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With the rapid growth of new evidence from astronomy, space science
and biology that supports the theory of life as a cosmic rather
than terrestrial phenomenon, this book discusses a set of crucial
data and pictures showing that life is still arriving at our
planet. Although it could spark controversy among the most hardened
sceptics this book will have an important role in shaping future
science in this area.
This is the story of the author's unique scientific journey with
one of the most remarkable men of 20th century science. The journey
begins in Sri Lanka, the author's native country, with his
childhood acquaintance with Fred Hoyle's writings. The action then
moves to Cambridge, where the famous Hoyle-Wickramasinghe
collaborations begin. A research programme which was started in
1962 on the carbonaceous nature of interstellar dust leads, over
the next two decades, to developments that are continued in both
Cambridge and Cardiff. These developments prompt Hoyle and the
author to postulate the organic theory of cosmic dust (which is now
generally accepted), and then to challenge one of the most
cherished paradigms of contemporary science - the theory that life
originated on Earth in a warm primordial soup. This new edition
examines the many scientific developments that have transpired
since the first edition was published. The discovery of bacteria in
the upper reaches of the atmosphere, biological signatures in
meteorites, spectroscopy of high-z galaxies and more all mesh with
many of the ideas that had their origin in the first edition.
Pushing into the future, the updated text examines the many
experiments and probes currently operating or planned that will
shed more light on the theory of planetary panspermia. A Journey
with Fred Hoyle is an intriguing book that delineates the progress
of a collaboration spanning 40 years, through a sequence of
personal reflections, anecdotes and reminiscences.
The first edition of the monumental book Diseases from Space by Sir
Fred Hoyle and N Chandra Wickramasinghe appeared some 40 years ago,
encapsulating the key principles of Panspermia, and it has been the
guiding principle in the new scientific field of Astrobiology.This
latest edition, revised and expanded by Chandra Wickamasinghe,
continues to describe the consequences of the theory of cometary
panspermia that relate to the origins of epidemic disease.
Available data on historic and modern plagues are analysed to show
that extraterrestrial bacteria and viruses are the cause of ongoing
pandemics of diseases.Adherence to an inappropriate and obsolete
theory of pandemics could put in jeopardy the economic well-being
of the entire world, perhaps even threatening the continued
existence of our civilization.
This is a revisit of a radical theory of cometary panspermia and
cosmic life that was first proposed by Chandra Wickramasinghe and
the late Sir Fred Hoyle in 1982. In its earliest form the theory of
cosmic life started off as a speculation in 1974 after the first
discovery of complex organic molecules and polymeric dust in
interstellar space. The speculation soon developed into a serious
scientific theory, predictions of which were available to be
verified or falsified. Over four decades there have been a
multitude of tests and predictions of the theory being positive in
vindicating the proposition of life as a cosmic rather than a
purely terrestrial phenomenon. A paradigm shift of enormous
magnitude and significance is to be expected.The ideas and theories
described in this book would have a far-reaching influence
affecting the future development of diverse branches of science.
In the year 2015, 100 years after Fred Hoyle was born, the ideas
relating to the cosmic origins of life are slowly gaining credence
in scientific circles. Once regarded as outrageous heresy, evidence
from a variety of disciplines - astronomy, geology, biology - is
converging to support these once heretical ideas.This volume opens
with recent review articles pointing incontrovertibly towards our
cosmic heritage, followed by a collection of published articles
tracing the development of the theory throughout the years. The
discovery that microorganisms - bacteria and viruses - are
incredibly resistant to the harshest conditions of space, along
with the detection of an estimated 144 billion habitable planets
around other star systems in our galaxy alone, makes it virtually
impossible to maintain that life on one planet will not interact
with life elsewhere. The emerging position is that life arose
exceedingly rarely, possibly only once, in the history of the
cosmos, but its subsequent spread was unstoppable. 'Panspermiology'
can no longer be described as an eccentric doctrine, but rather is
the only doctrine supported by an overwhelming body of evidence.
Fred Hoyle's work in this area may in the fullness of time come to
be regarded as his most important scientific contribution.
