A Brief Guide to Aliens: From Myth to Modern Science

Astrophysicist Adam Frank guides us through the search for extraterrestrial life and the questions we stand ready to answer. 'With wit and brio, Frank separates current nonsense about aliens from the serious and fascinating search for extraterrestrial life' Carlo Rovelli, New York Times bestselling author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics 'Adam Frank has written a page-turner on the search for intelligent life in the universe' Scott Derrickson, director of Marvel Studio's Doctor Strange Everyone is curious about life in the Universe, UFOs and whether ET is out there. Over the course of his thirty-year career as an astrophysicist, Adam Frank has consistently been asked about the possibility of intelligent life in the universe. Are aliens real? Where are they? Why haven't we found them? What happens if we do? We've long been led to believe that astronomers spend every night searching the sky for extraterrestials, but the truth is we have barely started looking. Not until now have we even known where to look or how. In A Brief Guide to Aliens, Frank, a leading researcher in the field, takes us on a journey to all that we know about the possibility of life outside planet Earth and shows us the cutting-edge science that has brought us to this unique moment in human history: the one where we go find out for ourselves. In this brief guide with big stakes, Frank gives us a rundown of everything we need to know, from the scientific origins of the search for intelligent life, the Fermi Paradox, the Kardashev Scale, the James Webb Telescope, as well as UFOs and their conspiracy theories. Drawing from his own work and that of other scientists studying the possibility of alien life, he brings together the latest scientific thinking, data, ideas, and discoveries to equip us with the critical facts as we stand at what may be the last moment in human history where we still believe we are all alone. This book is about everything we do--and do not--know about life, intelligent or oth