SETIWill it succeed?

ASTR 1420

Lecture 21

Section 12.2 +

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Ernst Mayr• Bioastronomy News (1995, V7, No. 3)

• German/American biologist• Harvard Biology Prof.• 7/5/1904 – 2/3/2005

Carl Sagan• Bioastronomy News (1995, V7, No. 4)

• We need “functional equivalent of human” not “prevalent humanoids”…

• Radio technology If Aztec civilization survived, would they develop radio technology in several millenia?

• We, humanoids, are very young, but we have ~5 billion years to spare in the future.

• American Astronomer• Cornell Professor• 11/9/1034 – 12/20/1996

SETI debate

Ben Zuckerman• UCLA Astronomy professor

Seth Shostak• SETI Astronomer

In summary…

Important Concepts• Logics behind each SETI argumentso Mayr vs. Sagano Zuckerman vs. Shostak

• Statistical approach to the longevity of civilizations

Important Terms

Chapter/sections covered in this lecture : SETI debateIntelligence and Longevity : next class!