INTRO:

We have hit a dead end. It is as simple as that. The culmination of 3.5 billion years of biological evolution, the epitome of millions upon millions of mutations and adaptations, the magnum opus of mother nature, we stand here today at the top of the ladder. There is nowhere else to go. There are no more rungs to scale. This is it. Or so some would tell you. Others, however, might shake their heads and laugh at such hubris. To think that we are the epitome of life, given everything we have observed about our universe, is to think that the human race has somehow transcended the laws that govern existence- everything from physics to biology to simple chemistry. Many argue that we are still evolving today, still changing and adapting to new conditions in our environment. In his novel Dune, Frank Herbert depicts a future in which the human race is intrinsically linked to its own evolution, both intellectually and physically, and has come to rest at the brink of a startling new phase of our species’ existence.

SUMMARY:

Set on the notoriously hostile desert planet of Arrakis, Dune follows the story of young Paul Atreides, the heir to House Atreides, which has recently been entrusted with control of the planet by the leader of the Galactic Imperium. Forced by political pressure to move from their lush home world of Caladan, Paul, his mother Jessica and his father Duke Leto uproot their entire household and their followers to take up residence on their new, barren fiefdom. Jessica, a member of the secretive organization known as the Bene Gesserit, is warned by one of her own before her departure that the offer of Arrakis is in truth a trap, a ruse contrived by the Duke’s rival, Baron Harkonnen, to destroy House Atreides and win Arrakis for himself. When the family proceeds heedlessly and does indeed fall victim of a trap, betrayed by the Harkonnen’s and the Emperor, the entire Atreides force is massacred, leaving only Paul and his mother to flee into the desert to seek refuge with the mysterious and savage natives of Arrakis, known as the Fremen.

It is here that Paul meets his destiny. It is revealed that the Bene Gesserit, to which his mother belongs, was formed eons ago with one goal: to manipulate human bloodlines and breeding patterns to produce a genetically superior individual, known as the Kwisatz Haderach, who would possess intellectual faculties capable of operating in the “higher dimensions”, and be able to extend his mind in many directions through time. In the midst of their flight to the desert, Paul has a flash of prophetic vision, discovering that he is the long-awaited individual. Paul and his mother (who is surprised as he is to learn that she has given birth to “The One”) use his new-found powers to recruit aid from the Fremen, whose religion (thanks to Bene Gesserit infiltration) prophesizes the arrival of a messiah gifted with such abilities. Paul is quickly recognized and is soon lofted up as a religious-political leader, a position which he uses to take back Arrakis with hordes of Fremen warriors, and win back his rightful title as Duke. Throughout the plot, the themes of genetic superiority and biological advancements play integral roles, which Herbert uses to state that the human race is indeed still evolving.

TECHNOLOGICAL EVOLUTION:

One of the most common claims in the debate over mankind’s continuing evolution is that, because we have become so technically advanced, natural selection no longer plays a part in our development. Instead, the technological evolution of man has risen to replace its biological evolution. There is indeed some truth in this. On Earth today, because of the advancements we have witnessed in medicine, housing and food production, life expectancies and birth rates across the globe have skyrocketed in relation to the rest of our species’ history. This has led to a more even reproductive success rate among individuals in any given population, as those who would once have died off or been weeded from the herd are now able to live fairly long lives and find suitable mates. As a result, many claim that we are no longer evolving, that we have become advanced enough to modify our environment and essentially freeze the Darwinian system that led us to our current state.

Our technology, on the other hand, has developed almost as a new species would, mutating and adapting and becoming increasingly complex and efficient. It is argued that this has substituted for the physical adaptation of man himself. Indeed, in Dune Herbert references events in the past that point to the evolution of technology, and mankind’s dependence on it. “Once men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that this would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them,” mentions the Revered Mother Mohiam in a conversation with Paul, referencing the rise of artificial intelligence (Herbert, 11). It is in the same conversation, however, that Herbert departs from the classic view of technology as the obvious and inevitable next-step in human evolution.

“‘Thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of a man’s mind,’ Paul quoted. ‘Right out of the Butlerian Jihad and the Orange Catholic Bible,’ she said. ‘But what the O.C. Bible should’ve said is: Thou shalt not make a machine to counterfeit a human mind. Have you studied the Mentat in your service?’” (Herbert, 11)

Apparently at one time before the events of Dune take place, mankind’s technology became so advanced that it posed a threat to its creators. During the Butlerian Jihad, the war that mankind waged against machines and higher technology, all computing devices were banned from the galaxy. In their place rose the Mentats, humans schooled in logic and reasoning, trained to act as biological computers.

