Extraterrestrial Languages

Author : Daniel Oberhaus
Publisher : MIT Press
ISBN 13 : 026254864X
Total Pages : 265 pages
Book Rating : 4.49/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Extraterrestrial Languages written by Daniel Oberhaus and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2024-05-07 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: If we send a message into space, will extraterrestrial beings receive it? Will they understand? The endlessly fascinating question of whether we are alone in the universe has always been accompanied by another, more complicated one: if there is extraterrestrial life, how would we communicate with it? In this book, Daniel Oberhaus leads readers on a quest for extraterrestrial communication. Exploring Earthlings' various attempts to reach out to non-Earthlings over the centuries, he poses some not entirely answerable questions: If we send a message into space, will extraterrestrial beings receive it? Will they understand? What languages will they (and we) speak? Is there not only a universal grammar (as Noam Chomsky has posited), but also a grammar of the universe? Oberhaus describes, among other things, a late-nineteenth-century idea to communicate with Martians via Morse code and mirrors; the emergence in the twentieth century of SETI (the search for extraterrestrial intelligence), CETI (communication with extraterrestrial intelligence), and finally METI (messaging extraterrestrial intelligence); the one-way space voyage of Ella, an artificial intelligence agent that can play cards, tell fortunes, and recite poetry; and the launching of a theremin concert for aliens. He considers media used in attempts at extraterrestrial communication, from microwave systems to plaques on spacecrafts to formal logic, and discusses attempts to formulate a language for our message, including the Astraglossa and two generations of Lincos (lingua cosmica). The chosen medium for interstellar communication reveals much about the technological sophistication of the civilization that sends it, Oberhaus observes, but even more interesting is the information embedded in the message itself. In Extraterrestrial Languages, he considers how philosophy, linguistics, mathematics, science, and art have informed the design or limited the effectiveness of our interstellar messaging.

Author : Douglas A. Vakoch
Publisher : State University of New York Press
ISBN 13 : 1438437951
Total Pages : 523 pages
Book Rating : 4.58/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Communication with Extraterrestrial Intelligence (CETI) written by Douglas A. Vakoch and published by State University of New York Press. This book was released on 2011-04-01 with total page 523 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In April 2010, fifty years to the month after the first experiment in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), scholars from a range of disciplines—including astronomy, mathematics, anthropology, history, and cognitive science—gathered at NASA's biennial Astrobiology Science Conference (AbSciCon) for a series of sessions on the search for intelligent life. This book highlights the most recent developments in SETI discussed at that conference, emphasizing the ways that SETI has grown since its inception. The volume covers three broad themes: First, leading researchers examine the latest developments in observational SETI programs, as well as innovative proposals for new search strategies and novel approaches to signal processing. Second, both proponents and opponents of "Active SETI" debate whether humankind should be transmitting intentional signals to other possible civilizations, rather than only listening. Third, constructive proposals for interstellar messages are juxtaposed with critiques that ask whether any meaningful exchange is possible with an independently evolved civilization, given the constraints of contact at interstellar distances, where a round-trip exchange could take centuries or millennia. As we reflect on a half-century of SETI research, we are reminded of the expansion of search programs made possible by technological and conceptual advances. In this spirit of ongoing exploration, the contributors to this book advocate a diverse range of approaches to make SETI increasingly more powerful and effective, as we embark on the next half-century of searching for intelligence beyond Earth.

Author : Avi Loeb
Publisher : HarperCollins
ISBN 13 : 0358274559
Total Pages : 245 pages
Book Rating : 4.51/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Extraterrestrial written by Avi Loeb and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2021-01-26 with total page 245 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: New York Times Bestseller | Wall Street Journal Bestseller | Publishers Weekly Bestseller | Publishers Marketplace 2020 Buzz Book | Amazon Best Book of the Year | Longlisted for the 2022 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award “Provocative and thrilling ... Loeb asks us to think big and to expect the unexpected.” —Alan Lightman, New York Times bestselling author of Einstein’s Dreams and Searching for Stars on an Island in Maine Harvard’s top astronomer lays out his controversial theory that our solar system was recently visited by advanced alien technology from a distant star. In late 2017, scientists at a Hawaiian observatory glimpsed an object soaring through our inner solar system, moving so quickly that it could only have come from another star. Avi Loeb, Harvard’s top astronomer, showed it was not an asteroid; it was moving too fast along a strange orbit, and left no trail of gas or debris in its wake. There was only one conceivable explanation: the object was a piece of advanced technology created by a distant alien civilization. In Extraterrestrial, Loeb takes readers inside the thrilling story of the first interstellar visitor to be spotted in our solar system. He outlines his controversial theory and its profound implications: for science, for religion, and for the future of our species and our planet. A mind-bending journey through the furthest reaches of science, space-time, and the human imagination, Extraterrestrial challenges readers to aim for the stars—and to think critically about what’s out there, no matter how strange it seems.

