Are We Alone in the Cosmos? The Search for Alien Contact in the New Millenium PDF Download

Author: Ben Bova
Publisher: ibooks
ISBN: 1596876875
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 486

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Book Description
Are we alone in this cosmos, or do we yet have to come to terms with the actual existence of alien life? Never before has so much time and concentrated effort been spent by so many scientists and writers in the pursuit of the answer to this fundamental question. In this extraordinary book, major scientists involved in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence known as SETI explain their work and reveal their secret thoughts. Now, in joining them here, are some of the best speculative thinkers, from Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov to Gregory Benford, who address the major philosophical questions involved. Intriguing, suspense-filled and intense, this book promises to deliver more than just mundane facts and theory.

Author: Lawrence Squeri
Publisher: University Press of Florida
ISBN: 0813059666
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 213

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Book Description
"A cogent, engaging history of humanity's most ambitious quest--seeking outward for other minds."--David Brin, author of Existence "A fascinating perspective on humankind's obsession for knowing if there is anyone else out there."--Gerrit L. Verschuur, author of The Invisible Universe: The Story of Radio Astronomy "Squeri has written what will likely be the definitive history of the early days of SETI that includes profiles of some of its leading characters."--Ben Zuckerman, coeditor of Extraterrestrials: Where Are They? "An insightful history that explores the scientific foundations of the modern-day search for our place in the cosmos. Waiting for Contact delivers unparalleled access to the inner history of SETI and invites us to ride along on the journey to answer one of science's ultimate questions: Are we alone?"--Douglas Vakoch, president, METI International "Waiting for Contact is a balanced account, telling the tale of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence without the overpromise usually trumpeted by enthusiastic proponents and the hyperventilation so commonly added by UFO enthusiasts. If you are simply interested in the history, unvarnished by an agenda, you'll enjoy this book."--Don Lincoln, author of Alien Universe: Extraterrestrial Life in Our Minds and in the Cosmos Imagine a network of extraterrestrials in radio contact with each other across the universe, superior beings who hail from advanced civilizations quadrillions of miles away, just waiting for Earth to tune in. Some people believe it’s only a matter of time before we discover the right "station." Waiting for Contact tells the story of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) movement, which emerged in 1959 as astronomers began using radio telescopes to listen for messages from space. New technological developments turned what once was speculation into science. Boosted by support from Frank Drake, Philip Morrison, Carl Sagan, and the genre of science fiction, the SETI movement gained followers and continues to capture imaginations today. In this one-of-a-kind history, Lawrence Squeri looks at the people, reasons, goals, and mindsets behind SETI. He shows how it started as an expression of the times, a way out of Cold War angst with hope for a better world. SETI's early advocates thought that with guidance from technically and ethically advanced outsiders, humanity might learn how to avoid horrors like nuclear annihilation and societal collapse from overpopulation. Some hoped that good news from outer space might reveal a cure for cancer or even the secret of immortality. Squeri also describes the challenges SETI has faced over the years: the struggle to be taken seriously by the scientific community and by NASA, competition for access to radio telescopes, perpetual lack of funding, and opposition from influential politicians. He covers the rise and fall of Soviet SETI and the few rare meetings between Soviet and American astronomers. Despite many setbacks, the movement pressed forward with the aid of private donations and developed outreach programs. Volunteers can now help search for new civilizations on their personal computers by joining the SETI@Home project. Today, SETI researchers continue to see themselves as explorers. They often identify with Columbus, and just as Columbus never realized the full implications of his discovery, we cannot predict what will happen if contact is made. This book points out that if, against all expectations, the embattled SETI movement finally succeeds, the long-awaited first signal picked up by its radio antennas will usher the greatest shift in human history. A new adventure will begin. Lawrence Squeri is professor emeritus of history at East Stroudsburg University.

