Our Place in the Cosmos: The Unfinished Revolution

by Fred Hoyle and Chandra Wickramasinghe

Book Overview

In this book the authors attack the Earth-centric view that life originated in some virus-like form and simply evolved by natural selection. Arguing from the evidence of virology and epidemiology,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0460860844
• ISBN13: 9780460860840
• Release Date: January 1993
• Publisher: J.M. Dent & Sons
• Length: 190 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Ah, now THIS BOOK IS MORE LIKE IT!! :-)

In this controversial book, Fred Hoyle asserts that life on Earth may originally be of extraterrestrial origin. This isn't as stupid as it sounds. The infrared spectrum of comets & galaxies are surprisingly similar to that obtained from viruses/bacteria found on Earth. Most bacteria on Earth are remarkably resistant to extremes in temperature found in outer space; they will continue to thrive after being exposed to temperatures of only a few degrees above absolute zero. Yet the Earth NEVER gets that cold, and according to the theory of evolution they shouldn't evolve to be this impervious to extremely cold conditions. He attributes the periodic influenza epidemics to the passing of the Earth through the tails of nearby comets in orbit. This is quite a claim!But Hoyle provides all the convincing scientific evidence necessary to prove his point - there are just the right amount of relevant figures, which reveal all the data that brings him to this conclusion. The style of writing is unpretentious and not overcomplicated, and it flows very well. The proposition is very original, and I doubt you'll find another book like this. Revolutionary.

A fascinating, cogent polemic

While most of us assume the truth of Darwinism - and may even have read whole books by exponents like Richard Dawkins - it can be shocking to realize how many gnarly bits there are that we just don't quite understand. For instance: how did some assumed (and so far undiscovered) common ancestor give rise to bears and horses? In theory, random mutations happen all the time, and a tiny percentage of them are beneficial. But if no such mutation yields a new variant that cannot interbreed with the main species, how do new species arise? And if it does, how can the new variant survive unless - by some unbelievable coincidence - another identical mutant of the opposite sex is born at the same time and place?One of the hallmarks of a great mind is the confidence to ask questions that the rest of us would be ashamed to ask for fear of exposing ourselves to ridicule. This book forcefully argues that today's scientific orthodoxy can be every bit as stifling and irrational as the religious dogmatism of previous centuries. Surely it is wrong that certain opinions simply cannot be held by practising scientists - if they want to keep their jobs and have their papers published, at any rate?"Our Place in the Cosmos" advances a variety of ideas, all of which are stimulating, although some are more convincing than others. The authors make no bones about the fact that some of their thoughts are speculative - they are only two scientists, backed up up by a small team of researchers, and they have limited time and means. In stark contrast, they claim that the entire community of Darwinian biologists has laboured for 150 years without finding conclusive evidence in the fossil record.The book's most convincing hypothesis is that the universe is stuffed with microorganisms. The comparison of infrared flux from the galactic centre with that from dry E. coli shows a striking similarity, suggesting the existence of interstellar clouds made up of bacteria - dehydrated of course, but potentially viable when introduced to a suitable ecological niche. It is explained that bacteria can survive re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere, whereas airless bodies like the Moon swat them like bugs on a windshield. There is also evidence to show that respiratory diseases could be spread by such infalling bacteria (and viruses), whose arrival can be synchronized with the passage of comets.It is impossible to do justice to this thrilling book in a review. If you enjoy scientific thrillers - with the added spice of an apparent conspiracy to ignore the work of misunderstood geniuses - get hold of a copy of "Our Place in the Cosmos". Anyone who enjoyed Fred Hoyle's SF novels - notably "The Black Cloud", "Ossian's Ride" and "A for Andromeda" - will recognize some key themes.

Darwinism totters.

I used to wonder at statements like "the theory of relativity changed the world". They never made sense to me -- how could scientific revolutions affect one's personal philosophy? Now I know, because I've just experienced one. I used to believe in the Darwinist theory of evolution because the alternative -- the Bible -- was too ludicrous/painful. But some parts of Darwinism seemed really shaky and required a religious amount of faith on my part to believe them, which defeated the purpose. Salvation (eek, what an abused word) came in the form of Hoyle and Wick, who have not only shot down Darwinism, but have also put forward an excellent case which deserves serious consideration from the experts. I hope it gets it. A useful book to read, even if you're like me and the biology bits go over your cerebrum. Someone ought to condense this book into something more palatable.

The best source for Hoyle and Wickramasinghe's panspermia.

Astronomers Fred Hoyle and Chandra Wickramasinghe are the pioneers of the modern or "strong" version of panspermia, the theory that life on Earth comes from space. They have done far-reaching primary research on the subject, and their presentation is straightforward. Their writing is clear, compelling, and simple. Their conclusions are so challenging to the prevailing paradigm, however, as to be hard to grasp initially. If they are right, we are on the brink of a paradigm shift as great as any in the history of science.There are clues that a paradigm shift has already begun. For example, their prediction that complex organic polymers are abundant in space has been upheld and is now unquestioned. They predicted that the insertion of whole genes by viruses and other mechanisms is more important in evolution than point mutations and random recombination. Now that view is coming to be accepted as well. Life on Mars, another strong possibility, would again confirm their predictions.Research like theirs into unexplored regions of knowledge is perilous, and they have not always taken the right turn. For some of their errors, they have suffered bitter criticism. But they were also bitterly criticised for hypotheses that have proven correct. Many people know their work on panspermia only via this criticism. But judge for yourself. Whether one is inclined to accept the new theory or not, just knowing about it makes the latest knews from astronomy and biology more interesting than it would otherwise be. --- Brig Klyce *