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摘要
摘要
The father-son team of David E. Fisher and Marshall Jon Fisher brings the study of extraterrestrial life down to earth. They trace humankind's attempts to discover life on other worlds - a discipline known in scientific circles as exobiology. Beginning in the 17th century with the story of Giordano Bruno, whose interest in the mysteries of the universe caused him to be burned at the stake, the study continues through to the late 1990s highlighting scientific breakthroughs: evidence of fossilized organisms in a meteorite from Mars; planets orbiting a variety of different stars; and a possible ocean on one of Jupiter's moons. Guided by history and by science, this book separates fantasies about aliens from the search for documented evidence of extraterrestrial life.
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Kirkus评论
Is there life on other worlds? Nobody knowsbut the search, as recounted here, has been vastly entertaining. Ever since Galileo showed the planets to be other worlds, it has been apparent that some of them must harbor life. But despite nearly four centuries of searching, definitive proof of this widely accepted postulate remains elusive. A father-son team made up of a cosmochemistry professor (David, at the Univ. of Miami) and a popular-science writer (Marshall, author of Tube, 1996), the Fishers chronicle the history of this search, and speculate on its eventual conclusion. The first half of the book focuses on our nearest planetary neighbor, Mars. A brief history of the philosophical and scientific underpinnings of the belief that life exists beyond our world leads up to Percival Lowell, who toward the end of the 19th century argued fervently that the Martian ``canals'' (since proven to be optical illusions) were evidence of intelligent life. These arguments fell on fertile ground, at least among the general population. Marconi and Tesla both claimed to have gotten signals from Mars via the newly invented radio, but attempts to duplicate their results never panned out. Reluctantly, as more and better data accumulated, scientists decided that Mars was in fact a dead worldalthough there may be fossils in a meteor believed to be of Martian origin. The search has moved to other worldsfor example, to the moons of Jupiter, some of which may have oceans. Radio telescopes allow the search to examine other galaxies, although results to date are inconclusive. A final chapter looks at the implications of actually finding life: not only what it will mean to science, but how ordinary people are likely to respond. The Fishers present their history interestingly, touch on all the relevant science, and provide plenty of food for thought. A readable and comprehensive overview of this fascinating quest.
《书目》(Booklist)书评
The possibility of life on other planets has tantalized earthbound humans for centuries. Now modern science has given us the tools to look for that life, and two leading researchers (father and son) invite us to join in the exciting quest. Mechanized rovers have long since dispelled fantasies of Martians building cities and digging canals. But electron microscopes are turning up possible evidence of bacteria in meteorites from the Red Planet, even as submarines are finding microbes in deep-sea environments similar to those detected on one of Jupiter's moons. But nothing stirs higher expectations than the efforts to send and receive radio signals to intelligent life beyond Pluto. With high-power telescopes now giving us glimpses of planets in other solar systems, hopes of making contact are soaring. The authors examine these hopes with intelligence--and shrewd wit--balancing the skeptics' doubts against the optimists' faith. Out-of-this-world reading. --Bryce Christensen
《图书馆杂志》(Library Journal )书评
A nuclear physicist and a journalist, respectively, the Fishers (Tube: The Invention of Television, Counterpoint, 1996), a father-and-son team, review scientific research on the possibility of life beyond Earth, beginning with Percival Lowell's claims about canals on Mars and continuing right up to recent discoveries of planets around other stars and NASA's announcement of possible microorganisms on a meteorite from Mars. Intended for lay readers, their book covers much the same ground as Michael Lemonick's Other Worlds (LJ 4/1/98) and is equally good. Dick is an astronomer at the U.S. Naval Observatory whose Life on Other Worlds, an abridged and updated version of The Biological Universe (Cambridge Univ., 1996), is deeper and broader than the Lemonick and Fisher books. In addition to reviewing scientific work on extraterrestrial life, he also explores the connections to science fiction, the UFO controversy, and some modern philosophers' musings. His book is aimed at a fairly sophisticated audience and is strongly recommended for all academic libraries.Jack W. Weigel, Univ. of Michigan Lib., Ann Arbor (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.