If the Universe Is Teeming with Aliens... Where Is Everybody? Fifty Solutions to Fermi's Paradox and the Problem of Extraterrestrial Life

In a 1950 conversation at Los Alamos, four world-class scientists generally agreed, given the size of the Universe, that advanced extraterrestrial civilizations must be present. But one of the four, Enrico Fermi, asked, "If these civilizations do exist, where is everybody?" Given the fact that there are perhaps 400 million stars in our Galaxy alone, and perhaps 400 million galaxies in the Universe, it stands to reason that somewhere out there, in the 14 billion-year-old cosmos, there is or once was a civilization at least as advanced as our own. Webb discusses in detail the 50 most cogent and intriguing solutions to Fermi's famous paradox.

where are The Extraterrestrials?

during A Los Alamos Lunchtime Conversation That Took Place More Than 50 Years Ago, Four World-class Scientists Agreed, Given The Size And Age Of The Universe, That Advanced Extraterrestrial Civilizations Simply Had To Exist. The Sheer Numbers Demanded It. But One Of The Four, The Renowned Physicist And Back-of-the-envelope Calculator Enrico Fermi, Asked The Telling Question. If The Extraterrestrial Life Proposition Is True, He Wondered, Where is Everybody?

in This Lively And Thought-provoking Book, Stephen Webb Presents A Detailed Discussion Of The 50 Most Cogent And Intriguing Answers To Fermi's Famous Question, Divided Into Three Distinct Groups:

- Aliens Are Already Here Among Us: Here Are Entries Ranging From The Great Leo Szilard's Suggestion That They Are Already Here, And We Know Them As Hungarians, To The Theorists Who Claim That Aliens Built Stonehenge And The Easter Island Statues.

- Aliens Exist, But Have Not Yet Communicated: The Theories In This Camp Range Widely, From Those Who Believe We Simply Don't Have The Technologies To Receive Their Signals, To Those Who Believe The Enormities Of Space And Time Work Against Communication, To Those Who Believe They're Hiding From Us.

- Aliens Do Not Exist: Here Are The Doubters' Arguments, From The Rare Earth Theory To The Author's Own Closely Argued And Cogently Stated Skepticism.

the Proposed Solutions Run The Gamut From The Crackpot To The Highly Serious, But All Deserve Our Consideration. The Varieties Of Arguments -- From First-rate Scientists, Philosophers And Historians, And Science Fiction Authors -- Turn Out To Be Astonishing, Entertaining, And Vigorous Intellectual Exercises For Any Reader Interested In Science And The Sheer Pleasure Of Speculative Thinking.

Authorbio: Stephen Webb Is Lecturer In Physics At The Open University In England And The Author Of measuring The Universe.

library Journal

in Response To Enrico Fermi's Famous 1950 Question Concerning The Existence Of Advanced Civilizations Elsewhere, Physicist Webb Critically Examines 50 Resolutions To Explain The Total Absence Of Empirical Evidence For Probes, Starships, And Communications From Extraterrestrials. He Focuses On Our Milky Way Galaxy, Which To Date Has Yielded No Objects Or Signals That Indicate The Existence Of Alien Beings With Intelligence And Technology. His Comprehensive Analysis Covers Topics Ranging From The Drake Equation And Dyson Spheres To The Panspermia Hypothesis And Anthropic Arguments. Of Special Interest Are The Discussions On The Dna Molecule, The Origin Of Life On Earth, And The Threats To Organic Evolution On This Planet (including Mass Extinctions). Webb Himself Concludes That The Great Silence In Nature Probably Results From Humankind's Being The Only Civilization Now In This Galaxy, If Not In The Entire Universe. This Richly Informative And Very Engaging Book Is Recommended For Most Academic And Public Library Science Collections.-h. James Birx, Canisius Coll., Buffalo, Ny

