Here Be Dragons

The Scientific Quest for Extraterrestrial Life

David Koerner, Simon Levay

262 pages, parution le 22/01/2002

Ajouter à une liste

Indisponible

Résumé

In Here Be Dragons, astronomer David Koerner and neurobiologist Simon LeVay offer a scientifically compelling and colorful account of the search for life beyond Earth." "The authors survey the work of biologists, cosmologists, computer theorists, NASA engineers, SETI researchers, roboticists, and UFO enthusiasts and debunkers as they attempt to answer the greatest remaining question facing humankind: Are we alone? From their "safe haven of skepticism" the authors venture into the "rough seas of speculation," where theory and evidence run the gamut from hard science to hocus pocus. Arguing that the universe is spectacularly suited for the evolution of living creatures, Koerner and LeVay give us ringside seats at the great debates of Big Science. The contentious arguments about what really happens in evolution, the acrimonious UFO controversy, and the debate over intelligence versus artificial intelligence shed new light on the wildly divergent claims about the universe and life's place in it. The authors argue that while no direct evidence of extraterrestrial life yet exists, habitats and chemical building blocks for life abound in the universe. A wealth of new astronomical techniques and space missions may provide this evidence early in the next century.

Contents

Acknowledgements
Introduction
Origns: How Life on Earth Began
Going to Extremes: The Habitats and Requirements for Life
The Incredible Shrinking Martians: Searching for Life in the Solar System
The Death and Life of Stars: Organic Chemistry and the Evolution of Solar Systems
The Planet Finders: Searching for Life Beyond the Sun
What Happens in Evolution? Chance and Necessity in the Origin of Biological Complexity
SETI: The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
Dreamland: The Science and Religion of UFOs
Exotica: Life as we don't know it
Many Worlds: Cosmology and the Anthropic Principle
Conclusion
Endnotes

Caractéristiques techniques

	PAPIER
Éditeur(s)	Oxford University Press
Auteur(s)	David Koerner, Simon Levay
Parution	22/01/2002
Nb. de pages	262
Format	15,5 x 23,5
Couverture	Broché
Poids	400g
Intérieur	Noir et Blanc
EAN13	9780195146004
ISBN13	978-0-19-514600-4