Customer Reviews

Beyond UFOs: The Search for Extraterrestrial Life and Its Astonishing Implications for Our Future

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Jeff Bennett is one of our great science communicators, an astrophysics Ph.D. with an uncommon gift for rendering opaque subjects in compelling, accessible prose. With "Beyond UFOs," Bennett has achieved something special. The volume spans seamlessly topics as diverse as radio astronomy, molecular biology, geophysics and science history, building a convincing case for his belief -- and clearly his hope -- that life is pervasive in the universe.

Though a scientist, teacher and bestselling textbook author (The Cosmic Perspective, the nation's top introductory astronomy textbook, is also his work), his tone here is conversational, that of a favorite uncle describing something about which he wants you to share his excitement -- in this case the idea that life teems throughout the cosmos. With as many stars in the universe as there are grains of sand on all the world's beaches, who's to argue with him?

The more of this book I read, the more I felt it should be required reading. A quick stop by the book's Web site (www.beyondufos.com) shows that it already is. In 2008, Miami of Ohio made it their pick for their Summer Reading Program for 3,700 incoming freshmen. Miami made a wise choice. This book, in addition to being a great read, will change -- I think for the better -- the way you think about creation and your role in it.

This book details on a layman's level, the state of the science and technology being used to search for life beyond earth.

Bennett does an excellent job explaining the process of science and the development of scientific ideas starting with ancient ideas about the universe and how scientific though has progressed (in fits and starts) to the current day. He also explains how scientific thought and religious beliefs can coexist and do not inherently contradict each other.

The book continues by examining the question of "What is Life" and the process of getting life started. After looking at the requirements of life on a planetary and star system scale, the book looks at the possibility of life throughout the solar system and then beyond. Bennett looks at the probability of extraterrestrial intelligence arising an asking the question: "... If civilizations really are as common as it seems they ought to be, shouldn't we by now have some real evidence for their existence?" Finally, Bennett looks at the social and cultural changes that we could possibly face if we learn of intelligent life in the universe.

This book is easy and enjoyable, and I recommend it for anyone who has an interest in astronomy, UFOs, or science. Even non-scientists would find it interesting.

Beyond UFO's is one of the most well-intentioned popular science books I have read to date. But I feel the title may be a hindrance to achieving the author's goal as stated in his preface. Having written a textbook about the search for extraterrestrial life, the research he had done led him to a deeper realization of the related issue of life on earth, and the threats to that life being posed by our own ignorance. He firmly states his belief that the search for life beyond earth may help us overcome our "center of the universe syndrome"; that if we realize we are not special or unique in the universe, we might gain a more balanced perspective of our place in it, along with a heightened sense of responsibility to our home planet. He tells us that his goal was to write the book in a format that could be understood by anyone, in order to reach as many people as possible. The message is to be conveyed in terms of "real science". While he believes life elsewhere is likely, he is skeptical of claims that they have been seen here. So in the preface we are shown the philosophical framework of what follows. This is not a book that is aimed primarily at science sophisticates, and certainly not only to UFO enthusiasts. It's purpose is to raise the awareness of as many people as possible that contemplating this cosmic question of life brings us back to the need to act with maturity towards Earth. Unfortunately, if my response is indicative, these purposes are not conveyed very well by the title. When I saw the words "Beyond UFO's", my thought was that here was a book trying to out-sensationalize popular accounts of UFO crashes or abductions, perhaps by exposing some new form of alien manifestation. Since I am not of that persuasion, I almost reshelved the book when I happened to notice there were blurb recommendations on the back cover from people with scientific credentials, and decided to look further. Then I saw that the title meant going beyond the fascination with UFOs and making a truly scientific investigation into the likelihood of ET life. I found his comprehensive presentation of the inter-related issues of this subject to be both enjoyable and informative. It's true that someone who is jaded from reading many current popular science books would probably encounter a lot of old-to-them material. I am not that jaded, but I did encounter some familiar information from books I have read on evolution. However, I really did not mind the refresher, because my mind is not like a steel trap when it comes to retaining scientific learning. And while much or most of the material presented in this book may be elementary to a few savants, the vast majority of us could doubtless benefit greatly by reading what Mr. Bennett has so clearly laid out for us. His objective is not only to explain the search for ET life, but to promote the validity of scientific reasoning. He gives us basic criteria for recognizing whether ideas have scientific validity and shows that, according to these criteria, belief in either UFO's or Intelligent design cannot be properly called scientific theories. Then we are given guesstimates on the likelihood of Earth-like planets around other stars based on reasonable scientific assumptions. Further reasoning, using our knowledge of earth and the solar system as a guide, leads to estimates of the possibility of life, intelligent life, and, finally life that might have achieved interstellar travel. To reach these predictions we are escorted through lessons of biology, geology, evolution, and astronomy, as well as theories of star and planet formation. For my money, the author covers a lot of ground, does it understandably, bringing all the information together into a cohesive view of the universe as a place of marvelous generative and regenerative processes which favor the likelihood of life "out there". He often inserts the message into his text that humanity needs to grow up. I share his viewpoint, but have reservations that the irrationality demonstrated throughout human history can be discarded, even with the benefit of science and the quest for extraterrestrial life. Though Mr. Bennett has presented very reasonable statements about changes humanity needs to make -stop war, fight poverty,etc., I think his solutions may be somewhat idealistic. But that is for other readers to decide on their own.

