Published in 2025
9 hours and 21 minutes
Dr. Adriana Marais is an award-winning theoretical physicist and internationally renowned advocate for off-world exploration. Her PhD and postdoctoral work in quantum biology focused on photosynthesis and the origins of the building blocks of life in space. She was Head of Innovation at SAP Africa between 2017 and 2019 and is currently a Director at the Foundation for Space Development Africa. In 2020, she was among five global finalists for Women in Tech’s Most Disruptive Woman in Tech Award, and Adriana was one of 100 candidates selected for Mars One, the Dutch effort to land the first humans on Mars with the plan to establish a permanent human colony.
What is this book about?
For the first time in four billion years of life on Earth, we are preparing to step out among the stars, not just as lone astronauts or billionaire tech bros, but as a civilization.
Dr Adriana Marais has dedicated her life to preparing form extraplanetary settlement, and here, she considers not just the scientific concerns of a multiplanetary existence (like terraforming and life-support systems), but also the ethical responsibilities we must carry with us as we explore new frontiers.
In this extraordinary era of rapid technological development, Marais explores the fundamental questions at the heart of human endeavour: How did we get here—and where are we going next?
