Bulletin of the American Physical Society
APS April Meeting 2015
Volume 60, Number 4
Saturday–Tuesday, April 11–14, 2015; Baltimore, Maryland
Session E12: Invited Session: Exploration for Life in the Universe: Implications for Society |
Hide Abstracts |
Sponsoring Units: FPS DAP Chair: Arian Pregenzer, Sandia National Laboratories Room: Key 8 |
Saturday, April 11, 2015 3:30PM - 4:06PM |
E12.00001: Extraterrestrial Intelligence: What Would it Mean? Invited Speaker: Chris Impey Results from NASA's Kepler mission imply a hundred million Earth-like habitable worlds in the Milky Way galaxy, many of which formed billions of years before the Earth. Each of these worlds is likely to have all of the ingredients needed for biology. The real estate of time and space for the evolution of intelligent life is formidable, begging the question of whether or not we are alone in the universe. The implications of making contact have been explored extensively in science fiction and the popular culture, but less frequently in the serious scientific literature. Astronomers have carried out searches for extraterrestrial intelligence for over half a century, with no success so far. In practice, it is easier to search for alien technology than to discern intelligence of unknown function and form. In this talk, the modes of technology that can currently be detected are summarized, along with the implications of a timing argument than any detected civilization is likely to be much more advanced than ours. Fermi's famous question ``Where Are They?'' is as well posed now as it was sixty years ago. The existence of extraterrestrial intelligence would have profound practical, cultural, and religious implications for humanity. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, April 11, 2015 4:06PM - 4:42PM |
E12.00002: Challenges for Protecting Life on Other Planets Invited Speaker: Christoph Adami |
Saturday, April 11, 2015 4:42PM - 5:18PM |
E12.00003: Exploring the Universe: Lessons for Life on Earth Invited Speaker: David Grinspoon When it comes to life in the universe we, as yet, have almost no perspective. One of the values in exploring the universe with an eye out for biological activity is that it forces us to challenge our largely untested assumptions about life and planetary evolution. In this spirit, I will briefly discuss three questions: (1) Are Venus and Mars failed biospheres? (2) Can a planet be alive? (3) Can a planet be aware? [Preview Abstract] |
Follow Us |
Engage
Become an APS Member |
My APS
Renew Membership |
Information for |
About APSThe American Physical Society (APS) is a non-profit membership organization working to advance the knowledge of physics. |
© 2024 American Physical Society
| All rights reserved | Terms of Use
| Contact Us
Headquarters
1 Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740-3844
(301) 209-3200
Editorial Office
100 Motor Pkwy, Suite 110, Hauppauge, NY 11788
(631) 591-4000
Office of Public Affairs
529 14th St NW, Suite 1050, Washington, D.C. 20045-2001
(202) 662-8700