Xenology - An Introduction to the Scientific Study of Extraterrestrial Life Inteliggence and Civilization

Xenology may be defined as the scientific study of all aspects of extraterrestrial life, intelligence, and civilization. Similarly, xenobiology refers to the study of the biology of extraterrestrial lifeforms not native to Earth, xenopsychology refers to the higher mental processes of such lifeforms if they are intelligent, and so forth. Chapter 1. Introduction* Chapter 2. Extraterrestrial Life: The History of an Idea 2.1 Ancient Beginnings 2.2 The Long Interregnum 2.3 Plurality of Worlds and Divine Purpose 2.4 Science and Science Fiction Chapter 3. The Aliens Among Us 3.1 Xenoarchaeology 3.1.1 Extraterrestrial Intervention in Biological Evolution 3.1.2 Extraterrestrial Cultural Intervention 3.1.3 Extraterrestrial Artifacts and Manifestations 3.2 Ufology 3.2.1 Why Believe in UFOs? 3.2.2 The Evidence for UFOs 3.2.3 The UFO Game 3.3 The Resident Aliens Chapter 4. Xenology: The Context of the Universe 4.1 The Universe 4.2 Galaxies 4.3 The Milky Way Galaxy 4.4 The Stars Chapter 5. General and Comparative Planetology 5.1 Planetary Evolution 5.2 Thalassogens 5.3 Planetary Atmospheres 5.4 Planetary Meteorology and Astrogeology 5.4.1 Climate and Weather 5.4.2 Sky Colors 5.4.3 Astrogeology 5.5 Planetary Habitability PART TWO: Xenobiology Chapter 6. A Definition of Life6.1 Chronology 6.2 What Is Life? 6.2.1 The Traditional Answer 6.2.2 Organization 6.2.3 Towards a Definition of Life Chapter 7. The Origin of Life7.1 Historical Views on the Origin of Life 7.2 Cosmochemical Evolution 7.3 Early Chemical Evolution on Earth 7.3.1 Prebiotic Synthesis 7.4 Proteins and Cells 7.5 Nucleic Acids and DNA 7.6 Early Biological Systems Chapter 8. Exotic Biochemistries8.1 The Argument for Diversity 8.1.1 Temperature Chauvinism 8.2 Alternative Biochemistries 8.2.1 The Limits of Carbon Aqueous 8.2.2 Alternatives to Water 8.2.3 Alternatives to Carbon 8.3 Exotic Lifeforms Chapter 9. Experimental Xenobiology: Searching the Family of Sol* Chapter 10. Alien Bioenergetics 10.1 Finding the Energy to Live 10.2 Photosynthesis 10.3 Animal Metabolism and Respiration 10.4 Alien Blood 10.5 Thermoregulation Chapter 11. Extraterrestrial Biomechanics11.1 Specialization and Symmetry 11.2 Xenobiomechanics 11.2.1 The Challenge of Gravity 11.2.2 Meeting the Challenge: Skeletons 11.3 Alien Locomotion 11.3.1 Aquatic Locomotion 11.3.2 Travel by Land 11.3.3 Avian Propulsion Chapter 12. Alien Sex12.1 Is Sex Necessary? 12.2 The Bisexual Universe 12.2.1 Intersexuality 12.2.2 Optional Sex 12.3 Alien Sex Practices 12.3.1 Alien Orgasms 12.4 Xenogamy Chapter 13. Sensations 13.1 Tactile Senses 13.2 Olfaction 13.3 Acoustical Senses 13.3.1 Two-Dimensional Sound 13.3.2 Three-Dimensional Sound 13.4 Electrical and Magnetic Senses 13.5 Vision 13.5.1 Visible Vision 13.5.2 Infrared Vision 13.5.3 Radio Vision 13.6 Alien Senses Chapter 14. Extraterrestrial Intelligence 14.1 Evolution of Intelligence 14.1.1 In the Beginning 14.1.2 The Triune Brain 14.2 Juvenile Extraterrestrial Intelligences 14.2.1 Genetic Sentience 14.2.2 Brain Sentience 14.2.3 Communal Sentience 14.3 Alien Consciousness and the Sentience Quotient PART THREE: Extraterrestrial Civilizations Chapter 15. Energy and Culture15.1 Type I Civilizations: Planetary Cultures 15.2 Type II Civilizations: Stellar Cultures 15.3 Type III Civilizations: Galactic Cultures 15.4 Type IV Civilizations: Universal Cultures Chapter 16. Xenobiotechnology16.1 Bioneering 16.1.1 Intelligence Amplification 16.1.2 Genetic Surgery 16.1.3 Genetic Hybrids and Synthetic Genes 16.1.4 Ectogenesis and Cloning 16.2 Immortality 16.2.1 Xenogerontology 16.2.2 The Limits of Immortality 16.3 Androids and Cyborgs 16.3.1 Androids and Organleggers 16.3.2 The Bionic Alien 16.3.3 Enter the Robot? (aka. Uploading) 16.4 Machine Life 16.4.1 Artificial Intelligence 16.4.2 Robots and Robotics 16.4.3 Machine Evolution Chapter 17. Interstellar Voyaging 17.1 Communication vs. Transportation 17.2 Relativistic Starflight 17.3 Conventional Interstellar Propulsion Systems 17.3.1 Nuclear Pulse Propulsion 17.3.2 Controlled Fusion Rocket 17.3.3 Interstellar Ramjet 17.3.4 Beamed Power Laser Propulsion 17.3.5 Total Conversion Drives 17.4 Exotic Propulsion Systems 17.4.1 Gravity Catapults 17.4.2 