The Eerie Silence: Renewing Our Search for Alien Intelligence Pdf, Epub, Ebook

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The Eerie Silence: Renewing Our Search for Alien Intelligence Pdf, Epub, Ebook THE EERIE SILENCE: RENEWING OUR SEARCH FOR ALIEN INTELLIGENCE PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Paul Davies | 241 pages | 13 Apr 2011 | Mariner Books | 9780547422589 | English | Boston, MA, United States The Eerie Silence: Renewing Our Search for Alien Intelligence PDF Book Firewalls for Dummies Paperback or Softback. There's sod all. Is Anybody Out There? Known as SETI, for Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, it seeks to answer one of the biggest of the big questions of existence: are we alone in the universe? This, ultimately, is what leads me to my final impression: that we might be better served by focusing scientific efforts on what we can do to stabilize human society by understanding earth systems, the environment, and our solar system, and any number of other more useful things, and hoping that one of these more immediately pressing avenues yields some ancillary clue to direct future SETI research, while setting the direct search for extraterrestrial intelligence aside until we are sure that we will be around long enough to make some use of the discovery. He moves the instrument back on target and the signal is still there. A feast for thought about the most fascinating mystery of all. But this book points out, in a dozen different ways, the manner in which the SETI efforts to date are unlikely to recognize or identify signs of extra-terrestrial intelligence: the many ways that such signs might arrive that are not what SETI programs are designed to look for. About this product. If something is predetermined then it's not physical. See details for delivery est. It is clearly a high-stakes endeavour. Davies ranks among our very best science writers, and this book should prompt deep rethinking among the entire SETI community. Hardcover T. About this product Product Information A noted scientist and acclaimed populizer explores the scientific quest for extraterrestrial life, showing how the current efforts of SETI have failed, and charting a path forward. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. The fact that we exist is a minor miracle! That said, he is very reasonable and open minded about the existence of aliens at least in the book. After fifty years in which radio astronomers have listened in vain for voices from a silent sky, with clarity and authority Davies sets out a stunning new prospectus for the continuing search for intelligence beyond the Earth. In fact, it was the reveal of the dark forest hypothesis in the Dark Forest that set me off on my recent sci-fi kick. I also worry about the remainder that would seek to exploit the situation, but what else is new. Please respond" there might be trouble. My primary objection is that the vast majority of the book the overwhelming Anthropocentric point of view. Back then a handful of exoplanets planets outside our solar system had been discovered. The Eerie Silence: Renewing Our Search for Alien Intelligence Writer The biggest take home point I got out of reading this book is the question of what side of the "Great Filter" we are on read the wiki article on the Great Filter for further info and what profound implications it has whether the filter is already behind us or if the filter is in our future. He lives in Tempe, Arizona. It was a good read. There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Best Selling in Nonfiction See all. Paul Davies is an astrobiologist who at the time of this book at least was the chair of SETI's Post-Detection Taskgroup, so if you're interested in the question of "Are we alone? The end. Download as PDF Printable version. The author presents why hes deeply skeptical of finding any success but also why he still feels the search is worthwhile. With clarity and passion, Davies not only brings you up to speed on the cutting-edge perspective, he also presents his own preferred strategies for making contact. However, this was admittedly somewhat mitigated in the much later chapter 'Alien Magic'. Be the first to write a review About this product. The price may be the seller's own price elsewhere or another seller's price. Not that I don't think the search is worth doing. The book doesn't just look at radio astronomy but considers all the other evidence or lack of evidence for what it takes for other intelligence to be elsewhere in the universe. The death rate is highest when the solar system is located at a maximum distance from the galactic plane in the direction of galactic north and lowest when it is down south. SPOILERS if you want to know what position he ends up taking at the end of the book : view spoiler [He waits until the final pages to say it, but he comes out saying that in many ways SETI and the belief in extraterrestrial life is quasi-religious and fulfills the same role in a lot of people's lives that religion fills in others happy to see my own opinion echoed finally! Switch to the audiobook. The intergalactic medium , consisting mostly of ionized hydrogen gas, serves as an impediment, which has deformed the galactic halo towards the south. For one thing he suggests different ways we could find life which originated separately from the A sober discussion about the search for signs of extraterrestrial life in the universe. Sean OBrien April 16, — am. Paul Wilson Paperback Books. For example, the possibility of a "shadow biosphere" life that originated separately from the dominant life on earth right here on the same planet and how that affects the likelihood of extraterrestrial life. A strong critique of