Listen and read

Step into an infinite world of stories

  • Read and listen as much as you want
  • Over 1 million titles
  • Exclusive titles + Storytel Originals
  • 7 days free trial, then €9.99/month
  • Easy to cancel anytime
Subscribe Now
Details page - Device banner - 894x1036
Cover for The Secret Life of the Universe: An Astrobiologist's Search for the Origins and Frontiers of Life

The Secret Life of the Universe: An Astrobiologist's Search for the Origins and Frontiers of Life

Duration
9H 18min
Language
English
Format
Category

Non-fiction

‘A highly readable, entertaining and mind-expanding read from a formidable scientist’ ​iNews

How did life begin on Earth? Could it exist on other planets? Or are we alone in the universe?

In recent years, incredible breakthroughs have revolutionised our understanding of the cosmos. New discoveries include the existence of millions of exoplanets, many of which could be a potential habitat for extraterrestrial life. Nathalie A. Cabrol, celebrated astrobiologist and director of the Carl Sagan Center at the SETI Institute, is the perfect guide to this golden age of astronomy.

The Secret Life of the Universe starts with the beginning of life on our own planet, before embarking on an exhilarating tour of the Solar System and beyond. This dazzling book explores the conditions and habitats where life may be found, and searches for answers to questions that have preoccupied humankind for centuries. ‘A mind-altering and exhilarating read’ Helen Macdonald, author of H is for Hawk ‘An enthralling read . . . it’s sure to captivate readers from start to finish’ BBC Sky at Night

© 2024 Simon & Schuster Audio UK (Audiobook): 9781398531314

Release date

Audiobook: August 15, 2024

Others also enjoyed ...

