Xenology, or astrobiology, is the study of all aspects of life, intelligence, and civilization indigenous to environments other than Earth. Derived from the Greek xenos, which as a substantive has the meaning "stranger, wanderer, refugee" and as an adjective "foreign, alien, strange, unusual." Freitas argued for the primacy of the first term in the context of extraterrestrial life in a 1983 letter to the journal Nature ("Naming extraterrestrial life," Nature 301(13 January 1983):106, http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v301/n5896/full/301106a0.html) In the spirit of preserving great books, this version of Xenology is dedicated to Ray Bradbury and his classic novel, Fahrenheit 451. This 2018 edition is an upgrade — template, tabs, images and text/layout — now quite long — with almost a half-million words and hundreds of images.
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"Two large dark-coloured eyes were regarding me steadfastly. The mass that framed them, the head of the thing, it was rounded, and had, one might say, a face. There was a mouth under the eyes, the lipless brim of which quivered and panted, and dropped saliva. The whole creature heaved and pulsated convulsively. A lank tentacular appendage gripped the edge of the cylinder, another swayed in the air. Those who have never seen a living Martian can scarcely imagine the strange horror of its appearance...
-- H. G. Wells, in The War of the Worlds (1898)
"The conditions of life are indeed narrow, special, restricted; intelligent, organic life must, relatively speaking, be a rarity in the universe, but we lack the information that would enable us to affirm with any confidence that such life is only to be found upon this world of ours. Heavy as the odds are against any particular world being an inhabited one, yet when the limitless extent of space is considered, and the innumerable numbers of stars and systems of stars, it seems but reasonable to conclude that though inhabited worlds are relatively rare, the absolute number of them may be considerable."
-- E. Walter Maunder, in Are the Planets Inhabited? (1913)
"It’s moving.. . .Heading for us. Just what we’d do if a strange spaceship appeared in our hunting grounds. Friendly? Maybe. We’re going to try to contact them. We have to. But I suspect this is the end of the expedition. Thank God for the blasters...!"
-- from "First Contact" by Murray Leinster (1945)
"Extraterrestrial life is truly an idea whose time has come."
-- Dr. Carl Sagan, in The Cosmic Connection (1973)
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"If you are an aspiring science fiction writer who wants to create believable alien races, OR if you (like me) are an aspiring fantasy fiction writer who wants to create believable fantasy races beyond the standard dwarves and elves, I can't recommend this book highly enough. It includes some very technical explanations but, if you don't like that, it is also chock-full of possibilities and inspiration.
Take or leave the first few chapters about UFOs and "ancient aliens." Starting from chapter 5 the author delves into planetary formation and alien ecological, with a slant toward how different terrain, planet size, presence of light, etc. could influence an alien civilization. It only gets more interesting from there, discussing how alien creatures might have different biochemistry, reproductive strategies, senses, etc.
In some ways you can use the information in this book to modify or enrich aliens/fantasy races that you've already sketched out. The author discusses situations such as what evolutionary conditions might exist for a creature not to evolve eyesight, or to evolve both arms and wings. If you have a society with advanced technology, there are chapters on different modes of space travel or weapons systems.
I definitely felt like this book gave me some neat ideas and explanations for my fantasy races beyond a simple handwave or "because magic." It's worth a browse if you're at all interested in creature/alien/fantasy race design."
Author(s): Robert A. Freitas, Jt.
Year: 2008
Language: English
Commentary: Taken from http://tonylutz.com/ebooks/xenology/xenology-introduction
Pages: 0
Tags: Astrobiology; xenology; interplanetary life;life, extraterrestrial;liiving organisms, extraterrestrial;
Preface and Acknowledgements for the First Edition
PART ONE: Perspectives
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 Life
6.1 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 Life
7.1 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 Biochemistries
8.1 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 Biomechanics
11.1 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 Sex
12.1 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 Culture
15.1 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. Xenobiotechnology
16.1 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 Weapons
18.1 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. Xenosociology
20.1 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 Governments
21.1 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 Cultures
22.1 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 Begins
23.1 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 Techniques
24.1 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 Contact
25.1 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 Response
26.1 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*
Appendix A. What To Do If You Encounter Alien Beings or Their Craft
Appendix B. Conferences, Symposia, and Red-Letter Dates through 1979
REFERENCES ..... Refs1-4183
