Customer Reviews

The Science Of Aliens

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book finds polymath Clifford Pickover at nearly the top of his game. This is a wide-ranging exploration of alien-related topics from science and popular culture. The book is organized into 9 chapters, each dealing with a different aspect of "alien-ness".

Liberal use of material from science fiction literature (including Pickover's own SF books) provide a good contrast to the hard science also on display here. Very nicely done black and white illustrations from many sources are a plus.

The chapter on 'Appearance' goes beyond the obvious 'they won't look like us'. Pickover meditates on the many exotic shapes of life on our own planet, and discusses symmetry, brain location, and appendages. In 'Senses', he speculates on how aliens might 'smell' and 'see' their own environment. He makes the interesting proposition that the first aliens that we meet will likely be 'immortals'.

Like much of good science fiction, he describes in some detail the extreme 'Environments' in which aliens might live, using earth geology as a starting point. He discusses life as we know it in very hot, cold, airless, acidic, alkaline, salty, high pressure, and dry conditions. He then proceeds to speculate on environments as inhospitable (relatively) as a high gravity Brown Dwarf, and the vacuum of space.

In 'Origins' he discusses earth-based molecular biology as well as the theory of panspermia. He also considers the likelihood that meteorites and comets have been important mechanisms for dispersing some of the keys elements for life. He concludes this discussion closer to home with some speculation on the kinds of life we will find on Io, Ganymede, Europa, and Mars (when we get there).

He posits that our initial 'Communication' will likely be mathematical in form; although, he does allow for the possibility of finding some kind of genetic message first. He is a strong advocate of the work done by SETI. The book generously includes a description of how to build an amateur SETI system.

In the section on 'Travel' I found a wondrously simple explanation of TACHYONS (I've wondered about them since my first Star Trek episode in 1966). Pickover surveys the physics of high speed travel, distance and death.

He wraps the book with a skeptical discussion of (what else?) 'Alien Abduction'. He branches off here into one of his favorite topics, temporal lobe epilepsy.

Numerous references to popular culture (television & movies) will date the material eventually. Chapter notes are as interesting as the main text; very good bibliography and table of contents.

Dr Clifford Pickover's book "Science of Aliens" evokes a sense of wonder often absent in much so called science *fiction* these days, especially the political wranglings of humans dressed in funny rubber make up kits in Star Trek, X Files or Babylon 5.

He discusses issues such as whether aliens will offer humanity immortality as means of subduing our warlike nature. Even more mind stretching is the possibility that when all matter is exhausted in the universe after 10^100 years, there will still exist a "diffuse sea of electrons". He evokes questions such as: Could these be arranged into structures to contain the intelligence of immortals left over from the age of matter? Could these structures simulate universes of matter that appear to their inhabitants to be like the universe we currently inhabit? On the basis that most of the lifespan of the universe will be spent in this state, it is in fact more probable that we inhabit such a simulation than the real thing!

Dr Pickover speculates further about way life could survive in this post-matter age of the universe in "Science of Aliens".

Science of Aliens is an easy fun to read type of book. It may not be the first book to touch on each topic within it, but it does collect them together in a format and with a title to attract new readers into thinking about.

Over all, the book has some good information, and makes you think about things. For that alone, it's decent. I had to mark it down, though, because after awhile, the author's constant references to his other books becomes very annoying.

The reason it lost another star with me is that near the end, it becomes rambling, particularly where a couple of pages go off on a tangent about how the author feels about alien abduction theories.

It was a worthwhile read, but I'm glad I checked it out at the library, rather than bought it.

I was able to get an advance copy of Cliff Pickover's "Science of Aliens." Spectacular! The drawings of aliens are wonderful and stimulate the imagination. The innovative scientific speculation on extraterrestrial life, alien biologies, alien abduction, the search for extraterrestrial life (SETI), and alien psychology make this book appeal to a general audience. The pictures excited my ten-year-old, as did the references to science fiction in the movies. Seasoned scientists will appreciate all the hard science and deep research that Pickover had to do in order to consider what aliens might look like. He shows a broad knowledge of the bizarre creatures that already inhabit our planet. There are even some extraterrestrial messages in the book for readers to decode. I definitely recommend this book to teachers (middle school through college) who want to stimulate their students who show an interest in biology and animal life.