  1. Before It's Gone: Stories from the Front Lines of Climate Change in Small Town America
    Before It's Gone: Stories from the Front Lines of Climate Change in Small Town America Jonathan Vigliotti
  2. The World Behind the World: Consciousness, Free Will, and the Limits of Science
    The World Behind the World: Consciousness, Free Will, and the Limits of Science Erik Hoel
  3. The Canon: A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science
    The Canon: A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science Natalie Angier
  4. The Fast: The History, Science, Philosophy, and Promise of Doing Without
    The Fast: The History, Science, Philosophy, and Promise of Doing Without John Oakes
  5. Hubris: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Humanity
    Hubris: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Humanity Johannes Krause
  6. After Cooling: On Freon, Global Warming, and the Terrible Cost of Comfort
    After Cooling: On Freon, Global Warming, and the Terrible Cost of Comfort Eric Dean Wilson
  7. The Wisdom of Plagues: Lessons from 25 Years of Covering Pandemics
    The Wisdom of Plagues: Lessons from 25 Years of Covering Pandemics Donald G. McNeil
  8. Between Hope and Fear: A History of Vaccines and Human Immunity
    Between Hope and Fear: A History of Vaccines and Human Immunity Michael Kinch
  9. The Secret Life of the Universe: An Astrobiologist's Search for the Origins and Frontiers of Life
    The Secret Life of the Universe: An Astrobiologist's Search for the Origins and Frontiers of Life Nathalie A. Cabrol
  10. What the Chicken Knows: A New Appreciation of the World's Most Familiar Bird
    What the Chicken Knows: A New Appreciation of the World's Most Familiar Bird Sy Montgomery
  11. The New Guys: The Historic Class of Astronauts That Broke Barriers and Changed the Face of Space Travel
    The New Guys: The Historic Class of Astronauts That Broke Barriers and Changed the Face of Space Travel Meredith Bagby
  12. The Secret Lives of Bats: My Adventures with the World's Most Misunderstood Mammals
    The Secret Lives of Bats: My Adventures with the World's Most Misunderstood Mammals Merlin Tuttle
  13. The Last Cold Place: A Field Season Studying Penguins in Antarctica
    The Last Cold Place: A Field Season Studying Penguins in Antarctica Naira de Gracia
  14. Our Hidden Conversations: What Americans Really Think About Race and Identity
    Our Hidden Conversations: What Americans Really Think About Race and Identity Michele Norris
  15. An Infinity of Worlds: Cosmic Inflation and the Beginning of the Universe
    An Infinity of Worlds: Cosmic Inflation and the Beginning of the Universe Will Kinney
  16. Chasing Fog: Finding Enchantment in a Cloud
    Chasing Fog: Finding Enchantment in a Cloud Laura Pashby
  17. Before The Big Bang: The Origin of Our Universe from the Multiverse
    Before The Big Bang: The Origin of Our Universe from the Multiverse Laura Mersini-Houghton
  18. Man-Made: How the bias of the past is being built into the future
    Man-Made: How the bias of the past is being built into the future Tracey Spicer
  19. Endless Forms: The Secret World of Wasps
    Endless Forms: The Secret World of Wasps Seirian Sumner
  20. Impact: How Rocks from Space Led to Life, Culture, and Donkey Kong
    Impact: How Rocks from Space Led to Life, Culture, and Donkey Kong Greg Brennecka
  21. Fat Leonard: How One Man Bribed, Bilked, and Seduced the U.S. Navy
    Fat Leonard: How One Man Bribed, Bilked, and Seduced the U.S. Navy Craig Whitlock
  22. Mom Genes: Inside The New Science of Our Ancient Maternal Instinct
    Mom Genes: Inside The New Science of Our Ancient Maternal Instinct Abigail Tucker
  23. Twelve Trees: The Deep Roots of Our Future
    Twelve Trees: The Deep Roots of Our Future Daniel Lewis
  24. The Birds That Audubon Missed: Discovery and Desire in the American Wilderness
    The Birds That Audubon Missed: Discovery and Desire in the American Wilderness Kenn Kaufman
  25. Lightening Often Strikes Twice: The 50 Biggest Misconceptions in Science
    Lightening Often Strikes Twice: The 50 Biggest Misconceptions in Science Brian Clegg
  26. Kingdom of Play: What Ball-bouncing Octopuses, Belly-flopping Monkeys, and Mud-sliding Elephants Reveal about Life Itself
    Kingdom of Play: What Ball-bouncing Octopuses, Belly-flopping Monkeys, and Mud-sliding Elephants Reveal about Life Itself David Toomey
  27. Birds, Sex and Beauty: The Extraordinary Implications of Charles Darwin's Strangest Idea
    Birds, Sex and Beauty: The Extraordinary Implications of Charles Darwin's Strangest Idea Matt Ridley
  28. Wasteland: The Dirty Truth About What We Throw Away, Where It Goes, and Why It Matters
    Wasteland: The Dirty Truth About What We Throw Away, Where It Goes, and Why It Matters Oliver Franklin-Wallis
  29. The Environmentalist's Dilemma: Promise and Peril in an Age of Climate Crisis
    The Environmentalist's Dilemma: Promise and Peril in an Age of Climate Crisis Arno Kopecky
  30. The Lost World of the Dinosaurs: On the Trail of the Dinosaurs' Final Secrets
    The Lost World of the Dinosaurs: On the Trail of the Dinosaurs' Final Secrets Armin Schmitt
  31. What's Gotten Into You: The Story of Your Body's Atoms, from the Big Bang Through Last Night's Dinner
    What's Gotten Into You: The Story of Your Body's Atoms, from the Big Bang Through Last Night's Dinner Dan Levitt
