Customer Reviews

We Are Not Alone: The Continuing Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, Revised Edition

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Science journalist Walter Sullivan of the New York Times published the first version of this book in 1964, when the radio astronomy search for extraterrestrial intelligence was new. Thirty years later, he updated and broadened the story. Even though the second version is now nine years old, it still is the best general introduction for anyone new to SETI.

Sullivan sets the stage with chapters describing how earlier conceptions of the universe were revised, giving us basic information about modern scientific views of stars and planetary systems. He touches on the origin of life, how organic materials might be spread through space, and the search for life on Mars. He describes the Drake formula for determining the probability of extraterrestrial life, and the modern radio astronomy search for extraterrestrial signals. Sullivan addresses the possibility of interstellar flight and discusses the Fermi Paradox. He briefly describes the UFO phenomenon, concluding that there is no convincing evidence that we have been visited. Sullivan's final chapter presents some of the speculations about the consequences of contact with ETI. The writing is clear and non-technical. The book includes a few diagrams and some black and white photographs.