Author: Sylvia Engdahl
Publisher: Sylvia Engdahl
ISBN:
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description
Interest in exoplanets--the worlds of other stars--is not new. From the late 17th century until the end of the 19th, almost all educated people believed that the stars are suns surrounded by inhabited planets--a belief that was expressed not in science fiction, but in serious speculation, both scientific and religious, as well as in poetry. Only during the first half of the 20th century was it thought that life-bearing exoplanets are rare. This is not a science book--rather, it belongs to the category known as History of Ideas. First published by Atheneum in 1974, it tells the story of the rise, fall, and eventual renewal of widespread conviction that we are not alone in the universe. In this 2012 updated edition the chapters dealing with modern speculation have been revised to reflect the progress science has made during the past 40 years, including the actual detection of planets orbiting other stars. However, it is not intended to be more than a brief introduction to today's views; its focus is on little-known facts about those of the past. Why should we care what our forebears believed? Now, the question of ET life is a matter for investigation by science. Yet it's significant that most educated people of past centuries were convinced that other inhabited worlds exist, without any scientific evidence whatsoever. This historical fact reveals that human beings have an instinctive sense of kinship with the wider universe and a desire to see the realms that lie beyond this one small planet--and perhaps, eventually, to go there. Our ancestors conceived of such voyages only in a spiritual sense, as occurring after death. But we who have taken our first small steps into space are aware that our descendants may set foot on the worlds of other suns. Just as in the 17th century people were initially upset by the new knowledge that the stars are suns scattered in space rather than lights fixed to a nearby sphere, the growing awareness that Earth is not safely isolated from whatever lies beyond makes many of our contemporaries uneasy. Thus today's predominant feelings about spaceships are ambivalent. Nevertheless, if an impulse toward belief that we are not alone in the universe is indeed an innate characteristic of human beings, as the past spread of belief in inhabited exoplanets suggests, we can be sure that those who follow us will not turn back from becoming spacefarers.

Author: Andreas Anton
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3658413174
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 287

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Book Description
Is mankind alone in the universe? Will we ever encounter intelligent life beyond Earth? These questions have been asked for centuries. Recent advances in the fields of astrophysics, astronomy and astrobiology make it more likely than ever before, that Earth may not be the only inhabited planet, and that humanity may not the only intelligent species in the universe. What would be the consequences of contact with an extraterrestrial intelligence? This question is at the heart of the emerging discipline of exosociology. According to the authors, first contact with an extraterrestrial intelligence poses enormous risks for humanity. These risks come not only from extraterrestrials, but above all from ourselves. We should be prepared. Michael Schetsche and Andreas Anton's comprehensive introduction to exosociology was first published in German in 2019. The book has been widely acclaimed in Germany and internationally. It is now available in English for the first time.

Author: Ulrike Landfester
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3709102804
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 352

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Book Description
Following the first comprehensive transdisciplinary dialogue on humans in outer space which resulted in "Humans in Outer Space - Interdisciplinary Odysseys", the European Science Foundation (ESF), the European Space Agency (ESA), and the European Space Policy Institute (ESPI) have continued and deepened this transdisciplinary dialogue, which can now be found in Humans in Outer Space - Interdisciplinary Perspectives. Going further than regarding humans as better-than-robot tools for exploration, it investigates the human quest for odysseys beyond Earth's atmosphere and reflects on arising issues related to Europe's role among the States conducting human exploration. It provides perspectives related to governance, management of space exploration, space settlements, the role of astronauts in the future as well as related to the encounter of extraterrestrial life.

Author: Brian McConnell
Publisher: "O'Reilly Media, Inc."
ISBN: 9780596000370
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 442

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SETI has become a popular past time with the release of the SETI @ home screen saver, which analyzes data from the Arecibo radio telescope for signs of extraterrestrial life. This book explains how likely it is that someone will be found, what kind of signals are being looked for, and how to communicate with them.

