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Extraterrestrial

The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth

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Extraterrestrial

By: Avi Loeb
Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
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About this listen

 The world's most eminent scientist of space explains why he believes in extraterrestrial life

'VISIONARY' Stephen Greenblatt

Harvard's top astronomer lays out his controversial theory that our solar system was recently visited by advanced alien technology.

In late 2017, scientists at a Hawaiian observatory glimpsed a strange object soaring through our inner solar system. Astrophysicist Avi Loeb conclusively showed it was not an asteroid; it was moving too fast along a strange orbit, and leaving no trail of gas or debris in its wake. There was only one conceivable explanation: the object was a piece of advanced technology created by a distant alien civilization.

In Extraterrestrial, Loeb takes readers inside the thrilling story of the first interstellar visitor to be spotted in our solar system. He outlines his theory and its profound implications: for science, for religion, and for the future of our planet. A mind-bending journey through the furthest reaches of science, space-time, and the human imagination, Extraterrestrial challenges readers to aim for the stars-and to think critically about what's out there, no matter how strange it seems.

(P) 2021 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt©2021 Avi Loeb Astronomy Astronomy & Space Science Science Solar System Technology Interstellar

Critic Reviews

I have a lot of time for Loeb. He has a joy in conjecture and an omnivorous spirit of inquiry that are more reminiscent of 20th-century thinkers such as Freeman Dyson or Carl Sagan than most of his peers. His readiness to stake his reputation on such an unconventional hypothesis is a mark of uncommon bravery . . . [Carl] Sagan would have liked this book (Oliver Moody)
Compelling . . . The book is not so much a claim for one object as an argument for a more open-minded approach to science - a combination of humility and wonder
An astronomical Sherlock Holmes . . . You don't have to share his conviction to be impressed by the breadth of his argument
In this passionately argued, visionary book, astrophysicist Avi Loeb urges us to abandon the arrogant fantasy that we are the only sentient life form in the universe. The clues are fascinating, and still more are Loeb's arguments for what they might reveal to us about our own brilliant, blinkered, and quite possibly doomed civilization (STEPHEN GREENBLATT, Pulitzer prize-winning author of THE SWERVE)
A serious scientist makes a serious argument for the hypothesis that our solar system was visited by an object from an extraterrestrial civilization. Is the hypothesis right? Who knows. But let's try to find out! (ERIC MASKIN, Nobel laureate in Economics)
It's good to be sceptical of audacious ideas. But it's also important to be open to audacious possibilities. Loeb's sumptuously written book will provoke you to think about the possibility of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe in new and stimulating ways (SEAN CARROLL)
An exciting and eloquent case that we might have seen a sign of intelligent life near Earth - and that we should search further. World-renowned scientist and innovative thinker, Avi Loeb opens your mind to some of the most important questions facing us as humans: scientific curiosity is key to our future success (ANNE WOJCICKI, CEO and co-founder, 23andMe)
A provocative and thrilling account of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence . . . Professor Loeb asks us to think big and to expect the unexpected (ALAN LIGHTMAN, author of EINSTEIN'S DREAMS)
One of the more imaginative and articulate scientists around . . . half memoir, half soaring monologue
A persuasive scientific argument about 'Oumuamua's otherworldly origins, and delves into why his peers have been so hostile to the idea of life outside of Earth
In publishing his theory, Loeb has certainly risked (and suffered) ridicule . . . Still, it's thrilling to imagine the possibilities
Have aliens ever been to our solar system? A quick trawl of the internet will reveal any number of people who think that they have, but when the suggestion comes from a distinguished Harvard astrophysicist, maybe it's time to sit up and take notice (4-star review)
All stars
Most relevant
Loeb really shines a hot light in the dogmatic scientific community and the attitudes that plague it. It really is a shame that the broader scientific community are so averse to taking risks and exploring more exotic theories. Hopefully with leaders like Loeb, humankind can invest in exploring the stars and not trying to explain them away.

Inspiring work from Avi Loeb

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Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. And in suggesting an alien origin of Oumuamua, Avi Loeb does make a bold claim indeed. Only problem is: there isn’t a whole lot of evidence for what he suggests. And since Oumuamua has since left the solar system, there isn’t the chance to take another look either. That’s not the authors fault of course. But it makes the factual foundation for this book quite thin. In fact, one could summarise the hypothesis that Loeb puts forward and the observational evidence that supports it in a single chapter. The author does not only turn this into a rather long-winded multi-chapter narrative, but also fills the pages with biographical details about himself and some general critique of astronomical science as a whole, which Loeb sees as overly cautious and conservative. Make of this what you want, but I find it telling that he then does not bother to properly discuss any counter-argument to his hypothesis, such that this book barely passes as a popular science read.

To sum it up: too many pages for too few facts and too much guesswork.

Too little substance

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I loved this book and recommended it to a number of family and friends.

It's provides a compelling story of humanities place in the universe and whether or not we are alone. I thoroughly enjoyed the dive into the scientific community and the current issues that lies within.

A fantastic book to listen to!

Exciting look into space and scientific culture

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good book, although it is in the wrong category. its a fairly sensible science book.

Pretty Fascinating

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this is my first science book and it was easy to follow along and used many examples to explain complex astrophysical theories

easy read for science amateur

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