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We Are Not Alone

Why We Have Already Found Extraterrestrial Life

Published by Oneworld Publications
Distributed by Simon & Schuster

About The Book

Life on Mars exists but we are too timid to accept the facts

Life on Mars exists but are we brave enough to accept the facts?

Extraterrestrial life exists and there’s evidence to prove it


The question ‘are we alone?’ has haunted the human race for centuries. In this compelling and controversial work, Dirk Schulze-Makuch and David Darling argue that we already know the answer: no. Abundant extraterrestrial life is astrobiological fact and there is evidence to prove it. Far from existing light-years away in the outer reaches of space, it’s on our very doorstep. From methane oceans on Titan to advanced organic molecules on Mars, Schulze-Makuch and Darling contend that microbial life is a near certainty both in the Solar System and beyond. Using the latest scientific data, including from the Phoenix probe, which landed on Mars in 2008, We Are Not Alone stands to truly revolutionize our perception of our place in the universe.

About The Authors

Dr Dirk Schulze-Makuch is currently an Associate Professor in Astrobiology at Washington State University. His research has been widely published in media ranging from academic journals to The New Scientist.

David Darling is a science writer, astronomer and tutor. He is the author of nearly fifty books, including the bestselling Equations of Eternity. He lives in Dundee, Scotland.

Together with Agnijo Banerjee, he is the co-author of the Weird Maths trilogy, and The Biggest Number in the World.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Oneworld Publications (March 1, 2011)
  • Length: 208 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781851688814

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Raves and Reviews

"Well-written and provocative."

– New Scientist

"An exhilarating ride. The arguments advanced for the prevalence of life in the solar system are well developed and highly stimulating. I'm glad that I read it."

– The Times Higher Educational Supplement

"Informative, thought-provoking, and entertaining" (4/5 Stars)

– BBC Focus

"A compelling landmark book that will take you on an exhilarating ride."

– Daily Express

"Packed with facts and written in an absorbing style, this book leaves you in no doubt that extraterrestrial microbes could yet be found in our Solar System."

– BBC Sky at Night

“Shulze-Makuch and Darling’s well-written and provocative book”

– New Scientist

“a thought-provoking book, well referenced to the primary literature, and I am glad that I read it.”

– The Times Higher Educational Supplement

"this groundbreaking book provides compelling reasons to believe that extraterrestrial life is rife in the Solar System and beyond."

– Magnolia Review of Books

"Schulze-Makuch & David Darling make a good case for microbial involvement"

– Financial Times

"controversial without being flaky"

– The Mail on Sunday

“This is an expert account of recent developments in astrobiology, showing that we already have evidence of microbial life in our solar system.”

– The Big Issue

“A well-researched account of recent developments in astrobiology."

– The Big Issue Scotland

"This provocative book asserts that extraterrestrial life exists – and that there is evidence to prove it."

– Nature Magazine

"Compelling arguments and sound reasoning make a convincing case that primitive life forms exist on Mars and at various other places in our solar system." "A highly recommended case that brings the new possibility to readers of life at various levels. Conditions which are probably too hostile to permit life to exist - certainly life as we know it."

– Choice Magazine

"Interesting, accessible, and refreshingly upbeat."

– Seth Shostak - Senior Astronomer at the SETI Institute, and author of “Confessions of an Alien

"Well written, concise and elegant. I was barely able to put it down."

– Felisa Wolfe-Simon - Research Fellow, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University

"Bang up to date and utterly riveting. An absorbing account of one of the greatest unresolved debates in the search for life."

– Lewis Dartnell

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