1 online resource (147 p.)

How Likely isExtraterrestrial Life?; Preface; Contents; 1 Introduction; The Drake Equation; References; Part IBottom Up: What We Learn from BasicScience About the Likelihoodof Extraterrestrial Life; 2 Astrophysical Factors; References; 3 Planetary Considerations; 3.1 Frequency fPS of Planetary Sy...

4.5 Summary of Conclusions Concerning fprebio4.6 The Probability fevol That a Biosphere Evolves to the Complexity of a C̀ivilization'; References; Part IITop Down: What We Learn from theFailure of Attempts to DetectExtraterrestrial Life; 5 Unidentified Flying Objects; 5.1 Separating Scientific...

6.3 Estimating Civilization Lifetimes6.4 Implications of Bacterial Colonization: Panspermia; 6.5 Conclusions from the Failure to Observe Evidence of Colonization; References; 7 Electromagnetic (SETI) Searches; 7.1 Effect of the Finite Time for Propagation of Electromagnetic Signals; 7.2 Bounds on...

8.4 Summary and Outlook for the Search for Life Using Robotic Space ProbesReferences; 9 Policy, Ethical and Other Implications; 9.1 Short Term Policy Implications; 9.2 Implications for Environmental Ethics; 9.3 Implications for Views of the Human Condition; 9.4 Psychological Implications; 9.5 Impli...

9.11 Religious AttitudesReferences; Appendix 1.1 Forms of the Drake Equation; Appendix 2.1 The Doppler Shift; Appendix 3.1 Doppler Shifts for Circular Planet Orbits; Appendix 4.1 Catalysis at Surfaces; Appendix 4.2 A Kauffman-Like Model; Appendix 5.1 Evaluating How an Experiment or Observation Affec...

Appendix 7.4 Quantitative Analysis of Messages: Correlations, Information, Entropy and Complexity.