Life Out There

Science journalist Michael White considers all aspects of the search for intelligent aliens, from the real meaning of the Martian meteorite which came to public attention in 1996, to what contact with extraterrestrial life would mean for our institutions, our religious beliefs and our self-image as a species.

Along the way, he explores a plethora of questions at the heart of the matter, such as: what is "life"?

Is the evolution of animal life and the development of civilizations a very rare thing, or common to most worlds with a suitable environment?

What would aliens look like? How would they travel interstellar distances? Is there a thriving intergallactic club out there, from which we are currently excluded?