Cohen and Stewart further elaborated upon the lie-to-children trope in a 2002 book they coauthored on exobiology, "Evolving the Alien: The Science of Extraterrestrial Life". Within the work, the authors were critical of use of lie-to-children as an educational methodology which had an unfortunate side-effect of reducing complex science concepts to overly simplified explanations. Stewart was asked in a 2015 interview about his views on Pratchett beyond the influence of lie-to-children, and the author's take on the understanding of science. Stewart commented upon the interaction between himself and Cohen with Pratchett during the writing process: "Terry wasn't trained as a scientist, but he had the right kind of critical attitude. He was extraordinarily widely read, and would ask all sorts of unexpected questions that really got me and Jack thinking."