Mr. Bennett provides the reader with an engaging insight into the mysteries of the universe that is clear to all readers. The reader will love it and ask for more. Check out his website.

This book is very scientific in it's approach to the topic. I learned a lot of interesting facts about other worlds, the universe and biology. Very well written. Great book!

While the title, "Beyond UFOs: The Search for Extraterrestrial Life and Its Astonishing Implications for Our Future," offers a provocative tease about visitations by aliens from other worlds, this book is really about the very down to Earth efforts to learn the answer to the age-old question, "Are we alone in the universe?" As such it is a reasonable introduction to astrobiology written in an engaging and accessible style. For those without a background this will be useful, but for professionals there will be little here that is new or different.

There is no doubt but that astrobiology is a fascinating, compelling, and important subject. Everyone's eyes seem to light up when pondering the prospect of life somewhere else in the universe, and it is completely appropriate that NASA has made pursuit of this question a central part of its space science program. It may well be that while the twentieth century was the century of physics, the twenty-first century will be about biology, or in this case astrobiology. To his credit Bennett is willing to take on the tin foil hat brigade and skewer those who claim alien visitation and abduction, in the process offering a primer on discerning accepted fact and personal opinion.

Bennett also relates the ferment elsewhere with direct applicability to NASA's search for life beyond Earth. The research on extremophile life on Earth, at the bottom of the oceans around sea vents, within rocks, etc., all fueled reconsiderations of what this might mean for life elsewhere in the solar system. The origins and evolution of life on Earth has held powerful analog lessons for the prospects for life beyond. As Cornell University scientist Bill Nye commented about "extremophilic" life: "It's compelling evidence for astrobiologists that the environmental limits for living things are set pretty far apart."

The Mars meteorite of 1996 and the hoopla it stirred up also suggested that this was an avenue of great significance. When the 4.2-pound, potato-sized rock (identified as ALH84001) was formed as an igneous rock about 4.5 billion years ago, Mars was much warmer and probably contained oceans hospitable to life. Then, about 15 million years ago, a large asteroid hit the red planet and jettisoned the rock into space, where it remained until it crashed into Antarctica around 11,000 BCE. Scientists presented three compelling, but not conclusive, pieces of evidence suggesting that fossil-like remains of Martian microorganisms, which date back 3.6 billion years, were present in ALH84001. The findings electrified the scientific world but excited the public just as fully, and added support for an aggressive set of missions to Mars to help discover the truth of these theories. While the theory has not been accepted by most in the scientific community, it helped to enthuse many at NASA and reorient much of space science toward answering this question about life beyond.

Indeed, as Jeffrey Bennett notes, the Mars science program gained a new lease on life in no small part because of these developments. The missions to "follow the water" on Mars have transformed the planetary sciences since the last decade of the twentieth century. Similar possibilities of life, although strikingly different from popular conceptions of ET, may also exist on other bodies in the solar system. He discusses prospects on Titan, Europa, Enceladus, and other locations and finds that there are genuine signs that microorganisms may well be alive in these extreme environments.

Bennett then discusses the prospects for life beyond this solar system. With the discovery of extrasolar planets the possibilities appear limitless. More than 350 have been discovered since the first extrasolar planet around a sun-like star, 51 Pegasi B, was detected as a result of observations undertaken at the Observatoir de Genève in 1995. Examination of extrasolar objects has not yielded as yet any Earth-like planets, but scientists believe that in time it will. What might this portend for the future? Observations from the Hubble Space Telescope and the Spitzer Infrared Space Telescope have been used to detect extra-solar planets, and other work continues from the ground. The possibilities are mind-bending, according to Bennett. Using advanced observation techniques, they will someday produce an image of a blue and white planet with liquid water and a breathable atmosphere. It seems inevitable. Such a discovery will certainly spur interest in closer observation, revitalizing the dream of galactic space travel.