SETI, not so good at proposing solutions. Be the first to write a review. A pretty delightful read for people who always have questions and thoughts regarding the possibilities of This was a good book on how and why we need to think out-of-the-box while keeping the search ongoing for ETs Extra Terrestrials. I just wrote a review of the Forever War, in which I mentioned that one of the most fascinating science fiction topics to me is time dilationthe other is the Fermi Paradox. The very best thing that can be said about Eerie Silence is how it dexterously manages to hook even a casual visitor to a book store with the very first chapter. He also discusses whether or not we have already received signals from extraterrestrials, but have not yet discovered them. I went into this thinking it would be a look at SETI, and how it grapples with its identity as it operates year after year without coming across any ET communication. See details for delivery est. The Eerie Silence: Renewing Our Search for Alien Intelligence Reviews Are we alone in the great big fat universe? This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. In this extraordinary book, he shows how SETI has lost its edge, then offers a new and exciting road map for the future. This book does the job-you need no other. Rightly, he fears our instinctive first response. Others, such as the discussion of diplomatic protocols in the event of first contact, not so much. First Life research will certainly go a long way to helping this cause. Compare this to the scale of our galaxy as a whole - billion stars spread over , light years of space. For example, the possibility of a "shadow biosphere" life that originated This was a fascinating, thought-provoking, and entertaining book. Radio signals are outdated technology, nearly as sun-bleached as an old issue of Omni magazine. Let's stay in. Why should we assume that another intelligent life-form, whatever that means, has evolved to develop and discover the EXACT same technology that we have at any point in their civilization? View all 38 comments. That hope is tempered by his adherence to the scientific method, of observation and testing, with minimal speculation. But anyway. The effect is so great that the Earth receives five times more cosmic radiation at its northernmost point relative to the galactic plane compared to its southernmost point. Five thousand miles away, another astronomer is called out of bed to investigate. Best Selling in Nonfiction See all. About Paul Davies. After carefully studying the radio wave form and determining that the source remains at a fixed location relative to the stars, the astronomer quickly places a telephone call to a companion observatory involved in the project and simultaneously e-mails the coordinates of the mystery signal. Hardcover T. The lowest-priced brand-new, unused, unopened, undamaged item in its original packaging where packaging is applicable. Additional Product Features Dewey Edition. Books by Paul Davies. Stop writing books about this foolishness! Within a minute the second radio telescope has locked on to the target and immediately picks up the same signal, loud and clear. He believes the search so far has fallen into an anthropocentric trap--assuming that an alien species will look, think, and behave much like us. Davies writes, that E. In this chapter, Davies asks what the best message to send to the aliens is. One of those books which serves justice to the title "The Eerie Silence". Stock photo. One of my best friends grew up in the New Church, complete with its own little Swedenborg only community. This item doesn't belong on this page. And there are billions of other galaxies. Jake February 20, — am. Actually, not much is said about the details of research. So, perhaps the fair criticism would be to say our attempts at SETI thus far have most likely been naively Anthropocentric and we would do well to attempt to incorporate actual creativity in this field of study moving forward.
Recommended publications
  • Lecture-29 (PDF)
    Life in the Universe Orin Harris and Greg Anderson Department of Physics & Astronomy Northeastern Illinois University Spring 2021 c 2012-2021 G. Anderson., O. Harris Universe: Past, Present & Future – slide 1 / 95 Overview Dating Rocks Life on Earth How Did Life Arise? Life in the Solar System Life Around Other Stars Interstellar Travel SETI Review c 2012-2021 G. Anderson., O. Harris Universe: Past, Present & Future – slide 2 / 95 Dating Rocks Zircon Dating Sedimentary Grand Canyon Life on Earth How Did Life Arise? Life in the Solar System Life Around Dating Rocks Other Stars Interstellar Travel SETI Review c 2012-2021 G. Anderson., O. Harris Universe: Past, Present & Future – slide 3 / 95 Zircon Dating Zircon, (ZrSiO4), minerals incorporate trace amounts of uranium but reject lead. Naturally occuring uranium: • U-238: 99.27% • U-235: 0.72% Decay chains: • 238U −→ 206Pb, τ =4.47 Gyrs. • 235U −→ 207Pb, τ = 704 Myrs. 1956, Clair Camron Patterson dated the Canyon Diablo meteorite: τ =4.55 Gyrs. c 2012-2021 G. Anderson., O. Harris Universe: Past, Present & Future – slide 4 / 95 Dating Sedimentary Rocks • Relative ages: Deeper layers were deposited earlier • Absolute ages: Decay of radioactive isotopes old (deposited last) oldest (depositedolder first) c 2012-2021 G. Anderson., O. Harris Universe: Past, Present & Future – slide 5 / 95 Grand Canyon: Earth History from 200 million - 2 billion yrs ago. Dating Rocks Life on Earth Earth History Timeline Late Heavy Bombardment Hadean Shark Bay Stromatolites Cyanobacteria Q: Earliest Fossils? Life on Earth O2 History Q: Life on Earth How Did Life Arise? Life in the Solar System Life Around Other Stars Interstellar Travel SETI Review c 2012-2021 G.
