Alone in the universe : why our planet is unique / John Gribbin.

"The acclaimed author of In Search of Schrödinger's Cat searches for life on other planetsAre we alone in the universe? Surely amidst the immensity of the cosmos there must be other intelligent life out there. Don't be so sure, says John Gribbin, one of today's best popular science writers. In this fascinating and intriguing new book, Gribbin argues that the very existence of intelligent life anywhere in the cosmos is, from an astrophysicist's point of view, a miracle. So why is there life on Earth and (seemingly) nowhere else? What happened to make this planet special? Taking us back some 600 million years, Gribbin lets you experience the series of unique cosmic events that were responsible for our unique form of life within the Milky Way Galaxy. Written by one of our foremost popular science writers, author of the bestselling In Search of Schrödinger's Cat offers a bold answer to the eternal question, "Are we alone in the universe?" Explores how the impact of a "supercomet" with Venus 600 million years ago created our moon, and along with it, the perfect conditions for life on Earth from one of our most talented science writers, this book is a daring, fascinating exploration into the dawning of the universe, cosmic collisions and their consequences, and the uniqueness of life on Earth"-- Provided by publisher.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

The only intelligent planet -- One in a trillion -- Two paradoxes and an equation -- What's so special about our place in the Milky Way? -- What's so special about the sun? -- What's so special about the solar system? -- What's so special about the Earth? -- What's so special about the Cambrian explosion? : contingency and convergence -- What's so special about the Cambrian explosion? : hothouse Venus/snowball Earth -- What's so special about us?

1