Episode 42 – The Great Migration: How Can Humans Live on Mercury?

The series continues with the latest stop in the Solar System: Mercury! Hold up, that can’t be right! And yet, it is. Contrary to popular opinion, humans could actually live on Mercury, the closest planet to our Sun. Granted, it won’t exactly be a cakewalk. In addition to being an airless body (i.e., no atmosphere to speak of), Mercury is exposed to almost seven times as much radiation as Earth.

And because of its slow rotation and rapid orbit, surface temperatures range from hot enough to melt lead to cryogenically freezing! But with the right know-how, technology, and strategies, we could build a thriving outpost of civilization and economy on Mrcury based on the export of mineral wealth and energy, as well as art and ideas!

The idea has been explored in science fiction and scientific literature alike. And assuming there are enough people adventurous enough to settle there, there’d be a new branch of humanity known as “Hermeans.” Follow the links below to learn more.

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A New Scale for Classifying Intelligence?

In the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), there are many limiting factors. These go beyond the usual technical limitations, where SETI researchers are reliant on existing radio telescopes that can only be used for limited amounts of time. A far greater one is the very limited frame of reference we have for measuring intelligence.

Let’s face it, our notions of intelligence are entirely self-centered and anthropocentric. We think of intelligence in terms of ourselves and rarely consider that intelligence can occur under other domains, even though many exist here on Earth, and there is a considerable body of research that takes a wider view.

Given the way SETI research has become reinvigorated in recent decades, there are many who believe it’s time to expand our notions on what forms life and intelligence could take. For my purposes, the following scheme is motivated mainly by my interest in science fiction and its unparalleled ability to explore the deeper mysteries of the Universe.

Therefore, for your viewing pleasure, I present the Intelligence Scale. It is arranged based on the nature of the intelligence (labels are frustrating and inexact) and the scale it occupies.

Class:

Type a — Distributed: Consisting of individual intelligent beings connected together through social relationships
Type b — Collective: Consisting of large groups of organisms that make up a cohesive intelligent unit
Type c — Cooperative: Consisting of individual intelligence that has merged to form a larger whole
Type d — Adaptive: Consisting of intelligence that is capable of functioning in more than one mode or environment
Type e — Assimilative: Consisting of intelligence that is collective and incorporates all organisms in its environment into a greater whole

Scale:

Type I — Micrometer: Organisms measuring a few micrometers to a few centimeters in scale (ranging from microbes to insect-like creatures)
Type II — Meter: Organisms measuring in the meter range, mammals to high-order primates
Type III — Planetary: Organisms encompassing a large geographic region to an entire planet
Type IV — Stellar: Organisms extending beyond a single planet to an entire solar system
Type V — Cosmic: Organisms occupying a large region of space, extending for light-years and possibly entire galaxies

For reference, humanity is a Type IIa species, which is arguably making the transition to a Type IIIa thanks to the digital age. Will we ever give rise to different classes ourselves, or will we find examples that challenge our notions out there in the cosmos? In both cases, I sincerely hope so!

A Humble Attempt at Predicting Future History

There’s an old saying by Kierkegaard, “Life can only be understood backward; but it must be lived forwards.” I’ve heard this adage many times, except that the word “history” was always substituted for “life.” This is certainly true, to a point. After all, history is subject to prejudices, bias, and the good old human tendency to look for patterns. In my experience, how we remember history is no less about “the winners write the books” as “the writers impose their organization principle.”

That’s what I love about science fiction’s future histories. The sub-genre owes its existence to Olaf Stapledon’s Last and First Men, a science fiction novel released in 1930. In this “future history,” Stapledon presented an imaginative romp through several futures where the descendants of humanity rise and fall many times, creating advanced civilizations and periodically slipping back into barbarism.

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Episode 41 of Stories from Space – Going Nuclear! The Promise Nuclear Propulsion

This week’s topic is near and dear to my heart (I know, when aren’t they?). But this one is especially so since so much depends on it. Around the world today, space agencies and commercial space entities are developing nuclear propulsion systems. These systems come in the form of Nuclear-Thermal (NTP), Nuclear-Electric (NEP), and Bimodal Nuclear Propulsion (BNP) – where both methods are used by a spacecraft.

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Episode 40 of Stories from Space – Signs of Life: What are “Ocean Worlds”?

This week, I got into one of the more intriguing aspects of astrobiology – the search for life in the cosmos! Right now, all of our astrobiology efforts are focused on Mars, the most “habitable” planet (by our standards) beyond Earth. But what of the icy moons that orbit Jupiter, Saturn, and beyond? For decades, scientists have speculated that moons orbiting gas giants beyond the “Frost Line” could have warm-water oceans that could support life.

These oceans result from the gravitational pull of the gas giants they orbit, causing tidal flexing in their interiors. This, it was theorized, would lead to hydrothermal activity at the core-mantle boundary, where the icy outer shell meets the rocky and metallic core. The energy this released would maintain a liquid-water ocean rich in the chemical elements we associate with life.

The theory emerged by the 1970s after scientists got a good look at some of Jupiter’s largest moons – Europa and Ganymede – which showed evidence of resurfacing, plume activity, and their interactions with Jupiter”s magnetic field. In recent years, the list of “Ocean Worlds” has expanded to include moons like Titan, Enceladus, Dione, Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, Oberon, Triton, Charon, and even Pluto!

In all cases, these bodies have geological activity or sufficient nuclear elements (which decay to produce heat) to maintain liquid water in their interiors. The plethora of “Ocean Worlds” in our Solar System also has implications for the search for life in extrasolar systems. After all, if icy satellites in our outer Solar System could support life, then similar bodies are sure to exist out there (in abundance). Check it out below!

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Episode 39 of Stories from Space – The “Cool” Universe: Infrared Astronomy with Charles Beichman

This week, I sat down with NASA astronomer and exoplanet researcher Dr. Charles Beichman, the Executive Director of the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute (NExScI) at Caltech. He’s an esteemed scientist who has spent decades searching for exoplanets and led several path-finding missions. These include the Space Interferometer Mission (SIM), the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS), the Spitzer Space Telescope, and the 2 Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS).

One could say that he was looking for exoplanets before it was “cool.” Suffice it to say, the man has some very interesting stories. Very soon, he and a team of astronomers will be using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to observe Alpha Centauri, where they hope to find the first definitive proof of exoplanets in that system. I think I speak for everyone when I wish him and his colleagues the best of luck!