UV radiation is an important part in the electromagnetic spectrum since the energy of the photons is great enough to produce important chemical reactions in the atmospheres of planets and satellites of our Solar System, thereby affecting the transmission of this radiation to the ground and its physical properties. Scientists have used different techniques (balloons and rockets) to access to the information contained in this radiation, but the pioneering of this new frontier has not been free of dangers.

The Sun is our main source of UV radiation and its description occupies the first two chapters of the book. The Earth is the only known location where life exists in a planetary system and therefore where the interaction of living organism with UV radiation can be tested through different epochs and on distinct species. The development of the human technology has affected the natural shield of ozone that protects complex lifeforms against damaging UV irradiation. The formation of the ozone hole and its consequences are described, together with the possible contribution of UV radiation to recent climate changes. Finally, we will discuss the the potential role of ultraviolet light in the development of life on bodies such as Mars, Europa and Titan.

The Solar System is not isolated; other external sources can contribute to the enhancement of the UV radiation in our environment. The influence of such events as nearby supernovae and gamma-ray bursts are described, together with the consequences to terrestrial life from such events.

This is the first collection of review articles in one volume covering the very latest developments in exoplanet research. This edited, multi-author volume will be an invaluable introduction and reference to all key aspects in the field this field. The reviews cover topics such as the properties of known exoplanets and searching for exoplanets in the stellar graveyard. The book provides an easily accessible point of reference in a fast moving and exciting field.

The present volume studies the application of concepts from non-equilibrium thermodynamics to a variety of research topics. Emphasis is on the Maximum Entropy Production (MEP) principle and applications to Geosphere-Biosphere couplings. Written by leading researchers from a wide range of backgrounds, the book presents a first coherent account of an emerging field at the interface of thermodynamics, geophysics and life sciences.

This book describes a wide variety of speculations by many authors about the consequences for humanity of coming into contact with extraterrestrial intelligence. The assumptions underlying those speculations are examined, and some conclusions are drawn. The book emphasizes the consequences of contact rather than the search, and takes account of popular views. As necessary background, the book also includes brief summaries of the history of thinking about extraterrestrial intelligence, searches for life and for signals, contrasting paradigms of how contact might take place, and the paradox that those paradigms allegedly create.

Cathodoluminescence microscopy/spectroscopy is a powerful technique providing detailed information on the shock metamorphism of target rocks, biosignatures of meteorites and mineralogy of the pre-solar grains. Moreover, it can be used as an in-situ method to classify the solid-atmospheric-liquid interactions on the surface of Mars.

This volume considers the role comets may have played in the origins and evolution of life. This is the only book dealing in depth with this subject. It is particularly relevant in light of recent investigations of Halley's comet, of new insights into organic synthesis in meteorites and comets, and of new results of numerical simulations of cometary orbits and impacts on Earth. The book is intended as a comprehensive review of current research.

This interdisciplinary book probes the subject of extraterrestrial intelligent life, offering scientific and technological implications, discussing the philosophical and religious connotations and rebuffing pseudo-scientific assertions such as 'rare earth'. The author discusses such philosophical questions as: What is intelligence? What is consciousness? Should we expect ETIs to be conscious beings? Also discussed is the viability of future astronautics which would enable closer human contact with ETI.

This book examines the origins, development and fate of intelligent species in the observable part of our universe. It scrutinizes what kind of information about extraterrestrial intelligent life can be inferred from our own biological, cultural and scientific evolution and the likely future of mankind. There is emphasis on the geological conditions and consequences of life's conquest of land as the pre-condition for the emergence of life with our type of technical intelligence.

How did life begin on the early Earth? We know that life today is driven by the universal laws of chemistry and physics. By applying these laws over the past ?fty years, en- mous progress has been made in understanding the molecular mechanisms that are the foundations of the living state. For instance, just a decade ago, the ?rst human genome was published, all three billion base pairs. Using X-ray diffraction data from crystals, we can see how an enzyme molecule or a photosynthetic reaction center steps through its catalytic function. We can even visualize a ribosome, central to all life, translate - netic information into a protein. And we are just beginning to understand how molecular interactions regulate thousands of simultaneous reactions that continuously occur even in the simplest forms of life. New words have appeared that give a sense of this wealth of knowledge: The genome, the proteome, the metabolome, the interactome. But we can't be too smug. We must avoid the mistake of the physicist who, as the twentieth century began, stated con?dently that we knew all there was to know about physics, that science just needed to clean up a few dusty corners. Then came relativity, quantum theory, the Big Bang, and now dark matter, dark energy and string theory. Similarly in the life sciences, the more we learn, the better we understand how little we really know. There remains a vast landscape to explore, with great questions remaining.