Author : Ben Zuckerman
Publisher : CUP Archive
ISBN 13 : 9780521448031
Total Pages : 260 pages
Book Rating : 4.34/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Extraterrestrials written by Ben Zuckerman and published by CUP Archive. This book was released on 1995-09-28 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Experts critically examine the belief that other intelligent life exists in our galaxy.

Author : David Lamb
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1134544634
Total Pages : 230 pages
Book Rating : 4.39/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence written by David Lamb and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2005-07-26 with total page 230 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Is the Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence a genuine scientific research programme? David Lamb evaluates claims and counter-claims, and examines recent attempts to establish contact with other intelligent life forms. He considers the benefits and drawbacks of this communication, how we should communicate and whether we actually can. He also assesses competing theories on the origin of life on Earth, discoveries of former solar planets, proposals for space colonies and the consequent technical and ethical issues.

Author : Marsha Freeman
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 308 pages
Book Rating : 4.13/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Krafft Ehricke's Extraterrestrial Imperative written by Marsha Freeman and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From this book, the reader will gain an insight into one of the most creative minds in the history of space exploration. Krafft Ehricke's contribution to space exploration encompasses details of new, innovative ideas, but also how to think about the importance and value of space exploration for society. The reader will gain an understanding of the early history of the space pioneers, what they have helped accomplish, and how Ehricke's vision of where we should be going can shape the future. At this time, when there are questions about the path of the space program for the next decades, Krafft Ehricke has laid out the philosophical framework for why space exploration must be pursued, through his concept of the "Extraterrestrial Imperative," and the fight that he waged, over many years, for a long-range vision for the program. Readers will find it a very imaginative work, and a very up-lifting story. Krafft Ehricke's Extraterrestrial Imperative is the summation of his work on encouraging the exploration and development of space. The book contains all of his reasons why we need to get off the planet and explore space.

Author : Andy Weir
Publisher : Ballantine Books
ISBN 13 : 0593135229
Total Pages : 497 pages
Book Rating : 4.28/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Project Hail Mary written by Andy Weir and published by Ballantine Books. This book was released on 2022-10-04 with total page 497 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of The Martian, a lone astronaut must save the earth from disaster in this “propulsive” (Entertainment Weekly), cinematic thriller full of suspense, humor, and fascinating science—in development as a major motion picture starring Ryan Gosling. HUGO AWARD FINALIST • ONE OF THE YEAR’S BEST BOOKS: Bill Gates, GatesNotes, New York Public Library, Parade, Newsweek, Polygon, Shelf Awareness, She Reads, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal • “An epic story of redemption, discovery and cool speculative sci-fi.”—USA Today “If you loved The Martian, you’ll go crazy for Weir’s latest.”—The Washington Post Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission—and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish. Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it. All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. And he’s just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company. His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it’s up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery—and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species. And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he’s got to do it all alone. Or does he? An irresistible interstellar adventure as only Andy Weir could deliver, Project Hail Mary is a tale of discovery, speculation, and survival to rival The Martian—while taking us to places it never dreamed of going.

