What is 'life' and how did something so delicate take hold in a universe that suffered such a violent birth? In Life in the Universe, Lewis Dartnell applies the relatively new discipline of astrobiology – a fusion of biology, chemistry, astrophysics and geology – to those questions and ponders the possibilities of life in the immediate cosmic vicinity.

After a detailed but digestible explanation of the requirements of life (an energy source, polymeric carbon chemistry and a liquid solvent) and the 'energy gradient' that drives the engine room of complex development, Dartnell reveals examples of life at the earthly extremes: worms that dwell near deep-sea thermal vents where the water reaches 350°C; and micro-organisms that live in underground aquifers by oxidising hydrogen to make energy.

These 'extremophiles', he says, hint at possibilities for life outside Earth.

The most likely place to look is within the stellar habitable zone, where volatile ingredients were delivered during an extended meteorite bombardment from the outskirts of the Solar System, and where liquid water and greenhouse equilibrium are possible. In our system, that takes in Venus, Earth and Mars.

Dartnell also describes how cells could be transported between planets in meteorites, where one impact triggers another launch, and so on. The Murchison meteorite, which arrived in Australia from Mars in 1969, is packed with organic molecules that may or may not have originated from living organisms.

So, is there life on Mars? Tectonic activity suggests sudden melting of permafrost and flash flooding might have been common in the planet's past, but high salinity, acidity and extreme cold would have made it hard for life to take hold. These days, UV bombardment probably precludes life as we are familiar with it.

Saturn's moon Titan is another contender as it has organic substances in abundance. Europa, a moon of Jupiter, is yet another; the possibility of liquid oceans beneath its ice, coupled with heat generated by the warping effect of Jupiter's enormous gravitational pull all help. On Venus, some say life could exist 50 km above the surface, amid a balmy sulphuric acid haze.

But if you're looking for life in Dartnell's book, read chapter one last. In chapter two he drops the lecturer's tone and by the end of the book you're in the grip of a great detective/thriller writer. It's great to be alive!