Is Earth Exceptional?: The Quest for Cosmic Life - Hardcoverby Mario Livio (Author), Jack Szostak (Author) A New York Times bestselling astrophysicist and a Nobel laureate take us on "a mesmerizing exploration" (Jennifer Doudna) to discover how and where the universe breathed itself into life For a long time, scientists have wondered how life has emerged from inanimate chemistry, and whether Earth is the only place where it exists. Charles Darwin speculated about life on Earth beginning in a warm little pond.