Neil deGrasse Tyson discusses the search for life in the
Universe. Are we alone? Excerpts from the written testimony
submitted by Neil deGrasse Tyson, Department of Astrophysics &
Hayden Planetarium, American Museum of Natural History, to the
"Life in the Universe" hearings held by the House Subcommitee on
Space and Aeronautics The discovery of what is now more than
seventy planets around stars other than the Sun continues to
stimulate tremendous public and media interest. It seems to me
that this attention is driven not so much by the discovery of
the extrasolar planets themselves, but by the prospect of
intelligent alien life. People really care about whether or not
we are alone in the Universe. When the person next to me on a
long airplane flight finds out that I am an astrophysicist, nine
times out of ten they ask, with wide eyes, about life in the
Universe. Only later do they ask me about the big bang and black
holes. I know of no other discipline that triggers such a
consistent and reliable reaction in