    [Show full text]
  • Biosignatures Search in Habitable Planets
    galaxies Review Biosignatures Search in Habitable Planets Riccardo Claudi 1,* and Eleonora Alei 1,2 1 INAF-Astronomical Observatory of Padova, Vicolo Osservatorio, 5, 35122 Padova, Italy 2 Physics and Astronomy Department, Padova University, 35131 Padova, Italy * Correspondence: [email protected] Received: 2 August 2019; Accepted: 25 September 2019; Published: 29 September 2019 Abstract: The search for life has had a new enthusiastic restart in the last two decades thanks to the large number of new worlds discovered. The about 4100 exoplanets found so far, show a large diversity of planets, from hot giants to rocky planets orbiting small and cold stars. Most of them are very different from those of the Solar System and one of the striking case is that of the super-Earths, rocky planets with masses ranging between 1 and 10 M⊕ with dimensions up to twice those of Earth. In the right environment, these planets could be the cradle of alien life that could modify the chemical composition of their atmospheres. So, the search for life signatures requires as the first step the knowledge of planet atmospheres, the main objective of future exoplanetary space explorations. Indeed, the quest for the determination of the chemical composition of those planetary atmospheres rises also more general interest than that given by the mere directory of the atmospheric compounds. It opens out to the more general speculation on what such detection might tell us about the presence of life on those planets. As, for now, we have only one example of life in the universe, we are bound to study terrestrial organisms to assess possibilities of life on other planets and guide our search for possible extinct or extant life on other planetary bodies.
    [Show full text]
  • Fermi's Paradox Is a Daunting Problem – Under Whatever Label
    Fermi's Paradox Is a Daunting Problem – Under Whatever Label Milan M. Dirkovid1 Astronomical Observatory of Belgrade, Volgina 7, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia 1. Introduction Gray (2015) argued that Fermi's paradox (FP) is a misnomer, and it is not a valid paradox. Gray also speculated that the argument was misattributed to Fermi, whose lunchtime remarks did not pertain to the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence, but to the feasibility of interstellar travel. Instead, the paradox is ascribed to Hart and Tipler, and it is further suggested that the paradox is not a “real” problem or research subject and should not be used in debates about SETI projects. The arguments given are unpersuasive, ahistorical, and, in at least one instance, clearly hinge on literalistic and uncharitable reading of evidence. Instead, I argue the following three points: (i) Contrary to Gray’s assertion, the historical issue of naming of ideas or concepts is completely divorced from their epistemic status. (ii) FP is easily and smoothly generalized into the “Great Silence” paradox, so it makes no sense either theoretically or empirically to separate the two. (iii) In sharp contrast to the main implication of Gray’s paper, FP has become more aggravated lately due to advances in astrobiology. Research that deals with FP has greatly expanded in recent years on both a theoretical and observational stage (Davies 2010, 2012; Vukotid and Dirkovid 2012; Barlow 2013; Hair and Hedman 2013; Davies and Wagner 2013; Armstrong and Sandberg 2013; Lampton 2013; Cartin 2014; Nunn, Guy, and Bell 2014; Wright et al. 2014; Spivey 2015; Griffith et al.
