Life on Other Worlds and How to Find ItSpringer Science & Business Media, 14 févr. 2000 - 180 pages SETI -- the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence -- is undergoing something of a renaissance, and alongside the work of the scientists almost a million PC users round the world are participating in the SERENDIP IV project through the "SETI at Home" initiative from Berkeley University in California. This book is an up-to-date review of todays scientific thinking about where and how we might find life elsewhere in the universe, presented in Stuart Clarks easily read yet authoritative style. |
Table des matières
TEST FOR ECHO | 1 |
PRINCIPLES AND ASSUMPTIONS | 2 |
THE INEVITABILITY OF LIFE AND TECHNOLOGY | 4 |
TEMPORAL MEDIOCRITY | 6 |
NO SUPERSCIENCE OR HYPERDRIVES | 8 |
EXPLORATION BY DATA EXCHANGE AND THE GALACTIC CLUB | 12 |
THE UNIVERSAL STAGE | 14 |
MATTER IN THE UNIVERSE | 16 |
AN ENERGY SOURCE | 83 |
A STABLE ENVIRONMENT | 86 |
LOOKING FOR LIFE IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM | 88 |
MARTIANS GO HOME | 90 |
THE AGES OF MARS | 92 |
THE CURIOUS CASE OF METEORITE ALH84001 | 94 |
NANOBES AND OTHER TINY LIFEFORMS | 98 |
PROSPECTING MARS FOR LIFE | 99 |
THE FALLING ENERGY OF THE UNIVERSE | 17 |
BEWARE THE SECOND LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS | 22 |
WHAT WENT WRONG? | 24 |
CELESTIAL POWER STATIONS | 28 |
OUR SAVIOURS THE STARS | 31 |
STELLAR ALCHEMY | 33 |
DEEP FIELDS AND THE HISTORY OF STAR FORMATION | 39 |
THE SEEDS OF LIFE | 42 |
LIFE? DONT TALK TO ME ABOUT LIFE | 44 |
THE VITAL SPARK OF LIFE | 45 |
THE DISCOVERY OF DNA | 47 |
THE MUSIC OF LIFE | 49 |
THE LIVING CELL | 51 |
THE PROPERTIES OF LIFE | 54 |
ORGANISATION AND ENTROPY | 58 |
THE ORIGIN OF LIFE | 61 |
CONDITIONS FOR EMERGENCE | 64 |
TRACING LIFE BACK TO ITS ROOTS | 66 |
THE FORMATION OF THE EARTH | 67 |
THE SCENE OF THE CRIME | 72 |
THE CHICKEN AND THE EGG | 74 |
SITES FOR LIFE | 76 |
WATER WATER EVERYWHERE | 78 |
ALIEN CHEMISTRY | 80 |
THE RIGHT CHEMICALS | 82 |
WHERE ELSE SHOULD WE LOOK? | 102 |
SEARCHING FOR INHABITED PLANETS | 105 |
PLANETS BEYOND THE SOLAR SYSTEM | 106 |
PLANET SNAPSHOTS | 111 |
HOW MANY PLANETS ARE THERE? | 115 |
ET IQ | 117 |
THE HUMAN BRAIN | 120 |
IF I COULD TALK TO THE ANIMALS | 121 |
THE EVOLUTION OF INTELLIGENCE | 123 |
DOOM SOON? | 126 |
HOW MANY INTELLIGENT SPECIES? | 129 |
TUNINGIN TO ET FM | 132 |
NASA BECOMES INTERESTED | 135 |
OUT OF THE ASHES | 136 |
OTHER SEARCHES | 137 |
FALSE ALARMS AND ANNOUNCING THE DISCOVERY | 139 |
OPTICAL SEARCHES | 142 |
THE ODDS OF RECEIVING A VISIT | 147 |
ARE ALIENS EXPLORING THE GALAXY NOW? | 150 |
SENDING ROBOTS AHEAD | 152 |
THE FERMI PARADOX | 155 |
GLOSSARY | 157 |
BIBLIOGRAPHY | 169 |
| 171 | |
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Expressions et termes fréquents
51 Pegasi alien amino acids antimatter assumption asteroids astronomers atmosphere atoms bacteria believe Big Bang billion years ago biologists black smokers brain capable carbon cell Chapter chemical elements civilisation cloud codon collision concept Copernican Principle cosmic created detection developed Earth electromagnetic electrons energy entropy Europa evolution existence extremophiles fact Fermi Paradox force formation Frank Drake Galaxy genes gravity heat helium human hydrogen interstellar Jupiter known life-forms light living look Mars martian matter meteorite microbes molecule Moon mutations nanobes NASA neutrons nuclear fusion nucleotides nucleus object ocean open thermodynamic system orbit organic organisation origin oxygen particles photons physicist planet planetary possible Principle probe Project proteins radiation radio telescope reactions ribosome rock search for extraterrestrial second law self-organisation signal simply Solar System space spaceprobe species spectrum star structure surface temperature Terrestrial Planet Finder theory thermodynamic system Universe wavelengths