Annotated Bibliographies

“Complex Life May or May Not Be Rare.” //Extraterrestrial Life//. Ed. Sylvia Engdahl. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2006. Contemporary Issues Companion. //GaleOpposing Viewpoints in Context//. Web. 7 Oct. 2010. <[]>

Information: There are many different authors in this because it is a debate between prestigious scientists with a very qualified background. One is Frank Drake, a professor of astronomy and the chairman of the board of the SETI Institute. Others include David Grinspoon, a principal scientist in the Department of Space Studies at the Southwest Research Institute and Christopher McKay, a planetary scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center and the moderator Michael Meyer, a senior scientist for astrobiology at NASA headquarters. This work is a persuasive piece and is intended to the public for the purpose of stimulating their minds to think about the chance of intelligent life.

Summary: The main argument that this source is using is that we still don’t know for sure if intelligent life is or is not rare. The topics they cover stretch briefly over all of the questions pertaining to this difficult idea. They talk about the different viewpoints of questions and statements like this that orbit this main topic: There May Be Life Unlike Earth’s, The Odds of Complex Life, How Often Do Stars Have Habitatble Planets, The Lifetime of Complex Life, and Is the Universe Bio-Friendly? The authors give facts that state that the Earth is our only example of planetary life. This makes it difficult to unravel what is universal and what is accidental about the nature and history of life. They all seem to have an optimistic view on this subject.

Evalutation: This work is very logical, clear, and well-researched because the men who address this topic have spent most of their lives dedicated to this search. The authors are split between those who object the subject and those who argue a certain position.

Reflection: This source was very helpful to my research because I learned about the many side subjects that are taken into account when talking about this subject. The evidence that the source provides to support my argument is that since there is still an unknown answer to the quest for intelligent life, it is certainly worth it to continue.

“Counting on Contact.” //Alien Life//. Ed. Helen Matsos. Astrobiology Magazine, 2000. Great Debates. Web. 7 Oct. 2010. <[]>

Information: The authors in this persuasive debate hold the qualifications of experts in the field of astrobiology for they were published by the credible Astrobiology Magazine that is funded by NASA. The work is intended to other experts in the field to persuade them to go on their side.

Summary: The authors main argument revolve around the topic that it is easier for technology that we design and build to find someone else’s technology instead of waiting around and becoming dependent on extraterrestrial salvation. They are discussing how they are going to deal with our own problems. Later in the argument they start to discuss the importance and reason for keeping SETI going. A piece of information they gave is that it would be an “astounding” thing to find some evidence of any sort of life elsewhere, not just intelligent life.

Evaluation: The work of these authors is very logical, clear, and well-researched because it is coming from the most recent NASA Astrobiology Science Conference where a panel of scientists is purposefully discussing different types of planets where we might find alien life. Because these scientists spend their time constantly researching and arguing this topic, it is easy to believe that they are all motivated to stand by a certain position.

Reflection: I have learned from this source that there are many scientists out there that are for the search and many that are against it, but even though there are some doubts it is easy to see even the slightest bit of hope in the negative side to find even the tiniest sign. This source has helped me develop my argument by giving me more reasons why the search for intelligent life should be kept going along with the ways in which it could.

“Introduction to Extraterrestrial Life: Contemporary Issues Companion.” //Extraterrestrial Life//. Ed. Sylvia Engdahl. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2006. Contemporary Issues Companion. //Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context//. Web. 7 Oct. 2010. <[]>

Information: The authority that the author of this work has is their qualification in the field of study that focuses on what they have been researching for their job. This is an informational report that is intended for the general public so that they can grasp an understanding of the subject.

Summary: Throughout this article, the topics talk about the history of how extraterrestrial life has been seen and dealt with, and also talks about the future and questions for the twenty-first century that have to deal with the search for life. It is stated in the article how the views about there being other planets home to intelligent life beings have changed throughout the years. It also talks about the impact that outside sources, such as books, have had on the general public’s sight and that the belief in the existence of extraterrestrials has declined.

Evaluation: The work of these authors is very logical, clear, and well-researched because it is separated into different sections that pertain to a certain topic. The topic was adequately addressed because it was focusing on the sections to the farthest of it’s abilities to explain the subject in a simple and brief manor.

Reflection: This source has taught me the essential questions that Earth has been asking for centuries along with the future questions that will possibly affect civilization. This source has provided me support in my argument that the impact of extraterrestrials would have to humankind and how it would be beneficial.