    [Show full text]
  • Arxiv:1908.02683V1 [Astro-Ph.IM] 31 Jul 2019
    Draft version August 8, 2019 Typeset using LATEX default style in AASTeX62 Nine Axes of Merit for Technosignature Searches Sofia Z. Sheikh1 1Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics and Center for Exoplanets and Habitable Worlds 525 Davey Laboratory, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA ABSTRACT The diverse methodologies and myriad orthogonal proposals for the best technosignatures to search for in SETI can make it difficult to develop an effective and balanced search strategy, especially from a funding perspective. Here I propose a framework to compare the relative advantages and disadvantages of various proposed technosignatures based on nine \axes of merit". This framework was first developed at the NASA Technosignatures Workshop in Houston in 2018 and published in that report. I give the definition and rationale behind the nine axes as well as the history of each axis in the SETI and technosignature literature. These axes are then applied to three example classes of technosignature searches as an illustration of their use. An open-source software tool is available to allow technosignature researchers to make their own version of the figure. Keywords: extraterrestrial intelligence 1. INTRODUCTION Proposed searches for technosignatures range from radio wavelengths to gamma rays, take advantage of almost every astronomical dataset, and use interdisciplinary methodologies in such a way that comparing the merits of two dissimilar searches, even if they're ostensibly in the same field, can be an extremely difficult task. Each SETI practitioner has a different answer for the best strategy to find ETI, often in her own wavelength. Much of the SETI literature engages in promoting the values of a particular search strategy.
    [Show full text]
  • Searches for Life and Intelligence Beyond Earth
    Technologies of Perception: Searches for Life and Intelligence Beyond Earth by Claire Isabel Webb Bachelor of Arts, cum laude Vassar College, 2010 Submitted to the Program in Science, Technology and Society in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History, Anthropology, and Science, Technology and Society at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology September 2020 © 2020 Claire Isabel Webb. All Rights Reserved. The author hereby grants to MIT permission to reproduce and distribute publicly paper and electronic copies of this thesis document in whole or in part in any medium now known or hereafter created. Signature of Author: _____________________________________________________________ History, Anthropology, and Science, Technology and Society August 24, 2020 Certified by: ___________________________________________________________________ David Kaiser Germeshausen Professor of the History of Science (STS) Professor of Physics Thesis Supervisor Certified by: ___________________________________________________________________ Stefan Helmreich Elting E. Morison Professor of Anthropology Thesis Committee Member Certified by: ___________________________________________________________________ Sally Haslanger Ford Professor of Philosophy and Women’s and Gender Studies Thesis Committee Member Accepted by: ___________________________________________________________________ Graham Jones Associate Professor of Anthropology Director of Graduate Studies, History, Anthropology, and STS Accepted by: ___________________________________________________________________
    [Show full text]
  • Arxiv:2107.07283V3 [Astro-Ph.IM] 27 Jul 2021
    Draft version July 28, 2021 Typeset using LATEX default style in AASTeX63 Strategies and Advice for the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Jason T. Wright 1, 2, 3 1Penn State Extraterrestrial Intelligence Center, 525 Davey Laboratory, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA 2Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, 525 Davey Laboratory, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA 3Center for Exoplanets and Habitable Worlds, 525 Davey Laboratory, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA ABSTRACT As a guide for astronomers new to the field of technosignature search (i.e. SETI), I present an overview of some of its observational and theoretical approaches. I review some of the various observational search strategies for SETI, focusing not on the variety of technosignatures that have been proposed or which are most likely to be found, but on the underlying philosophies that motivate searches for them. I cover passive versus active searches, ambiguous versus dispositive kinds of technosignatures, com- mensal or archival searches versus dedicated ones, communicative signals versus \artifacts", \ac- tive" versus derelict technologies, searches for beacons versus eavesdropping, and model-based versus anomaly-based searches. I also attempt to roughly map the landscape of technosignatures by kind and the scale over which they appear. I also discuss the importance of setting upper limits in SETI, and offer a heuristic for how to do so in a generic SETI search. I mention and attempt to dispel several misconceptions about the field. I conclude with some personal observations and recommendations for how to practice SETI, including how to choose good theory projects, how to work with experts and skeptics to improve one's search, and how to plan for success.
    [Show full text]
  • Scientific and Societal Benefits of Interstellar Exploration
    See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275652484 Scientific and Societal Benefits of Interstellar Exploration Chapter · September 2014 CITATION READS 1 29 1 author: Ian A Crawford Birkbeck, University of Lon… 328 PUBLICATIONS 2,410 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE Available from: Ian A Crawford Retrieved on: 03 June 2016 Beyond the Boundary Chapter1 Scientific and Societal Benefits of Interstellar Exploration Ian A Crawford he growing realisation that planets are common companions of stars [1–2] has reinvigorated astronautical studies of how they might be explored using Tinterstellar space probes (for reviews see references [3-7], and also other chap- ters in this book). The history of Solar System exploration to-date shows us that spacecraft are required for the detailed study of planets, and it seems clear that we will eventually require spacecraft to make in situ studies of other planetary systems as well. The desirability of such direct investigation will become even more apparent if future astronomical observations should reveal spectral evidence for life on an apparently Earth-like planet orbiting a nearby star. Definitive proof of the existence of such life, and studies of its underlying biochemistry, cellular structure, ecological diversity and evolutionary history will require in situ inves- tigations to be made [8]. This will require the transportation of sophisticated scientific instruments across interstellar space. Moreover, in addition to the scientific reasons for engaging in a programme of interstellar exploration, there also exist powerful societal and cultural motivations. Most important will be the stimulus to art, literature and philosophy, and the general enrichment of our world view, which inevitably results from expanding the horizons of human experience [9,10].