  32. Science Fiction and the Moral Imagination: Visions, Minds, Ethics
    Science Fiction and the Moral Imagination: Visions, Minds, Ethics Russell Blackford
  33. The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2023
    The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2023 Carl Zimmer
  34. 100 Places to See After You Die: A Travel Guide to the Afterlife
    100 Places to See After You Die: A Travel Guide to the Afterlife Ken Jennings
  35. Dinosaurs at the Dinner Party: How an Eccentric Group of Victorians Discovered Prehistoric Creatures and Accidentally Upended the World
    Dinosaurs at the Dinner Party: How an Eccentric Group of Victorians Discovered Prehistoric Creatures and Accidentally Upended the World Edward Dolnick
  36. Time Machine Tales: The Science Fiction Adventures and Philosophical Puzzles of Time Travel
    Time Machine Tales: The Science Fiction Adventures and Philosophical Puzzles of Time Travel Paul J. Nahin
  37. Thicker Than Water: The Quest for Solutions to the Plastic Crisis
    Thicker Than Water: The Quest for Solutions to the Plastic Crisis Erica Cirino
  38. Of Thorn & Briar: A Year with the West Country Hedgelayer
    Of Thorn & Briar: A Year with the West Country Hedgelayer Paul Lamb
  39. Once Upon a Prime: The Wondrous Connections Between Mathematics and Literature
    Once Upon a Prime: The Wondrous Connections Between Mathematics and Literature Sarah Hart
  40. It's a Gas: The Sublime and Elusive Elements That Expand Our World
    It's a Gas: The Sublime and Elusive Elements That Expand Our World Mark Miodownik
  41. Bacteria: A Very Short Introduction
    Bacteria: A Very Short Introduction Sebastian Amyes
  42. Kraken
    Kraken Wendy Williams
  43. Theurgy: Theory and Practice: The Mysteries of the Ascent to the Divine
    Theurgy: Theory and Practice: The Mysteries of the Ascent to the Divine P. D. Newman
  44. Anointed: The Extraordinary Effects of Social Status in a Winner-Take-Most World
    Anointed: The Extraordinary Effects of Social Status in a Winner-Take-Most World Toby Stuart
  45. Brainjacking: The Science of Influence and Manipulation
    Brainjacking: The Science of Influence and Manipulation Brian Clegg
  46. A History of the World in Six Plagues: How Contagion, Class, and Captivity Shaped Us, from Cholera to Covid-19
    A History of the World in Six Plagues: How Contagion, Class, and Captivity Shaped Us, from Cholera to Covid-19 Edna Bonhomme
  47. Africonomics: A History of Western Ignorance
    Africonomics: A History of Western Ignorance Bronwen Everill
  48. Aesop's Animals: The Science Behind the Fables
    Aesop's Animals: The Science Behind the Fables Jo Wimpenny
  49. Malady of the Mind: Schizophrenia and the Path to Prevention
    Malady of the Mind: Schizophrenia and the Path to Prevention Jeffrey A. Lieberman
  50. The War on Science: Who's Waging It, Why It Matters, What We Can Do About It
    The War on Science: Who's Waging It, Why It Matters, What We Can Do About It Shawn Otto
  51. What an Owl Knows
    What an Owl Knows Jennifer Ackerman
  52. The Darkness Manifesto: Our Light Pollution, Night Ecology, and the Ancient Rhythms that Sustain Life
    The Darkness Manifesto: Our Light Pollution, Night Ecology, and the Ancient Rhythms that Sustain Life Johan Eklöf
  53. You Are What You Watch: How Movies and TV Affect Everything
    You Are What You Watch: How Movies and TV Affect Everything Walt Hickey
  54. Party of the People: Inside the Multiracial Populist Coalition Remaking the GOP
    Party of the People: Inside the Multiracial Populist Coalition Remaking the GOP Patrick Ruffini
  55. The Forgotten Sense: The New Science of Smell
    The Forgotten Sense: The New Science of Smell Jonas Olofsson
  56. The Exceptions: Nancy Hopkins, MIT, and the Fight for Women in Science
    The Exceptions: Nancy Hopkins, MIT, and the Fight for Women in Science Kate Zernike
  57. The Great Great Wall: Along the Borders of History from China to Mexico
    The Great Great Wall: Along the Borders of History from China to Mexico Ian Volner
  58. How to be a Bad Botanist
    How to be a Bad Botanist Simon Barnes
  59. A World Without Soil: The Past, Present, and Precarious Future of the Earth Beneath Our Feet
    A World Without Soil: The Past, Present, and Precarious Future of the Earth Beneath Our Feet Jo Handelsman
  60. The Hummingbirds' Gift: Wonder, Beauty, and Renewal on Wings
    The Hummingbirds' Gift: Wonder, Beauty, and Renewal on Wings Sy Montgomery
  61. Manufacturing Consensus: Understanding Propaganda in the Era of Automation and Anonymity
    Manufacturing Consensus: Understanding Propaganda in the Era of Automation and Anonymity Samuel Woolley
  62. The Language of Butterflies: How Thieves, Hoarders, Scientists, and Other Obsessives Unlocked the Secrets of the World's Favorite Insect
    The Language of Butterflies: How Thieves, Hoarders, Scientists, and Other Obsessives Unlocked the Secrets of the World's Favorite Insect Wendy Williams
  63. The Year the World Went Mad
    The Year the World Went Mad Mark Woolhouse
  64. The Utopians: Six Attempts to Build the Perfect Society
    The Utopians: Six Attempts to Build the Perfect Society Anna Neima
  65. The Ugly History of Beautiful Things: Essays on Desire and Consumption
    The Ugly History of Beautiful Things: Essays on Desire and Consumption Katy Kelleher
  66. Spacefarers: How Humans Will Settle the Moon, Mars, and Beyond
