Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury) | 576.839 CLA | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
Draws on extensive knowledge of contemporary physics and astronomy to describe the latest attempts to locate extraterrestrials and to explore the philosophical implications of that search.
Author Notes
Andrew J. H. Clark is a physicist and philosopher
Dr. David H. Clark, Ph.D. led the space astronomy research team at the Rutherford Appelton Laboratory in Oxford
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Although its title may conjure up visions of The X-Files, this sensible book has more affinity with the movie Contact. Above all, it is a plea for continued support of SETI (the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence), presently conducted as the privately funded Project Phoenix due to the withdrawal of government backing. Although readers of other major books on this subject, such as the classic Are We Alone? by Paul Davies or the more recent Probability One, will be familiar with much of the material here, this is a solid primer for those new to the actual science involved in current efforts to find ETI. The authors, a British father-and-son team (pre David is the author of The Cosmos from Space; Andrew is a physicist and philosopher), address three crucial questions. Why have 40 years of searching not been fruitful? What is the probability that intelligent life will evolve on other planets? And, if it is there, why hasn't it come here? Readers are walked gently through the history of both the American and Soviet programs, the Drake equation (a means of organizing the factors necessary for an advanced alien civilization) and the fundamentals of astronomy, geology, biology, etc., needed to assess the likelihood of other technologically sophisticated civilizations evolving. While still promoting the search via radio astronomy for alien beacons, the authors hope to revive serious consideration that an alien research probe or survey may have visited (or will visit) our planet. Amateur exobiologists are encouraged to download SETI@home (http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/download.html) to turn their screensavers into signal-finding number-crunchers, and those who have read this well-reasoned book and wish to look further are advised to join a legitimate research group such as the Planetary Society, founded by Carl Sagan. Agent, Al Zuckerman of Writers House. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
A spirited, optimistic discourse on the search for extraterrestrial life. A father-and-son team of scientists (David is the author of The Cosmos from Space, 1987, etc.) explore the possibility of extraterrestrial life from a purely scientific perspective. Beginning with a famous equation (gasp) that attempts to calculate the likelihood of intelligent life in the universe, Aliens tackles arguments both for and against this possibility. The search for extraterrestrial intelligence, or SETI, begins in the 1960s with teams in both the US and the Soviet Union hunting for alien radio signals. Throughout the book the authors make every effort to give the nontechnical reader some basis of understanding the enormous distances and time scales involved for interstellar travel. To adequately explain the scientific issues involved, the Clarks give clear, qualitative explanations of mathematical concepts such as probability and the inverse square law. Although the authors offer ample evidence showing that simple life forms (``slime'') may be relatively abundant in the universe, the conditions that would allow for complex life forms are far more scarce. If aliens do exist, it's far more likely we will find them through a search for their electronic transmissions rather than a search for their crashed saucers. The conditions that would allow for interstellar travel, assuming that extraterrestrials would even want to make such a trip, would require a herculean effort on their part. It's therefore obvious that the authors hold little regard for unsubstantiated tales of alien abduction. They even debunk some of the myths that surround SETI, including the idea that scientists listen for aliens on headphones. The irrepressible spirit of the authors of this fine tome is best described in their own words: 'What a wonderful challenge! What a noble endeavor SETI is!'' Good luck to them both.
Choice Review
Clark and Clark offer what are definitely the most thorough discussions about the search for extraterrestrial intelligence yet presented to the world community. These two scientists examine all possible scenarios and arguments with profound intellectual depth in a spirited, optimistic discourse, in great contrast to most superficial treatments. No special knowledge is required to follow the reasoning in this fascinating and balanced report about the scientific and engineering challenges in this important endeavor. Do extraterrestrial civilizations exist? How would we find them? Or how would they find us? What scientific limitations affect the search? Is this effort the greatest scientific search of all time, or is it fantasy? Here are the arguments for both sides. An extensive glossary and index, but no drawings, images, or references. General readers; undergraduates; two-year technical program students. F. Potter; University of California, Irvine
Table of Contents
| Prologue | p. 1 |
| Part A The SETI Question | |
| 1. The Drake Equation | p. 21 |
| 2. A Tale of Two SETIs | p. 57 |
| 3. Absence of Evidence | p. 89 |
| Part B The McCrea Question | |
| 4. Living Planets | p. 119 |
| 5. The Emergence of Life | p. 153 |
| Part C The Fermi Question | |
| 6. Spaceships from the Stars | p. 187 |
| 7. Hunting IMETI | p. 223 |
| Epilogue: What Next? | p. 251 |
| Glossary: Common Scientific Terms Relevant to the Search for ETI | p. 257 |
| Bibliography | p. 280 |
| So You Want to Be a SETI Scientist? | p. 282 |
| Index | p. 285 |
| About the Authors | p. 293 |
