Coming Nov 4 2025!
When the aliens arrive…
Will they share with us the secrets of the Universe? Do they understand quantum gravity? Can they build wormholes? Can we leap forward a million years into our scientific future?
Or will alien physics be too alien?
Pre-order your copy today!
Get free stickers!
Pre-order the book and get a free set of stickers of Andy’s alien doodles.
Fill out the form to get your stickers!
Do Aliens Speak Physics?
A hilarious, mind-bending investigation into how much humans and aliens might have in common, scientifically speaking—from a best-selling cartoonist and acclaimed physicist.
When aliens finally arrive on Earth, they might enslave us—or, maybe, they might just share the secrets of the universe. Will we be able to receive those precious jewels of knowledge? Is the common idea that math and physics are a universal language really true?
In “Do Aliens Speak Physics?”, Daniel Whiteson and Andy Warner ask and answer questions both lighthearted and profound. Would aliens even need science to build the technology that brings them to Earth? Is it possible that they could experience the universe very differently, tasting electrons and smelling photons, or are these particles only convenient concepts in our minds? With cartoons, deep insight, and dad jokes, Whiteson and Warner explode the ideas you had about science and reality, leaving the universe—and humanity—stranger and more marvelous than before.
“This is good.”
“This book forced us to realize we had a bunch of pre-existing assumptions about the nature of communication in our universe, mostly derived from TV, all of which we have now had to change. Fun, thought-provoking, and packed with weird science and history.”
“A ridiculously charming, fantastically thought-provoking, and remarkably accessible book of Big Questions—with a surprising number of Big Answers to go with them. I absolutely loved it.”
“Whiteson makes us question how we think about aliens — and how we think about the universe — at a fundamental level, and does it in a readable, understandable, and even funny way. If we ever meet aliens, the first thing we should do is give them this book.”
“Lots of fun! I enjoyed it and I look forward to being on welcoming committee when the aliens arrive.”
“Do Aliens Speak Physics? is a charming, thoughtful meditation on the common language of the universe, a book which asks important questions about the fundamental nature, not just of our existence, but of reality itself.”
You should buy this book. If you don’t buy it for the charming, smart, funny prose, buy it for the lovely and poignant illustrations. No? Buy it for the wonderful, imaginative daydreams about how we might meet aliens and what they’d be like. If that’s not enough, buy it because it will gently and accidentally educate you about the history of language, translation, decryption, and the cultural impact of the writing and transmitting ideas. Not enough? Bah. Buy it for the thoughtful, clear and genuinely entertaining grand tour of the fundamentals of math, physics, and the universality of consciousness. Also, there are donuts. There are a lot of donuts. I’d buy it for the donuts alone, friend. You won’t go wrong.
“I’ve never met an alien, but contemplating how they might think is a great way of breaking out of our own conceptual cages. Daniel Whiteson and Andy Warner have given us a book that is light-hearted and fun, but also shows a way to think truly deeply about what physics is and how we come to learn about it.”
“I think all curious people should confront these questions at some point in their lives and this enjoyable book can help them do so.”
Is Physics Universal?
Or does it reflect the way our minds work as much as it does the Universe?
Alien science
Do technological galaxy-traveling aliens have to be scientific? Could they have fancy tech without knowing or caring how it works?
Communication
Is physics a bridge to alien minds? How will we decode their symbols? Is math necessary for scientific thought and communication?
Questions
Will aliens ask the same questions we ask? Will they perceive the same Universe we do, struggle with the same mysteries?
Answers
Will aliens follow the same path we have? Is there a single unique answer to the deepest questions in physics? Are we smart enough to download it from friendly visitors?
Meet the Authors
Daniel Whiteson
Daniel is a professor of physics at UC Irvine, researching particle physics at CERN, and hoping to figure it all out before the aliens arrive. He is the co-host of the podcast Daniel and Kelly’s Extraordinary Universe and the co-author of “We Have No Idea”.
Andy Warner
Andy is a non-fiction cartoonist. He is the author of the NY Times Best Selling Brief Histories of Everyday Objects. He was a contributing editor at The Nib from 2016 until it ceased publication in 2023, and teaches cartooning at the California College of the Arts, Stanford University and The Animation Workshop in Denmark.
He works in a garret room in South Berkeley and comes from the sea.