What do you think?
Rate this book
Trái Đất Này Là Của Chúng Mình?
Thị trấn Smallville, Roswell, E.T., Star Wars, Star Trek, Avatar, Transformers, Pacific Rim, Guardians of the Galaxy, v.v. Để kể hết ra những bộ phim đình đám có sự xuất hiện của các sinh vật ngoài hành tinh thì có lẽ sẽ tốn nguyên một ngày. Đó là minh chứng cho thấy sự tò mò của chúng ta về chủ đề này vẫn chưa bao giờ hạ nhiệt. Nhưng khoan đã, không phải toàn bộ những hiểu biết của bạn về sự sống ngoài hành tinh đều là qua phim ảnh đó chứ? Bạn có biết thực sự thì con người đã làm được những gì, hay tiến được bao xa trên con đường tới bắt tay với sinh vật ngoài Trái Đất?
Ben Miller - một người đã bỏ dở việc lấy bằng Tiến sĩ Khoa học tại Cambridge để trở thành diễn viên hài, bằng sự hiểu biết và óc hài hước của mình, sẽ kể cho chúng ta nghe một câu chuyện đầy thú vị nhưng cũng cực kỳ nghiêm túc về hành trình tìm kiếm và liên lạc với những sinh vật ngoài Trái Đất.
THE ALIENS ARE COMING! - TRÁI ĐẤT NÀY LÀ CỦA CHÚNG MÌNH? là một hành trình lịch sử đầy hứng khởi, đưa chúng ta từ nguồn gốc cho sự nổi danh của UFO vào thế kỷ XX đến những công trình nghiên cứu mới nhất. Đây là một cuốn sách vô cùng thú vị với những kiến thức được đào sâu tìm hiểu và được thể hiện bằng ngòi bút vô cùng khôn ngoan sắc sảo
Ben Miller - một người đã bỏ dở việc lấy bằng Tiến sĩ Khoa học tại Cambridge để trở thành diễn viên hài, bằng sự hiểu biết và óc hài hước của mình, sẽ kể cho chúng ta nghe một câu chuyện đầy thú vị nhưng cũng cực kỳ nghiêm túc về hành trình tìm kiếm và liên lạc với những sinh vật ngoài Trái Đất.
THE ALIENS ARE COMING! - TRÁI ĐẤT NÀY LÀ CỦA CHÚNG MÌNH? là một hành trình lịch sử đầy hứng khởi, đưa chúng ta từ nguồn gốc cho sự nổi danh của UFO vào thế kỷ XX đến những công trình nghiên cứu mới nhất. Đây là một cuốn sách vô cùng thú vị với những kiến thức được đào sâu tìm hiểu và được thể hiện bằng ngòi bút vô cùng khôn ngoan sắc sảo
305 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2016
91 people are currently reading
758 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
February 25, 2019
4.5 STARS!
I had no idea that Ben Miller was such a brilliant guy! This is a well written informative and FUNNY book about the development of life on Earth and how it influences our search for life out in the stars. It's fascinating learning about the parameters needed for life to develop and how specific they are. These things affect our way of interpreting what constitutes life, and gives us ideas about what needs to be present in where we look for it. The book covers a lot about evolution and communication, and less about UFOs and supposed encounters. It's a serious look at how scientists look at the universe, but told with great humor. Move over Carl Sagan, Ben Miller a wonderful storyteller who will inspire people to really look into physics, cosmology and the sciences more seriously. The man really knows his stuff!
I had no idea that Ben Miller was such a brilliant guy! This is a well written informative and FUNNY book about the development of life on Earth and how it influences our search for life out in the stars. It's fascinating learning about the parameters needed for life to develop and how specific they are. These things affect our way of interpreting what constitutes life, and gives us ideas about what needs to be present in where we look for it. The book covers a lot about evolution and communication, and less about UFOs and supposed encounters. It's a serious look at how scientists look at the universe, but told with great humor. Move over Carl Sagan, Ben Miller a wonderful storyteller who will inspire people to really look into physics, cosmology and the sciences more seriously. The man really knows his stuff!
August 28, 2017
Well, the first like 175 pages of this was riveting, I could not put it down. If you are looking for information on how scientists are trying to find or contact actual alien life (rather then just stories of abductions) this is the book for you.
There were so many theories and experiments I was unaware of. While a great deal of the discussion revolved around where microbiological alien life may be, there is also discussion of more complex life.
I did not know much about SETI entering the book, and this really opened my eyes.
The author's writing style is conversational and witty, while still giving you a nice overlay of complex scientific theories and ideas.
So why did I only give this 3 stars. Well right after about page 175 the book really bogs down in complicated and boring discussion of equations that relate to the chances of life developing on earth. It then moves into more earth focused science theories and seemed to go on a 75 page tangent with little to no connection to the search for alien life.
The book tries to pull it back by discussing animals on earth that may also have language or forms of civilization, and how until we can understand these life forms better, understanding aliens will be a struggle. However, this small section pops up only in the last 20 or so pages, and still isn't a strong finish, especially when compared to the amazing beginning of the book.
