Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Short, cogent and stimulating”
Andrew H. Knoll, Fisher Professor of Natural History, Harvard University, and author of Life on a Young Planet
“In engaging prose, Dimitar Sasselov explains how remarkable breakthroughs in astronomy are reframing one of humankind’s oldest questions—are we alone in the universe? The Life of Super-Earths provides nutrition for the lively mind.”
Hans Ulrich Obrist, Co-Director of Exhibitions and Programmes, Serpentine Gallery
“Dimitar Sasselov once told me that ‘biology is the future of astronomy,’ a statement which amazed and intrigued me. In this new brilliant book he explains why his expanded notion of astronomy includes biology, and geology and chemistry, in its exciting search for new planets, new worlds, and new life. Sasselov is one of the great public intellectuals of the 21st century. He inspires artists, architects, philosophers and many others. It is urgent to read Sasselov.”
Nature
“In this short, sharp look at the [extrasolar planet] subset called ‘super-Earths’ — rocky or oceanic, but more massive than Earth—astronomer Dimitar Sasselov gives us the science and the speculation about life on other worlds.”
New Scientist
“[W]hat is life and how did it come about? Astrophysicist Dimitar Sasselov argues that we are on the brink of being able to answer this question, and his enthusiasm is infectious…. Only by knowing what is possible, says Sasselov in this inspirational book, can we ever understand how life got going on Earth and why it has the characteristics it has.”
Washington Post
“In his new book, Harvard astronomy professor Dimitar Sasselov lays out an optimistic case for extraterrestrial life and explains why super-Earths—rocky planets that are more massive and larger than Earth—may be better equipped to harbor the stuff of life.”
The Daily Galaxy
“[A] brilliant new study.”
Discover
“In this slim but absorbing introduction to the epic search for life on extrasolar planets, Sasselov explores how astronomy, geology, and biology are conspiring to give us a radical new vision of a universe in which our living Earth is ‘just another planet.’”
Library Journal
“As the codiscoverer of several extrasolar planets, Sasselov provides an insider’s view on planet hunting…. An interesting read.”
CHOICE
“Sasselov takes readers firsthand through the recent exciting discoveries of large Earth-like planets. Enough super-Earths have been discovered to enable the study of their relationship to the origins of life itself…. The well-constructed logic in this book provides plenty of support for the more interesting view that the universe is in the early phases of the evolution of carbon-rich star systems that will continue to generate life on other planets…. [A] masterfully clear statement about the possibility of life on exoplanets.”
Dimitar Sasselov is a Professor of Astronomy at Harvard University and the Founder and Director of the Harvard Origins of Life Initiative. His research has been covered by the New York Times, the Boston Globe, and others. He lives in Auburndale, Massachusetts.
