was an American astronomer, astrophysicist, cosmologist, author, science popularizer, and science communicator in astronomy and natural sciences. He is best known for his work as a science popularizer and communicator. He wrote the science fiction novel Contact, the basis for the 1997 film of the same name, and co-wrote the Pulitzer Prize-winning book The Dragons of Eden. He also wrote popular science books, such as Cosmos, Pale Blue Dot, and Broca's Brain.