Today, though, astrobiology is one of the hottest fields in space science. Over the last several years, astronomers have discovered evidence for planets around dozens of other stars, strong evidence to suggest that Jupiter's moon Europa could be an abode for primitive life in our own solar system, and controversial evidence from a meteorite that such life once existed on Mars. The search for life also has backing from NASA, who has made astrobiology a key focus of scientific research and spacecraft missions. A trio of recent books takes a look at this young but growing field.
Dragons follow parallel paths.
The differences between the books are relatively subtle. Here Be Dragons has a somewhat broader scope, covering issues such as SETI and the search for extrasolar planets, that don't get as much attention in Planetary Dreams . Of course, since there is no irrefutable evidence of life yet anywhere beyond the Earth, this is just a construct by the author, but an interesting, and perhaps reassuring one, nonetheless. The Search for Life on Other Planets , on the other hand, aims towards a slightly more sophisticated audience than the other books, notably more educated laymen, students, and others who already have a degree of knowledge about the field. Jakosky, a geologist, isn't afraid to include chemical equations or complex diagrams to make a point, although the text itself is quite readable as Jakosky covers topics from the formation of life on Earth to the prospects of intelligent life in the universe.