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Light of the Stars
- Alien Worlds and the Fate of the Earth
- Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
- Length: 7 hrs and 15 mins
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Publisher's summary
Light of the Stars is science at the grandest of scales, and it tells a radically new story about what we are: one world in a universe awash in planets. Building on his widely discussed scientific papers and New York Times op-eds, astrophysicist Adam Frank shows that not only is it likely that alien civilizations have existed many times before, but also that many of them have driven their own worlds into dangerous eras of change.
He explains how dust storms on Mars, the greenhouse effect on Venus, Gaia Theory, the threat of nuclear winter, and efforts to prove or disprove the plurality of worlds from Aristotle to Copernicus to Carl Sagan have contributed to our understanding of our place in the universe and the growing challenge of climate change. And he raises what may be the largest question of all: If there has been life on other worlds, what can its presence tell us about our own fate?
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Bill Bryson has been an enormously popular author both for his travel books and for his books on the English language. Now, this beloved comic genius turns his attention to science. Although he doesn't know anything about the subject (at first), he is eager to learn, and takes information that he gets from the world's leading experts and explains it to us in a way that makes it exciting and relevant.
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The Only Book I reread imediatley after reading
- By Andrew on 11-09-09
By: Bill Bryson
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Deep Truth
- Igniting the Memory of Our Origin, History, Destiny, and Fate
- By: Gregg Braden
- Narrated by: Gregg Braden
- Length: 9 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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A new world is emerging before our eyes, while the unsustainable world of the past struggles to continue. Both worlds reflect the beliefs of our past. Both exist - but only for now. Which world do you choose? Best-selling author and visionary scientist Gregg Braden suggests that the hottest issues that divide us as families, nations, and civilizations-seemingly separate concerns such as war, terror, abortion, suicide, genocide, the death penalty, poverty, economic collapse, and nuclear war - are actually related.
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Good Information
- By David on 08-13-12
By: Gregg Braden
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Confessions of an Alien Hunter
- A Scientist's Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
- By: Seth Shostak
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
- Length: 10 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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This engaging memoir reveals the true story of the Search for ExtraterrestrialIntelligence (SETI), and discloses what we may very soon discover. Chronicling the program’s history with insight and humor, SETI senior astronomer Seth Shostak assures us that if there is sentient life in the universe, we are within decades of picking up its signal.
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Somewhat Disappointed...
- By Tim on 11-12-10
By: Seth Shostak
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The Equations of Life
- How Physics Shapes Evolution
- By: Charles S. Cockell
- Narrated by: Ian Porter
- Length: 11 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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In The Equations of Life, biologist Charles S. Cockell makes the forceful argument that the laws of physics narrowly constrain how life can evolve, making evolution's outcomes predictable. If we were to find something very much like a lady bug eating something very much like an aphid on a distant planet, we shouldn't be surprised. The forms of life are guided by a limited set of rules, and, as a result, there is a narrow set of solutions to the challenges of existence.
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Too many equations, not enough insights
- By Alec Drumm on 09-24-18
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Catching Stardust
- Comets, Asteroids and the Birth of the Solar System
- By: Natalie Starkey
- Narrated by: Alison Campbell
- Length: 9 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Icy, rocky, sometimes dusty, always mysterious – comets and asteroids are among the Solar System's very oldest inhabitants, formed within a swirling cloud of gas and dust in the area of space that eventually hosted the Sun and its planets. Locked within each of these extra-terrestrial objects is the 4.6-billion-year wisdom of Solar System events, and by studying them at close quarters using spacecraft we can coerce them into revealing their closely-guarded secrets. This offers us the chance to answer some fundamental questions about our planet and its inhabitants.
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Chasing star stuff always results in technological advances
- By Richard Duede on 12-30-18
By: Natalie Starkey
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Know This
- Today's Most Interesting and Important Scientific Ideas, Discoveries, and Developments
- By: John Brockman
- Narrated by: Gabra Zackman, Dan John Miller
- Length: 14 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Scientific developments radically alter our understanding of the world. Whether it's technology, climate change, health research, or the latest revelations of neuroscience, physics, or psychology, science has, as Edge editor John Brockman says, "become a big story, if not the big story". In that spirit this new addition to Edge.org's fascinating series asks a powerful and provocative question: What do you consider the most interesting and important recent scientific news?