Given the fact that there are perhaps 400 billion stars in our Galaxy alone, and perhaps 400 billion galaxies in the Universe, it stands to reason that somewhere out there, in the 14-billion-year-old cosmos, there is or once was a civilization at least as advanced as our own. The sheer enormity of the numbers almost demands that we accept the truth of this hypothesis. Why, then, have we encountered no evidence, no messages, no artifacts of these extraterrestrials? In this second, significantly revised and expanded edition of his widely popular book, Webb discusses in detail the (for now!) 75 most cogent and intriguing solutions to Fermi's famous paradox: If the numbers strongly point to the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations, why have we found no evidence of them? Reviews from the first edition: "Amidst the plethora of books that treat the possibility of extraterrestrial intelligence, this one by Webb ... is outstanding. ... Each solution is presented in a very logical, interesting, thorough manner with accompanying explanations and notes that the intelligent layperson can understand. Webb digs into the issues ... by considering a very broad set of in-depth solutions that he addresses through an interesting and challenging mode of presentation that stretches the mind. ... An excellent book for anyone who has ever asked?Are we alone??." (W.E. Howard III, Choice, March, 2003) "Fifty ideas are presented ... that reveal a clearly reasoned examination of what is known as?The Fermi Paradox?. ... For anyone who enjoys a good detective story, or using their thinking faculties and stretching the imagination to the limits ...?Where is everybody? will be enormously informative and entertaining. ... Read this book, and whatever your views are about life elsewhere in the Universe, your appreciation for how special life is here on Earth will be enhanced! A worthy addition to any personal library." (Philip Bridle, BBC Radio, March, 2003) Since gaining a BSc in physics from the University of Bristol and a PhD in theoretical physics from the University of Manchester, Stephen Webb has worked in a variety of universities in the UK. He is a regular contributor to the Yearbook of Astronomy series and has published an undergraduate textbook on distance determination in astronomy and cosmology as well as several popular science books. His interest in the Fermi paradox combines lifelong interests in both science and science fiction. Publisher's description: During a lunchtime conversation at Los Alamos more than 50 years ago, four world-class scientists agreed, given the size and age of the Universe, that advanced extraterrestrial civilizations simply had to exist. The sheer numbers demanded it. But one of the four, the renowned physicist and back-of-the-envelope calculator Enrico Fermi, asked the telling question: If the extraterrestrial life proposition is true, he wondered, "Where is everybody?" In this lively and thought-provoking book, Stephen Webb presents a detailed discussion of the 50 most cogent and intriguing answers to Fermi's famous question, divided into three distinct groups: Aliens are already here among us. Here are answers ranging from Leo Szilard's, that they are already here and we know them as Hungarians, to those who claim that aliens built Stonehenge and the Easter Island statues. Aliens exist, but have not yet communicated. The theories in this camp range widely, from those who believe we simply don't have the technologies to receive or interpret their signals, to those who believe the enormities of space and time work against communication, to those who believe they're actively hiding from us. Aliens do not exist. Here are the doubters' arguments, from the Rare Earth theory to the author's own closely argued and cogently stated skepticism. The proposed solutions run the gamut from the crackpot to the highly serious, but all deserve our consideration. The varieties of arguments -- from first-rate scientists, philosophers and historians, and science fiction authors -- turn out to be astonishing, entertaining, and vigorous intellectual exercises for any reader interested in science and the sheer pleasure of speculative thinking Cover 1 WHERE IS EVERYBODY? 4 ISBN 9780387955018 5 CONTENTS 8 PREFACE 10 FIGURE CREDITS 12 Chapter 1 Where Is Everybody? 14 Chapter 2 Of Fermi and Paradox 20 Chapter 3 They Are Here 40 Chapter 4 They Exist But Have Not Yet Communicated 74 Chapter 5 They Do Not Exist 154 Chapter 6 Conclusion 246 Chapter 7 Notes and Further Reading 254 Chapter 8 References 288 Index 296 0387955011,9780387955018 Springer 2002