Extraterrestrial Encyclopedia

David Darling

Description

The Extraterrestrial Encyclopedia is an A-to-Z of the search for life in the Universe. Entries cover astrobiology, the origins and evolution of life, the hunt for exoplanets, SETI, and extraterrestrial life in science fiction, philosophy, and popular speculation (including UFOs). The book is written in an engaging style for the layperson and contains numerous B&W illustrations.

Sujets

• Astronomy

Informations

• Publié par: First Edition Design Publishing
• Date de parution: 15 février 2016
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781506901442
• Langue: English

Extrait

THE EXTRATERRESTRIAL
ENCYCLOPEDIA


An Alphabetic Guide to Life in the Universe


David Darling
Dirk Schulze-Makuch


First Edition Design Publishing
Sarasota, Florida USA
The Extraterrestrial Encyclopedia
Copyright ©2016 David Darling

ISBN 978-1506-901-43-5 HC PRINT
ISBN 978-1506-901-42-8 PBK PRINT
ISBN 978-1506-901-44-2 DIGITAL

LCCN 2016931085

January 2016

Published and Distributed by
First Edition Design Publishing, Inc.
P.O. Box 20217, Sarasota, FL 34276-3217
www.firsteditiondesignpublishing.com



ALL R I G H T S R E S E R V E D. No p a r t o f t h i s b oo k pub li ca t i o n m a y b e r e p r o du ce d, s t o r e d i n a r e t r i e v a l s y s t e m , o r t r a n s mit t e d i n a ny f o r m o r by a ny m e a ns ─ e l e c t r o n i c , m e c h a n i c a l , p h o t o - c o p y , r ec o r d i n g, or a ny o t h e r ─ e x ce pt b r i e f qu ot a t i o n i n r e v i e w s , w i t h o ut t h e p r i o r p e r mi ss i on o f t h e a u t h o r or publisher .

Cover Design: Deborah E Gordon, First Edition Design Publishing


Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Darling, David.
The Extraterrestrial Encyclopedia / written by David Darling.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-1506-901-43-5 hc, 978-1506-901-42-8 pbk, 978-1506-901-44-2 digital

1. REFERENCE / Encyclopedias. 2. Curiosities & Wonders. 3. SCIENCE / Cosmology.

T3743
Author’s Note to the Second Edition

It has been 15 years since the first edition of The Extraterrestrial Encyclopedia appeared and in that time planetary exploration, exoplanet research, and astrobiology have made huge strides. The number of known planets around other stars has risen from a few dozen to more than 2,000, including some that are similar in size to Earth and orbit in the habitable zones of their stars. Numerous new spacecraft have orbited, flown by, impacted, landed on, or trundled over the surface of our neighboring planets, as well as smaller worlds, such as moons, asteroids, and comets. Our knowledge of the extremes that life on Earth can tolerate and even thrive under has grown, as has our understanding of the ways in which life might originate or be transferred from one planet to another.
Within the next 10 to 20 years there is every reason to hope that we will find the first evidence for life beyond Earth. It may come from a future robotic mission to Mars or Europa. Or, perhaps more likely, the first signs of extraterrestrial life will come from detailed studies of exoplanets that show the presence of gases in the atmospheres of these faraway worlds that point strongly to biological activity on the surface.
A common assumption among scientists today is that simple life, such as bacteria, is probably not uncommon out there in the vast multitude of planets that surely exist in the Milky Way Galaxy and beyond. However, until we find one independent instance of life we can never be sure of this. Then there is the further question of how often simple, microscopic life evolves into more complex forms, and, ultimately, organisms that are highly intelligent and with the technology to communicate, or even travel, across interstellar distances. Whatever the truth about life in general, and intelligent life in particular, proves to be, it will have profound scientific and philosophical ramifications.