I would recommend this book to people looking to read about the search for alien life, but I would stop after the 3rd or 4th chapter, and maybe skip to the final section.
There were so many theories and experiments I was unaware of. While a great deal of the discussion revolved around where microbiological alien life may be, there is also discussion of more complex life.
I did not know much about SETI entering the book, and this really opened my eyes.
The author's writing style is conversational and witty, while still giving you a nice overlay of complex scientific theories and ideas.
So why did I only give this 3 stars. Well right after about page 175 the book really bogs down in complicated and boring discussion of equations that relate to the chances of life developing on earth. It then moves into more earth focused science theories and seemed to go on a 75 page tangent with little to no connection to the search for alien life.
The book tries to pull it back by discussing animals on earth that may also have language or forms of civilization, and how until we can understand these life forms better, understanding aliens will be a struggle. However, this small section pops up only in the last 20 or so pages, and still isn't a strong finish, especially when compared to the amazing beginning of the book.
I would recommend this book to people looking to read about the search for alien life, but I would stop after the 3rd or 4th chapter, and maybe skip to the final section.
February 20, 2016
An informative, yet incredibly fun read. I ripped through it in a couple of big reading sessions. Highly recommended!
April 8, 2022
Mir ist klar, dass man bei diesem Thema, für laienhafte Leser*innen etwas ausholen muss, allerdings wurde mir der Bogen teilweise etwas zu weit gespannt. Ich hätte mir etwas weniger Definition und Entdecken von Leben (auf der Erde) und etwas mehr SETI gewünscht. Grundsätzlich aber eine unterhaltsame Lektüre (der Autor ist ja auch Komiker), die gleichzeitig informativ ist (der Autor ist ja auch Physiker). Die Kernaussage war allerdings keine Überraschung. :-)
January 31, 2023
I really enjoyed this book!
It took such a deep and thorough look at the topic and was very well written. I really liked how the author considered his own experiences and historical experiences into the topic.
My only complaint would be is I feel like it dragged on a little bit throughout the first chapter but after that it was an amazing read :)
It took such a deep and thorough look at the topic and was very well written. I really liked how the author considered his own experiences and historical experiences into the topic.
My only complaint would be is I feel like it dragged on a little bit throughout the first chapter but after that it was an amazing read :)
September 22, 2021
Do a Google search for Ben Miller, the author of “The Aliens Are Coming”, and you will discover that Wikipedia lists three occupations before “author”. These include comedian, director, and actor. At first, I thought I had stumbled upon an entirely different Ben Miller. After all, it’s not such an uncommon name. But no, it’s the same person. And not a common one at that. This Ben Miller is obviously a very talented man. But no wonder. It turns out that his great-grandmother was Rose Elizabeth Lincoln who, in turn, was the eighth-great-granddaughter of Samuel Lincoln. Although many Americans may not recognize the name of Samuel Lincoln, most are at least somewhat familiar with his fourth-great-grandson, Abraham. Yes, that Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States. No surprise then that Ben Miller is brilliant, talented, and quite witty. His sense of humor really shines through in this book. Miller has a knack for presenting complex ideas in a funny and entertaining, but clear and comprehensible manner. Are we alone in the Universe? Almost certainly not. But how will we recognize intelligent life from other worlds if we stumble across it someday? By considering the origins of the Universe, the genesis of life as it exists on Earth, and the evolution of intelligent life, Miller proposes to answer this question, speculating further as to what other forms of life (as we don’t know it) may exist. Prepare to be entertained but also to be educated. I learned a lot from this book, much of which I knew about somewhat but never had it explained is such a clear and entertaining manner.
December 2, 2017
lu bu quá nên để review sau//
[updated- 01.12.2017]
Bỏ qua những lỗi chính tả và canh dòng ngớ ngẩn thì quyển sách này lôi cuốn ngoài mong đợi của mình rất nhiều. Ban đầu còn nhầm lẫn giữa cái tên tác giả/ diễn viên người Anh Ben Miller thành diễn viên người Mĩ Ben Stiller thì sau khi gấp sách lại, cái tên Ben Miller trở thành một cái tên ấn tượng thật sự. Niềm đam mê thiên văn (hay hơn cả, là sự sống ngoài hành tinh) được gom lại, diễn đạt một cách hài hước nhưng nghiêm túc. Khối lượng thông tin đồ sộ còn hướng người đọc ra khỏi tầm vóc của quyển sách khiêm nhường này. Không chỉ được bổ trợ kiến thức cùng với quyển sách thiên văn mình đọc song song mà Ben Miller còn thay đổi hoàn toàn cách mình suy nghĩ về UFOs cũng như sự sống từ chính hành tinh mình.
Tựa đề mình nghĩ dịch thế thật cũng không hay, và không đủ. Quyển sách đối chiếu liên tục giữa chiều kích không gian vũ trụ to lớn với dòng thời gian trải dài từ quá khứ – hiện tại – tương lai của một hành tinh mẫu – Trái Đất – khiến chúng ta không chỉ đặt câu hỏi cho sự sống ngoài kia, mà còn cho chính những điều đang mắt thấy – tai nghe – tâm thấu.
