The Science of Aliens

Rating:
Summary: Read the book in one night...
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Read the book in one night...
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Kla-too Barada Nik-toe
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Kla-too Barada Nik-toe
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: For those who like both science and aliens :)
Review: This book is all about the science of aliens. Which means, how would they look like, how would they act, how will they reproduce, how will they communicate with us and so on.
I enjoyed the book mainly because I learned a lot of stuff. I learned about the tons of weird creatures we have right here on earth - alien-like creatures. I enjoyed reading about space-travel possibilities, about weird planets, and weird possible alien life-forms.
All in all, this book is about using science and imagination to think about how possible aliens would be like.

This is not a book for UFO fanatics in no way. It's rather a scientific book about the possibilities.
When, again, the single most important thing I learned from it is about the BILLIONS of species we have right here on earth that are VERY alien.

The book is interesting most of the time, only a few boring sections; And it would have been much more enjoyable if the many sketches/drawings would have been better.

All in all, I can recommend it for those who like to speculate, learn and think..

Rating:
Summary: when the moon meets the jude
Review: this book was so fascinating that i couldn't put it down. i love the way pickover makes everything simple and i love pictures because they make everything more interesting. even though, you read one pickover book, you feel like you've read them all because he uses the same pictures and some of the same passages. but nonetheless i do enjoy reading his work.