Finally, Bennett discusses the much publicized search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) that began in 1960 at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in West Virginia, when astronomer Frank Drake pointed the radio telescope at Epsilon Eridani and listened for signals that might be dispatched by a technological civilization residing nearby. He unpacks the famous Drake equation, which has so many variables that one can either prognosticate that there is only one technological civilization or that there are billions. More likely, Bennett notes that many scientists have adopted the belief that while the universe may be filled with life at the micro organic scale there may still not be an abundance of life similar to us. He's not so sure.

While Bennett pooh-poohs the beliefs of many that Earth is routinely visited by alien intelligences--good for him--he holds himself open to the possibility that we may someday communicate with such intelligence. If they are out there--and Bennett believes they could be since the chemistry, laws of physics, etc., are the same everywhere--then they are almost certainly not visiting us. "In fact, I rather doubt that any such advanced aliens would be paying attention to us as all," he writes, "except perhaps for monitoring us, waiting to see if we ever prove ourselves smart enough and friendly enough to deserve an invitation into their galactic club" (p. 196).

There is a pressing need for scholarly investigation of the recent history of astrobiology. This is not that book. It is, however, one of several recent popular, journalistic accounts on this very exciting aspect of space exploration. For scholarly analysis of this subject, Steven J. Dick has virtually cornered the market with three seminal books on the subject--"Plurality of Worlds: The Origins of the Extraterrestrial Life Debate from Democritus to Kant" (Cambridge University Press, 1982), "The Biological Universe: The Twentieth Century Extraterrestrial Life Debate and the Limits of Science" (Cambridge University Press, 1996), and "The Living Universe: NASA and the Development of Astrobiology" (Rutgers University Press, 2004), written with James E. Strick--and I hope he writes yet another that tells the story of the recent developments in the search for extraterrestrial life.

A readable and interesting explanation of the biophysics aspect of astronomy for the non-specialist. It was way "Beyond UFO's", which I thought was a slightly misleading title.

With much speculation and lots of generally known scientific facts. The factual information is generally known and accessible to anyone who has had a minimum of formal scientific exposure. The book is obviously written for the layman and uses a very elementary approach on the subjects of biology and astronomy. Perhaps this was the intended approach as a means of reaching a general audience. Do UFOs exist? Maybe, but probably not (he is a skeptic). Is there life elsewhere in the universe? There is a high statistical probability of this being true but maybe not (cf. 'Rare Earth' Argument). Conclusions?? Who knows?? I did not learn anything from this book and that was somewhat of a disappointment. I am sure the author is a fine textbook writer but I was not looking for a textbook. Also, There were no "astonishing implications" as advertised.

This book opens up your mind and takes you to other dimensions of discoveries. It adds 10,000 miles to the length of your knowledge. A treasure!!

This review will probably sound elitist to a lot of readers. Oh, well. I call 'em as I see 'em.

If you're virtually scientifically illiterate and believe in flying saucers and don't believe in evolution, I highly recommend this book. It will be a profoundly educational experience and a real eye opener for you. For you, I rate this book five stars. It is scientifically accurate and it will be like a baby eating pabulum, it will be so easy for you to understand it. Just have an open mind, that's all that's required.

For the scientifically literate, you're going to have to wade through almost 200 pages of stuff you already know like the back of your hand. There will be long sections you barely skim because you'll be so familiar with the material, like what DNA is and how the various parts of the cell work, or how big the universe is and how common planets are. Yawn...

I found about 20 pages in the whole book that were actually worth reading, but chances are you're familiar with that stuff, too. The details he gives on some of the moons of the gas planets filled in a few gaps in my knowledge and his discussions about why the atmosphere of Venus is so heavy (because the carbon dioxide was unable to form carbonate rocks due to the high temperature) also filled in a few gaps. There's bound to be a few things that you may have missed in your perusal of dozens of other books on popular science. But how much of it directly addresses the interesting questions posed on the dust jacket? What is the probability that extraterrestrials are "out there" and know about us, and why haven't we detected them? He goes to lengths to show that UFOs do not actually report on these extraterrestrials, and why, but you've read all this stuff elsewhere many times before.

It's only in the last 10 pages that he discusses the Fermi Paradox: "Where is everybody?" I was hoping the *whole book* would be a discussion of this question. That's what the scientifically literate person actually needs, not this pabulum. I'll give the book 4 stars, 5 for the scientifically illiterate, and 3 for the rest of us, because at least the science is good (if tediously elementary) and up to date, even if the book itself says very little about where all the aliens out there actually are.