Mình từng là đứa không mặn mà với những chương trình tìm kiếm sự sống/ hành tinh giống Trái Đất của NASA vì bản tin luôn tâm niệm “tự sinh, tự diệt”, việc tìm kiếm giống như cách con người hèn nhát và tham lam; dẫu sai hoặc đúng, nhưng mình đã có một cách tin khác sau khi đọc, rằng chúng ta nhìn xa hơn để có thể hiểu những điều gần gũi hơn, và chỉ để thỏa lấp nỗi cô đơn giữa vũ trụ này.
full review
[updated- 01.12.2017]
Bỏ qua những lỗi chính tả và canh dòng ngớ ngẩn thì quyển sách này lôi cuốn ngoài mong đợi của mình rất nhiều. Ban đầu còn nhầm lẫn giữa cái tên tác giả/ diễn viên người Anh Ben Miller thành diễn viên người Mĩ Ben Stiller thì sau khi gấp sách lại, cái tên Ben Miller trở thành một cái tên ấn tượng thật sự. Niềm đam mê thiên văn (hay hơn cả, là sự sống ngoài hành tinh) được gom lại, diễn đạt một cách hài hước nhưng nghiêm túc. Khối lượng thông tin đồ sộ còn hướng người đọc ra khỏi tầm vóc của quyển sách khiêm nhường này. Không chỉ được bổ trợ kiến thức cùng với quyển sách thiên văn mình đọc song song mà Ben Miller còn thay đổi hoàn toàn cách mình suy nghĩ về UFOs cũng như sự sống từ chính hành tinh mình.
Tựa đề mình nghĩ dịch thế thật cũng không hay, và không đủ. Quyển sách đối chiếu liên tục giữa chiều kích không gian vũ trụ to lớn với dòng thời gian trải dài từ quá khứ – hiện tại – tương lai của một hành tinh mẫu – Trái Đất – khiến chúng ta không chỉ đặt câu hỏi cho sự sống ngoài kia, mà còn cho chính những điều đang mắt thấy – tai nghe – tâm thấu.
Mình từng là đứa không mặn mà với những chương trình tìm kiếm sự sống/ hành tinh giống Trái Đất của NASA vì bản tin luôn tâm niệm “tự sinh, tự diệt”, việc tìm kiếm giống như cách con người hèn nhát và tham lam; dẫu sai hoặc đúng, nhưng mình đã có một cách tin khác sau khi đọc, rằng chúng ta nhìn xa hơn để có thể hiểu những điều gần gũi hơn, và chỉ để thỏa lấp nỗi cô đơn giữa vũ trụ này.
full review
February 21, 2016
Comedian and author of the excellent science book It's Not Rocket Science considers alien life in this great new book.
I wasn't totally sure what to expect from this book if I'm honest and it turns out this is wasn't that far away from being More It's Not Rocket Science. I liked Miller's first book so I am not complaining that this is mostly in a similar vein to it. To consider aliens Miller looks at how the universe began, how the Earth was formed, how life first existed and some quite complicated physics about our universe. Like the first book the author does a pretty decent job at explaining some fairly complicated science.
The bits I liked more were things that I was expecting more, i.e. things actually to do with aliens. This included a fair bit of detail about SETI, concepts like the Fermi paradox and how we might communicate with aliens. I did feel at times Miller when on extraordinarily long tangents to get to a point.
As you would expect from Miller, the book is quite funny in places and is certainly light-hearted. Most of his examples are quite entertaining and his descriptions of various scientists were often fun too. The footnotes either tended to contain some great jokes or further information about a subject.
Half a good science book like his first book and half an excellent and thought-provoking exploration of the potential for aliens.
I wasn't totally sure what to expect from this book if I'm honest and it turns out this is wasn't that far away from being More It's Not Rocket Science. I liked Miller's first book so I am not complaining that this is mostly in a similar vein to it. To consider aliens Miller looks at how the universe began, how the Earth was formed, how life first existed and some quite complicated physics about our universe. Like the first book the author does a pretty decent job at explaining some fairly complicated science.
The bits I liked more were things that I was expecting more, i.e. things actually to do with aliens. This included a fair bit of detail about SETI, concepts like the Fermi paradox and how we might communicate with aliens. I did feel at times Miller when on extraordinarily long tangents to get to a point.
As you would expect from Miller, the book is quite funny in places and is certainly light-hearted. Most of his examples are quite entertaining and his descriptions of various scientists were often fun too. The footnotes either tended to contain some great jokes or further information about a subject.
Half a good science book like his first book and half an excellent and thought-provoking exploration of the potential for aliens.
June 22, 2018
An interesting enough introduction into the discussion about life beyond Earth and our search for it. However, some parts of the writing seem to veer off topic for no clear reason and it will be a few pages later before the author makes a conscious effort to get back his focus. At certain points, it seems as though the author took a long break in-between chapters as there is no clear link and sequencing between them. Lastly, and this may be an unfair criticism, it may be because I've read a number of other books on the same topic that I find some of the discussion to be overly long-winded as other authors have made the same point much more succinctly and in an easier-to-understand manner.
All in all, if you are looking for an introductory read into the topic, then this will serve the purpose but it doesn't stand out from other books on the same topic.