    [Show full text]
  • Extraterrestrial Intelligence
    AccessScience from McGraw-Hill Education Page 1 of 6 www.accessscience.com Extraterrestrial intelligence Contributed by: Seth Shostak Publication year: 2014 Postulated entities beyond Earth with a level of intelligence and comprehension at least equal to that of present-day humans. While extraterrestrial intelligence is usually envisioned as an advanced civilization, populated by creatures that have evolved via Darwinian evolution on a planet vaguely similar to Earth, it could conceivably be artificial intelligence initially created by biological beings. Extraterrestrial intelligence is a subset of astrobiology, which encompasses all aspects of the existence of, and search for, extraterrestrial life. Astrobiology is sometimes referred to as exobiology or bioastronomy. See also: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ; ASTROBIOLOGY . Scientific rationale The expectation that extraterrestrial intelligence exists derives from two facts and one assumption: (1) The 11 22 universe is vast, with approximately 10, galaxies (a total of about 10, stars) within the reach of telescopes. This number is so large that even if the emergence of intelligence is improbable, such intelligence could still have arisen frequently. (2) The physics and chemistry of the universe are everywhere the same. This fact is known from astronomical observation. (3) Habitable, Earth-like planets of the type that might spawn intelligence, with thick atmospheres and liquid water on their surface, are not extraordinarily rare. This is a hypothesis, sometimes called the principle of mediocrity. According to this principle, our planet is not extraordinary in any of its important properties. The principle dates, in its modern form, to Nicolaus Copernicus (1473–1543), who dethroned the Aristotelian idea of an Earth-centered cosmos.
    [Show full text]
  • The Eerie Silence 15 April 2010, by Leslie Mullen
    The Eerie Silence 15 April 2010, by Leslie Mullen developed a plan for the day we do find life elsewhere. In his new book, he provides an overview of various efforts to contact aliens, and he also notes how recent discoveries have led to the widespread belief that life must be common in the universe. Hundreds of planets have been detected orbiting distant stars, and while these planets are more like Jupiter than Earth, that’s mostly due to our detection methods. Less massive planets will likely be found by newer telescopes, and the fact that we have already found so many worlds bodes well for the potential number of habitable planets in the The open cluster NGC 290 contains hundreds of stars galaxy. In addition, life has been discovered in and spans 65 light years across. The vastness of the universe, filled with such a multitude of stars, has led some of the most extreme environments on Earth, many to conclude that life must be elsewhere. Paul including the deep subsurface where sunlight Davies’s new book challenges this view. Image credit: cannot penetrate. This suggests that life is possible ESA/NASA/University of Arizona/E. Olszewski in all sorts of unusual places, including planets we once would have considered inhospitable to life. Davies asks us to step back from the popular view Why have we not made contact with aliens after so that life must be common in the universe. Instead, many years searching the depths of space? The he says we should consider the possibility that life Eerie Silence, a new book by SETI researcher on Earth is a fluke, a completely improbable event - Paul Davies, provides a fresh and thoughtful look a winning ticket in a lottery with a trillion-trillion-to- at this question.
