Title:
Aliens : the world's leading scientists on the search for extraterrestrial life / edited and with an introduction by Jim Al-Khalili.
Author:
Al-Khalili, Jim, 1962- editor, author of introduction.
Publication Information:
New York : Picador, 2017.
©2016
Call Number:
QB54 .A395 2017
Abstract:
In these essays, scientists from around the world weigh in on the latest advances in the search for intelligent life in the universe and discuss just what that might look like. Since 2000, science has seen a surge in data and interest on several fronts related to E.T. (extraterrestrials); A.I. (artificial intelligence); and SETI (search for extraterrestrial intelligence). The debate has intensified over whether life exists outside our solar system, what that life would look like, and whether we’ll ever make contact. Included here are essays from a broad spectrum of the scientific community: cosmologists, astrophysicists, NASA planetary scientists, and geneticists, to name just a few, discussing the latest research and theories relating to alien life. Some of the topics include: If life exists somewhere in space, what are the odds that it evolves into something we would recognize as intelligent? What will space travel look like in the future, and will it all be done by cyborg technology? How long until we are ruled by robot overlords? (This is actually a serious consideration.) Are we simply a simulation in the mind of some supreme being, acting out a virtual reality game? For those who have ever wondered, Is there anybody out there? here are the latest theories and evidence that move us closer to answering that question.
Edition:
First U.S. edition.
ISBN:
9781250109637
Physical Description:
232 pages ; 22 cm
General Note:
Originally published in Great Britain by Profile Books Ltd, 2016.
Corporate Subject:
Contents:
Aliens and us: Could post-humans spread through the galaxy? / Martin Rees -- (Un)welcome visitors: Why aliens might visit us / Lewis Dartnell -- Flying saucers: A brief history of sightings and conspiracies / Dallas Campbell -- Aliens on earth: What octopus minds can tell us about alien consciousness / Anil Seth -- Abducted: The psychology of close encounters with extraterrestrials / Chris French -- Home sweet home: What makes a planet habitable? / Chris McKay -- The next-door neighbours: The search for life on Mars / Monica Grady -- Further out: Could the moons of the gas giants harbour life? / Louisa Preston -- Monsters, victims, friends: Aliens in science fiction writing / Ian Stewart -- Randomness versus complexity: The chemistry of life / Andrea Sella -- Electric origins in deep-sea vents: How life got started on earth / Nick Lane -- Quantum leap: Could quantum mechanics hold the secret of (alien) life? / Johnjoe McFadden -- A cosmic imperative: How easy is it for life to get started? / Paul C.W. Davies -- Alone in the universe: The improbability of alien civilizations / Matthew Cobb -- It came from beyond the silver screen! Aliens in the movies / Adam Rutherford -- What are we looking for? An overview of the search for extraterrestrials / Nathalie Cabrol -- Are they out there? Technology, the Drake Equation, and looking for life on other worlds / Sara Seager -- Good atmosphere: Identifying the signs of life on distant worlds / Giovanna Tinetti -- What next? The future of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence / Seth Shostak.
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