Buy this book and feed you brain. You'll definitely not feel the same once you finish this book which lingers in the mind long after other books are long forgotten.

About a third of the thickness of a standard novel (but still 276 pages of information before you get to the notes and index sections), Dr. Pickover has done a magnificent job. I cannot tell you how much I enjoy this book. A lot of the stuff I had known about, but he brought science (or snippets of it and hints at more tantalizing information for me to research) to them I didn't quite have. Some stuff I knew about but forget to think about, such as the umwelt of other creatures compared to my own simian-centric views. And quite a lot of stuff I never heard about at all before. He covers enough to give you the drift and get you excited, then makes some proposals about where Terran examples might be extended to their alien analogs. Well written, humorous, and well worth the price. And on top of that, when I sent him an e-mail asking a question about how humans acquire proper stomach bacteria from their mothers (as we don't eat our parents' feces as some species do), he replied within a couple of hours and gave me links to the information as well as some storyline suggestions. A great book from a nice guy.

Of course it took all night and I called in sick the next day.

It was terrific. A refreshingly scientific approach --by a real scientist no less -- to the big "What if?" without requiring the reader to have a desk reference handy. Pickover manages to get the point across in a logical yet entertaining style that should keep most people glued to the pages. Sure, he makes a couple of leaps, but hey, we're talking about ALIENS.

This was my first exposure to Pickover. It will definately not be my last.

If you like the subject matter but are tired of all the self-published kooks out there then this is your book.

A balance of conceptual investigations, terrestrial precedents, and fictional examples make this book a rare treat. I would suggest it for anyone engaging in creative projects or even for those who are just interested in familiarizing themselves with xenobiological concepts. The only suggestion I'd have for Pickover is to write an expanding sequel!

Clifford Pickover covers a lot of bases. He explores the different kinds of creatures on Earth and suggests that aliens might take similar routes. He also explores what senses an alien might have, problems with communication, even alien sex. He selects some fine examples of aliens from science fiction writers.

Pickover is not afraid to toot his own horn. He makes extensive references to his own work. There is also the standard ridicule of religious principles which no self respecting writer would leave out of his work. This is a good exploration of xenobiology and worth the read for anyone who speculates about the nature of extraterrestrials.

I just finished reading The Science of Aliens. It is a fascinating read for those interested in exobiology and such things. Cliff has obviously done his research and spent a considerable amount of time pondering the issues related to the
topic. This is not just a collection of speculations on what aliens might be like. For each supposition, you get real life examples of creatures right here on Earth who exhibit some of these very same characteristics and behaviors. And, since a picture is worth a thousand words, Cliff has included a number of artists' renderings, which are extremely helpful in picturing the descriptions. To anyone who is considering this title, I highly recommend it!

Anyone interested in the possibility of intelligent extraterrestrial life will love this book. Rarely does one find a book with such insight, breadth, and beauty. My favorite chapter is "Alien Sex" which actually taught me a lot about the bizarre sexual behaviors and anatomies of Earth creatures. One of the figures shows magnifications of sperm from various Earth animals, which should fascinate readers because of the incredible diversity.

Another favorite chapter deals with how we would communicate with aliens. Cliff Pickover gives the reader a number of difficult tests -- hypothetical mathematical signals beamed to Earth by aliens. He asks us if we can decode them. My friends and I are still working on the following test: "Aliens are waiting for humanity to replace the question mark with the next value in the sequence before they will consider us worthy for further communication: 77, 49, 36, 18, ?"

The answers are in the back of the book, but we're trying to solve them without looking.

The book's concluding words will send a shiver up your spine.