Are we alone in the universe? This question, which forms the subtitle for Paul Davies’ new book, must rank as one of the most scientifically and philosophically interesting that we can ask. What makes it perhaps even more interesting is that unlike questions such as ‘why are we here?’ it presents us with only two very simple answers to chose from: ‘yes’ or ‘no’. However, the consequences of discovering which is correct, and the various nuances presented by each answer, are very far from simple. In The Eerie Silence these complexities are explored and explained by the writer best placed to do so: the current chair of SETI’s Post-Detection Science and Technology Taskgroup.

The possibility of extraterrestrial intelligence is a topic which attracts more than its fair share of neurotic and credulous fantasists. It is therefore admirable to read a book-length study which retains a level-headed rationalism throughout, whilst never loosing sight of the excitement and wonder which should rightly attend the subject. Paul Davies deals thoroughly with every aspect: the statistical probability of ET, the forms it could take, the history of our search, the methods used, the contingency plans in place should a message be received. However, while this book is ostensibly about the electronic eyes and ears aimed at outer-space, it actually proves a remarkable prism through which to regard the human condition as it currently stands.

In teasing out the prospects for alien life, Davies must turn to the only example we have to base guesses on: the biodiversity of earth. The theories of its origin, and the amazing diversity which it exhibits, are the only evidence on which we can build conjecture for its appearance elsewhere. The lives of earth’s extremophiles and the hunt for a ‘shadow biosphere’ throw new light on the wonder of our planet. We should not need reminding of this, yet it is all too easy to become complacent. The work of futurologists who have predicted alien technology shows us a potential future for our own. The utterly hypothetical Matrioshka brain, for example, now ranks as the number one technology I would like to live long enough to see constructed. In contemplating the various reactions likely to be elicited in the realms of philosophy, religion and politics by discovering that something is ‘out there’, we are forced to re-examine human nature and our interactions with each other here on earth. All in all, this is a far deeper and more wide-ranging book than the subtitle might suggest.

So, what about the search itself? The release of The Eerie Silence coincides with the 50^th anniversary of SETI and is therefore an apt moment to look back on the project and consider its future. The history of the organisation as told by Paul Davies demonstrates once again the unfailing willingness with which committed individuals will work ceaselessly against the odds. While some may regard it as a fruitless exercise in wishful thinking it is impossible to read the description of how events would unfold immediately following a signal from an extraterrestrial intelligence without experiencing a vicarious thrill and concluding that while chances of success may be slim, it is nevertheless an enthralling and worthwhile enterprise.

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