Rare earth

Rare Earth: Why Complex Life is Uncommon in the Universe

Peter D. Ward Donald Brownlee

COPERNICUS BOOKS

Praise for Rare Earth . . .
“ . . . brilliant and courageous . . . likely to cause a revolution in thinking.” —William J. Broad The New York Times “Science Times” “A pleasure for the rational reader . . . what good books are all about . . . ” —Associated Press “If Ward and Brownleeare right it could be time to reverse a process that has been going on since Copernicus.” —The Times (London) “Although simple life is probably abundant in the universe, Ward & Brownlee say, ‘complex life—animals and higher plants—is likely to be far more rare than is commonly assumed’.” —Scientific American, Editor’s Choice “ . . . a compelling argument [and] a wet blanket for E.T. enthusiasts . .. ” —Discover “Peter Ward and Donald Brownlee offer a powerful argument . . . .” —The Economist “[Rare Earth] has hit the world of astrobiologists like a killer asteroid . . . .” —Newsday “A very good book.” —Astronomy The notion that life existed anywhere in the universe besides Earth was once laughable in the scientific community. Over the past thirty years or so, the laughter has died away . . .. [Ward and Brownlee] argue that the recent trend in scientific thought has gone too far . . . . As radio telescopes sweep the skies and earthbound researchers strain to pick up anything that might be a signal from extraterrestrial beings, Rare Earth may offer an explanation for why we haven’t heard anything yet.” —CNN.com “ . . . a sobering and valuable perspective . . . ” —Science

“Moviesand television give the (optimistic) impression that the cosmos is teeming with civilizations. But what if it isn’t? . . . Life elsewhere in the universe may never reach beyond microbes, which, the authors note, could be much more widespread than originally believed.” —Sky & Telescope “It’s brilliant . . . courageous. . . . It’s rare in literature and science that a stance goes so far against thegrain.” —Dr. Geoffrey W. Marcy Extra-solar planet discoverer University of California at Berkeley “It’s a thought that grips most everyone who stares into the unfathomable depths of a star-speckled night: Is there anybody out there? The odds, say Peter Ward and Don Brownlee, are probably more remote than you think.” —The Seattle Times “Alien life is more likely to resemble the stuff you scrub offthe tiles in your shower than Klingons, Wookies or Romulans, say Ward and Brownlee.” —Popular Mechanics “Ward and Brownlee have taken an issue that is much in the public domain and treated it thoughtfully and thoroughly, but with a lightness of touch that draws the reader on . . . . Rare Earth is an excellent book for both specialists and nonspecialists.” —The Times Higher Education Supplement (UK)“A provocative, significant, and sweeping new book . . . Rare Earth is a fast-paced, thought-provoking read that I gobbled like popcorn. It’s one of those rare books that is at once delightful, informative, and important: an end-of-the-millennium synthesis of science that tackles the central question of our past, place, and destiny.” —Northwest Science & Technology “ . . . well thought out andintriguing . . . ” —Icarus “ . . . a startling new hypothesis . . . Highly recommended.” —Library Journal “Rare Earth will surely appeal to those who would dare to disagree with icons Carl Sagan and George Lucas.” —San Gabriel Valley Tribune

“ . . . a timely, entirely readable account.” —Toronto Globe & Mail “ . . . a stellar example of clear writing . . . ” —American Scientist “ . . .thought-provoking and authoritative . . . ” —Physics Today “In this encouraging and superbly written book, the authors present a carefully reasoned and scientifically statute examination of the age-old question—‘Are we alone in the universe?’ Their astonishing conclusion that even simple animal life is most likely extremely rare in the universe has many profound implications. To the average person, staring...