The Alien Perspective: A New View of Humanity and the Cosmos

Whitehouse (Apollo 11: The Inside Story; Space 2069) uses his background as a former BBC correspondent and science editor to attempt to answer the eternal question: Is there life on other planets? The book looks at this question through the lens of many kinds of intelligent life (not just humankind), the history of Earth as it relates to other planets, and what’s already known about the universe. Whitehouse examines what it would take for life to crop up on another planet, such as water and oxygen, and whether extraterrestrials would need those elemental building blocks. He argues that humans must communicate with beings on other planets to better understand the universe and says that first contact may come sooner than anyone thinks, and the return signal may reach Earth as early as the year 2051. Whitehouse’s book will leave readers with the distinct impression that life on other planets does not have to look the same as it does on Earth.