The assumption that life originated on Earth like some virus like form, and simply evolved by natural selection into the diversity of forms known to have existed, is as unenlightened and Earth-centred as ancient astrology. It is exactly this stringent focus on the Earth as centre-of-the-Universe that is endangering the entire planet. From this controversial standpoint,the famous and respected partnership of Fred Hoyle and Chandra Wickramasinghe examines how it is overwhelmingly, likely that life originated outside the solar system. Using virological and epidemiological evidence to support their theory, the authors also assert that life-forms from space are constantly arriving to mingle with our own biosphere.