ICTP biophysicist Julian Chela-Flores, co-director of the Trieste Conference on Chemical Evolution, is the author of The New Science of Astrobiology, recently published by Kluwer Academic Publishers. The book covers a broad spectrum of topics at a level accessible to non-specialists. Issues include the origin of life in the universe, the formation of macromolecules on Earth, the possibility of biological evolution on Mars and Europa (Jupiter's moon), and philosophical implications associated with the search for extraterrestrial civilizations. The book is part of an international series devoted to the cellular origin of life and life in extreme habitats.