Research Guides: ReadUP: 2024-25: The Possibility of Life

The Possibility of Life

The Possibility of Life by Jaime Green
ISBN: 9781335463548
Published: 2023
A spellbinding exploration of alien life and the cosmos, examining how the possibility of life on other planets shapes our understanding of humanity

One of the most powerful questions humans ask about the cosmos is: Are we alone? While the science behind this inquiry is fascinating, it doesn't exist in a vacuum. It is a reflection of our values, our fears, and most importantly, our enduring sense of hope.

In The Possibility of Life, acclaimed science journalist Jaime Green traces the history of our understanding, from the days of Galileo and Copernicus to our contemporary quest for exoplanets. Along the way, she interweaves insights from science fiction writers who construct worlds that in turn inspire scientists. Incorporating expert interviews, cutting-edge astronomy research, philosophical inquiry, and pop culture touchstones ranging from A Wrinkle in Time to Star Trek to Arrival, The Possibility of Life explores our evolving conception of the cosmos to ask an even deeper question: What does it mean to be human?

Get a Free Copy

Copies are available to pick up in the library at the front desk! Be sure to fill out your information on the provided slip when you stop by.

Borrow from the Library

Print Book - Catalog link ("place hold" to request copy)
E-Book - HCPL OverDrive
E-Audiobook - HCPL OverDrive

Jaime Green is a science writer, essayist, editor, and teacher, and she is series editor of The Best American Science and Nature Writing. She received her MFA in Creative Nonfiction from Columbia, and her writing has appeared in Slate, Popular Science, The New York Times Book Review, American Theatre, Catapult, Astrobites, and elsewhere. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and son.

Save the Date! The author will visit campus to talk and sign books in February 2025.

Interviews

The Possibility of Life Author Jaime Green | Talking Strange (55:58)
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Author Jaime Green discusses the questions of — not “Are We Alone?” — but “What If We’re Alone?” and explores both science and culture’s search for kinship in the cosmos.
The Possibility of Life: Imagining life elsewhere in the cosmos - #SciFriBookClub (53:39)
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What do the ways we imagine life on other planets tell us about ourselves? How has science influenced our history and culture—and have science fiction stories influenced how we do science in the real world? Author Jaime Green will talk about her new book, 'The Possibility of Life: Science, Imagination, and Our Quest for Kinship in the Cosmos,' and the power of our scientific depictions.