Book Review: ‘Secret Life of the Universe’ is a primer on search for life beyond Earth

As director of the Carl Sagan Center for Research at the SETI Institute, astrobiologist Nathalie A. Cabrol’s work is focused on answering the question of whether we’re alone in the universe.

In “The Secret Life of the Universe: An Astrobiologist's Search for the Origins and Frontiers of Life,” readers won’t walk away with a clear-cut answer to that question. But they’ll have a newfound appreciation for the massive scientific undertaking that is moving closer toward finding one.

Cabrol writes that we’re in the midst of a “golden age of astrobiology,” and her book is an awe-inspiring and lucid primer for the general public on her field. That golden age is highlighted by images captured by the Webb Space Telescope that have transformed the public's understanding of the universe.

From the moon to planets that mirror settings from “Star Wars,” Cabrol takes readers on a descriptive tour of the universe and the building blocks of life that scientists continue to chase.

Her writing and effort to broaden the public’s appreciation of the universe’s jaw-dropping vastness is not surprisingly reminiscent of Sagan, the popular astronomer and namesake of the center she leads. And, like Sagan, she makes a compelling case for why we may not be alone in the universe.

She also offers a fascinating preview of future space missions that may help answer that question even further.

But, most importantly, she illustrates how understanding the nature of life in the universe may help underscore the need to address the challenges facing what for now remains a lonely pale blue dot.