All in all, if you are looking for an introductory read into the topic, then this will serve the purpose but it doesn't stand out from other books on the same topic.
September 1, 2016
Lovely chatty style of book, reigniting my interest in all things exoplanety. And reminding me that the SETI stuff is serious science. Well worth reading.
June 25, 2018
There weren't a great deal of aliens in here; it was just an excuse for Ben Miller to talk about physics, and chemistry, and biology. But he does it in a pretty funny manner, so we'll let him off.
April 12, 2021
A book that goes far beyond its catchy title! Of course, we talk about alien life, but not in a cheap way. There is a lot of theory and a lot of science in this book. We talk about astronomy, astrophysics, physics (mechanics and quantum), biology, linguistic and more. All is very well explained and accessible, the biology part is a bit specific and complex at some point, and it isn’t the subject I know most about so I struggle a bit, but it was okay. I have learned a lot and I enjoy it. It will make you learn and think! I also recommend reading it with a phone or a computer nearby so you can google some of the stuff he talks about to go even deeper or have some visual of certain things. Very good book!
May 14, 2024
This was a great read. Really informative. Approaches our attempts to receive and contact other possible intelligent life in the universe. Discusses the lack of compelling evidence related to aliens already having visited our planet. Talks about the statistical probability of life (and intelligent life) forming through evolution in the universe. A few things are highly promising revolving around the frequency of convergent evolution and one in particular is highly improbable to occur again: the co-opting of mitochondria. And the whole thing even includes a dolphin molestation in our attempts to translate “alien” language. I’d definitely pass this to a friend.
January 5, 2022
Certainly eclectic, with discussions of the search for exoplanets, alien life, earth biology, chemistry and physics as well as history and literature. I should have loved this book but instead I found myself getting bogged down in it and skipping pages trying to escape the bog. And while I love British humor, the explanation of difficult subjects like chemistry and physics (for me personally) using humor just didn't work. Ultimately, just disappointed with the book. #deathmediacult
November 13, 2021
Not sure what I was expecting, but I expected a bit, well more. It's well written and entertaining, but it is firmly an introduction. You likely would have heard most of this stuff if you've watched a documentary about the possibilities of life in the universe.
Distinctly British in writing style, which I like.
Distinctly British in writing style, which I like.
January 2, 2019
This book is a welcome surprise! It is an informative read and well worth taking the plunge to explore how humans can detect and decipher an alien language!
May 11, 2022
A very enjoyable and approachable book astrophysics, chemistry and biology and a few things in between. Ben Miller's enthusiasm for the topics and issues throughout which makes the book a joy to read.
September 14, 2024
A fun approach to aliens, doing a good job of introducing and explaining topics ranging from ecology to physics. However it wasn’t fun enough to stop me from putting it down for a couple weeks when I was 1/3 of the way through
August 3, 2016
I absolutely loved this. I knew that I was kind of interested in the search for extraterrestrial life, but was struggling to find material to feed that interest. Luckily enough, I stumbled upon this in the science section at Waterstones, and picked it up immediately.
A few notes and other thoughts I had whilst reading, that I wrote on post-its and stuck in relevant places:
LOVE extremophiles and want to learn more about those
did life really begin on Mars rather than Earth, and then travel by comet?
NASA Institute of Astrobiology (really want to work there now...)
TITAN!!! The Jupiter moon...
The anthropic principle, ie. "the universe is fine-tuned for life"
The Monte Carlo fallacy, and an excellent illustration using the lottery (page 122)
Martian bacteria (!!!) on board comet ALH84001
"life forms constantly cheat the Second Law of Thermodynamics" (page 151)
"the cell membrane is crucial because it prevents equilibrium" (page 153)
Why primordial theory isn't feasible (and why hydrothermal vents are)
The whooooole of the chapter "Humans", for the evolutionary biology content
Stuff about islands in the chapter "Aliens", especially Madagascar and its 100+ lemur species
I was less interested in the pure physics side of things, as well as the interception and eventual translation of alien messages. But the biology parts were really sound and got me excited about the possibility of life beyond Earth.
A few notes and other thoughts I had whilst reading, that I wrote on post-its and stuck in relevant places:
LOVE extremophiles and want to learn more about those
did life really begin on Mars rather than Earth, and then travel by comet?
NASA Institute of Astrobiology (really want to work there now...)
TITAN!!! The Jupiter moon...
The anthropic principle, ie. "the universe is fine-tuned for life"
The Monte Carlo fallacy, and an excellent illustration using the lottery (page 122)
Martian bacteria (!!!) on board comet ALH84001
"life forms constantly cheat the Second Law of Thermodynamics" (page 151)
"the cell membrane is crucial because it prevents equilibrium" (page 153)
Why primordial theory isn't feasible (and why hydrothermal vents are)
The whooooole of the chapter "Humans", for the evolutionary biology content
Stuff about islands in the chapter "Aliens", especially Madagascar and its 100+ lemur species
I was less interested in the pure physics side of things, as well as the interception and eventual translation of alien messages. But the biology parts were really sound and got me excited about the possibility of life beyond Earth.