Author : Marina Yaguello
Publisher : MIT Press
ISBN 13 : 0262368129
Total Pages : 349 pages
Book Rating : 4.24/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Imaginary Languages written by Marina Yaguello and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2022-04-19 with total page 349 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An exploration of the practice of inventing languages, from speaking in tongues to utopian schemes of universality to the discoveries of modern linguistics. In Imaginary Languages, Marina Yaguello explores the history and practice of inventing languages, from religious speaking in tongues to politically utopian schemes of universality to the discoveries of modern linguistics. She looks for imagined languages that are autonomous systems, complete unto themselves and meant for communal use; imaginary, and therefore unlike both natural languages and historically attested languages; and products of an individual effort to lay hold of language. Inventors of languages, Yaguello writes, are madly in love: they love an object that belongs to them only to the extent that they also share it with a community. Yaguello investigates the sources of imaginary languages, in myths, dreams, and utopias. She takes readers on a tour of languages invented in literature from the sixteenth to the twentieth century, including that in More’s Utopia, Leibniz’s “algebra of thought,” and Bulwer-Lytton’s linguistic fiction. She examines the linguistic fantasies (or madness) of Georgian linguist Nikolai Marr and Swiss medium Hélène Smith; and considers the quest for the true philosophical language. Yaguello finds two abiding (and somewhat contradictory) forces: the diversity of linguistic experience, which stands opposed to unifying endeavors, and, on the other hand, features shared by all languages (natural or not) and their users, which justifies the universalist hypothesis. Recent years have seen something of a boom in invented languages, whether artificial languages meant to facilitate international communication or imagined languages constructed as part of science fiction worlds. In Imaginary Languages (an updated and expanded version of the earlier Les Fous du langage, published in English as Lunatic Lovers of Language), Yaguello shows that the invention of language is above all a passionate, dizzying labor of love.

Author : Don Lincoln
Publisher : JHU Press
ISBN 13 : 1421410737
Total Pages : 279 pages
Book Rating : 4.39/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Alien Universe written by Don Lincoln and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 2013-10-15 with total page 279 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Are alien civilizations really possible? If extraterrestrials exist, where are they? How likely is it that somewhere in the universe an Earth-like planet supports an advanced culture? Why do so many people claim to have encountered Aliens? In this gripping exploration, scientist Don Lincoln exposes and explains the truths about the belief in and the search for life on other planets. In the first half of Alien Universe, Lincoln looks to Western civilization's collective image of Aliens, showing how our perceptions of extraterrestrials have evolved over time. The roots of this belief can be traced as far back as our earliest recognition of other planets in the universe—the idea of them supporting life was a natural progression of thinking that has fascinated us ever since. Our captivation with Aliens has, however, led to mixed results. The world was fooled in the nineteenth century during the Great Moon Hoax of 1835, and many people misunderstood Orson Welles's 1938 radio broadcast, The War of the Worlds, leading to significant anxiety among some listeners. Our continuing interest in Aliens is reflected in entertainment successes such as E.T., The X-Files, and Star Trek. The second half of the book explores the scientific possibility of whether advanced Alien civilizations do exist. For many years, researchers have sought to answer Enrico Fermi’s great paradox—if there are so many planets in the universe and there is a high probability that many of those can support life, then why have we not actually encountered any Aliens? Lincoln describes how modern science teaches us what is possible and what is not in our search for extraterrestrial civilizations. Whether you are drawn to the psychological belief in Aliens, the history of our interest in life on other planets, or the scientific possibility of Alien existence, Alien Universe is sure to hold you spellbound.

Author : Carl Sagan
Publisher : MIT Press (MA)
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 476 pages
Book Rating : 4.66/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Communication with Extraterrestrial Intelligence (CETI) written by Carl Sagan and published by MIT Press (MA). This book was released on 1973 with total page 476 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first international conference on the problem of extraterrestrial civilizations, and contact with them, was held in September 1971 in Soviet Armenia. The conference was a gathering of specialists working in a wide variety of fields—astronomy, physics, radiophysics, computer science and technology, chemistry, biology, linguistics, archaeology, anthropology, sociology, and history—and included many scientists whose reputations are worldwide. For example, Freeman Dyson, Philip Morrison, and Charles Townes were among the American participants; their Russian counterparts were of comparable distinction. The conference was jointly organized by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (with assistance from the U.S. National Science Foundation) and the U.S.S.R. Academy of Sciences. Scientists from several other countries also participated. Many aspects of the problem of extraterrestrial civilizations were discussed in detail, and these discussions are fully presented in this book. Particular attention is devoted to the following questions: the plurality of planetary systems in the universe, the origin of life on Earth, the possibility of life arising on cosmic bodies, the origin and evolution of intelligence, the origin and development of technological civilizations, problems in searching for intelligent signals or for evidence of astroengineering activities, and the problems and possible consequences of establishing contact with extraterrestrial civilizations.