Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth
- Downloads：8209
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-03-23 16:21:42
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Avi Loeb
- ISBN：0358645530
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Jenaro Martinez
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Qué buen libro de Avi Loeb。 Cuando leí la noticia de que el "asteroide" Oumuamua era una pieza de tecnología extraterrestre， no me esperaba ver que provenía de un científico muy reconocido de Harvard。 Los datos reunidos y las posibilidades que algunos científicos， como Loeb， se atreven a considerar， volarán tu mente。 Me conecté muy bien con la manera de pensar del autor， refuerza mucho de los temas con los que juego en mi trilogía de Invasión silenciosa。 Qué buen libro de Avi Loeb。 Cuando leí la noticia de que el "asteroide" Oumuamua era una pieza de tecnología extraterrestre， no me esperaba ver que provenía de un científico muy reconocido de Harvard。 Los datos reunidos y las posibilidades que algunos científicos， como Loeb， se atreven a considerar， volarán tu mente。 Me conecté muy bien con la manera de pensar del autor， refuerza mucho de los temas con los que juego en mi trilogía de Invasión silenciosa。 。。。more
LeighAnn
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Not entirely sure how to rate this…。 It’s really more like an autobiography than a book about the search for aliens。 The parts about Oumuamua are very awesome。 Discussions of a light sail， etc。 are all why I picked this book up。 Those parts are very fun。 This constitutes probably about 20-30% of the book。 The rest of the book on the other hand feels like it’s trying to do too much。 I’m not entirely sure how to describe it … but the other portions of the book have an energy that says “I’ve read A Not entirely sure how to rate this…。 It’s really more like an autobiography than a book about the search for aliens。 The parts about Oumuamua are very awesome。 Discussions of a light sail， etc。 are all why I picked this book up。 Those parts are very fun。 This constitutes probably about 20-30% of the book。 The rest of the book on the other hand feels like it’s trying to do too much。 I’m not entirely sure how to describe it … but the other portions of the book have an energy that says “I’ve read Atlas Shrugged and The Stranger and now I’m a real philosopher。” 。。。more
Bearcatgary
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Very interesting book describing what we know about the first known extraterrestrial object to make its way to the solar system。 The distinguished head of Harvard’s astronomy department believes evidence shows it is a non naturally occurring object while mainstream science thinks otherwise。 While I learned a lot， the book was probably twice as long as it needs to be。
Victoria
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"And yet it deviated。" Well written。 But less so an in-depth astrophysics book and more a manifesto railing against the conservative scientific community。 Part-memoir & part plea for more daring and creative scientific exploration。Most， if not all， of the research pertaining to 'Oumuamua will be already familiar to those who have followed Dr。 Loeb's work on the subject。 Nothing new here。 Would highly recommend his interviews on 'Oumuamua with John Michael Godier of Event Horizon on YouTube as a "And yet it deviated。" Well written。 But less so an in-depth astrophysics book and more a manifesto railing against the conservative scientific community。 Part-memoir & part plea for more daring and creative scientific exploration。Most， if not all， of the research pertaining to 'Oumuamua will be already familiar to those who have followed Dr。 Loeb's work on the subject。 Nothing new here。 Would highly recommend his interviews on 'Oumuamua with John Michael Godier of Event Horizon on YouTube as a companion to this work。 。。。more
Charlotte
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3。5 stars。 Very interesting premise， but probably could have been a long-form article。 The author is extremely smart and asks a lot of philosophical questions about life and existence， but it jumps around a bit and can be hard to follow。
Perry Mitchell
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An excellent book about how science， while promoting progression， is conservative in their approach， even stifling to new ideas。 Loeb writes about an odd fly-by in 2017 that cannot be explained by anything we've seen before， and makes a compelling case for it being an extraterrestrial craft of some sort。Loeb has published 5 other books and I intend to read them。 An excellent book about how science， while promoting progression， is conservative in their approach， even stifling to new ideas。 Loeb writes about an odd fly-by in 2017 that cannot be explained by anything we've seen before， and makes a compelling case for it being an extraterrestrial craft of some sort。Loeb has published 5 other books and I intend to read them。 。。。more
Donna-Bea
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Dragged on at the end。 Did not finish。
Jill
