Is there anybody out there? [Book review]

The Daily Camera ^ | 16November 2003 | David Grinspoon (Clay Evans, reviewer)

[PatrickHenry]

[Review of Lonely Planets: The Natural Philosophy of Alien Life by David Grinspoon.]

Not many scientists have the reputation of being witty or entertaining, even when their subject matter is rich with possibility. But more and more scientists are allowing their Renaissance sides to emerge and publishing books explaining complex, scientific subjects and debates in lively prose.

David Grinspoon, principal scientist in the Department of Space Studies at Boulder's Southwest Research Institute and an adjunct professor of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences at the University of Colorado, is one of those. His first book, "Venus Revealed" (1997) explored Earth's erstwhile "twin" (turns out the relationship is much more fraternal — if even that — than identical) in loving detail, making the book as poetic and awestruck as it was informed.

Now Grinspoon steps into the Cosmos-sized shoes of the late Carl Sagan with "Lonely Planets," the best, most entertaining examination of the possibility of other life in the universe since Sagan's best work. And he's got a head start: Grinspoon grew up around Sagan, a family friend.

Like Sagan, he brings a joyous, open, even boisterous enthusiasm — "billions and billions!" — to his writing. If you think a survey of "natural philosophical" history regarding the possibility of alien life might be dry, think again. There's something here for a wide audience, from scientists to dreamers to fans of UFOs.

You can tell Grinspoon is having fun early on, when he describes the delight he takes in not just hard science, but the "fringe" beliefs and tales of UFO abductions.

[Snip]

But despite coming up dry so far in our immediate spatial neighborhood (Grinspoon thinks we're spending too much time perusing Mars), like Sagan, he believes it's a near mathematical certainty that civilization exists elsewhere in the big, beautiful universe we live in.

[Snip]

"Who are we to say that our Earth is such a special place? Like parents certain that their baby is the cutest ever born, of course we think our planet is the chosen one."

[PatrickHenry]

[edwin hubble]

"Seems like the Drake Equation should have another multiplier quantifying the fraction of civilizations that send out "artifacts", the number of said "artifacts" and the probability of their detection."

I see that covered by this Drake variable (my reply #18):

fc = The fraction of civilizations that develop a technology that releases detectable signs of their existence into space.

[PatrickHenry]

P L A C E M A R K E R for a dying thread.

[RadioAstronomer]

OK, this brings up a question I've been pondering: Let's say an alien species exploded a 1 megaton (for instance) nuclear weapon in space within their solar system, as a "Hello World" signal. How far away could we be and still detect it, with our technology?

We would not even notice it I dont think. Most of the damage from a nudet is due to there being an atmosphere in the first place. The brief increase in gamma and other incidental emmisions would most likely be drowned out by the star.

[RadioAstronomer]

But no use of the EM spectrum for communications. We'd never know they exist.

I agree completely.