February 7, 2017
Does the world really need another popular science book, especially one written by a TV comic? As it turns out, yes, because not only does Ben Miller have a proper scientific background, not only does he have a boundless enthusiasm for his subject, but he (and this is important) can actually write!
The rather vulgar, UFO-infested, cover belies the eclectic and well-organized interior, in which Miller marshals facts and histories into a fascinating overview of the development of the search for life outside our world from a minority strand of astronomy to a multi-disciplinary, respectable (if so far entirely theoretical) area of scientific research. All areas of SETI are covered in a literate and engaging way so that even moderately well-informed geeks (hello! that'll be me!) will find much to make them go, "Hmmm... I didn't know that."
The only downside (apart from the aforementioned ill-chosen cover, is the overuse of footnotes, at least half of which could easily have been interpolated into the text. Maybe it's a Miller joke, but it's one which threatens, momentarily, to be irritating.
Still a minor complaint for a book which I had hoped might be a mildly-entertaining vanity project but which actually turns out to be one of the better poular science books I've read in the last five years.
The rather vulgar, UFO-infested, cover belies the eclectic and well-organized interior, in which Miller marshals facts and histories into a fascinating overview of the development of the search for life outside our world from a minority strand of astronomy to a multi-disciplinary, respectable (if so far entirely theoretical) area of scientific research. All areas of SETI are covered in a literate and engaging way so that even moderately well-informed geeks (hello! that'll be me!) will find much to make them go, "Hmmm... I didn't know that."
The only downside (apart from the aforementioned ill-chosen cover, is the overuse of footnotes, at least half of which could easily have been interpolated into the text. Maybe it's a Miller joke, but it's one which threatens, momentarily, to be irritating.
Still a minor complaint for a book which I had hoped might be a mildly-entertaining vanity project but which actually turns out to be one of the better poular science books I've read in the last five years.
April 1, 2017
The title of this book may suggest that comedian and science writer Ben Miller is going to take the reader on a scientific voyage through our Milky Way galaxy in search of extra-terrestrial life.
Certainly, 'The Aliens Are Coming', which sounds a little like science fiction, does explore the realities of flourishing life forms in our universe, but it is the life forms on earth that Miller gets to grips with here.
The extraordinary science incorporates geology, biology and chemistry with copious amounts of humour thrown into the mix, to give a clear account of how life on earth emerged from the 'primordial soup'.
Personally, I'm not such a fan of SETI as Mr Miller appears to be. I loved Carl Sagan's 'Cosmos' back in the seventies, but his Golden Record stuck on the side of Voyager 1 or NASA's beaming out to space of The Beatles' song 'Across the Universe' makes me think that money can be better spent in other ways.
However, all in all, entertaining reading matter.
Certainly, 'The Aliens Are Coming', which sounds a little like science fiction, does explore the realities of flourishing life forms in our universe, but it is the life forms on earth that Miller gets to grips with here.
The extraordinary science incorporates geology, biology and chemistry with copious amounts of humour thrown into the mix, to give a clear account of how life on earth emerged from the 'primordial soup'.
Personally, I'm not such a fan of SETI as Mr Miller appears to be. I loved Carl Sagan's 'Cosmos' back in the seventies, but his Golden Record stuck on the side of Voyager 1 or NASA's beaming out to space of The Beatles' song 'Across the Universe' makes me think that money can be better spent in other ways.
However, all in all, entertaining reading matter.
August 11, 2017
[Rezension] Anybody Out There - Ben Miller - Spannende Suche nach außerirdischem Leben für Fortgeschrittene
Anybody Out There ist ein Sachbuch des britischen Schauspielers und promovierten Physikers Ben Miller. In seinen Serienrollen in Primeval und Doctor Who begab sich Ben Miller bereits auf die Suche nach extremen und außerirdischen Lebensformen. In seinem neuen Sachbuch führt er diese Suche nun rein wissenschaftlich fort. Denn: „Die Aliens werden kommen! Die Frage ist nur: Wann?“
Was passiert?
Die Erde ist voller Leben. Es wimmelt von Organismen, die wir erst in den letzten Jahren an undenkbar lebensfeindlichen Orten nachweisen konnten. Extremophile Bakterien bewohnen Vulkane oder Kernreaktoren, und verpacken dabei weit mehr Strahlung als für diese Nische nötig wäre. Alle paar Jahre weisen Forscher neues Leben in fremdartigen Habitaten nach. Das, was wir noch vor zehn Jahren für unmöglich hielten, ist heut längst wahr: Auch die Erde birgt fremde Lebensformen. Vielleicht sollten wir mit der Suche nach außerirdischem Leben hier anfangen.
Worum geht´s?
