Is Anybody Out There? [Paperback]

Nigel Henbest (Author), Heather Couper (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 1998 | Age Level: 9 and up

Explores the possibility of life on other planets from both scientific and mythological perspectives.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6-Seventeen short chapters filled with full-color drawings and photographs take readers from a discussion of the evolution of life on Earth to Project SETI, with stops along the way to speculate on the form extraterrestrial life might take. The text consists primarily of a series of disjointed captions for the numerous illustrations, making it difficult to glean any solid information from the presentation. The discussion of life on the planet "Peg" and its moon is not clearly labeled as speculation, and the unwary may easily be misled. The DK signature format is a popular one, but both researchers and browsers will be much better served by titles such as Dennis Fradin's Searching for Alien Life (21st Century Bks., 1997) and Isaac Asimov's Aliens and Extraterrestrials (Gareth Stevens, 1995), which present a lot more information in a less-glitzy format.
Elaine Fort Weischedel, Turner Free Library, Randolph, MA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 4^-7. Does intelligent life exist beyond our planet? This visually exciting examination looks at both the myth and the science related to the question. The authors, both British science writers, describe what alien life-forms might look like, how we might communicate with them, and the impact the discovery of extrasolar planets has had on the development of scientific equipment. The book is organized into 17 appealing photo-spreads, comprising color photographs, detailed captions, and boxed insets that contain information about a scientist or about a historic scientific event, or suggested activities for would-be scientists. The inclusion of a "count the alien civilizations" foldout board game is a bonus. Although serious researchers will need to look elsewhere for more complete information, this will attract young astronomers and mathematicians as well as browsers older than the target audience. Mary Romano Marks

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: DK CHILDREN (March 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789427982
• ISBN-13: 978-0789427984
• Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 9 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,272,756 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent introduction to SETI and bioastronomy for all., July 8, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Is Anybody Out There? (Paperback)

For those who want an excellent relatively easy-level introduction to SETI and bioastronomy, or know someone who does, I highly recommend this book. Do not be "turned off" by the Young Adult reading level. This is a nicely presented and intelligent work that beautifully illustrates the major concepts.

For example, there is a nice chart of the Kardashev levels of Galactic Civilizations, with Type I being a planet that can utilize all the resources of its world (humanity is only at Level 0.6); Type II can utilize the resources of its entire planetary system (i.e., Dyson Spheres); Type III can utilize the resources of an entire galaxy; and Type IV, which can utilize the resources of many galaxies. I would think the latter two might consider us as bugs or microbes in its incredible civilization and this may explain why we have not been contacted by such beings. Plus, with their seriously advanced technologies, we might also not be able to recognize their astroengineering projects.

I think they cover all the bases nicely in a basic but smart way. They even discuss ideas on "radical" life forms, from the standard silicon creatures up to the new theory that our entire Universe acts like a living being in competition with other universes outside our own. Essentially, if a universe has black holes, it can then reproduce and make new universes. This idea naturally has a long way to go beyond the seriously theoretical stage, but it is only wise to look beyond the standard views of alien life that have been around for decades.