    Spacefarers: How Humans Will Settle the Moon, Mars, and Beyond Christopher Wanjek
  67. Fossils of the Carpathian Region
    Fossils of the Carpathian Region István Fozy
  68. Charles Darwin's Barnacle and David Bowie's Spider: How Scientific Names Celebrate Adventurers, Heroes, and Even a Few Scoundrels
    Charles Darwin's Barnacle and David Bowie's Spider: How Scientific Names Celebrate Adventurers, Heroes, and Even a Few Scoundrels Stephen B. Heard, PhD
  69. In Praise of Floods: The Untamed River and the Life It Bring
    In Praise of Floods: The Untamed River and the Life It Bring James C. Scott
  70. On Decline: Stagnation, Nostalgia, and Why Every Year is the Worst One Ever
    On Decline: Stagnation, Nostalgia, and Why Every Year is the Worst One Ever Andrew Potter
  71. The Golden Rhinoceros: Histories of the African Middle Ages
    The Golden Rhinoceros: Histories of the African Middle Ages François-Xavier Fauvelle
  72. Empire of the Scalpel: The History of Surgery
    Empire of the Scalpel: The History of Surgery Ira Rutkow
  73. Why We Hate: Understanding the Roots of Human Conflict
    Why We Hate: Understanding the Roots of Human Conflict Michael Ruse
  74. Dark Skies: Space Expansionism, Planetary Geopolitics, and the Ends of Humanity
    Dark Skies: Space Expansionism, Planetary Geopolitics, and the Ends of Humanity Daniel Deudney
  75. The Edge of Sentience: Risk and Precaution in Humans, Other Animals, and AI
    The Edge of Sentience: Risk and Precaution in Humans, Other Animals, and AI Jonathan Birch
  76. An Axe for the Frozen Sea: Conversations with Poets about What Matters
    An Axe for the Frozen Sea: Conversations with Poets about What Matters Ben Palpant
  77. Breathless: The Scientific Race to Defeat a Deadly Virus
    Breathless: The Scientific Race to Defeat a Deadly Virus David Quammen
  78. The Allure of the Multiverse: Extra Dimensions, Other Worlds, and Parallel Universes
    The Allure of the Multiverse: Extra Dimensions, Other Worlds, and Parallel Universes Paul Halpern
  79. Soil: The Story of a Black Mother's Garden
    Soil: The Story of a Black Mother's Garden Camille T Dungy
  80. Asteroids: How Love, Fear, and Greed Will Determine Our Future in Space
    Asteroids: How Love, Fear, and Greed Will Determine Our Future in Space Martin Elvis
  81. Space Oddities: The Mysterious Anomalies Challenging Our Understanding Of The Universe
    Space Oddities: The Mysterious Anomalies Challenging Our Understanding Of The Universe Harry Cliff
  82. A Word Is Not a Sparrow: A Benefit Anthology for Ukraine  Relief
    A Word Is Not a Sparrow: A Benefit Anthology for Ukraine Relief various authors
  83. Crypt: Life, Death and Disease in the Middle Ages and Beyond
    Crypt: Life, Death and Disease in the Middle Ages and Beyond Alice Roberts
  84. On Sex and Gender: A Commonsense Approach
    On Sex and Gender: A Commonsense Approach Doriane Lambelet Coleman
  85. Mastering AI: A Survival Guide to Our Superpowered Future
    Mastering AI: A Survival Guide to Our Superpowered Future Jeremy Kahn
  86. Mission Invisible: A Novel about the Science of Light
    Mission Invisible: A Novel about the Science of Light Ulf Leonhardt
  87. Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor
    Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor Kim Kelly
  88. The Believer: A Year in the Fly Fishing Life
    The Believer: A Year in the Fly Fishing Life David Coggins
  89. Slanted: How the News Media Taught Us to Love Censorship and Hate Journalism
    Slanted: How the News Media Taught Us to Love Censorship and Hate Journalism Sharyl Attkisson
  90. The World in Books: 52 Works of Great Short Nonfiction
    The World in Books: 52 Works of Great Short Nonfiction Kenneth C. Davis
  91. The Social Genome: The New Science of Nature and Nurture
    The Social Genome: The New Science of Nature and Nurture Dalton Conley
  92. Interference: The Inside Story of Trump, Russia, and the Mueller Investigation
    Interference: The Inside Story of Trump, Russia, and the Mueller Investigation Andrew Goldstein
  93. Why Peacocks?: An Unlikely Search for Meaning in the World's Most Magnificent Bird
    Why Peacocks?: An Unlikely Search for Meaning in the World's Most Magnificent Bird Sean Flynn
  94. A Portrait of the Scientist as a Young Woman: A Memoir
    A Portrait of the Scientist as a Young Woman: A Memoir Lindy Elkins-Tanton
  95. Understanding Human Evolution
    Understanding Human Evolution Ian Tattersall
  96. One Medicine: How understanding animals can save our lives
    One Medicine: How understanding animals can save our lives Matt Morgan
  97. Extremely Online: The Untold Story of Fame, Influence, and Power on the Internet
    Extremely Online: The Untold Story of Fame, Influence, and Power on the Internet Taylor Lorenz
  98. The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2022
    The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2022 Jaime Green
  99. The Mind of a Bee
    The Mind of a Bee Lars Chittka

This is why you’ll love Storytel

  • Listen and read without limits

  • 800 000+ stories in 40 languages

  • Kids Mode (child-safe environment)

  • Cancel anytime

Unlimited stories, anytime

Unlimited

Listen and read as much as you want

9.99 € /month
7 days for free
  • 1 account

  • Unlimited Access

  • Offline Mode

  • Kids Mode

  • Cancel anytime

Try now