“Wenn wir wissen, wonach wir suchen müssen, können wir außerirdisches Leben womöglich auch aus der Ferne entdecken. Unsere nächsten Nachbarn haben vielleicht das Licht ausgemacht und die Vorhänge zugezogen, trotzdem können uns Apparate wie das James Webb sagen, ob sie zu Hause sind oder nicht.” - S. 107
Ben Millers Suche nach außerirdischem Leben beginnt auf der Erde und entwickelt sich rasch zu einem Schnelldurchlauf durch die Wissenschaftshistorie der Alienforschung. Dass Ben Miller selbst sich nichts sehnlicher wünscht, als Aliens zu entdecken, daraus macht er keinen Hehl. Doch betont er zugleich, kein Freund von Verschwörungstheorien zu sein. Er steht auf der Seite der SETI, der Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, dessen Vorreiter Carl Sagan einst war. Anybody out there? schildert die Entwicklung der SETI-Forschung vom Empfang der ersten unbekannten Signale aus dem Weltall (und deren Entschlüsselung) und streut dabei allerhand interessante Themen aus Wissenschaft, Technik und Weltall ein.
Fairerweise muss man beachten, dass die Suche nach außerirdischem Leben nicht zu den Glanzpunkten der Wissenschaft gehört. Die Menschheit hat allerhand sinnfreie und -lose Missionen gestartet, um unseren eventuellen Nachbarn dort draußen mal an die Tür zu klopfen, doch bisher hat einfach niemand aufgemacht. Gerade deswegen schweift Ben Miller in Anybody Out There? oft weit vom Thema ab. Mit Sicherheit gibt es sowas wie einen roten Faden im Buch, doch der ist gummiartig dehnbar: Über die Entstehung des Lebens auf der Erde, dem Big Bang (im Detail) und Extremophilen führt der indirekte Weg über die „vier Hauptsätze der Thermodynamik“ bis ins alte Ägypten und ins Reich der Delfine. Alles klar?
Ihr seht, Anybody out there? liefert einen bunten Wissensmix aus früher Forschung, Historie und Linguistik. Teilweise erhält das Buch unbeabsichtigte Aktualität, bspw. werden hier die 2016 erstmals nachgewiesenen Gravitationswellen wirklich gut erklärt. Nebenbei stellt Ben Miller allerhand interessante Fragen: Ist die Entwicklung von Leben nicht mehr als ein Zufall? Wie groß ist die Wahrscheinlichkeit, dass wir auf Eigeninitiative hin eine fremde Zivilisation einer intelligenten Alien-Rasse treffen? Und was wäre nötig, um eine Kommunikation zu ermöglichen? Gibt es sowas wie einen „offiziellen Empfangsplan“, sollte heute ein Raumschiff auf der Erde landen? Wer wäre dafür laut Gesetz zuständig und befugt, die Erde bei Erstkontakt zu vertreten?
Wie war´s?
Anybody out there? eignet sich für Dich, wenn Du Dich für Wissenschaft und die Fragen „Wie funktioniert das Universum?“ und „Wie entstand das Universum, unsere Erde und ihr Leben?“ interessierst. Es eignet sich nicht, um auf den neusten Stand bezüglich laufender Missionen in Sachen „Suche nach außerirdischem Leben“ zu kommen, da es ganz vorn (beim Urknall) anfängt und über die Entstehung und Entwicklung des Lebens berichtet. - Und hier liegt auch der Schwerpunkt des Buchs. Titel und Klappentext legen etwas anderes Nahe: „… zeigt uns, welche Experimente die Menschen vornehmen, um auf die Ankunft der Aliens vorbereitet zu sein und mit ihnen in Kontakt zu treten“, steht dort. Doch es geht eher darum, was bisher (in den 1970er bis 1990er Jahren) getan wurde.
Zudem solltest Du ein bisschen Vorwissen mitbringen, ob durch Podcasts, Alltagsphysikbücher oder Schulstoff. Das Buch erklärt zwar vieles, aber das meiste recht kurz. Durch die Vielfalt der Themen müsste man sonst ständig googlen; mehr als einmal war ich richtig dankbar über aufkeimende Erinnerungsfetzen aus meinem Bio-LK. Denn Ben Millers Suche nach außerirdischem Leben ist anspruchsvoller als die populärwissenschaftlichen Bücher, die ich bisher gelesen habe. (Die Übersicht findet ihr auf meinem Blog.) Dafür bekommt Ihr aber die volle Dosis Information und ein gutes Gefühl nach der Lektüre: Ich habe wirklich viel dazugelernt.
Solltest Du nur gelegentlich zum Lesen kommen, besteht die Gefahr, dass du mit der Zeit den roten Faden völlig verlierst. (Was hatte die Entropie in der Thermodynamik noch gleich mit Aliens zu tun?) Dann wäre es gut, wenn Dich die Wissenschaft auch ganz generell und in eigenständigen Kapiteln interessiert.
Fazit: Das Buch ist voller Leben. Es liefert zwar keinerlei neue Erkenntnisse über darüber, wie nah wir Menschen mit unserer unermüdlichen Forschung an die Entdeckung außerirdischen Lebens herangerückt sind, doch unterhaltsam und lehrreich im Bezug auf das Leben, das Universum und den ganzen Rest ist es allemal. Für mich eine spannende Herausforderung.
Anybody Out There ist ein Sachbuch des britischen Schauspielers und promovierten Physikers Ben Miller. In seinen Serienrollen in Primeval und Doctor Who begab sich Ben Miller bereits auf die Suche nach extremen und außerirdischen Lebensformen. In seinem neuen Sachbuch führt er diese Suche nun rein wissenschaftlich fort. Denn: „Die Aliens werden kommen! Die Frage ist nur: Wann?“
Was passiert?
