The Giant Leap: Why Space Is the Next Frontier in the Evolution of Life

In this disappointing account of space exploration, astrobiologist Scharf (The Ascent of Information) posits that it is human nature, pushed by evolutionary pressure, to explore new frontiers, and outer space is the next obvious realm to venture into. Throughout, Scharf uses Charles Darwin’s voyage on the Beagle to survey the shores of South America as a metaphor for humanity’s move into space, explaining that the insights Darwin gained about evolution later allowed humans to alter that process, including through gene-editing tools. Journeying off-planet, Scharf argues, would be a similar inflection point that unlocks “new evolutionary opportunities.” Scharf also offers a whirlwind history of the scientific developments that led to the U.S. space program, dives into the wide array of manned and unmanned missions sponsored by countries and corporate interests, and details the nature of celestial bodies within the solar system. There’s intriguing information throughout, like how oxygen from Earth occasionally makes its way to the moon and how solar storms can be so extreme that had an astronaut been on the moon in August 1972, he would have received a deadly dose of radiation. Despite such captivating details, Scharf fails to meld them into a coherent whole. The result will leave readers feeling lost. (Oct.)