Exobiologist 2

(cont'd from yesterday's post)

There's a high chance that life exists on other planets according to the University of Virginia scientist in yesterday's video. Since life evolved here on earth, she thinks it's probably common. But then . . where is it? Why can't we find evidence of it with all our technology? That's "Fermi's Paradox." 

She suggests that extraterrestrial life might be so advanced that they don't want to talk to us, or maybe life destroys itself in every place where it evolves to a high level.

But some scientists are skeptical of the assumption (hers and NASA's) that extraterrestrial intelligence (ETI) exists. Rare Earth: Why Complex Life is Uncommon in the Universe broke away from conventional thought to say that planet earth is rare in its suitability for life.

Some reviews on Amazon: "a powerful argument" (The Economist), "likely to cause a revolution in thinking" (NYT), "[the book] has hit the world of astrobiologists like a killer asteroid" (Newsday)

Astrobiologist Guillermo Gonzalez agrees with them that complex life is probably uncommon in the universe.

(cont'd tomorrow)