Author: Dr Trevor J. Hawkeswood
Publisher: BalboaPress
ISBN: 145250878X
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 203

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Book Description
Trevor J. Hawkeswood is a scientist who has experienced hundreds of paranormal events in his lifetime. In Light and Dark, he recounts some of these incredible interactions. He believes that reality occurs on two separate but interwoven planes of existencethe Earth plane and the multiple levels of the spiritual planes, including the lower levels, from where the dark souls of humans who have died reach out to us. He has experienced more than one hundred sightings of the shadow people, or black ghosts. He credits guardian angels with saving him from harm or certain death on a number of occasions. Hawkeswood also shares accounts of his numerous sightings of strange aerial phenomena he believes were caused by UFOs. He has personally experienced clairaudiencevoices from beyondand precognition, or the ability to see the future. His detailed account of a unique out-of-body experience (OOBE) challenges what is known about this remarkable ability. His OOBE was unlike anything that has ever been described by others who have experienced itand he shares it all in Light and Dark. But it hasnt all been safe or pleasant. At eighteen, he survived a terrifying encounter with a demon gargoyle who tried to steal his soul energy after paralysing him. A comprehensive handbook for the paranormal enthusiast, Hawkeswoods work also provides a glossary and reference list of English-language UFO books. In Light and Dark, he shares a lifetime of experiences, ideas, and theories about this fascinating field of study.

Author: David Levy
Publisher: ibooks
ISBN: 1596877081
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 673

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SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN's The Big Idea: 150 Years of the Best and Worst Ideas in Modern Science goes beyond the headlines to present the passions, prejudice, and outrage that, from 1845 on, formed the ideas of modern science -- from the sublime to the ridiculous. This fascinating new book, based on SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN's wildly popular feature, "50, 100, and 150 Years Ago in Science Today", presents the often hilarious human aspect of science as well as a serious timetable of scientific discovery. Progress in science is rarely a straight line. While the events are arranged in chronological order, the chapters reflect the somewhat twisted path scientists take in developing their theories, conducting their experiments, presenting their findings, and getting acceptance for their ideas. The chapters in THE BIG IDEA include: Eureka! Great Discoveries & Inventions, which details achievements from insulin to the Talkies and more, often as first reported in SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN. From the Editor's Desk, which contains insightful and occasionally provocative commentary and news articles about subjects that have shaped our modern world. Great Debates reveals that not every invention or discovery was greeted with universal acclaim and acceptance -- and which big ideas were subject to derision when first advanced. It Seemed Like A Good Idea at the Time...contains reports on ideas and inventions that, quickly or ultimately, failed the test of time. Bizarro reveals the truly unusual lengths scientists go to prove their theories, no matter how outlandish.

Author: Paul Preuss
Publisher: ibooks
ISBN: 0671038990
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 269

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“[A] combination of mystery and science fiction almost reaching the level of Isaac Asimov’s classic LIJE BALEY—Daneel Olivaw novels.” —CHICAGO SUN TIMES The second volume of the spectacular science fiction thriller evolving from the works of Arthur C. Clarke, the grandmaster of science fiction. Her code name is Sparta, whose beauty veils a mysterious past and abilities of superhuman dimension; the product of advanced biotech engineering. When a team of scientists is trapped in the gaseous inferno of Venus, Sparta must risk her life to save them, unaware that her actions will help recover a mysterious artifact: irrefutable evidence of life on another planet.

Author: Guillermo Gonzalez
Publisher: Regnery Gateway
ISBN: 1684510775
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 466

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Earth. The Final Frontier Contrary to popular belief, Earth is not an insignificant blip on the universe’s radar. Our world proves anything but average in Guillermo Gonzalez and Jay W. Richards’ The Privileged Planet: How Our Place in the Cosmos Is Designed for Discovery. But what exactly does Earth bring to the table? How does it prove its worth among numerous planets and constellations in the vastness of the Milky Way? In The Privileged Planet, you’ll learn about the world’s life-sustaining capabilities, water and its miraculous makeup, protection by the planetary giants, and how our planet came into existence in the first place.