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10% of this book: Interesting and very readable explanation of research on the potential origins of "Oumuamua。"Other 90%: Harvard。。。Harvard。。。Harvard。。。Princeton？ Harvard。 I'm awesome。 The most awesome。 I'm not saying I'm Isaac Newton， but， you know， I'm a lot LIKE Isaac Newton。 Harvard。 10% of this book: Interesting and very readable explanation of research on the potential origins of "Oumuamua。"Other 90%: Harvard。。。Harvard。。。Harvard。。。Princeton？ Harvard。 I'm awesome。 The most awesome。 I'm not saying I'm Isaac Newton， but， you know， I'm a lot LIKE Isaac Newton。 Harvard。 。。。more
JennRa
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Esperaba encontrarme un ensayo científico sobre Oumuamua y aunque Loeb habla sobre este objeto interestelar y， hace una crítica a la sociedad científica， la mayor parte de la obra es una autobiografía agotadora sobre él， el origen de su familia， etc。 Sin mencionar que la parte científica es prácticamente "tienen que creerme porque yo soy tal y trabajo en tal"。Agotador。 Esperaba encontrarme un ensayo científico sobre Oumuamua y aunque Loeb habla sobre este objeto interestelar y， hace una crítica a la sociedad científica， la mayor parte de la obra es una autobiografía agotadora sobre él， el origen de su familia， etc。 Sin mencionar que la parte científica es prácticamente "tienen que creerme porque yo soy tal y trabajo en tal"。Agotador。 。。。more
Karen Cavalli
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Loeb's confidence is catching。 Even if you are skeptical that intelligent life only exists on this planet， Loeb's calm and friendly approach to the topic is likely to seem inviting and convince you to at least consider the possibility。 Listening to the audiobook version is like listening to a long TED talk; Loeb's tone is down-to-earth， and he sounds like an approachable friend who wants to share some interesting discoveries in a way that is enjoyable， accessible， and just gets you thinking。 Alo Loeb's confidence is catching。 Even if you are skeptical that intelligent life only exists on this planet， Loeb's calm and friendly approach to the topic is likely to seem inviting and convince you to at least consider the possibility。 Listening to the audiobook version is like listening to a long TED talk; Loeb's tone is down-to-earth， and he sounds like an approachable friend who wants to share some interesting discoveries in a way that is enjoyable， accessible， and just gets you thinking。 Along the way， he explains aspects of the scientific community that have trickled down into media and influenced our thinking。 For example， why grant applications for scientific research on topics with absolutely no evidence of existing， such as the metaverse， win funding but those on the topic of extraterrestrial intelligent life which does have evidence of existing does not receive that funding （from traditional organizations and institutions）。 I read the book via audiobook for my first read-through; this is usually my approach for anything I fear will be above my head。 But now I have bought the hard copy version so I can re-read it， knowing that Loeb makes the science comprehendable。 。。。more
Chris
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9/10I debated 4 or 5 stars。 Ultimately i decided on 4 because the basic premise of the book is pretty out there on the fringe of what's generally accepted。Overall this isn't a book about oumeamea。 This is about life outside of earth in general， what would happen if we discovered it and what we should be doing to find it。 It's a book about exploring the stars and the explorers spirit。 The author brings up a lot of good points about how we and hindering science by rewarding conservatism and discou 9/10I debated 4 or 5 stars。 Ultimately i decided on 4 because the basic premise of the book is pretty out there on the fringe of what's generally accepted。Overall this isn't a book about oumeamea。 This is about life outside of earth in general， what would happen if we discovered it and what we should be doing to find it。 It's a book about exploring the stars and the explorers spirit。 The author brings up a lot of good points about how we and hindering science by rewarding conservatism and discouraging hypothesis that challenge the norm。 I'm very conflicted on this subject giving those book only 4 stars。Overall， i guess i don't know how I feel， but the book was great！ 。。。more
Eric Lee
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Avi Loeb is the head of the Astronomy Department at Harvard University and is one of the world leaders in his field。 He believes that ‘Oumuamua， an object detected in 2017 as it flew through our solar system， was advanced technology produced by an alien civilisation。 Most scientists rejected the idea， but in this book Loeb makes a convincing case that we shouldn’t be took quick to dismiss this explanation。The problem is that he makes that case very early in the book， and spends the rest of the t Avi Loeb is the head of the Astronomy Department at Harvard University and is one of the world leaders in his field。 He believes that ‘Oumuamua， an object detected in 2017 as it flew through our solar system， was advanced technology produced by an alien civilisation。 Most scientists rejected the idea， but in this book Loeb makes a convincing case that we shouldn’t be took quick to dismiss this explanation。The problem is that he makes that case very early in the book， and spends the rest of the time talking about his life growing up on a moshav in Israel， his parents， the second world war， where he goes on holiday with his family， his love of seashells， etc， etc。 Surely he had enough material to fill up an entire book on ‘Oumuamua， but maybe his editors told him not to lay on the science too much。 For whatever reason， this reads like a magazine article with some autobiography and unrelated musings about life tagged on。On the other hand， it’s an amazing story and he may well be right。 。。。more
