At once a collection of hard science fiction for curious middle-graders and an antidote to despair in the face of dystopian uncertainty, these ten horizon-bending stories may seem unreal, but all follow the rules of physics and biology as we understand them today. These tales of space junk, multiverse navigation, an asteroid named Doomsday, and bees and marmots in space pulse with honesty and optimism. Whether home is a planet, a moon, a space station, or a fleet starship, relatable protagonists of different genders, classes, nationalities, ethnicities, and orientations face challenges—some harrowing, some hilarious—true to their moment in time and space. Brisk plots, resonant themes, and scientific rigor define these forward-facing stories by leading middle-grade authors. Taken together, the tales champion youth agency through characters who approach science in adventurous ways, underscoring that we are all, indeed, made of the same luminous stuff.

A mind-bending science fiction anthology from ten top YA authors perfect for fans of Black Mirror, Lauren James and Femi Fadugba's The Upper World. >> "Unique, brilliant, and brimming with hope." BuzzFeed >> "Joyfully queer and diverse, this is a jump forward into a bright and colourful world." Lauren James, author of The Loneliest Girl in the Universe Imagine a world where robots with human consciousness roam the earth; a society where you can change everything about how you look, sound and interact, and even inherit a voice from the dead; and a universe where a city in space can be destroyed with a kiss... In stories buzzing with possibility, hope, innovation, anger and tenderness, ten top YA authors imagine what the world could be through the lens of technologies emerging today. Tasting Light is a dazzling challenge to open your mind, heart and senses, and rewire your perceptions. With stories by: William Alexander, K. Ancrum, Elizabeth Bear, A.R. Capetta, Charlotte Nicole Davis, Nasugraq Rainey Hopson, A.S. King, E.C. Myers, Junauda Petrus-Nasah and Wendy Xu "Unique, brilliant, and brimming with hope." BuzzFeed "Joyfully queer and diverse, this is a jump forward into a bright and colourful world." Lauren James, author of The Loneliest Girl in the Universe "A fine array of stories blending queerness and technology" Tor "Tackle[s] relevant issues such as colonization, misogyny, transphobia, and white entitlement in this eclectic celebration of infinite possibility and the ever-present human spirit." Publishers Weekly (starred review) "At once unsettling and moving, this crystalline collection will find or create a connection with its readers." Booklist "A diverse anthology showing hopeful futures imagined through the lens of technology [...] A top-notch hard science fiction collection." Kirkus (starred review)

Are we alone in the universe? If not, where is everybody? An engaging exploration of one of the most important unsolved problems in science. Everything we know about how planets form and how life arises suggests that human civilization on Earth should not be unique. We ought to see abundant evidence of extraterrestrial activity-but we don't. Where is everybody? In this volume in the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series, science and technology writer Wade Roush examines one of the great unsolved problems in science: is there life, intelligent or otherwise, on other planets? This paradox (they're bound to be out there; but where are they?), first formulated by the famed physicist Enrico Fermi, has fueled decades of debate, speculation, and, lately, some actual science. Roush lays out the problem in its historical and modern-day context and summarizes the latest thinking among astronomers and astrobiologists. He describes the long history of speculation about aliens (we've been debating the idea for thousands of years); the emergence of SETI (the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) as a scientific discipline in the 1960s, and scientists' use of radio and optical techniques to scan for signals; and developments in astrobiology (the study of how life might arise in non-Earth like environments) and exoplanet research (the discovery of planets outside our solar system). Finally, he discusses possible solutions to the Fermi Paradox and suggests way to refocus SETI work that might increase the chances of resolving the paradox-and finding extraterrestrials.