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Michael Wall

Out There: A Scientific Guide to Alien Life, Antimatter, and Human Space Travel (For the Cosmically Curious) Hardcover – Illustrated, November 13, 2018

by Michael Wall PhD (Author), Karl Tate (Illustrator)

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In the vein of Randall Munroe's What If? meets Brian Green's Elegant Universe, a senior writer from Space.com leads readers on a wild ride of exploration into the final frontier, investigating what's really "out there."

We've all asked ourselves the question. It's impossible to look up at the stars and NOT think about it: Are we alone in the universe? Books, movies and television shows proliferate that attempt to answer this question and explore it. In Out There Space.com senior writer Dr. Michael Wall treats that question as merely the beginning, touching off a wild ride of exploration into the final frontier. He considers, for instance, the myriad of questions that would arise once we do discover life beyond Earth (an eventuality which, top NASA officials told Wall, is only drawing closer).

What would the first aliens we meet look like?

Would they be little green men or mere microbes?

Would they be found on a planet in our own solar system or orbiting a star far, far away?

Would they intend to harm us, and if so, how might they do it?

And might they already have visited?

Out There is arranged in a simple question-and-answer format. The answers are delivered in Dr. Wall's informal but informative style, which mixes in a healthy dose of humor and pop culture to make big ideas easier to swallow. Dr. Wall covers questions far beyond alien life, venturing into astronomy, physics, and the practical realities of what long-term life might be like for we mere humans in outer space, such as the idea of lunar colonies, and even economic implications. Dr. Wall also shares the insights of some of the leading lights in space exploration today, and shows how the next space age might be brighter than ever.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"This look at some of the key questions of the cosmos and human interactions--it is brain food with flair, and nearly impossible to put down--what a fun ride this book is!"

―Alan Stern, principal investigator of NASA's New Horizons Pluto mission and former head of the space agency's Science Mission Directorate

"Perhaps since the dawn of language, humankind's most profound quest has been to answer the question-'Are we alone?' Mr. Wall's book takes us on an insightful, engaging, and at times humorous journey through the cosmos, and explains why we may now be on the verge of answering that question!"

―Bill Diamond, president and CEO of the SETI Institute.

"With a humorous, accessible tone, Wall, a senior writer for Space.com, answers questions about alien life and space travel...this should appeal to anyone who has ever looked up into the sky and wondered what is out there."

―Publishers Weekly

"Wall's witty and readable style is never preachy, and he readily acknowledges that new discoveries continue to turn long-held assumptions upside down (although it's probably safe to rule out moon-dwelling lunarians). This approach is effective in conveying lots of technical information within a context of manageable scenarios, bolstered by multiple pop-culture references."

―Booklist

"This book provides a simple introduction to possibilities of other intelligent species in a conversational approach that should appeal to a wide range of readers."

―Library Journal

"Out There is a refreshingly playful romp through the most exciting aspects of space exploration."―Scientific American

"[A] succinct and accessible summary of the search for extraterrestrial life in the 21st Century...Out There goes a long way toward fostering a basic, scientific literacy on its topic. For anyone interested in research-based information about the search for ET, Wall proves the perfect guide and a sure hand. As an introduction for lay-readers, it's the perfect primer."―-Scientific Inquirer

About the Author

Dr. Michael Wall is a senior writer at Space.com who has written extensively about the search for alien life. His work also has appeared in Scientific American, NBC News, Fox News, and a number of other outlets. He holds a graduate certificate in science journalism from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Before becoming a writer, Dr. Wall worked as a biologist; he earned a Ph.D. in biology from the University of Sydney in Australia and has 15 peer-reviewed publications. He's based in San Francisco, where he also chronicles the space tech revolution in Silicon Valley. Illustrations by Karl Tate.

