For millennia, humans have stared at the night sky and likely wondered, “Who else is out there?” Recent scientific discoveries are shedding light on this ancient question, and are unearthing surprising possibilities in the search for the strangest life form in our solar system.
David Baker loves exploring extreme stuff on Earth and other planets. He currently serves as Chair and Professor of Physics at Austin College in Sherman, Texas and is the Director of the Adams Observatory, which houses one of the largest research-grade telescopes in north Texas. His recent honors include “Global Hero in Education” by Microsoft’s Partners in Learning, “Best 300 Professors” by Princeton Review, and “Most Creative Teachers in the South” by Oxford American magazine. His award-winning book The 50 Most Extreme Places in Our Solar System has been published in English, German, Korean, and Japanese. With his wife and two daughters, Dr. Baker enjoys hiking, snowboarding, mystery novels, homemade apple pie, and bad TV.