Skip to main content

Cosmic Solitude, Exoplanets, and Books

Earlier this week I had the very great pleasure of catching up with Lee Billings, the author of Five Billion Years of Solitude, a beautifully written and provocative new book about the quest to find other Earths, other life in the universe.

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American



On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.


Earlier this week I had the very great pleasure of catching up with Lee Billings, the author of Five Billion Years of Solitude, a beautifully written and provocative new book about the quest to find other Earths, other life in the universe. If you haven't read it, you should.

The Strand Bookstore in New York (what a bookstore should be, and an institution in its own right) hosted us for a discussion and conversation that ranged from the hunt for other worlds, to space exploration, the origins of life, and even a bit of politics. It was a terrific evening, and between the two of us we may have even said some interesting (possibly even profound!) things - you can judge for yourselves by watching the event here.