Astrobiology : The Search for Life Elsewhere in the Universe

Are we alonein the Universe, or are there as many planets supporting life as there arestars in the sky?It's one ofthe most important and fascinating questions human beings can ponder, andastrobiology is the emerging field of science that tries to answer it. AstronomerRhodri Evans gives an expert overview of our current state of knowledge,looking at how life started on Earth, considering other places in the SolarSystem that might harbour life, then discussing possible Earth-like exoplanets' orbiting stars further out into our galaxy - and what futuremissions and studies will tell us about extraterrestrial life there. Along theway the book answers some key questions: How can we answer Fermi's paradox( Where is everybody?')? Is water essential for life, or just a best bet forfinding it? And how will we know when we find alien life, if it doesn't followthe same principles as Earth life?