The Zoologist's Guide to the Galaxy: What Animals on Earth Reveal about Aliens – and Ourselves - Softcover

Kershenbaum, Arik

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0241986842 ISBN 13: 9780241986844

Publisher: Penguin, 2021

Synopsis

A Times/Sunday Times Book of the Year

DISCOVER HOW LIFE REALLY WORKS - ON EARTH AND IN SPACE

'A wonderfully insightful sidelong look at Earthly biology' Richard Dawkins

'Crawls with curious facts' Sunday Times
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We are unprepared for the greatest discovery of modern science. Scientists are confident that there is alien life across the universe yet we have not moved beyond our perception of 'aliens' as Hollywood stereotypes. The time has come to abandon our fixation on alien monsters and place our expectations on solid scientific footing.

Using his own expert understanding of life on Earth and Darwin's theory of evolution - which applies throughout the universe - Cambridge zoologist Dr Arik Kershenbaum explains what alien life must be like. This is the story of how life really works, on Earth and in space.
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'An entertaining, eye-opening and, above all, a hopeful view of what - or who - might be out there in the cosmos' Philip Ball, author of Nature's Patterns

'A fascinating insight into the deepest of questions: what might an alien actually look like' Lewis Dartnell, author of Origins

'If you don't want to be surprised by extraterrestrial life, look no further than this lively overview of the laws of evolution that have produced life on earth' Frans de Waal, author of Mama's Last Hug

About this title

About the Author

Intrepid zoologist Dr Arik Kershenbaum is the world-leading expert in animal vocal communication, and has roamed the wilds of Europe, North America, the Middle East and Southeast Asia for over a decade, working to decipher it. He is a college lecturer and fellow at Girton College, University of Cambridge, and has published more than thirty academic publications. His previous book, The Zoologist's Guide to the Galaxy, was a Times/Sunday Times Book of the Year and was published in eleven languages.

From the Back Cover

We are unprepared for the greatest discovery of modern science. Scientists are confident that there is alien life across the universe yet we have not moved beyond our perception of 'aliens' as Hollywood stereotypes. The time has come to abandon our fixation on alien monsters and place our expectations on solid scientific footing.

Using his own expert understanding of life on Earth and Darwin's theory of evolution - which applies throughout the universe - Cambridge zoologist Dr Arik Kershenbaum explains what alien life must be like: how these creatures will move, socialise and communicate.

For example, by observing fishes whose electrical pulses indicate social status, we can see that other planets might allow for communication by electricity. As there was evolutionary pressure to wriggle along a sea floor, Earthling animals tend to have left/right symmetry; on planets where creatures evolved mid-air or in soupy tar they might be lacking any symmetry at all.

Edition details

• Publisher: Penguin
• Publication date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0241986842
• ISBN 13: 9780241986844
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 368