One Moon, One Civilization. Why the Moon Tells Us We are Alone in the Universe

Whether or not we are alone in the universe remains one of the most fascinating enigmas of science. Accumulated scientific knowledge, despite revealing that there are billions of galaxies, and probably billions of billions of planets, suggests that, for practical purposes, most likely we are alone. This book examines this issue in a comprehensive way. In particular, among other issues, it discusses why it is unlikely that life could be based on chemistry different from ours in the known universe. It also reviews the extraordinary origin of the Moon, which makes it very unlikely that other planets may possess moons similar to ours, and it discusses why its presence orbiting Earth has been decisive for the emergence and evolution of intelligent beings that are here now, reading these lines.