Alone in the Universe: Why Our Planet Is Unique

The acclaimed author of "In Search of Schrodinger's Cat" examines the miracle of life on EarthAre there other planets in the galaxy that can sustain life? Almost certainly so. Are any of them likely to be populated by intelligent beings? According to John Gribbin, one of today's most popular science writers, definitely not. In this fascinating and intriguing new book, Gribbin argues that the very existence of intelligent life anywhere in the cosmos is, from an astrophysicist's point of view, almost a miracle. So why is there intelligent life on Earth and (seemingly) nowhere else? What happened to make this planet special? Taking us back billions of years to a time before Earth even existed, Gribbin lets you experience the series of extraordinary cosmic events that were responsible for our unique form of life within the Milky Way galaxy.Critical acclaim for John Gribbin"The master of popular science."--"The Sunday Times" (London)"Gribbin explains things very well indeed, and there's not an equation in sight."--David Goodstein, "The New York Times Book Review," on "Almost Everyone's Guide to Science""Gribbin takes us through the basics [of chaos theory] with his customary talent for accessibility and clarity. [His] arguments are driven not by impersonal equations but by a sense of wonder at the presence in the universe and in nature of simple, self-organizing harmonies underpinning all structures, whether they are stars or flowers."--"The Sunday Times" (London) on Deep Simplicity"Gribbin breathes life into the core ideas of complexity science, and argues convincingly that the basic laws, even in biology, will ultimately turn out to be simple."--"Nature" magazine on Deep Simplicity"In the true quantum realm, Gribbin remains the premier expositor of its latest developments."--"Booklist" on Schrodinger's Kittens and the Search for Reality