David Darling
Introduction to the original edition (2000)

There is a feeling among scientists today that we may be on the brink of learning the answer to one of mankind’s oldest and most intriguing questions: Are we alone in the Universe? A great deal has been written on this subject over many years and, recently, there has been a flurry of publishing activity following the confirmed discovery of the first planets around other stars. The present book, however, is the first attempt to draw together in encyclopedic form all aspects of our age-old quest for extraterrestrial life, from ancient Greek speculation to the results from the latest interplanetary probes. It is intended to serve as an up-to-date reference work and a first port of call for the interested layperson as well as the student or academic. But more than that, through a comprehensive system of cross-referencing, it is designed to allow the reader to trace the development and interaction of the key themes that have accompanied the debate about life “out there” from ancient times to the present day.
It would be easy to gain the impression that the search for other beings in the Universe is a purely scientific affair. Yet that is simply the case. While it is true that only science can ultimately settle the question of whether life exists elsewhere or not, up until a few hundred years ago it had virtually nothing relevant to say on the matter, and it is only within living memory that experiment and observation have really begun to come to grips with the problem. The fact is that philosophy, theology, fiction (including hoaxes), the available technology of the time, the prevailing worldview, politics, and other forces in society, as well as astronomy and other sciences, have all played important roles in shaping both public and professional opinion on the extraterrestrial issue – and continue to do so today. Using this book as a guide, the reader can explore the long and fascinating history of events, personalities, and conflicting ideas connected with this subject and so come to appreciate more fully the issues surrounding our current search for life and civilizations beyond the Earth. The origin and evolution of life, the possible nature of alien biology and intelligence, the long debate over the plurality of worlds, the fictional representation of extraterrestrials, the theological implications of the discovery of other life (especially sentient life), and the rise and cultural influence of the UFO phenomenon are but a few of the major intellectual threads that intertwine and run through the encyclopedia.
We live in momentous times. The past decade has seen hopes soar within the scientific community that life not only exists elsewhere but exists abundantly throughout the cosmos. The next decade will see those hopes begin to be put to the test and possibly realized. Optimism has grown in the light of a number of extraordinary discoveries. Previously unsuspected, exotic forms of life have been found in all sorts of seemingly hostile environments on Earth – inside rocks more than a mile underground, in highly acidic and saline pools, in boiling, sulfur-rich water issuing from “black smokers” on the ocean bed, and in samples taken from deep below the Antarctic ice sheet. Mounting evidence suggests that some of these “extremophiles” are among the oldest organisms on Earth. If so, it may be that life can take hold wherever there is the slightest opportunity, given a starting brew of simple organic molecules, some water, and an adequate source of energy. The Universe, it turns out, is generous in its provision of all three of these basic ingredients for life as we know it. Every year astronomers add to the catalog of known organic molecules in interstellar space. Even more complex substances have been identified in meteorites and comets, which it seems, serve as delivery vehicles bringing basic biochemical to the surface of newborn worlds. Water, too, arrives onboard comets and may survive in the most unlikely places, as recently evidenced by the discovery of ice on the Moon. As for sources of energy, sunlight is but one of a range of options nature can afford. Increasingly, researchers are of the opinion that early terrestrial life may have depended more on energy flowing up from within the Earth than on that arriving from outside. Elsewhere in the Solar System are other worlds with significant internal sources of heat that from the outside look biologically unpromising. Among these are Europa, the fourth largest moon of Jupiter and now a leading contender to become the first world upon which signs of extraterrestrial life will be found.
And beyond the Solar System? Within the last few years, astronomers have demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt that massive planets around stars are plentiful. Whether Earthlike worlds occur commonly as well has yet to be determined, but since even the moons of large planets are now among the prime targets of astrobiologists, there is every reason to suppose that many potential platforms for life exist throughout the Galaxy.
The search for life “out there” has begun in earnest. In laboratories around the world, molecular biologists are attempting to recreate the steps by which the first primitive organisms appeared; their progress to date appears to support the view that life arises readily and inevitably as a result of self-organizing chemical systems. Other researchers are probing deep underground, under the oceans, and beneath the Antarctic ice sheet for further evidence of life at the extremes. Meanwhile, a growing armada of spacecraft is leaving Earth on missions to fly by, orbit, land on, rove over, penetrate, and return ever-increasing amounts of data and samples from our neighboring worlds. Mars, Europa, Titan, and other prime potential sites of biological and prebiological real estate will be explored in detail during the first decade of the new millennium. With its sights set further afield, the hunt for exoplanets is gathering momentum. More sensitive detection methods and larger instruments, both on the ground and in space, will extend the quest to look for terrestrial-type worlds and, within a decade, begin attempts to image these far-off planets and scrutinize their faint light for the signatures of life. On a different front, the search will intensify to detect signals from other intelligent races in the Galaxy. The human race is poised on the brink of its greatest adventure.
THE EXTRATERRESTRIAL ENCYCLOPEDIA
An Alphabetical Guide to Life in the Universe
A

A for Andromeda
A BBC television sci