Die Erde ist voller Leben. Es wimmelt von Organismen, die wir erst in den letzten Jahren an undenkbar lebensfeindlichen Orten nachweisen konnten. Extremophile Bakterien bewohnen Vulkane oder Kernreaktoren, und verpacken dabei weit mehr Strahlung als für diese Nische nötig wäre. Alle paar Jahre weisen Forscher neues Leben in fremdartigen Habitaten nach. Das, was wir noch vor zehn Jahren für unmöglich hielten, ist heut längst wahr: Auch die Erde birgt fremde Lebensformen. Vielleicht sollten wir mit der Suche nach außerirdischem Leben hier anfangen.
Worum geht´s?
“Wenn wir wissen, wonach wir suchen müssen, können wir außerirdisches Leben womöglich auch aus der Ferne entdecken. Unsere nächsten Nachbarn haben vielleicht das Licht ausgemacht und die Vorhänge zugezogen, trotzdem können uns Apparate wie das James Webb sagen, ob sie zu Hause sind oder nicht.” - S. 107
Ben Millers Suche nach außerirdischem Leben beginnt auf der Erde und entwickelt sich rasch zu einem Schnelldurchlauf durch die Wissenschaftshistorie der Alienforschung. Dass Ben Miller selbst sich nichts sehnlicher wünscht, als Aliens zu entdecken, daraus macht er keinen Hehl. Doch betont er zugleich, kein Freund von Verschwörungstheorien zu sein. Er steht auf der Seite der SETI, der Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, dessen Vorreiter Carl Sagan einst war. Anybody out there? schildert die Entwicklung der SETI-Forschung vom Empfang der ersten unbekannten Signale aus dem Weltall (und deren Entschlüsselung) und streut dabei allerhand interessante Themen aus Wissenschaft, Technik und Weltall ein.
Fairerweise muss man beachten, dass die Suche nach außerirdischem Leben nicht zu den Glanzpunkten der Wissenschaft gehört. Die Menschheit hat allerhand sinnfreie und -lose Missionen gestartet, um unseren eventuellen Nachbarn dort draußen mal an die Tür zu klopfen, doch bisher hat einfach niemand aufgemacht. Gerade deswegen schweift Ben Miller in Anybody Out There? oft weit vom Thema ab. Mit Sicherheit gibt es sowas wie einen roten Faden im Buch, doch der ist gummiartig dehnbar: Über die Entstehung des Lebens auf der Erde, dem Big Bang (im Detail) und Extremophilen führt der indirekte Weg über die „vier Hauptsätze der Thermodynamik“ bis ins alte Ägypten und ins Reich der Delfine. Alles klar?
Ihr seht, Anybody out there? liefert einen bunten Wissensmix aus früher Forschung, Historie und Linguistik. Teilweise erhält das Buch unbeabsichtigte Aktualität, bspw. werden hier die 2016 erstmals nachgewiesenen Gravitationswellen wirklich gut erklärt. Nebenbei stellt Ben Miller allerhand interessante Fragen: Ist die Entwicklung von Leben nicht mehr als ein Zufall? Wie groß ist die Wahrscheinlichkeit, dass wir auf Eigeninitiative hin eine fremde Zivilisation einer intelligenten Alien-Rasse treffen? Und was wäre nötig, um eine Kommunikation zu ermöglichen? Gibt es sowas wie einen „offiziellen Empfangsplan“, sollte heute ein Raumschiff auf der Erde landen? Wer wäre dafür laut Gesetz zuständig und befugt, die Erde bei Erstkontakt zu vertreten?
Wie war´s?
Anybody out there? eignet sich für Dich, wenn Du Dich für Wissenschaft und die Fragen „Wie funktioniert das Universum?“ und „Wie entstand das Universum, unsere Erde und ihr Leben?“ interessierst. Es eignet sich nicht, um auf den neusten Stand bezüglich laufender Missionen in Sachen „Suche nach außerirdischem Leben“ zu kommen, da es ganz vorn (beim Urknall) anfängt und über die Entstehung und Entwicklung des Lebens berichtet. - Und hier liegt auch der Schwerpunkt des Buchs. Titel und Klappentext legen etwas anderes Nahe: „… zeigt uns, welche Experimente die Menschen vornehmen, um auf die Ankunft der Aliens vorbereitet zu sein und mit ihnen in Kontakt zu treten“, steht dort. Doch es geht eher darum, was bisher (in den 1970er bis 1990er Jahren) getan wurde.
Zudem solltest Du ein bisschen Vorwissen mitbringen, ob durch Podcasts, Alltagsphysikbücher oder Schulstoff. Das Buch erklärt zwar vieles, aber das meiste recht kurz. Durch die Vielfalt der Themen müsste man sonst ständig googlen; mehr als einmal war ich richtig dankbar über aufkeimende Erinnerungsfetzen aus meinem Bio-LK. Denn Ben Millers Suche nach außerirdischem Leben ist anspruchsvoller als die populärwissenschaftlichen Bücher, die ich bisher gelesen habe. (Die Übersicht findet ihr auf meinem Blog.) Dafür bekommt Ihr aber die volle Dosis Information und ein gutes Gefühl nach der Lektüre: Ich habe wirklich viel dazugelernt.
