Five billion years of solitude written by lee billings is an excellent primer on the issues of life death and survival facing the human race the primary subject is the search for exoplanets but billings covers much more than that. Five billion years of solitude the search for life among the stars lee billings science journalist lee billings takes a decidedly enthusiastic yet rational survey of where we are collectively in the search for exoplanets extra solar planets around stars other than our sun and signs of life. Five billion years of solitude the search for life among the stars billings lee 9781617230066 books amazonca. An intimate history of earth and the quest for life beyond the solar system for 46 billion years our living planet has been alone in a vast and silent universe but soon earths isolation could come to an end over the past two decades astronomers have discovered thousands of planets orbiting other stars some of these exoplanets may be mirror images of our own world. In five billion years of solitude the search for life among the stars journalist lee billings paints a desolate picture of how economic and ecological calamities have dampened those and other grand dreams at the same time the book celebrates the ongoing work and the tenacious spirit of the scientists involved