-Caveat Lector- http://sprott.physics.wisc.edu/pickover/soa.htm The Science of Aliens Clifford A. Pickover Basic Books, 1998, ISBN 0-465-07314-X Dozens of Illustrations! "Pickover just seems to exist in more dimensions than the rest of us." - Ian Stewart, Scientific American -------------------------------------------------------------------------- If extraterrestrials ever landed on Earth, they would find us extremely strange. Their first intimation of our existence might well be a presidential speech or the Olympic Games, a mud wrestling match or perhaps a T.V. show like Ally McBeal or 3rd Rock From the Sun. But, of course, they might seem equally strange to us. How strange? Their senses could be entirely different from ours-they might see in the infrared or "hear" radio waves-and they might look completely different from us. What would aliens look like? An intelligent octopus-like creature is certainly plausible. What about odd numbers of limbs-a three-legged alien with three arms and three eyes? What about an entire planet of immobile, silicon-based "trees" that communicate with each other via electrical signals? The Science of Aliens gets weirder still. Could a giant interstellar cloud be "alive" and intelligent? Could creatures live at extremely high pressures and temperatures? And which of these many possibilities would be similar enough to us that they could communicate with them, or they with us? Would they have any interest in abducting us? Would they want to have sex with us? In classic Pickover style, here is scientifically-based speculation at the far edge of knowledge-and beyond. Clifford A. Pickover, Ph.D., is on the research staff of the IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center. He is a regular columnist for Discover Magazine and an Associate Editor for Computers and Graphics, Computers in Physics, Odyssey, and Theta. Previous books include Strange Brains and Genius, Keys to Infinity, Computers and the Imagination, Time: A Traveler's Guide, Black Holes: A Traveler's Guide, and The Alien IQ Test. Dr. Pickover lives in Yorktown Heights, New York. Are We Alone? I first became obsessed with the notion of alien lifeforms as a child watching black-and-white episodes of the 1960s' TV series The Outer Limits. You can't imagine how profoundly affected I was by the blurring of fact and fiction. The strange array of aliens, from the antlike Zanti Misfits to the noble Galaxy Being, made the unbelievable seem a frighteningly real possibility. My interest was further stimulated in the late 1960s by the TV series Lost in Space which dealt with the travels of a human family exploring strange planets. Their mission, set in the not-too-distant future, was to begin colonization of a planet near the star Alpha Centauri. Unfortunately, their craft went off course, and they lost all contact with Earth. The most memorable Lost in Space episode dealt with an intergalactic zoo. When the animals accidentally escape, an odd assortment of 2-legged, hairy, bug-eyed monsters came ambling, running, leaping, and shuffling from the zoo enclosure. It hardly occurred to me to ask myself what would it really be like to visit an intergalactic zoo. Would the creatures look like the ones on the TV show? What if you could visit an intergalactic zoo filled with intelligent lifeforms? Would the aliens have heads, arms, and legs, or even be vaguely humanoid? The challenging task of imagining aliens from other worlds is useful for any species that dreams of understanding its place in the universe. Are humans alone in the universe? This question is one of the oldest questions posed by philosophers and scientists, and it and has profound implications for our world view. For the first time in history, questions about extraterrestrial life have left the realm of theology and science fiction and entered the real of experimental science. Recent advances in biochemistry and molecular biology suggest that life -- even life on Earth -- can exist in incredibly diverse and bizarre environments. Recent discoveries of life living miles under the Earth in utter darkness, or in ice, or even in boiling water, tell us: that which is possible in nature tends to become realized. My personal view is that almost everything happens in our universe that is not forbidden by the laws of physics and chemistry. Life on Earth can thrive in unimaginably harsh conditions, even in acid or within solid rock. On the ocean floor, bacteria thrive in scalding, mineral-laden hot springs. If microbes thrive in such miserable conditions on Earth, where else beyond Earth might similar life forms exist? -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here is the book's Table of Contents. The numerous, fantastic images (and references to popular culture) should appeal to readers of all ages. Table of Contents: Chapter 1. What Aliens Look Like Chapter 2. Alien Senses Chapter 3. Life at the Edge Chapter 4. Weirder Worlds Chapter 5. Origin of Alien Life Chapter 6. Alien Sex Chapter 7. Communication Chapter 8. Alien Travel Chapter 9. Alien Abduction Chapter 10. Conclusion Related Pickover books include the best-selling The Alien IQ Test also published by Basic Books and Time: A Traveler's Guide published by Oxford University Press. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ================================= Robert F. Tatman [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Remove "nospam" from the address to reply. 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