Maurice Fitzgerald
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It is an ok book。 It has one major argument。 That weird thing they found in 2017 Oumuamua might be extraterrestrial and this possibility is much more interesting than the supersymmetry idea behind the CERN supercollider so this is where the money must go。
Gregory Brokaw
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Short and somewhat convincing account that a piece of alien space junk may have passed through our solar system in 2017。 Avi Loeb thinks our galaxy could be full of alien artifacts and that we should be ready next time to get up close。
Markus Magnuson
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Echoes what prominent SETI people have been saying over the past decades， it's good that someone carries the torch。 Echoes what prominent SETI people have been saying over the past decades， it's good that someone carries the torch。 。。。more
Cristobal
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If you are fascinated by the possibility of life in other planets and by how science can tackle this knowledge this is a book you will love。 Part memoir， part reflection on our place in the universe， this is a book for those convinced humanity is just a very small part of our universe。
Chris Guidry
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I expected a little more science and a little less memoir。 I guess it's challenging to stretch out the little information we have about ʻOumuamua into a full book。 I expected a little more science and a little less memoir。 I guess it's challenging to stretch out the little information we have about ʻOumuamua into a full book。 。。。more
Flungoutofspace （CMJW）
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DNF。 I wanted to read about Oumuamua and it’s possible extraterrestrial artificial origins， instead I got a Zionist colonialist autobiography。
Sandy Masia
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I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would。 I am swayed by Avi Loeb's appeal and I give his hypothesis more credence。 It was really entertaining and I look forward to re-reading it and some parts again。 I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would。 I am swayed by Avi Loeb's appeal and I give his hypothesis more credence。 It was really entertaining and I look forward to re-reading it and some parts again。 。。。more
Kunal Sen
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The title of the book is misleading， and probably intentionally so。 True， it is the sudden appearance and disappearance of the enigmatic space object called Oumuamua in 2017 that started it all。 While most scientists could not fully describe what it was but still accepted it as an exotic extra stellar object， Avi Loeb， one of the most respected astrophysicists at Harvard， suggested that it could be the product of some other intelligent species。 As expected， this suggestion was mostly laughed at The title of the book is misleading， and probably intentionally so。 True， it is the sudden appearance and disappearance of the enigmatic space object called Oumuamua in 2017 that started it all。 While most scientists could not fully describe what it was but still accepted it as an exotic extra stellar object， Avi Loeb， one of the most respected astrophysicists at Harvard， suggested that it could be the product of some other intelligent species。 As expected， this suggestion was mostly laughed at and ignored by mainstream scientists。A small part of this book is Avi Loeb's argument why this is a more likely explanation of the peculiarities of this object。 However， the book is really about his claim that mainstream scientists suffer from a certain type of conservatism that prevents them from deviating from the majority view， and they are extremely nervous about suggesting any imaginative and speculative hypothesis， even when the data suggests it to be a plausible candidate theory。 I think he is absolutely correct in his assessment， and it took someone of his stature to even talk about it。 If any lesser scientist would have suggested something like this， that would have been the end of their career as a scientist。Scientists are supposed to be thorough， rigorous， and only say things that they can support with solid logic and reliable data。 However， that should not prevent a scientist from coming up with logically sound but unconventional propositions。 In reality， it is almost impossible to suggest some ideas without risking one's career。 The issue of extraterrestrial visitors is one such area because it immediately triggers memories of cheap science fiction and other folk myths。 This oppressive culture of idea censorship often forces serious scientists to either not talk about radical ideas they may have， or publish them as fictional work or popular magazine speculative articles。 