Micrometeorites played an essential role in the formation of the atmosphere of the Early Earth and also served as a significant source of activation for organic prebiotic chemistry on mineral surfaces. The present book gives a coherent account of this scenario, embedding the more specific results within a broader framework that considers the creation and evolution of the Early Earth. It thus addresses students and nonspecialist researchers in the fields of planetary atmospheres, biogeophysics and astrobiology. The experienced researcher will find this volume to be a modern and compact reference, as well as a source of material for lectures in this field.

Systematically explores the early origins and basic definition of life.

Investigates the major theories of the origins of life in light of modern research with the aim of distinguishing between the necessary and the optional and between deterministic and random influences in the emergence of what we call life.

Treats and views life as a cosmic phenomenon whose emergence and driving force should be viewed independently from its Earth-bound natural history.

Synthesizes all the fundamental life-related developments in a comprehensive scenario, and makes the argument that understanding life in its broadest context requires a material-independent perspective that identifies its essential fingerprints

""A.D." by Richard Dolan and Bryce Zabel is an important attempt to prepare us for what will one day be inevitable: an open understanding that we are not alone. Not in this universe, and not even on Planet Earth."
--Edgar Mitchell, Sc.D, Apollo 14 Astronaut
"I've imagined this future many times, but these guys actually wrote the book on it Zabel and Dolan have brilliantly created a compelling blend of history and informed speculation that makes their exciting world seem like tomorrow's news today. Don't dare miss it 'Nuff said."
--Stan Lee, creator of Spiderman, X-Men, Avengers
"What if the UFO cover-up is real and what if it ended? After Disclosure poses this fascinating question and looks at the societal consequences of such a revelation. Richard Dolan and Bryce Zabel have produced a thoughtful and provocative analysis that goes well beyond the usual scope of books on UFOs and alien life."
--Nick Pope, former chief of UK Ministry of Defence UFO Desk
"You may not have ever considered what life will be like after the reality of UFOs becomes publicly known. But Richard M. Dolan and Bryce Zabel have. Their book is absorbing and thought provoking. Don't miss it."
--Jim Marrs, "New York Times" best-selling author of Crossfire
"Considering the overwhelming evidence that Earth is being visited by alien spacecraft and that many intelligence agencies and military groups have known this to be true for some time, we certainly need to consider the serious question of what happens when Disclosure actually occurs. This book by Zabel and Dolan is the first in-depth attempt to answer that question. It is long overdue and sets a high standard of discussion about this very complex issue. Well worth reading."
--Stanton T. Friedman, MSc., nuclear physicist, author of Top Secret/Majic, Science Was Wrong
"As a physician, researcher, and creative writer, I stand on the shoulders of others to see and climb the next mountain. "A.D. After Disclosure" is a brilliant, enjoyable primer that holds a feast of ideas that will make any audience think and wonder. This work offers a place to stand where others may take up the challenge and travel to places none of us could conceive. Richard and Bryce have performed a great service both to our culture and that of the 'Others.'"
--Dr. Jeffrey Galpin, infectious disease specialist, molecular biologist, AIDS researcher
"Disclosure, the formal acknowledgment by the world's governments of an extraterrestrial presence engaging the human race, is inevitable. So was this how-to book on what to do when a new world begins."
--Stephen Bassett, executive director, Paradigm Research Group
What if UFO secrecy ended tomorrow? The transition from B.C. (Before Confirmation) to A.D. (After Disclosure) is the ultimate "what if?" scenario in which the calendar is reset and history begins again.
This work of speculative non-fiction combines meticulous fact-finding from historian/researcher Richard M. Dolan and forward-leaning scenarios from journalist/screenwriter Bryce Zabel on the world's most mind-bending subject. The authors predict radical changes after official acknowledgment that at least some UFOs are intelligently controlled craft from somewhere other than Earth. "A.D. After Disclosure" isn't afraid to make mind-blowing, specific predictions, such as:
Congress will hold Watergate-style hearings and ask secret-keepers, "What did you know and when did you know it?"
The first decade A.D. (After Disclosure) will be like a high-tech 1960s, spawning massive cultural and societal change.
Abductees will file a class-action suit against the government for withholding critical information.
All the textbooks on planet Earth--from history to science--will need an immediate review.
Whether disclosure leads to social panic or ushers in a new era of unity and peace, it will undoubtedly be a game-changing event.

Richard M. Dolan is a gifted historian whose study of U.S. Cold War strategy led him to the broader context of increased security measures and secrecy since World War II. One aspect of such government policies that has continued to hold the public's imagination for over half a century is the question of unidentified flying objects.

UFOs and the National Security State is the first volume of a two-part detailed chronological narrative of the national security dimensions of the UFO phenomenon from 1941 to the present. Working from hundreds of declassified records and other primary and secondary sources, Dolan centers his investigation on the American military and intelligence communities, demonstrating that they take UFOs seriously indeed.