Product details

Hardcover : 256 pages
ISBN-10 : 1538729377
ISBN-13 : 978-1538729373
Dimensions : 5.75 x 0.88 x 8.63 inches
Item Weight : 12.7 ounces
Publisher : Grand Central Publishing; Illustrated edition (November 13, 2018)
Language: : English

Best Sellers Rank: #173,886 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #33 in Comets, Meteors & Asteroids
- #132 in Astronautics & Space Flight
- #208 in Aeronautics & Astronautics (Books)

Customer Reviews:
100 ratings

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5 star		64%
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3 star		11%
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Top reviews from the United States

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Wankel

Should be classified as "Young Adult" reading

Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2018

The book really does not break any new ground but the absolutely maddening thing about it is the author's writing style, which comes across as a grandpa crashing his teenage grandchildren's swim party and trying to be hey, totally groovy. Phrases such as "If chimps had wheelie shoes, you'd think Jane Goodall would have said something", "The Red planet wasn't always as dry and cold as a frozen saltine", and "...pressures that would pop your head like a grape" assault the reader on almost every page, peppered with far too many instances of "cool" and "awesome". I love books about this subject matter but the forced nerdiness of this author's writing style eliminates him from my reading list.

52 people found this helpful

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Thomas Sarti

Informative, stimulating and HILARIOUS!

Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2018

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This book has it all. It raises the most provactive, fascinating and often HILARIOUS hypotheticals. It will humor and inform. And above all, it will inspire your appreciation to simp!y live in these times. A pure joy on every page. Worth every penny.

10 people found this helpful

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William Holmes

It’s Life, Jim, But Not As We Know It

Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2018

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This is an entertaining, light weight survey of the search for other life in the universe and the prospects that humans or their progeny will leave this planet (or this time). If you are familiar with SETI, exobiology or the search for exoplanets, this book will seem pretty basic, albeit fun. Perfect for someone new to the topic who is looking for a high-level overview leavened with a bit of humor. The book includes a short bibliography and plenty of references to weightier tomes.

9 people found this helpful

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Alisa

Very Enjoyable Read

Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2019

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This was a really interesting read. Some of this I knew, and a good amount I did not, but it was nice to have all the scattered bits of information that I have picked up along the years formatted into a book like this. The author writes in a very friendly matter-of-fact way. He does fantastic at explaining complex things in layman terms. In each small chapter there is an attempt at one or two jokes, many fall flat :-) but that's okay because I think it's important to throw in a bit of levity with this type of subject matter.

I really enjoyed reading this and it was interesting to hear the author's thought experiments regarding aliens, living on Mars, and even the end of the universe itself.

3 people found this helpful

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John C. Nelson, Jr.

Happy with this purchase.

Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2018

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I was very happy with the purchase and seller. I would purchase again from this seller.

5 people found this helpful

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David A. Lukaszewski

New Thoughts about Science

Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2019

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Although I haven't finished the book, I am already enjoying reading about important scientific topics, with a totally new way of understanding them, and what's going on beyond what one normally hears about them. Super Cool!!!

3 people found this helpful

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Marc Vermeir

Excellent overview of the topic in all its aspects

Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2019

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The book covers the subject very well in a non-technical manner and with a healthy sprinkling of humor. Very pleasant and informative read.

3 people found this helpful

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Beth

Best alien nonfiction book out there

Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2018

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best book of all time. so much detail and funny. Great for sif fans and for astronomyers like me. great for all ages. love this book read it

4 people found this helpful

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Richard

Informative but overly ambitious.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 1, 2019

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Michael Wall appears to be knowledgable about the topics he writes, but attempts to cram too much into one book. The continuous jokes throughout the book only distract from what are already very complex subjects to grasp.

Robert Hook

lOVED THIS BOOK

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 27, 2019

Verified Purchase

Just finished reading this excellent book.
In simple language it describes the various scenarios of "is life out there"
Can we find it.Will they find us.Do we want to be found!
What will happen to us in the short term medium term and very very long term.
This book sure makes you think of where we are in the worlds

david

Alien existence ,brilliant

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 20, 2019

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An amusing well written romp through the great intriguing alien existence .

george anthony yarranton

Suitable for my student grandchildren

Reviewed in Canada on January 31, 2020

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Very well written. Clear exposition. I found the frequent references to pop culture stilted and irritating but maybe they help with young people.

Georgio

Interessant

Reviewed in Germany on May 6, 2020

Verified Purchase

Definitiv lesenswert. Viele Sachen wusste ich bereits, aber die wurden mir dennoch auf eine neue Art und Weise mitgeteilt, sodass man es gerne noch einmal liest. Generell bei diesen Büchern denke ich ist es wichtig, nicht so viele Rezensionen zu lesen, sondern einfach mal bestellen, lesen und sich eine Meinung bilden.

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