Cosmic Company: The Search for Life in the Universe [Hardcover]

Seth Shostak (Author), Alex Barnett (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521822335 | ISBN-13: 978-0521822336 | Publication Date: November 24, 2003

In Cosmic Company, Seth Shostak and Alex Barnett ponder the possibility of aliens visiting the Earth, as well as the consequences of receiving a signal from the cosmos proving we're neither alone, nor the most intelligent life forms. They explain why scientists think life might exist on other worlds, and how we might contact it. Shostak and Barnett, experienced writers of popular astronomy, provide an accessible overveiw of the science and technology behind the search for life in the universe. Seth Shostak is a Senior Astronomer at the SETI Institute where he is involved in many of the outreach activities of the Institute, including editing the newsletter, overseeing the Web site, giving talks and writing magazine articles about SETI. He also teaches several informal education classes on astronomy and other topics in the Bay Area. Before coming to SETI, Seth did research work on galaxies using radio telescopes at observatories and universities in America and Europe. Alex Barnett is Programme Director at the National Space Centre. She is well-known in the science centre, planetarium and media worlds, particularly for public and educational programmes involving space and astronomy. She presents BBC's Final Frontier a space and astronomy programme.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"... ponders the posibility of aliens visiting Earth. What would it mean, in the first place, if we were to detect a signal from the cosmos that would prove we're neither alone nor the smartest creatures in the universe?" Astronomy

Book Description

Cosmic Company ponders the possibility of aliens visiting the Earth, as well as what it would mean if we were to pick up a signal from the cosmos that would prove we're neither alone, nor the smartest creatures in creation. It explains why scientists think life might be plentiful on other worlds, and how we might get in touch. This easy-to-read book, by two experienced writers of popular astronomy, is suitable for anyone who ever wondered whether there's anybody out there

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 168 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (November 24, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521822335
• ISBN-13: 978-0521822336
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #772,718 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The SETI Snapshot, January 2, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Cosmic Company: The Search for Life in the Universe (Hardcover)

The search for life in the universe must be a complex subject, involving nearly every scientific discipline: physics, astronomy, mathematics, etc; so, where can the average reader, who has an above average interest in SETI, go to learn the latest? "Cosmic Company" is a great place to start.

A moderate amount of insightful, conversational text complemented by colorful and sharp, sometimes stunning photographs, illustrations and artwork describes this book.

The authors will take you on a 'cook's tour' of the search for cosmic company: habitats where life might exist; what aliens might look like; whether they might read, or simply feed on, the pages of the text; the liklihood of alien contact; communication tools, passive and active; an elegant way to estimate the number of civilizations in our galaxy that have sent signals reaching earth; and a look into the future of SETI including the technology humans will have at their disposal to find evidence of life in the universe.

I liked the book because it clearly explains the intricate world of SETI.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you're an Earthling, then you MUST read this book!!!, December 22, 2005

By 

Stephen Pletko "Uncle Stevie" (London, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Cosmic Company: The Search for Life in the Universe (Hardcover)

+++++

"This book is about a truly exciting adventure: the serious [or scientific] attempt to learn if we are alone in the Cosmos. For thousands of years, humans have explored the world in search of new places and other cultures. Now, finally we are exploring the realm of the stars."

The above is found in the last paragraph of this book's introduction. This book was written by Dr. Seth Shostak, senior astronomer at the SETI Institute in California and Alex Barnett, CEO of the Chabot Space Center also in California. (SETI stands for Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence.)

This book is an incredibly easy-to-read, well-laid-out, concise, enjoyable, and sometimes humorous overview of the science & technology behind the search for life in the universe and discusses the real possibility of finding life elsewhere.

The book's index is mainly made up of main headings or topics with sub-topics that elaborate on the main heading. For example, under the main heading "Mars" are four sub-topics: face on, life on, water on, and Martian meteorite.

To give you an idea of the material covered, I will state the fourteen main headings and beside these, I will give their number of sub-topics:

(1) aliens (15)
(2) Drake equation* (4)
(3) intelligence (7)
(4) Jupiter (2)
(5) life (10)
(6) Mars (4)
(7) Moon (2)
(8) planets around other stars (3)
(9) radio telescopes (2)
(10) Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, SETI (13)
(11) space travel (2)
(12) Solar System (2)
(13) stars (5)
(14) UFOs (5)

*The Drake equation is an equation for estimating the number of communicative civilizations in our Galaxy. Named after Dr. Frank Drake, co-founder of the SETI Institute.

Of course, there are a few single-topic entries in the index such as Big Bang, crop circles, and dinosaurs.

A feature of this book is that it has "blue boxes," that is topics that are discussed in more depth separate from the main narrative. For these separate discussions, the words are printed on a light blue background. I found these extremely interesting. Two of my favorite blue boxes are entitled "Looking for Earth-size worlds" and "What if we don't get a [alien] signal?"

This book has beautiful, stunning, mainly color images (illustrations and pictures) throughout that enhance the reading.

I recommend two other books besides this one: "Is Anyone Out There?" (1992) by Frank Drake & D. Sobel and "Rare Earth: Why Complex Life is Uncommon in the Universe" (2000) by Ward & Brownlee.

Finally, I was surprised that the mission of the SETI Institute was not mentioned. Its mission is to "explore, understand, and explain the origin, nature, and prevalence of life in the universe."

In conclusion, this is a fantastic, easy-to-read overview of the science and technology behind the search for life in the universe!!!

(first published 2003; acknowledgements; introduction; 7 chapters; main narrative 155 pages; further reading; image credits; index)

+++++

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great read, August 13, 2005

By 

David Roberts (Potomac, Maryland USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cosmic Company: The Search for Life in the Universe (Hardcover)

I got this title from the SETI website, and was quite pleased (so much so that I bought another one they recommended). This is a great book. I finished it in two days - it is hard to put down. It is fairly light on the science. If you're looking for a detailed description of the science behind life (necessary conditions for a planet, etc.), this is not it. However, it gives a great description of the search for alien signals. The discussion of how human intelligence has maxed out is by itself worth the purchase price. This one is a fun read that won't strain your brain. Buy it!