Are we alone in the Universe? From the furor over Percival Lowell's claim of canals on Mars at the beginning of the century to the more recent controversial rock from Mars and the sophisticated Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), the prospect of otherworldly life has often titillated and occasionally consumed science and the public. The search for planetary systems, the quest to explain UFOs, and inquiries into the origin of life have fueled an abundance of popular and scientific literature. They have also provided Hollywood with fodder for some of the most popular films of our time, including ET, Aliens, Independence Day, and Contact. Lucid and accessible, Life on Other Worlds chronicles the history of the twentieth-century extraterrestrial debate. Putting the latest findings and heated controversies into a broader historical context, Steven Dick documents how the concept of extraterrestrial intelligence is a world view of its own--a "biophysical cosmology" that seeks confirmation no less than physical views of the Universe. The debate rests at the very limits of science, and attempts at confirmation only illuminate the nature of science itself. Dick shows that appreciating the history of the debate enables a better understanding of the nature of science, and is central to any forward-looking view of religion and philosophy. For anyone interested in a look over the edge of scientific discovery, Life on Other Worlds provides the exciting tale behind the greatest debate in the twentieth century. Dr. Steven J. Dick is an astronomer and historian of science at the U.S. Naval Observatory. He is the author of Plurality of Worlds: The Origins of the Extraterrestrial Life Debate from Democritus to Kant (Cambridge, 1982) and Biological Universe (Cambridge, 1996).

In The Search for Life on Other Planets, Jakosky offers a scientific foundation for thinking there may be life elsewhere in the Universe. Using the early history of the Earth and the conditions that would allow life to exist, he creates a sound, scientific foundation for the possibility of life on planets other than our own. Jakosky integrates the mechanics of planets and recent findings from our planetary exploration program to create a rich and accessible look at the likelihood of extraterrestrials and the possibility of life on other planets. His prose is authoritative but avoids technical jargon and is well illustrated throughout. For all those interested in understanding the scientific evidence for and likelihood of extraterrestrial life, this is the most comprehensive and readable book to date. Bruce Jakosky is active in spacecraft observations, and has been involved with the Viking, Solar Mesosphere Explorer, Clementine, Mars Observer, and Mars Global Surveyor missions. Currently, he teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses in terrestrial and planetary geology at the University of Colorado, Boulder.