Antigravity and Reactionless Field Drives 17.4.3 Tachyon Starships 17.4.4 Momentum Interconversion Drives 17.4.5 Statistical Transport 17.4.6 Black Holes and Space Warps 17.4.7 Teleportation and Transporter Beams 17.5 Time Travel 17.6 Interstellar Navigation 17.7 Generation Ships and Suspended Animation Chapter 18. Alien Weapons18.1 Chemical, Biochemical, and Biological Weaponry 18.2 Bionic Weaponry 18.3 Sonic Weapons 18.4 Photonic Radiative Weaponry 18.5 Particulate Radiative Weaponry 18.6 Nuclear Explosives 18.7 Climate Modification and High Technology Weapons 18.8 The Ultimate Weapon Chapter 19. Planetary Engineering and Galactic High Technology 19.1 Alien Materials Technology 19.1.1 New Forms of Matter 19.1.2 Energy Storage and Mining Techniques 19.2 Extraterrestrial Habitat Engineering 19.2.1 Terraforming 19.2.2 Space Habitats 19.2.3 Planet Moving and Star Mining 19.2.4 Large Scale Biospheric Engineering 19.2.5 Galactic Megastructures Chapter 20. Xenosociology20.1 Biological Evolution 20.1.1 Evolution Rates 20.2 Xenopsychology 20.2.1 Energy Ecology 20.2.2 Competition and Aggression 20.2.3 Universal Emotions 20.2.4 Xenophobia 20.3 Early Technological Civilizations 20.3.1 Telluric Civilizations 20.3.2 Aquatic Civilizations 20.3.3 Avian Civilizations 20.4 Alien Social Systems 20.4.1 Models for Extraterrestrial Societies Chapter 21. Extraterrestrial Governments21.1 Dimensions of Extraterrestrial Government 21.1.1 Governance Scales 21.2 Alien Political Organizations: Xenopolitical Factors 21.2.1 Sentience 21.2.2 Dispersion 21.2.3 Size 21.2.4 Heritage 21.2.5 Xenopolitics: Tentative Conclusions 21.3 Extraterrestrial Organizational Cybernetics 21.3.1 System Complexity 21.3.2 System Structure 21.3.3 System Stability 21.4 Strategic Galactography 21.4.1 The Economic Viability of Interstellar Cargo Transport 21.4.2 Galactic Trade Routes 21.4.3 Interstellar War Chapter 22. Extraterrestrial Cultures22.1 Alien Religion 22.2 Alien Ritual 22.2.1 Religious Rites 22.2.2 Extraterrestrial Cults 22.3 Ethics and Law 22.3.1 Extraterrestrial Ethics 22.3.2 Legal Universals 22.3.3 Xenopenology 22.4 Philosophy and Knowledge 22.4.1 Alien Logic 22.4.2 Time, Language, and Space 22.4.3 Science and Paradigmology 22.4.4 Xenoeschatology 22.5 Extraterrestrial Aesthetics 22.5.1 Xenomusicology 22.5.2 Alien Painting and Surface Arts 22.5.3 Dance and Sports 22.5.4 Alien Sculpture and Architecture PART FOUR: First Contact Chapter 23. Abodes of Life: The Search Begins23.1 Theoretical Galactic Demography 23.1.1 The Drake Equation 23.2 Observational Galactic Demography 23.2.1 Direct Observation of Alien Planets Chapter 24. Interstellar Communication Techniques24.1 The Cosmic Miracle 24.1.1 Eavesdropping 24.2 Extraterrestrial Signaling 24.2.1 Alternative Channels: HEPs, Neutrinos, Gravitons and Tachyons 24.2.2 Electromagnetic Waves and Frequency Selection 24.2.3 Acquisition and Artificiality Criteria 24.2.4 Alien Message Contents 24.2.5 SETI: Yesterday and Today 24.3 Extraterrestrial Starprobes and Artifacts 24.3.1 Why Probes are Better 24.3.2 Mission Profile 24.3.3 The Nature of Alien Artifacts 24.3.4 Project Daedalus Chapter 25. Theory and Practice of First Contact25.1 First Contact and Metalaw 25.1.1 Basic Metalaw 25.1.2 Fasan's Metalaws 25.1.3 Universal Thermoethical Principles of First Contact 25.2 The Character of First Contact 25.2.1 Mass-Energy Scales of Contact 25.2.2 Information-Rate Scales of Contact 25.2.3 Generalized First Contact Taxonomy 25.3 First Contact Protocols and Elementary Astropolitics 25.3.1 Encounters Between Equals: The 0/0 Contact 25.3.2 Gods and Primitives: The 11/0 Contact 25.3.3 Trees and Humans: The 0/10 Contact 25.3.4 Higher-Order Contacts Chapter 26. First Contact and the Human Response26.1 Military and Political Response 26.1.1 Remote Contact 26.1.2 Direct Contact 26.1.3 Surprise Contact 26.2 Public Reaction and the Press 26.2.1 Rumor and Credibility 26.2.2 Panic and Mass Hysteria 26.3 Legal Issues of First Contact 26.3.1 Alien Animals 26.3.2 Legal Standards of Personhood 26.3.3 Extraterrestrial Persons 26.3.4 Aliens and American Law 26.4 Human Sociocultural Response 26.4.1 The Acculturation of Humanity 26.4.2 Social Impact of First Contact 26.4.3 The Religious Response 26.4.4 Impact on Science and Technology Chapter 27. The Cosmic Perspective*