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Pete and Repeat and Re-repeat
- By Daniel L on 02-25-18
By: John Brockman
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The Upright Thinkers
- The Human Journey From Living in Trees to Understanding the Cosmos
- By: Leonard Mlodinow
- Narrated by: Leonard Mlodinow
- Length: 12 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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In this fascinating and illuminating work, Leonard Mlodinow guides us through the critical eras and events in the development of science, all of which, he demonstrates, were propelled forward by humankind's collective struggle to know. From the birth of reasoning and culture to the formation of the studies of physics, chemistry, biology, and modern-day quantum physics, we come to see that much of our progress can be attributed to simple questions - why? how? - bravely asked.
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10/10 Got What I Wanted.
- By Austin on 09-22-15
By: Leonard Mlodinow
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13 Things That Don't Make Sense
- The Most Baffling Scientific Mysteries of Our Time
- By: Michael Brooks
- Narrated by: James Adams
- Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Science starts to get interesting when things don't make sense. Science's best-kept secret is that there are experimental results and reliable data that the most brilliant scientists can neither explain nor dismiss. If history is any precedent, we should look to today's inexplicable results to forecast the future of science. Michael Brooks heads to the scientific frontier to meet 13 modern-day anomalies and discover tomorrow's breakthroughs.
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10 interesting chapters-read epiloge first
- By Stephen on 06-10-09
By: Michael Brooks
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The Varieties of Scientific Experience
- A Personal View of the Search for God
- By: Carl Sagan, Ann Druyan - editor
- Narrated by: Adrienne C. Moore, Ann Druyan
- Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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The late great astronomer and astrophysicist describes his personal search to understand the nature of the sacred in the vastness of the cosmos. Exhibiting a breadth of intellect nothing short of astounding, Sagan presents his views on a wide range of topics, including the likelihood of intelligent life on other planets, creationism and so-called intelligent design.
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Sagan's lectures about the possibility of God
- By David T. on 11-13-17
By: Carl Sagan, and others
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Coming of Age in the Milky Way
- By: Timothy Ferris
- Narrated by: Timothy Ferris
- Length: 2 hrs and 44 mins
- Abridged
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Humans have long sought to comprehend the enormities of cosmic space and time. Here, best selling science writer Timothy Ferris tells the story of that quest. He interweaves the majestic themes of astronomy, physics, religion, and philosophy with fresh and lasting portraits of the men and women who created what has been called our society's most precious treasure - its conception of the universe at large.
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Brief survey of discovery from Columbus to now
- By serine on 01-23-16
By: Timothy Ferris
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The Science of Discworld
- A Novel
- By: Terry Pratchett, Ian Stewart, Jack Cohen
- Narrated by: Michael Fenton Stevens, Stephen Briggs
- Length: 13 hrs and 48 mins
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Not just another science audiobook and not just another Discworld novella, The Science of Discworld is a creative, mind-bending mash-up of fiction and fact, that offers a wizard’s-eye view of our world that will forever change how you look at the universe.
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Not the best Pratchett, but gets there in the end
- By Rachel on 07-30-14
By: Terry Pratchett, and others
What listeners say about Light of the Stars
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Rick B
- 06-14-21
A Fire Inside !
This is one of my top favorites! Adam Frank introduces the concept of the Anthropocene epoch that we now live in which started in the mid 20th century.. We as a population are compared to a troubled teen. This is the analogy this book starts from explaining how current human population is changing our Earth System. The reference to the troubled teen maturing, is to show how we can learn as a civilization from our poor choices and become a prosperous world. Our technology and how we choose to use it is changing, the atmosphere, the oceans and almost every place on Earth, this is fact not fiction.
Where do we go from here?
The author takes you through the "Drake Equation" and how it relates to not only the evolution of stars, planets & yes civilizations. You will meet hero's of science like Carl Sagan & Frank Drake and many others who have helped shape our Astronomy and space programs. The Green House effect, that has been a very hot topic, excuse the pun, was actually applied by Carl Sagan while completing his doctoral thesis for his PHD. He realized how this process has caused our neighbor planet Venus to have a surface temperature that can melt lead. The chemistry of Venus, is the same chemistry throughout the universe. What we learn from our observations can be applied here on Earth. Carl worked on many NASA projects, not only for Venus but Mars and with the Voyager probes that are now traveling beyond our solar system.