“‘The Great Revolt took away a crutch,’ she said. ‘It forced human minds to develop. Schools were started to train human talents,’” (Herbert, 11).

With this seemingly retro-active step, Herbert creates a future for the human species in which its inherent, biological gifts are returned to the fore. “The god of machine-logic was overthrown among the masses and a new concept was raised: ‘Man may not be replaced,’” (Herbert, 485). By returning the focus of his sci-fi setting to the human element, Herbert demonstrates that our species is still capable of development, and insinuates that technology is merely a crutch, a temporary speed bump in that development. We are still adapting, he states, and with his background of mankind’s technological development laid, he continues on to an examination of our natural evolution.

NATURAL EVOLUTION:

Having studied everything from physics to ecology in his youth, Herbert had developed an impressive knowledge background by the time he began his work in science fiction. Consequently, all of his novels contain startlingly accurate systems and mechanics. It is no wonder, then, that in a galaxy-wide empire he developed complex and extensive evolutionary patterns, both social and physical. Because he established that mankind had, in part, rejected the one-track evolutionary route offered by technology, he made it possible for human adaptations to make up for the technological advances of our modern appliances. However, with the acute eye of a scientist, he noted that, despite the retro-grade technology, the relative ease of life on lush garden planets would inevitably lead to adaptive stagnation. Because of the variation in planetary environments, it is inevitable that some would present much more hostile environments than others. When this fact is combined with the “bubble effect” produced by the isolation of planetary populations, a galactic empire becomes the perfect laboratory in which to observe the process of human evolution. Thus, he took his narrative to the farther reaches of the habitable spectrum, setting his novel in the infamous sands of Arrakis.

It is an inherent law of Darwinian evolution that competition drives adaptation. In an environment with limited resources, competition will always arise in a population, leading to unequal reproductive success, and thus a selective passing-down of genetic traits. What place in the galaxy is more competitive than Arrakis? “The Bene Gesserit were well aware that the rigors of such a planet as Arrakis with its totality of desert landscape its absolute lack of open water, its emphasis on the most primitive necessities for survival, inevitably produces a high proportion of sensitives,” (Herbert, 493). Although here he refers to the evolution of quasi-psychic abilities, the statement holds true for physical adaptations as well. The extremity of the conditions on Arrakis, the harshness of the environment coupled with the constant war between rival factions, served as a planet size petri dish for the culturing of human evolution. When Paul’s mother encounters the Fremen, she notices physical adaptations in them immediately. “She tipped up the point, drew a delicate scratch with the blade’s edge above Mapes’ left breast. There was a thick welling of blood that stopped almost immediately. Ultrafast coagulation, Jessica thought. A moisture-conserving mutation,” (Herbert, 54). This is the first direct mention that Herbert makes of actual, physical evolution in humans. It is clear that he predicts the continued development of our species as a result of environmental factors. However, he does not stop there. As a result of hundreds of thousands of years of civilization and knowledge, Herbert depicts how our species might eventually turn its gaze upon itself, and actually take a hand in shaping its own evolution.

GUIDED EVOLUTION:

He embodies this idea, of course, in the Bene Gesserit.

“The Bene Gesserit program had as its target the breeding of a person they labeled the ‘Kwisatz Haderach,’ a term signifying “one who can be many places at once.” In simpler terms, what they sought was a human with mental powers permitting him to understand and use higher order dimensions. They were breeding for a super-Mentat, a human computer with some of the prescient abilities found in Guild navigators,” (Herbert, 492).

In today’s world of morally restricted politics and science, a project of this nature, the breeding of human beings, would be impossible. There would be too many objections, too many people balking at the idea of being coupled like livestock. However, in a future that has seen a war between humans and machine and the near unification of the galaxy’s religions (in the Orange Catholic Bible), the plausibility of such an endeavor would be viewed more realistically. Nonetheless, to be safe, the Bene Gesserit shrouded their organization and actions in ritual and mysticism, becoming the objects of much suspicion and superstition over the years. Their goal was wholly unknown to the outside world, and for ninety generations they worked as hidden matchmakers, arranging marriages and sometimes sending some of their own daughters to bear children of specific bloodlines.

