The Zoologist's Guide to the Galaxy
What Animals on Earth Reveal About Aliens - and Ourselves
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The Zoologist's Guide to the Galaxy
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Narrated by:
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Samuel West
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By:
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Arik Kershenbaum
About this listen
Brought to you by Penguin.
We are unprepared for the greatest discovery of modern science. Scientists are confident that there is alien life across the universe yet we have not moved beyond our perception of 'aliens' as Hollywood stereotypes. The time has come to abandon our fixation on alien monsters and place our expectations on solid scientific footing.
Using his own expert understanding of life on Earth and Darwin's theory of evolution - which applies throughout the universe - Cambridge zoologist Dr Arik Kershenbaum explains what alien life must be like.
Observing fishes whose electrical pulses indicate social status, we can see that conditions on other planets might allow for communication by electricity. As there was evolutionary pressure to wriggle along a sea floor, Earthling animals tend to have left/right symmetry; on planets where creatures evolved mid-air or in soupy tar - to be ready to move in any or multiple directions - they might be lacking any symmetry at all. Dr Kershenbaum uses cutting-edge science to paint an entertaining and compelling picture of extra-terrestrial life.
Moreover, as The Zoologist's Guide to the Galaxy is the story of communication, intelligence, cooperation and technology, on Earth and in space, we see how life really works - and what it means to be human.
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Critic reviews
What listeners say about The Zoologist's Guide to the Galaxy
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Max White
- 29-09-22
A brilliant read!
I read this book primarily to increase my understanding of the range of life on our planet and it definitely met my objectives whilst also offering a new perspective on life beyond Earth.
I will definitely recommend this book to family and friends as it offers a wealth of information organised in an accessible and clear way, and was presented by a pleasant voice.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Blueyedwolf69
- 27-09-22
Thought provoking
Superb narration on a complex topic. Very enjoyable and thought provoking. Some of the chapter topics are very relevant and transferable for understanding how some science fiction writers have developed their stories.
Excellent all round and will be listening to it again
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- MR H J ANGEL
- 08-04-21
Amazing!
I loved every second of this production . Lucidly written and exquisitely narrated, this is audiobook heaven.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- alex guzelian
- 20-05-23
A cheat sheet for understanding life
Very well written (and read). Covers a lot of ground in a very succinct way and I would heavily recommend to any laypeople interested in learning the fundamental rules of life as we know it. My only disappointment is that there wasn't a chapter which explored a hypothetical ecosystem in an environment very different to earth with some descriptions of plausible life forms and how they would interact. Other than that, this book very clearly and succinctly guides you through the rational process that can only lead us to conclude that intelligent alien life will probably be more similar to us than not.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 15-11-20
Essential listening
A fresh perspective on alien life which examines what elements from evolution on Earth are likely to apply on other planets. Clear and engaging at all times, the author is unafraid to include plenty of science fiction references, suggesting which aspects of imagined creatures may be likely and which less so. The biggest take away for me was how the existing Darwinian classification of species by way of genetic ancestry is clearly of no use when comparing lifeforms between distant worlds, and what approach should be used instead. But there was so much more. Not a single chapter went by without a citation or concept leading me to add more material to my reading list. It truly is a fascinating tour of evolution on a galactic stage. Brilliantly narrated too. Can't recommend highly enough.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Fichops
- 18-06-23
Little Gem
What a clever man and how fascinating he is! Only bought this book a few days ago and already it’s become a resounding favourite.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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- Mr. Anon
- 13-12-23
Unimaginative , unscientific, narrow
Every chapter can be summed up like this:
"This is what life is like on earth so it must be like this everywhere else in the entire universe."
Ideas borrowed from small selection of other books
It's more a very basic natural history of planet earth with not uninteresting examples. E.g. dogs and cats.
Annoying voice and cadence, avoid.
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