If you enjoy Exoplanets, and projects for searching for possibility of life beyond our planet then this is a great inspiration for us all. The narrator Kevin Pariseau provides the perfect audio experience. Life has such a variety of forms, even on our own planet, imagine the possibility of extending it beyond the Earth, the Solar system and to the limits of our universe and your imagination. What we choose to do here on Earth will in the end be what we do in space. The final message here is take care of our earth, ourselves, and just maybe we can provide a long and prosperous future for us all.
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- Kindle Customer
- 07-26-20
Intriguing and Thought-Provoking Throughout!
If you love science, science fiction, and the meeting place between the two, then this book is for you! The author, clearly experienced in the most cutting edge parts of astrobiology, sociology, etc. paints a beautiful picture of the past, present, and future of how planetary science can teach us about other worlds, our own, and possibly alien civilizations far beyond. Furthermore, the narration is really top-notch as popular science fare goes, and he elevates the work to a whole other level of wonder...I highly recommend this book!
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1 person found this helpful
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- Staceghost
- 06-21-18
Want to understand science headlines? Start here!
This book is very, very approachable for the lay person, and goes in depth into the history and development of planetary discovery technology which has recently revealed a cosmos lousy with planets! Never dry, this book will keep your attention and change what you see when you look up.
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- Steve Dahlman
- 06-02-19
Magnificent!
Adam Frank has distilled the work of scientists and philosophers into a cogent analysis of evolutionary thought, research and policy. The ramifications of mankind’s effects upon the earth are presented in exceptional detail, but, remarkably, not judgmental. Ending on a very positive light, the reader is not left with a post-apocalyptic hell, but a blueprint for the future. “We are the planet.” Yes, we are. We are also the galaxy and the universe.
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3 people found this helpful
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- karl
- 06-27-18
Nice take
This book makes you think by putting pen to paper and working out some scenarios for our coevolution with our planet. This part was naturally a little dry listening. I’m an engineer so I enjoyed the nuts and bolts. Performance was good.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Zach
- 08-17-18
Should be read by everyone.
What an inspiring book! Instead of going with a doom and gloom perspective on a changing climate, Adam Frank dives into the facts with a realistic view outside of the normal human perspective. If we are going to have a chance at a thriving civilization deep into the future, more people need this kind of view point. Recommended to everyone.
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3 people found this helpful
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- The Saint
- 07-18-18
A New Look into the Fermi (SETI) Paradox
Light of the Stars casts a new light on the puzzle that is the Fermi Paradox; if extra-terrestrial life is likely so common, why do we find no evidence of it? The careful analysis demonstrates that we may be coming up upon an evolutionary choke point common to advanced technological societies spread over entire planets. It reaches beyond the choices playing out today, as for instance in the substitution of renewables for fossil fuels, to suggest that it is the planet-spanning thermodynamic activity of the entire civilization as part of a larger biosphere which drives the planet to states which are either stable or unstable. In that case, it is less the energy source used in the activity and more the nature and quantum of the activity itself over which we must exert agency if we are to see a way past the thermodynamic choke point. The book stops a chapter or two short of direct confrontation with the Paradox - if there is no evidence of alien civilization, does that imply that the choke point is an unavoidable cul de sac which no civilization has overcome? Hoping that we might be the first is surely faint hope indeed! J. A. (Canada) for WildDogs Foundation - wilddogsfoundation@gmail.com
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5 people found this helpful
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- Don
- 04-29-19
Our place among the stars
An accessible story of our planet, our solar system , our galaxy and us. A very clearly expressed discussion of where we are in our planetary maturity and how we need to grow up, face our follies,and reach for a more sustainable human presence.
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- DVB22
- 10-27-18
This is our story
This book is so relevant and so important for everyone to read. Especially the climate change deniers. The narrator draws you in perfectly and the story....well it’s OUR beautiful, yet fragile story. Gives us hope as a species yet realistically grounds you as the important problems we will face in the near future.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Mark@RefreshingArtcom
- 11-05-22
Refreshing!
A very eye opening very technical very intriguing very good book if you're into possibilities!
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