This is a huge loss because we are deprived of hearing many promising ideas coming out of some of our most creative minds。 Wouldn't it be wonderful if there was an accepted culture of scientists choosing to publish conventional work in traditional scholarly journals， but also have another respected outlet for more adventurous ideas？ It is a sad state of things when someone with Avi Loeb's credentials， still has to repeatedly remind the readers of his credibility as a scientist。 What if a younger scientist came up with this idea。 Without such credentials to fall back upon， I don't think this idea would have seen the light of the day。 Right or wrong， it is an idea that should be allowed to compete with other theories。This is not a very well-written book， but I am glad that he used his notoriety to talk about this issue， and that is what makes it a significant book。 。。。more
CMarie
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4。5 out of 5 Stars。 Audio。
Anton
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Ави Льоб - "Извънземен"。На 17 октомври 2017 г。 астрономът Робърт Уерик открива обекта Оумуамуа благодарение на на данни， събрани от мрежата телескопи Pan STARRS。 Обект със странна форма， изключително ярък， отклоняващ се от орбитата си， която би трябвало да бъде поради влиянието на Слънцето， без кометна опашка。 Този скитник， дошъл отнякъде， минал през нашата Слънчева система и отпрашил в неизвестна посока， кара професора от Харвард да си зададе логични въпроси свързани с произхода му。Добре написа Ави Льоб - "Извънземен"。На 17 октомври 2017 г。 астрономът Робърт Уерик открива обекта Оумуамуа благодарение на на данни， събрани от мрежата телескопи Pan STARRS。 Обект със странна форма， изключително ярък， отклоняващ се от орбитата си， която би трябвало да бъде поради влиянието на Слънцето， без кометна опашка。 Този скитник， дошъл отнякъде， минал през нашата Слънчева система и отпрашил в неизвестна посока， кара професора от Харвард да си зададе логични въпроси свързани с произхода му。Добре написана книга， преплитаща живота и кариерата на Ави Льоб с данните за Оумуамуа и хипотезите с него。 Този изключителен учен е здраво свързан с България， майка му е от Хасково。 В кръга на шегата， веднага ми стана ясно коя част от ДНК-то му е проговорила за конспиративните теории。 :DЯко научно-популярно книжле， само 200 стр。Препоръчвам！ 。。。more
Tom
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Very interesting points that really make you think。I wish the future holds the answers， that the author is proven right and that I live to see it。
Owlseyes
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https://www。newyorker。com/magazine/20。。。 https://www。newyorker。com/magazine/20。。。 。。。more
Frank Pernett
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 The first 3 chapters explained very well the theory behind its extraterrestrial origin， it was fascinating。 But the rest of the book， looked more like a biography。
Ashley R
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This book is much more philosophical than I was expecting， but I think I’m okay with that。 This is all about the data and information we have on a small interstellar object that entered our solar system for a few days then left。 It’s a weird shape， luminous， doesn’t leave a trail behind it that we could sense like a comet， and deviated from an expected orbit around the sun without any other evidence of propulsion。 Totally into that。 Loeb explains his hypothesis that this was either purposely sen This book is much more philosophical than I was expecting， but I think I’m okay with that。 This is all about the data and information we have on a small interstellar object that entered our solar system for a few days then left。 It’s a weird shape， luminous， doesn’t leave a trail behind it that we could sense like a comet， and deviated from an expected orbit around the sun without any other evidence of propulsion。 Totally into that。 Loeb explains his hypothesis that this was either purposely sent by an extraterrestrial intelligent civilization on purpose or how it may be discarded technology like space junk from another civilization。 He goes on a lot about how the scientific community doesn’t believe him it out the effort he feels they should into the search for extraterrestrial life。 He also goes into the philosophy of what a new civilization would mean for us and how we see ourselves here on Earth。Honestly， kind of a drudge to read， wouldn’t highly recommend。 Some of the science I still don’t get but hey it’s astrophysics。 Happy I picked it up though。 。。。more
Williamfritz3511
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This was an amazing book filled with much inspiration between each chapter。 It seems almost impossible to finish it and not want to become an astronomer or astrophysicist。 Thank you， Avi Loeb and everything that has inspired you to do what you do。
Jose Campana
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A bit far-fetched。
Amy
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The first half of this captured my attention much better than the second half。 Where he lays out the rationale for ‘Oumuamua being extraterrestrial is the strongest part of this book。
Lisa
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