"SETI at 50: despite the long odds against success, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence has come a long way." //Nature// 461.7262 (2009): 316. //Gale Science In Context//. Web. 19 Oct. 2010. 

Information: The author of this work has published the article with the Nature Publishing Group, which is known as the "world's best science and medicine" site. The authors that contribute to this website have a lot of experience in the field that they write about. This work is a informational report because it is giving the reader information on how extraterrestrial intelligence has come a long way.

Summary: In this article, the author is arguing that despite the non-existing results found by SETI, the fact is that the search has come a long way in terms of not being a falsifiable experiment. The position the author takes is that the SETI effort is well worth the support, given the enormous implications if it did succeed. When funded mainly by Microsoft billionaire Paul Allen, they were able to sweep the skies with its 42 dishes in California.The researchers at the Allen array are solving the immense computing challenges of operating large, multi-dish arrays, an expertise that will benefit the whole of radio astronomy when the time comes to build the "huge arrays of the future." The evidence that the author provides in support of my argument is all the positive actions that come with helping fund the SETI program.

Evaluation: The work is very logical, clear, and well-researched and had addressed the topic properly with all the essential reasons why SETI is worth the funding. Throughout this article, the author seems to be very set on persuading readers about the importance of this program.

Reflection: This source is very helpful to my research, in fact, it is the most helpful source I have found up to date because of its simple, yet detailed reasons why the SETI program deserves to be funded. It also provides a determined argument to help, despite the negative image that SETI has acquired. This source has helped me develop my argument by reassuring me that there are people out there that are still determined to keep the search alive and those who believe the outcome of possible success would be tremendous.

"Searching for ET." //New Scientist// 192.2573 (2006): 14. //Gale Science In Context//. Web. 19 Oct. 2010. <[|http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/scic/AcademicJournalsDetailsPage]>

Information: The author of this work published this article in the magazine New Scientist. This magazine has been around since 1956 and is intended "for all those men and women who are interested in scientific discovery, and in its industrial, commercial and social consequences." This magazine is written by many scholarly sources that are experts in their field of study and those who have dedicated their job to obtain a better understanding of the topic at hand. The purpose of the work is that of an informational report.

Summary: The thesis of the author's work is to discuss if the search for intelligent life is worth the funding. The position that the author takes is that of one that can see both sides of an argument. The topics in which the author covers is the purpose and development of SETI and the search that sprouts from the funding. The information that the source gives is that SETI researchers believe another intelligence would logically use this frequency to communicate and that artificial radio signals are expected to cover only a "narrow band of frequencies unlike natural emissions from a cloud of hydrogen gas." They have also assumed that intelligent civilisations are so common that we will find our nearest neighbors within 80 light years of the sun.

Evaluation: The research of this article is short and to the point of the topic. It still tends to my need for information about SETI and addresses the simple facts of the search. The author does not take an objective stance, only the view of the most known facts about the search.

Reflection: This source has been a little helpful in my support for my argument because although it does have crucial information about SETI and the way it works, I believe it could have a lot more information about the topic that would help me in the future. The source has helped my argument because it gives me more reason on how the program uses the funding it receives.

Pitzer, Andrea. "Is the truth out there?" //USA Today// 18 Aug. 2009: 06D. //Gale Science In Context//. Web. 27 Oct. 2010.

"Life in the Universe, Search for." //Space Sciences//. Ed. Pat Dasch. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2010. //Gale Science In Context//. Web. 27 Oct. 2010.

"SETI." //Space Sciences//. Ed. Pat Dasch. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2009. //Gale Science In Context//. Web. 27 Oct. 2010.

"First Contact." //Space Sciences//. Ed. Pat Dasch. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2009. //Gale Science In Context//. Web. 27 Oct. 2010.

"Carl Sagan." //Astronomy & Space: From the Big Bang to the Big Crunch//. Gale, 2008. //Gale Science In Context//. Web. 27 Oct. 2010.

"Frank Drake." //Astronomy & Space: From the Big Bang to the Big Crunch//. Gale, 2008. //Gale Science In Context//. Web. 27 Oct. 2010.

Overbye, Dennis. "Please Call Earth. We Still Haven't Found You." //New York Times// 2 Mar. 2008: 4(L). //Gale Science In Context//. Web. 27 Oct. 2010.