years ... the tone of Alien Earths is overwhelmingly positive, as Kaltenegger rejoices in her "adventure to find life in the cosmos" and invites readers to share her excitement for the search, without getting carried away by "wild claims" with insufficient evidence ... she writes."The most exciting phase is about to begin."

Clive Cookson, Financial Times

Every other day we discover a new planet. How long before we find one that can sustain intelligent life? ... As Lisa Kaltenegger explains in her horizon-expanding new book, Alien Earths, this observation altered our perception of the universe ... And of course, if we can observe other planets, they can watch us

Rhys Blakely, The Times

E.T. is waiting to be found. And what's the best way to find life as we know it? Just ask Dr. Lisa Kaltenegger, the Director of the Carl Sagan Institute. She explains the latest methods (such as observing Earth from space to see what we can deduce about it), the power of the James Webb Telescope and the interdisciplinary team developing the tools we need to search for planets like our own.

Parade.com

an authoritative and enjoyable read

Andrew Robinson, Nature

a superb testament to the scientific virtue of curious wonder

Steven Poole, Wall Street Journal

In the grand tradition of Carl Sagan and Neil deGrasse Tyson, we now have a new tour guide to the cosmos. Professor Lisa Kaltenegger takes us along on the quest to solve one of the greatest mysteries of existence: are we alone in the universe? In Alien Earths, Kaltenegger - one of the pioneers leading the way - reveals what we've already discovered, and even more breathtakingly, what we might find.

Steven Strogatz, author of Infinite Powers

The odds are overwhelming that something's alive out there. But will we ever see a sign of life on a planet circling a distant star? And, if we do, will we recognize it? This fascinating and tantalizing book points the way to YES.

Alan Alda

Do you want to prepare yourself for the next 'Copernican revolution'? Then read Lisa Kaltenegger's book! Fascinating.

Michel Mayor, Winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics

Effervescent with ideas and edge-of-your-seat discoveries, Alien Earths provides a front-row seat to the astonishing era we live.

Caleb Scharf, Director of Astrobiology, Columbia University, author of "The Zoomable Universe"

Lisa Kaltenegger is an international leader in the discovery and analysis of exoplanets...Moreover, she is a brilliant expositor. I eagerly await what will surely be a riveting book.

Lord Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal

An erudite and highly readable inside view of the science and emerging discoveries of this remarkable new era.

Charles Cockell, author of "Taxis from Another Planet"

Lisa Kaltenegger is in the best possible position to offer this timely and accessible overview of the rapidly evolving and exciting field of exoplanets, expertly illuminating the questions we have begun to answer, and the many that we can expect to be resolved in the years and decades to come. Linking our understanding of alien worlds (and the possibility of life) to the grand story of Earth's own past, this is an engaging and personal book that couldn't be more up to date. Read ALIEN EARTHs, and feel your cosmic perspective shift just a little on its axis.

Alastair Reynolds, science fiction writer and former ESA scientist

In Kaltenegger’s exhilarating exploration of the state of the Earth-hunting art, she welcomes us into the latest strategies for finding life at interstellar distances. Kaltenegger is that precious rarity, a leading scientist with an infectious passion for her subject and the talent to connect. Read this book and then gaze up at the night sky to find the stars sparkling even brighter with possibility.

Ann Druyan, co-creator of Contact, co-writer COSMOS

In Alien Earths, Lisa Kaltenegger, a skillful educator, offers first-hand access to her expertise on the search for planets in the universe, and the life they may contain. Along the way, Lisa's breezy narrative style invites you to experience with her the challenges and joys of being a scientist on the frontier of discovery.

Neil deGrasse Tyson, Astrophysicist, American Museum of Natural History

If you’ve ever wondered if we’re alone in the cosmos— and Dr. Kaltenegger is certain you have, start with Alien Earths. With her combined degrees in astronomy and engineering, she presents a primer on the geology, physics, chemistry, biology, and ultimately mathematics of places just like Earth— which she sets about seeking every (Earth) day. She learned the rudiments of extraterrestrial lifestyles, while overcoming no shortage of sexism. Could there be alien others out there wondering what it took for life to get a start on our special world? She’ll show you; the answer is in the sky, our window on the cosmos. Read on!

Bill Nye, CEO, The Planetary Society (and former student of Carl Sagan)

What a fascinating glimpse into the creative work of exobiologists, humankind's exciting search for life elsewhere in the universe, and the tantalizing facts we've learned thus far. I was enchanted

Diane Ackerman, author of The Zookeeper's Wife

This Austrian astrophysicist, a world leader in the accelerating search for extraterrestrial life, takes us on a vivid trip through the cosmos, explaining how scientists are using technology to detect hints of activity on distant planets

Ben Spencer, The Times Best Science Books of 2024

a world leader in the accelerating search for extraterrestrial life, takes us on a vivid trip through the cosmos

Ben Spencer, Times & Sunday Times Best Science Books of the Year