Alone but Not Lonely

Exploring for Extraterrestrial Life

By: Louis Friedman

Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor

Humans have always been fascinated by the possibility of extraterrestrial life, often wondering if we are alone in the universe. Drawing on nearly fifty years as a leader in planetary exploration, Louis Friedman brings into focus the subject of extraterrestrial life, separating knowledge from conjecture, fact from fiction, to draw scientific and technical conclusions that answer this enduring question.

Friedman argues that intelligent life is probably rare in the universe (maybe even uniquely on Earth) but that simple life is likely abundant on millions or billions of planets waiting now to be discovered. He asserts that studying and searching for extraterrestrial life cannot be done by interstellar probes—due to the vastness of space and the comparative brevity of human lifespans-but it can be done remotely by a new technique involving the solar gravity lens that can magnify exoplanets by tens of billions. This technique will allow humankind to explore exoplanets and open up an exciting new field of comparative astrobiology.

Wide-ranging in scope, this book discusses the history of searching for extraterrestrial life, the scientific evidence thereof, and finally his own conclusions on what's next.

©2023 Louis Friedman (P)2023 Tantor

Worth a listen

This is a great summary of the work to date on the search for life in the universe, SETI, and a thoughtful perspective on where we might go next with the research. It’s a quick listen or read.

Intro for the space enthusiast

The book wasn’t bad but it’s not really worth the 5 hours for someone who has already been invested in this field for years. It felt like he was cramming in every buzzword and surface level concept a high schooler would write about in an essay on space exploration. Some interesting perspectives but I think the main point was kind of quick and lost with the idea of simple life teaming around the universe. That’s the namesake “alone but not lonely” and it felt like that was the quickest part of the book. Too much background with the Drake equation and seti. Again all things an enthusiasts would already know. I expected a single topic book about an idea of simple life being possible on countless worlds as some recent findings might imply (with many leaps and assumptions). But instead I would recommend this only for a younger listener or someone who’s interest is just budding as decent recap