Solltest Du nur gelegentlich zum Lesen kommen, besteht die Gefahr, dass du mit der Zeit den roten Faden völlig verlierst. (Was hatte die Entropie in der Thermodynamik noch gleich mit Aliens zu tun?) Dann wäre es gut, wenn Dich die Wissenschaft auch ganz generell und in eigenständigen Kapiteln interessiert.
Fazit: Das Buch ist voller Leben. Es liefert zwar keinerlei neue Erkenntnisse über darüber, wie nah wir Menschen mit unserer unermüdlichen Forschung an die Entdeckung außerirdischen Lebens herangerückt sind, doch unterhaltsam und lehrreich im Bezug auf das Leben, das Universum und den ganzen Rest ist es allemal. Für mich eine spannende Herausforderung.
July 24, 2017
It's about aliens, yet NOT about aliens. It's about biology, chemistry, evolution, astronomy, language, physics, history, with lots of fun pop music references in the item headings. A fascinating and informative read: every few pages had me googling a new name, concept or historical event that had piqued my interest. The only thing I had a hard time with was the math, but that's my fault, not the author's.
December 23, 2017
Very entertaining while scientifically sound book. Ben Miller might be known to most as an actor and comedian, but he is a scientist too, with a passion for it. And also he can write with a flare and humour making for an engaging read. His audio narration of this book is also amazing and I would recommend it wholeheartedly.
August 19, 2018
Started and ended with some intriguing information, but lost me in the middle with the complex physics formula lessons. I really did try to keep up but Miller liked saying 'as you know' a lot which led me to realise I wasn't getting a more basic explanation, so I skimmed a fair bit.
October 25, 2020
I (perhaps foolishly) thought this would be full of pithy humor and winky jokes since Miller is a comedian. Instead it's quite dry and up to the point I got to which was 50 pages in was full of information I already knew.
December 13, 2016
One of the best book on science. Simple, informative and funny.
May 11, 2017
Funny and interesting...read it in one sitting as couldn't put it down!
June 23, 2017
Surprisingly good book - so much background about the meaning of life.
March 23, 2019
It's serviceable, though it doesn't get into a lot of detail, so my guess is that it was meant to be some kind of primer about the topic. As such, it's fine enough.
If there's one issue I take with this book, it's his human-centric view that he seems unable to shake himself from. A bit of a problem and a drag on the book because he is talking about extraterrestrial intelligent life.
Like when he talks about timespans of evolution and assumes that the timespan for sapient life to appear and for space-faring societies to appear is necessarily like Earth's or else longer. (This would put humanity at the forefront of that race, essentially, saying humanity is either faster or is the default average.) The fact that he then mentions things like how everything up until this point in the sciences has pointed out that humanity's got an inflated view of its own specialness (like with geocentrism or the idea that the Sun is somehow more special than other stars) and yet goes through with the idea anyway is... some kind of lack of self-awareness.
If I may be frank, if you're speculating about this topic from a genuinely scientific perspective, you need to let go of preconceptions. This applies to both ends of the scale, including all the weirdos going on about the Greys and Reptilians and shit. Miller rightfully points out that various UFO stories are embarrassingly obviously the products of human minds, but then falls into the same trap in other places.
He also seems to have issues with really incorporating evolution in his mental framework. Several points in the book are phrased that makes me think he doesn't quite grasp that evolution is not a series of progressions but instead a pragmatic race for what works and a winnowing of what doesn't at any given time in any given environment. It's a very common misconception that many people have, to be sure, but still a bit disconcerting.
If there's one issue I take with this book, it's his human-centric view that he seems unable to shake himself from. A bit of a problem and a drag on the book because he is talking about extraterrestrial intelligent life.
Like when he talks about timespans of evolution and assumes that the timespan for sapient life to appear and for space-faring societies to appear is necessarily like Earth's or else longer. (This would put humanity at the forefront of that race, essentially, saying humanity is either faster or is the default average.) The fact that he then mentions things like how everything up until this point in the sciences has pointed out that humanity's got an inflated view of its own specialness (like with geocentrism or the idea that the Sun is somehow more special than other stars) and yet goes through with the idea anyway is... some kind of lack of self-awareness.
If I may be frank, if you're speculating about this topic from a genuinely scientific perspective, you need to let go of preconceptions. This applies to both ends of the scale, including all the weirdos going on about the Greys and Reptilians and shit. Miller rightfully points out that various UFO stories are embarrassingly obviously the products of human minds, but then falls into the same trap in other places.
He also seems to have issues with really incorporating evolution in his mental framework. Several points in the book are phrased that makes me think he doesn't quite grasp that evolution is not a series of progressions but instead a pragmatic race for what works and a winnowing of what doesn't at any given time in any given environment. It's a very common misconception that many people have, to be sure, but still a bit disconcerting.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews