The Eerie Silence

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the SETI (Search for Extra-terrestrial Intelligence) program, which is yet to produce any otherworldly findings. Author and astrobiologist Dr. Paul Davies attempts to uncover the truth behind the project's failings by analyzing the data and questioning the assumptions being made about the intelligence of alien beings by SETI scientists. Narrator George K. Wilson delivers a steady reading highlighted by stellar pacing and solid pronunciation. Wilson's delivery is steadfast; the weighty material never manages to overwhelm his resolve to keep the listener thoroughly engaged. L.B. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

January 18, 2010
In what has become known as Fermi's Paradox, the great nuclear physicist Enrico Fermi once asked, if there are aliens out there, where is everybody? After 50 years of looking, the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) project has likewise failed to find anybody. Cosmologist Davies (The Mind of God
), winner of the 1995 Templeton Prize, believes that SETI's search for narrow-band radio signals from planets around other stars needs to be broadened to look for other possible signs of life. Aliens may be using far more advanced technology than radio to signal the cosmos, such as manipulating pulsars to act as beacons or even neutrino signaling. Davies also puts forth the possibility that alien probes may be silently trolling the solar system. The author surveys popular topics in science fiction such as Dyson spheres, time travel, and wormholes, and decides that they're not feasible under physics as we understand it. He concludes with a far-ranging look at what might happen here on Earth when we make first contact. Highly recommended for both science fiction and astronomy buffs. Illus.