01886nam a2200289Ia 4500 TVU_11249 210423s9999 xx 000 0 und d 0195128524 9780195128529 eng 576.839 D249 Koerner, David Here be dragons the scientific quest for extraterrestrial life David Koerner, Simon LeVay New York Oxford University Press 2000 264 p. ill. 24 cm Includes bibliographical references and index The authors survey the work of biologists, cosmologists, computer theorists, NASA engineers, SETI researchers, roboticists, and UFO enthusiasts and debunkers as they attempt to answer the greatest remaining question facing humankind: Are we alone? From their "safe haven of skepticism" the authors venture into the "rough seas of speculation," where theory and evidence run the gamut from hard science to hocus pocus. Arguing that the universe is spectacularly suited for the evolution of living creatures, Koerner and LeVay give us ringside seats at the great debates of Big Science. The contenitous arguments about what really happens in evolution, the acrimonious UFO controversy, and the debate over intelligence versus artificial intelligence shed new light on the wildly divergent claims about the universe and life's place in it. The authors argue that while no direct evidence of extraterrestrial life yet exists, habitats and chemical building blocks for life abound in the universe. A wealth of new astronomical techniques and space missions may provide this evidence early in the next century Life on other planets; Life David Koerner; Simon LeVay Trung tâm Học liệu Trường Đại học Trà Vinh