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Life on Other Worlds: The 20th-Century Extraterrestrial Life Debate

Life on Other Worlds: The 20th-Century Extraterrestrial Life Debate

by StevenJ.Dick (Author)

  • New

    Paperback 2001

    $29.77

  • New

    Hardcover 1998

    $99.99
Synopsis

The recent discoveries of extrasolar planets and possible microfossils in Martian meteorite ALH 84001 are only the latest developments in a debate that spans millennia, and that has been especially heated in the twentieth century. From the furore over Percival Lowell's claim of canals on Mars at the beginning of the century to the biological experiments of the Viking spacecraft, the controversial 'Mars rock', and the sophisticated Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) at its end, otherworldly life has often titillated and occasionally consumed science and the public. So too have crucially related areas such as the search for planetary systems, the quest for an explanation of UFOs, and inquiries into the origin of life. The theme has been elaborated in science fiction from H. G. Wells to Arthur C. Clarke, and resulted in some of the most popular films of all time, including ET, Aliens, Independence Day, and Contact. Life on Other Worlds details in a readable and non-technical manner the history of the twentieth century extraterrestrial life debate, one of the pervasive themes of our century.

$29.77

Quantity

10 in stock

More Information

Format: Paperback
 Pages: 304
 Edition: New Ed
 Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 19 Mar 2001
ISBN 10: 0521799120
ISBN 13: 9780521799126
Book Overview: Life on Other Worlds places the twentieth century extraterrestrial life debate in historical perspective.

Media Reviews
' ... an excellent reference to the subject with no undue bias.' Peter D. Mata, Spaceflight
' ... an important further contribution to understanding how science proceeds as a social as well as an intellectual activity. Recommended reading.' Richard Taylor, Spaceflight
'It is refreshing to read a balanced critique of any scientific controversy and it is to his great credit that Dick achieves this despite recent discoveries'. School Science Review
'... full of stimulating ideas and entertaining stories.' Astronomy Now
'This provides an interesting vehicle for studying the history, philosophy and sociology associated with one of the most enduring questions in science: the possibility of extraterrestrial life ... an ideal reference book ...'. School Science Review
Amazingly comprehensive, as well as highly entertaining...I almost wish it would put an end to the outpouring of books on the subject; nothing more need be written, until the feared/long-hoped for moment of Revelation! Sir Arthur C. Clarke
Life on Other Worlds is a wondersome synthesis of scientific criticism, historical narrative and socio-philosophical analysis of a theme that has captured the human imagination since the first stargazers. Joshua Lederberg, The Rockefeller University
First published in subject until new discoveries lead closer to or futher away from the moment when we know how alone we are in the universe The Astronomical Society of the Pacific
...chapters on the search for planets outside our solar system, UFOs and the SETI project...pack a good deal of information and make skillful use of tables and figures...illustrations throughout. Publisher's Weekly
Amazingly comprehensive, as well as highly entertaining...I almost wish it would put an end to the outpouring of books on the subject; nothing more need be written, until the feared/long-hoped for moment of Revelation! Sir Arthur C. Clarke, CBE
Life on Other Worlds is a wondersome synthesis of scientific criticism, historical narrative and socio-philosophical analysis of a theme that has captured the human imagination since the first stargazers. Joshua Lederberg, The Rockerfeller University
One of the most exciting stories of the twentieth is the search, observational and theoretical, for evidence of extraterrestrial life. Steven Dick in his Life on Other Worlds has told that story with accuracy, clarity, and thoroughness. He is to be congratulated for this achievement, especially for the accessibility of his presentations and for the balance with which he has handled a history that at many points has been filled with controversy. Michael J. Crowe, University of Notre Dame
...Steven Dick has written an intelligent and sober book. National Post