The life story of this book spans many stages of the life and
scientific career of one of the foremost
astrophysicists/astrobiologists of our times. Starting from his
boyhood days, the book describes the author's scientific work over
the past 50 years, the ground-breaking discoveries he had made, the
controversies generated in the scientific community, and the
gradual acceptance of his discoveries. Written in lucid
non-technical language it captures the essence of the author's
research at Cambridge, his lifelong collaborations with the
legendary astronomer of the 20th century, Sir Fred Hoyle, the birth
of the subject of astrobiology which they arguably 'invented' in
1980, and his continuing ground-breaking research carried out while
he was a Professor at Cardiff and later at Buckingham. The book
traces the various influences that guided the author through his
career, including that of his father who was a Cambridge Wrangler,
and the profound influence of Buddhism in his early life.The author
has published over 25 books and close to 300 scientific papers in
peer-reviewed journals, over 60 of which were in the journal
Nature.
The life story of this book spans many stages of the life and
scientific career of one of the foremost
astrophysicists/astrobiologists of our times. Starting from his
boyhood days, the book describes the author's scientific work over
the past 50 years, the ground-breaking discoveries he had made, the
controversies generated in the scientific community, and the
gradual acceptance of his discoveries. Written in lucid
non-technical language it captures the essence of the author's
research at Cambridge, his lifelong collaborations with the
legendary astronomer of the 20th century, Sir Fred Hoyle, the birth
of the subject of astrobiology which they arguably 'invented' in
1980, and his continuing ground-breaking research carried out while
he was a Professor at Cardiff and later at Buckingham. The book
traces the various influences that guided the author through his
career, including that of his father who was a Cambridge Wrangler,
and the profound influence of Buddhism in his early life.The author
has published over 25 books and close to 300 scientific papers in
peer-reviewed journals, over 60 of which were in the journal
Nature.
The idea that life is a cosmic, rather than a purely terrestrial
phenomenon, has progressed from scientific heresy to mainstream
science within the short timespan of a few decades. The theory of
cometary panspermia developed by Fred Hoyle and the present author
in the 1970's has been vindicated by a spate of new discoveries in
astronomy and biology, and also with startling new evidence of
microbial fossils in meteorites and micrometeorites. The recent
Kepler Telescope searches for exoplanets have indicated the
presence of over 100 billion habitable planets separated by only a
few light years, thus making panspermia and the transfer of
microbial life between such planets an inevitable fact. The book
presents a comprehensive and up-to-date account of the
Hoyle-Wickramasinghe theory of cometary panspermia in a manner
accessible to a wide general readership.
The idea that life is a cosmic, rather than a purely terrestrial
phenomenon, has progressed from scientific heresy to mainstream
science within the short timespan of a few decades. The theory of
cometary panspermia developed by Fred Hoyle and the present author
in the 1970's has been vindicated by a spate of new discoveries in
astronomy and biology, and also with startling new evidence of
microbial fossils in meteorites and micrometeorites. The recent
Kepler Telescope searches for exoplanets have indicated the
presence of over 100 billion habitable planets separated by only a
few light years, thus making panspermia and the transfer of
microbial life between such planets an inevitable fact. The book
presents a comprehensive and up-to-date account of the
Hoyle-Wickramasinghe theory of cometary panspermia in a manner
accessible to a wide general readership.
The idea that comets may be connected with the origin of life on
Earth was considered heresy a few decades ago, with scientists
shying away from this possibility as if from a medieval
superstition. However the case that comets may have contributed at
least the complex organic building blocks of life has become very
strong, and mechanisms have now been identified whereby comets may
incubate and transfer microbial life from one cosmic habitat to
another in the Galaxy. The latter process cometary panspermia was
pioneered by the late Sir Fred Hoyle and one of the present authors
in the early 1980's. A theory that was once controversial is slowly
gaining scientific respectability and support.The recent surge of
interest in astrobiology has led to a spate of books in
astrobiology - combining astronomy and biology - but in most of
these, cometary panspermia is dealt with only cursorily. The
present book sets out the case for cometary panspermia in a cogent
way, combining evidence from space science, celestial mechanics,
geology and microbiology. It should be an essential part of any
university course on astrobiology, and also serve as a reference
textbook for researchers in the field.
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