Surveys the current knowledge about extrasolar planets and speculates about which of these worlds might harbor life. Researching exoplanets is a thrilling new frontier in science. There are periodically fresh stories in the media about exoplanets and the possibility of life existing outside Earth's solar system. Readers learn about scientists' speculations on faraway alien life. Profiles of fascinating exoplanets are examined, as are the technical...

Describes the startling discoveries being made in the very real science of astrobiology, an intriguing new field that blends astronomy, biology, and geology to explore the possibility of life on other planets. Jeffrey Bennett takes readers beyond UFOs to discuss some of the tantalizing questions astrobiologists grapple with every day: What is life and how does it begin? What makes a planet or moon habitable? Is there life on Mars or elsewhere in the...

Astrobiology, the study of life in space, is one of today's fastest growing fields of science. In this accessible and elegantly reasoned book, scholar and researcher Impey explores the foundations of this rapidly developing discipline, where it's going, and what it's likely to find. If Earth is not the only planet, it is so far the only living one that we know of. Impey reveals the incredible proliferation and variety of life on Earth, paying special...