In 1995, with the discovery of the first planet orbiting a distant star, the scientific community entered a new era in the search for life in our universe.  Eleven years later, on July 24, 2006, a USA Today article proclaimed the achievement of a universal milestone with the discovery of the 200th extra-solar plant.  That planet, and more than 150 others over the past decade, were discovered by an elite team of planet detectives headed by fifty-year-old Professor Geoff Marcy of UC Berkeley.

           Once considered a failure by the scientific community, Geoff is responsible for finding a host of planetary “firsts” including the first rocky planet, the first multiple-planet system, the first Neptune and Saturn-mass planets and the first transiting planet.  Armed with new technologies and telescopes, including the Automated Planet Finder under construction at Lick Observatory, Geoff is confident that the first “life-compatible” planet, complete with water and air, will be found—most likely by his team—within the next few years.
           Much more than a general interest article, The Search for Life documents Geoff’s personal and professional trek from astronomical failure to the head of the “leading planet detection team.”  An epic journey of tears and triumph, this article is a wakeup call to the entire human race—especially those of us who never thought we’d “live to see the day...”  For where there are planets that resemble earth, there is the possibility of life.  Intelligent life.  And such a discovery carries with it a responsibility as vast as the universe.  “We can no longer think of ourselves as Shiites, Sunnis, Muslims, Jews, Americans or Raiders Fans,” say Geoff.  “We must now embrace the fact that we are all ambassadors, emissaries and stewards of the planet we call earth.”    The Search for Life documents Geoff Marcy’s exciting scientific and personal search for life—both in the external universe of science and the internal one of the age-wise soul.   Replete with fascinating details—written in words that anyone can understand—this article thrusts us deep into the greatest human mystery of all time: Are we alone in the universe?  And if not, what impact will this have on us as mature human beings?

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