    [Show full text]
  • The Fermi Paradox and the Aurora Effect: Exo-Civilization Settlement
    Draft version February 6, 2020 Preprint typeset using LATEX style emulateapj v. 12/16/11 THE FERMI PARADOX AND THE AURORA EFFECT: EXO-CIVILIZATION SETTLEMENT, EXPANSION AND STEADY STATES Jonathan Carroll-Nellenback Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, 14620 Adam Frank Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, 14620 Jason Wright Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 Center for Exoplanets and Habitable Worlds, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 and PI, NASA Nexus for Exoplanetary Systems Science Caleb Scharf Department of Astronomy, Columbia University, 550 West 120th St. New York, NY 10027, USA and PI, NASA Nexus for Exoplanetary Systems Science Draft version February 6, 2020 ABSTRACT We model the settlement of the galaxy by space-faring civilizations in order to address issues related to the Fermi Paradox. We are motivated to explore the problem in a way that avoids assumptions about the `agency' (i.e. questions of intent and motivation) of any exo-civilization seeking to settle other planetary systems. We begin by considering the speed of an advancing settlement front to determine if the galaxy can become inhabited with space-faring civilizations on timescales shorter than its age. Our models for the front speed include the directed settlement of nearby settleable systems through the launching of probes with a finite velocity and range. We also include the effect of stellar motions on the long term behavior of the settlement front which adds a diffusive component to its advance. As part of our model we also consider that only a fraction f of planets will have conditions amenable to settlement by the space-faring civilization.
    [Show full text]
  • Fermi Paradox Special Issue
    Journal of the British Interplanetary Society VOLUME 71 NO.6 JUNE 2018 Fermi Paradox Special Issue THE ORIGIN OF THE “FERMI PARADOX” Anthony R. Martin FERMI AND LOTKA: the Long Odds of Survival in a Dangerous Universe Kent A. Peacock SCENARIO BLOCK DIAGRAM ANALYSIS of the Galactic Evolution of Life Stephen Ashworth EXTREMOPHILES: The Resilience of Life under “Adverse” Conditions Robert O. J. Weinzierl LIFE BEFORE FERMI – Back to the Solar System David L. Clements ALIEN AIRCRAFT: Have they been observed on Earth? Alan Bond www.bis-space.com ISSN 0007-084X PUBLICATION DATE: 6 DECEMBER 2018 Submitting papers International Advisory Board to JBIS JBIS welcomes the submission of technical Rachel Armstrong, Newcastle University, UK papers for publication dealing with technical Peter Bainum, Howard University, USA reviews, research, technology and engineering in astronautics and related fields. Stephen Baxter, Science & Science Fiction Writer, UK James Benford, Microwave Sciences, California, USA Text should be: James Biggs, The University of Strathclyde, UK ■ As concise as the content allows – typically 5,000 to 6,000 words. Shorter papers (Technical Notes) Anu Bowman, Foundation for Enterprise Development, California, USA will also be considered; longer papers will only Gerald Cleaver, Baylor University, USA be considered in exceptional circumstances – for Charles Cockell, University of Edinburgh, UK example, in the case of a major subject review. Ian A. Crawford, Birkbeck College London, UK ■ Source references should be inserted in the text in square brackets – [1] – and then listed at the Adam Crowl, Icarus Interstellar, Australia end of the paper. Eric W. Davis, Institute for Advanced Studies at Austin, USA ■ Illustration references should be cited in Kathryn Denning, York University, Toronto, Canada numerical order in the text; those not cited in the Martyn Fogg, Probability Research Group, UK text risk omission.
    [Show full text]
  • Internalizing Null Extraterrestrial “Signals”: an Astrobiological App for a Technological Society
    Talk given at NASA Astrobiology Meeting at Library of Congress, Washington, September 2014; to be published in The Impact of Discovering Life Beyond Earth, S. Dick, ed., Cambridge Univ. Press, 2015. Internalizing Null Extraterrestrial “Signals”: An Astrobiological App for a Technological Society Eric J. Chaisson Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts USA One of the beneficial outcomes of searching for life in the Universe is that it grants greater awareness of our own problems here on Earth. Lack of contact with alien beings to date might actually comprise a null “signal” pointing humankind toward a viable future. Astrobiology has surprising practical applications to human society; within the larger cosmological context of cosmic evolution, astrobiology clarifies the energetic essence of complex systems throughout the Universe, including technological intelligence that is intimately dependent on energy and likely will be for as long as it endures. The “message” contained in the “signal” with which today’s society needs to cope is reasonably this: Only solar energy can power our civilization going forward without soiling the environment with increased heat yet robustly driving the economy with increased per capita energy usage. The null “signals” from extraterrestrials also offer a rational solution to the Fermi paradox as a principle of cosmic selection likely limits galactic civilizations in time as well as in space: Those advanced life-forms anywhere in the Universe that wisely adopt, and quickly too, the energy of their parent star probably survive, and those that don’t, don’t. The Context A few years ago, I had the pleasure of attending the 50th anniversary of Project Ozma— the first dedicated search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) conducted by Frank Drake in 1960.
    [Show full text]