Post by auntym on Feb 17, 2016 18:48:07 GMT -6
www.airspacemag.com/daily-planet/extraterrestrial-encyclopedia-180958157/?no-ist
How have our views on extraterrestrials changed over the decades?
The Extraterrestrial Encyclopedia
A new book takes a multi-disciplinary look at life in the Universe.
By Dirk Schulze-Makuch / www.airspacemag.com/author/dirk-schulze-makuch/
airspacemag.com
February 16, 2016
David Darling and I have a new book out, The Extraterrestrial Encyclopedia, which, aside from covering the scientific search for life in the universe, gets into less familiar topics, from philosophy to UFOs to depictions of extraterrestrials in science fiction. These other aspects of astrobiology are what made it so intriguing when David asked me to join the project.
Much can be learned from looking at how our notion of extraterrestrial life has changed over the centuries. Ancient philosophers wondered about life on stars and planets. Only 100 years ago, it wasn’t outlandish to think of life on Venus or our Moon. One popular suggestion was that there’s a jungle on the Venusian surface, with a multitude of lifeforms. The space age did nix most of these speculations, but we are in a very similar situation today when we think about life on exoplanets.
Societal views on extraterrestrial life have changed with the culture. During the Cold War it was common to depict any extraterrestrial life forms as threatening invaders—one typical example being the famous novel and movie Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The image of aliens later softened in movies like E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and extraterrestrials (at least intelligent ones) were portrayed in a more balanced way, as in the Star Trek Series.
CONTINUE READING:
www.airspacemag.com/daily-planet/extraterrestrial-encyclopedia-180958157/?no-ist
How have our views on extraterrestrials changed over the decades?
The Extraterrestrial Encyclopedia
A new book takes a multi-disciplinary look at life in the Universe.
By Dirk Schulze-Makuch / www.airspacemag.com/author/dirk-schulze-makuch/
airspacemag.com
February 16, 2016
David Darling and I have a new book out, The Extraterrestrial Encyclopedia, which, aside from covering the scientific search for life in the universe, gets into less familiar topics, from philosophy to UFOs to depictions of extraterrestrials in science fiction. These other aspects of astrobiology are what made it so intriguing when David asked me to join the project.
Much can be learned from looking at how our notion of extraterrestrial life has changed over the centuries. Ancient philosophers wondered about life on stars and planets. Only 100 years ago, it wasn’t outlandish to think of life on Venus or our Moon. One popular suggestion was that there’s a jungle on the Venusian surface, with a multitude of lifeforms. The space age did nix most of these speculations, but we are in a very similar situation today when we think about life on exoplanets.
Societal views on extraterrestrial life have changed with the culture. During the Cold War it was common to depict any extraterrestrial life forms as threatening invaders—one typical example being the famous novel and movie Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The image of aliens later softened in movies like E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and extraterrestrials (at least intelligent ones) were portrayed in a more balanced way, as in the Star Trek Series.
CONTINUE READING:
www.airspacemag.com/daily-planet/extraterrestrial-encyclopedia-180958157/?no-ist