The Little Book of Aliens

Adam Frank

• Publisher: Harper
• Year: 2023
• Print ISBN: 9780063279735
• eBook ISBN: 9780063279773
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: North American History
• Index: History

“With wit and brio, Frank separates current nonsense about aliens from the serious and fascinating search for extraterrestrial life.” —Carlo Rovelli, New York Times bestselling author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics

From astrophysicist Adam Frank, a little book on the biggest questions in our search for extraterrestrial life, questions we stand ready to answer.

Everyone is curious about life in the Universe, UFOs and whether ET is out there. Over the course of his thirty-year career as an astrophysicist, Adam Frank has consistently been asked about the possibility of intelligent life in the universe. Are aliens real? Where are they? Why haven’t we found them? What happens if we do?

We’ve long been led to believe that astronomers spend every night searching the sky for extraterrestrials, but the truth is we have barely started looking. Not until now have we even known where to look or how. In The Little Book of Aliens, Frank, a leading researcher in the field, takes us on a journey to all that we know about the possibility of life outside planet Earth and shows us the cutting-edge science that has brought us to this unique moment in human history: the one where we go find out for ourselves.

In this small book with big stakes, Frank gives us a rundown of everything we need to know, from the scientific origins of the search for intelligent life, the Fermi Paradox, the Kardashev Scale, the James Webb Telescope, as well as UFOs and their conspiracy theories. Drawing from his own work and that of other scientists studying the possibility of alien life, he brings together the latest scientific thinking, data, ideas, and discoveries to equip us with the critical facts as we stand at what may be the last moment in human history where we still believe we are all alone. This book is about everything we do—and do not—know about life, intelligent or otherwise beyond Earth. In language that is engaging, entertaining and fun, The Little Book of Aliens provides a comprehensive first look at how close we are to finding out if others actually exist—and if they do, what they might be like.

Humankind is on the precipice of finding its neighbors. What comes next? No person is better suited to answer that question—and lead the search—than Adam Frank. 

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: How Did We Get Here? How Our Ancient Questions About Aliens Took Their Modern Form
• Chapter 2: So How Do We Do This? Critical Ideas That Shaped, and Still Shape, Our Search for Aliens
• Chapter 3: WTF UFOs and UAPs? How They Do, or Do Not, Fit into the Search for Aliens
• Chapter 4: What If They Are Aliens? If UFOs Are ET, How’d They Get Here, and What the Hell Are They Doing?
• Chapter 5: Cosmic Curb Appeal? Where to Look for Aliens
• Chapter 6: The Cosmic Stakeout: How We’re Going to Spy on ET
• Chapter 7: Do Aliens Do It Too? What Will We Find When We Find Aliens?
• Chapter 8: Why Aliens Matter: It’s More Than You Think
• Acknowledgments
• Notes
• Recommended Reading
• Index
• About the Author
• Also by Adam Frank
• Copyright
• About the Publisher