Aliens

Al-Khalili, Jim, ed. Aliens: The World's Leading Scientists on the Search for Extraterestrial Life. New York: Picador. 2016. Print.

First Sentences:

Extraterrestrial life and alien intelligence have always been fascinating topics on the speculative fringe of science. 

But in the last decade or two, serious advances on several fronts have generated wider interest in these subjects. They have become almost "mainstream" -- vibrant frontiers of science. 

Description:

Who isn't in some way curious about the possibile existence of outer space aliens? From popular movies to government listening devices pointed towards sections of the galaxy, from rumors of alien landings in Roswell, New Mexico, to abductions, there certainly are plenty of sightings, stories, and experiences from all over the world regarding extraterrestrials. A National Geographic Survey in 2012 found that "36% of people surveyed believed UFOs exist and only 17% did not." The rest of were undecided, maybe needing more real proof.

Jim Al-Khalili decided to get to the bottom of all this alien "evidence," but wanted to do so scientifically. In his book, Aliens: The World's Leading Scientists on the Search for Extraterestrial Life, he assembled a stable of reputable scientists from the fields of astrobiology, zoology, physics, psychology, planetary and space sciences, molecular genetics, NASA, and more. Each scientist contributed a chapter on his/her area of expertise regarding a specific alien encounter or idea. They examined the known data and the science behind the possibility for each occurrence, and then made logical if tentative conclusions. Each scientist provided plenty of references to books (fiction and non-fiction), websites (credible and iffy), and movies for additional info on any topic. 

Alien-related topics they explored and explained include:

• Why Aliens Might Visit Us
• Flying Saucers: A Brief History of Sightings and Conspiracies
• Abducted
• Search for Life on Mars
• Aliens in Science Fiction Writing
• The Chemistry of Life
• Aliens in Movies
• Identifying the Signs of Life on Distant Worlds

And what a wealth of information they provide, both for the alien encounters and the questions each incident raises. These scientists ponder: 

• What elements make up life as we know it and how rare/plentiful are these elements throughout the galaxy? 
• What conditions promoted the stages on Earth to create life, then allowed that basic life to evolve into intelligent beings?
• Are those life-promoting conditions and stages possible on other worlds?
• What exactly should we be looking for in the search for life: living creatures or traces of emerging or extinct life (such as on Mars)?
• What are the types of alien movies (first contact; alien invasion; man invades alien worlds; and alien as monster)

And the conclusions and suggestions we get from these scientists? 

• We should practice communication with an intelligence on earth, such as octopuses, that are completely different from us in their brains, thoughts, memories, and lifestyles. Why do we think it will be easier to talk with an alien than an octopus?

• We should look for microscopic signs of developing life, the conditions for life, or evidence of the previous existence of life rather than search for a fully-developed civilization of extraterrestrials with flying spaceships.

• We should consider that we might be alone in the universe. Man must understand that humans have been extremely lucky with conditions that allowed us to develop life, evolve, escape dinosaur domination, etc. Those conditions might never have occurred in other worlds, thus preventing the formation of basic life on other planets, much less evolution, ever having taken hold. 

One interesting comment regarding science fiction stood out for me :

The main role of aliens in well-crafted SF is to provide new and imaginative ways to examine what makes us human. Aliens provide problems for us to overcome, and act as a mirror in which we can examine our own faults and foibles. How we treat aliens, or react to their presence, reveals a lot about ourselves.

Seems an observation highly relevant in today's world. We may be alone in the galaxy. But if we are not, our next steps will be incredibly important and highly revealing, both for us and for our new neighbors. 

Happy reading. 

Fred

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If this book interests you, be sure to check out:

Bradbury, Ray. The Martian Chronicles

Science fiction stories about humans and their history of exploration, colonization, development, and destruction of Mar and its aliens. (previously reviewed here)