The Pale Blue Data Point - by Jon Willis (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Is there life off Earth? Bound by the impracticalities of spaceflight, astrobiologists investigate the question by studying life on our planet. Astronomer and author Jon Willis shows us how it's done, allowing readers to imagine extraterrestrial landscapes by exploring their closest Earth analogs. With Willis, we dive into the Pacific Ocean on the submersible E/V Nautilus to ponder the uncharted seas of Saturn's and Jupiter's moons, search the Australian desert for stromatolites and consider Martian rocks, listen to dolphins in the Bahamas to imagine alien minds, and visit La Silla Observatory in Chile to listen for sounds of extraterrestrial communication. With investigations ranging from meteorite hunting to exoplanet detection, Willis speculates what life might look like on other planets by extrapolating from what we can see on Earth, our single "pale blue dot"-as Carl Sagan famously called it-or, in Willis's reframing, scientists' "pale blue data point.""--

Book Synopsis

A thrilling tour of Earth that shows the search for extraterrestrial life starts in our own backyard.

Is there life off Earth? Bound by the limitations of spaceflight, a growing number of astrobiologists investigate the question by studying life on our planet. Astronomer and author Jon Willis shows us how it's done, allowing readers to envision extraterrestrial landscapes by exploring their closest Earth analogs. With Willis, we dive into the Pacific Ocean from the submersible-equipped E/V Nautilus to ponder the uncharted seas of Saturn's and Jupiter's moons; search the Australian desert for some of Earth's oldest fossils and consider the prospects for a Martian fossil hunt; visit mountaintop observatories in Chile to search for the telltale twinkle of extrasolar planets; and eavesdrop on dolphins in the Bahamas to imagine alien minds.

With investigations ranging from meteorite hunting to exoplanet detection, Willis conjures up alien worlds and unthought-of biological possibilities, speculating what life might look like on other planets by extrapolating from what we can see on Earth, our single "pale blue dot"--as Carl Sagan famously called it--or, in Willis's reframing, scientists' "pale blue data point."

Review Quotes

"According to popular media, the search for alien life involves advanced technology, space exploration and sometimes even government conspiracies and secret programs. But according to University of Victoria (UVic) astronomer Jon Willis, author of The Pale Blue Data Point: An Earth-Based Perspective on the Search for Alien Life, the search for alien life actually begins right in our own backyard. . . . Willis investigates the question 'Is there life off Earth?' by joining astrobiologists to study life right here on our planet. By envisioning extraterrestrial landscapes through the exploration of Earth's closest analogs, Willis conjures up alien worlds and unthought-of biological possibilities, speculating what life might look like on other planets by extrapolating from what we can see on Earth."

-- "UVic News"

"Absolutely riveting. Not only did I find it difficult to put down, I often continued my reading of it (rather than turning to the work of fiction I keep beside my bed and reserve for the purpose of bed-time reading) just before turning in to sleep for the night. . . . I simply didn't want to stop reading it as each page contained a new (to me, at least) piece of information or a new (also to me) way of understanding something I perhaps already did know. If you have an interest in astrobiology, astronomy, biology, Earth science, or simply enjoy reading a book that will cause you to say 'Wow!' with great regularity whilst reading it, I very much encourage you to read The Pale Blue Data Point for yourself. After having done so, I very much doubt that you'll ever look up into the night sky ever again and not find your mind filled with new questions, curiosities, and dreams of what may one day be found on one of those glittering--perhaps red, perhaps green, perhaps even blue--dots."--John E. Riutta "The Well-read Naturalist"

"Five stars. . . . The most fascinating and eye-opening book about extraterrestrial life that I've read for a long time."--Andrew May "PopularScience.co.uk"

"Stimulating. . . . The book shines in its attention to scale, shifting with ease between sensory-rich observations drawn from life, microhistories of major scientific personalities and engineering marvels, and technical descriptions. . . . Rich with firsthand fieldwork and unexpected connections, The Pale Blue Data Point is a thorough primer on humanity's centuries-long search for alien life in the observable universe."-- "Foreword Reviews"

"The Pale Blue Data Point is goosebump inducing. Willis grapples with deep questions about our place in the universe, and readers may be astonished to learn that the answers could be breathtakingly close at hand."--Lee Billings, author of "Five Billion Years of Solitude: The Search for Life Among the Stars"

"A concise overview of astrobiology and what we know--and, more importantly, what we don't--about the search for life elsewhere in our solar system and beyond."-- "The Space Review, on "All These Worlds Are Yours""

"A lively introduction to the field of astrobiology."-- "The New York Times Book Review, on "All These Worlds Are Yours""

"Willis's book is quite novel: He shows how the search for life in the cosmos is guided by our studies of life on Earth. And he does so with anecdotes of his own travels to experience the different Earth-bound investigations--of life in hydrothermal vents, fossilized bacteria, exoplanets, traces in meteorites, and more--which makes the book extremely fun. An enlightening read (even as a physicist), The Pale Blue Data Point is a charming, compelling, and approachable look at how scientists are hunting beyond the Earth for life unknown to us."--Gregory J. Gbur, author of "Falling Felines and Fundamental Physics" and "Invisibility: The History and Science of How Not to Be Seen"

"[Willis] conveys great enthusiasm alongside necessary scientific skepticism."-- "The Wall Street Journal, on "All These Worlds Are Yours""

"Energizing. . . . Through humorous, concise, accessible writing, Willis eloquently presents the growing--though still circumstantial--evidence that we are not alone."-- "Publishers Weekly (starred review), on "All These Worlds Are Yours""

About the Author

Jon Willis is professor of astronomy at the University of Victoria in British Columbia where he studies both the properties of the universe we live in and the formation of life within it. He is the author of All These Worlds Are Yours: The Scientific Search for Alien Life.