Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth
Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth (also known as Extraterrestrial)[1][2] is a popular science book written by American theoretical physicist and Harvard University astronomer Avi Loeb,[3][4][5] published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt on 26 January 2021.[6][7]
Author
Reviews[edit]
Alan Lightman writes the book is "provocative and thrilling," and commends Loeb for suggesting that readers "think big and to expect the unexpected."[1] Jeff Foust, editor and publisher of The Space Review, comments that Loeb "fails to close the case that the object must be artificial ... Just because something can’t be immediately explained by natural phenomena doesn't mean it’s not natural". Further, "Perhaps ʻOumuamua will turn out to be the first of many in a new class of interstellar objects with an unusual, but natural, origin. Or, maybe, it will be like the “Wow!” signal, which was never seen again and its source never identified; mysterious, but not necessarily alien".[22] Dennis Overbye, science writer for The New York Times, notes that the book is, "part graceful memoir and part plea for keeping an open mind about the possibilities of what is out there in the universe — in particular, life. Otherwise, he says, we might miss something amazing, like the church officials in the 17th century who refused to look through Galileo’s telescope."[23] Reviewing for The New Yorker, Elizabeth Kolbert writes, "It seems a good deal more likely that [the book] will be ranked with von Däniken's work than with Galileo's," but concedes "it's thrilling to imagine the possibilities."[19]
On August 24, 2023, The New York Times published an article about Loeb and his related search for signs of extraterrestrial life and his related publications.[24]
A followup book, entitled Interstellar: The Search for Extraterrestrial Life and Our Future in the Stars, was published on August 29, 2023.[24][25]