Included in this volume are the activities of more than fifty military bases relating to UFOs, innumerable violations of sensitive airspace by unknown craft and analyses of the Roswell controversy, the CIA-sponsored Robertson Panel, and the Condon Committee Report. Dolan highlights the development of civilian anti-secrecy movements, which flourished in the 1950s and 1960s until the adoption of an official government policy and subsequent "closing of the door" during the Nixon administration.

Through cosmic communication, learn how these mysterious beings may hold the key to our spiritual evolution. UFOs and the Extra-terrestrial Message reveals how UFOs are much more than strange shapes in the sky; they may be part of a multi-dimensional universe, which has become a common concept in everything from quantum physics to sci-fi blockbusters. String theory, hyperspace and dark matter have led physicists to realise that the three dimensions we thought described the universe aren't enough – there may actually be numerous dimensions. As this possibility evolves, the real prospect of meeting our extra-terrestrial neighbours emerges. From ancient texts to little-known eyewitness accounts, Richard explores the evidence of extraterrestrial life. He also looks at X-file exposés, fascinating personal experiences of alien contact, channelled messages from cosmic beings – and shows how these messages hold the key to our spiritual advancement and even to world peace.

"Dr. Ardy Sixkiller Clarke has for more than 20 years done a tremendous amount of field work and has carefully and with spiritual sensitivity collected these stories from the original witnesses. This book is an impressive documentation of the scope and depth of the UFO enigma."
--Hakan Blomqvist, Cofounder and Chairman, Archives for UFO Research (AFU), Sweden
Dr. Ardy Sixkiller Clarke, author of Encounters With Star People, vowed as a teenager to follow in the footsteps of two 19th-century explorers, John L. Stephens and Frederick Catherwood, who brought the ancient Maya cities to the world's attention. Dr. Clarke set out on a seven-year adventure (from 2003 through 2010) through Belize, Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico, collecting stories of encounters, sky gods, giants, little people, and aliens among the indigenous people. She drove more than 12,000 miles, visiting 89 archaeological sites (Stephens and Catherwood visited only 44) and conducting nearly 100 individual interviews.
The result is an enthralling series of unique, original, true stories of encounters with space travelers, giants, little people, and UFOs. "Sky People" may very well change the way you perceive and experience the world.

This is the story of one woman's life-long interaction with beings from another world, and her journey to go beyond the fear to find meaning and purpose. In this book she explores the abduction experience and shares with you the three important things they insisted she learn.

UFO sightings and abductions by aliens were the beginning, the tip of the iceberg. Dolore Cannon's work in Hypnosis has taken the study beyond abduction. Dolores traces the phenomenon from the simple to the complex. Exploring areas untouched by other investigators, she makes the unbelievable become acceptable and understandable!

Critical Acclaim for
PLANETARY DREAMS
The Quest To Discover Life Beyond Earth

"The stunning insights provided in Planetary Dreams make it a book for everyone who has the slightest curiosity about our role in the cosmos."——Hugh Downs, ABC News, 20/20

"The broadest and, in a philosophical sense, the deepest book to examine the question of the origins of life in the universe. . . . A wise, kindly, and beautifully written book, Planetary Dreams sets forth a vision of a truly human and humane future and a hope for a richly inhabited universe."——Ben Bova, six-time Hugo Award winner and past president of the National Space Society

"If you are interested in the search for extraterrestrial life. . .then Planetary Dreams is a must read. Delightfully written."——Louis D. Friedman, Executive Director, The Planetary Society

"Combining many narrative elements, including a description of his fanciful institution, the Museum of the Cosmos, Shapiro’s imaginative, multifaceted work should meet the yearnings of space enthusiasts and of the wider public, as Carl Sagan’s books did."——Booklist

There is a clear conspiracy to deny the existence of UFOs.

The mainstream media has misinformed us for years about UFO studies conducted by highly regarded scientists associated with some of the finest universities in the country. There is significant evidence that the U.S. government has covered up the alien presence through misinformation, distortion, obfuscation, and ridicule. Some prominent, politically connected scientists have engaged in the cover up. And a few professional writers have helped to successfully label any scientists who have been persuaded by the evidence and brave enough to take a stand as unscientific charlatans, fanatics, and kooks.

"Fact, Fiction, and Flying Saucers" examines the wealth of archival documents that clearly demonstrate this cooperative disinformation effort and refute the false claims made by these professional scoffers. Friedman and Marden set the record straight by examining politically motivated misinformation and presenting the compelling evidence that separates fact from fiction. They reveal:

- The most compelling UFO evidence, including a variety of large-scale scientific studies

- The current state of UFOlogy and what the future holds

- The media s role in disclosure and denial

- The government scientists whose job it is to deny

- The Air Force, FBI, CIA, and NSA s involvement