Ultimately, their actions resulted in a kind of pseudo-evolution. By matching genetic partners to produce desired traits in the offspring, they were essentially stepping in for natural selection. “The original Bene Gesserit school was directed by those who saw the need of a thread of continuity in human affairs. They saw there could be no such continuity without separating human stock from animal stock—for breeding purposes,” (Herbert, 492). The way Herbert portrays this is almost as the third step in the human evolution. First we evolved from early hominids, naturally, then we began to rely on the evolution of technology to drive our species forward. Now we have moved on to conscious attempts to improve our genetic makeup via natural reproduction. In Dune, Herbert has sketched out an “evolution of evolution”. Granted, the motives and means of the Bene Gesserit are questioned by all, even the audience, but the end result of their machinations is undeniable. Paul Atreides, the Kwisatz Haderach, the one who can be many places at once, the man who can see through time, is the next step in human evolution.

CONCLUSION:

Ever since Darwin, humans have asked themselves whether they too are subject to the same, primeval process of adaptation as the beasts observed on the Galapagos. Perhaps it is an unwillingness to admit to a shared bond between themselves and animals, or the lofty pride of civilized society, but time and again many have rejected the possibility, claiming that we are as evolved as it is possible to get. However, all the science points to the contrary. Whether we like it or not, with each replication of parent cells there are errors made in the DNA sequence. Mutations occur and are passed down to our young. Our species is still changing, still adapting. Now, whether that change is happening in our technological society at the rates that is used to in the wild, or whether the changes being passed down today are necessarily the most beneficial to survival are questions open to much scrutiny. It is highly doubtful that we are moving along the evolutionary track at the speed or in the direction that we used to. However, as Frank Herbert has proposed in Dune, it is possible that at some point in our future we might fall back on our biological resources and witness a rebirth of the value and capabilities of mankind. We still have the potential to be the most important resource in the galaxy. There are yet more rungs to climb.

Kurt Vonnegut’s thriller Slaughterhouse-Five, a wonderful novel about a man named Billy Pilgrim, is one of the most unique books of its time. Instead of writing the novel with a beginning, middle, climax and end, Vonnegut gives the story an entirely non-linear time scale. While slightly difficult to follow at times, this method does the actual story of Billy Pilgrim much justice, as Billy uncontrollably time travels to different moments in his life whenever he is under emotional stress. So, the reader’s experience is somewhat akin to what Billy is dealing with in his life. The story of Billy Pilgrim itself is somewhat farfetched – Billy is a World War II veteran who, later in life, is abducted by a mysterious species of aliens known as the Tralfamadorians. The Tralfamadorians reveal certain truths about the nature of time to Billy, most importantly that each and every moment in one’s life not only occurs simultaneously, but also infinitely occurs over and over again. Based on this idea, no moment in any person’s life is any more permanent than any other moment in their life, a notion that helps Billy overcome many of the tragedies he witnessed while he was at war. Although Billy’s Tralfamadorian abduction tale is absolutely integral to the story, Slaughterhouse-Five is not a novel about extraterrestrial lifeforms; it is a novel about war.

To begin, if Vonnegut had intended to write his novel predominantly about the Tralfamadorians, he would have made them seem more plausible. Instead, the Tralfamadorians are described as looking like upside-down plungers. Not only is this an odd image, in general, it is also biologically silly as it would be very difficult to move around with a suction cup where your feet should be. Additionally, when Billy is taken to Tralfamadore, the aliens lock him up in a zoo-like cage to be examined. While this idea is not necessarily impossible, it is more likely that if humans ever encountered far more intelligent lifeforms than themselves, they would not simply be locked up in cages like animals – instead, they would most likely be killed or put to work. Granted, there is no definite way to determine what might be the normal treatment for humans recently enslaved by an alien species. However, it is clear that Vonnegut is attempting to illustrate some level of absurdity when he describes the Tralfamadorians. Through all of this, Vonnegut is trying to show that the lessons about time that the Tralfamadorians teach Billy are much more important than the details of the aliens themselves.

When Billy learns of the reality of how time works, or at least how the Tralfamadorians believe it works, he is instantly granted some level of comfort from his memories of World War II. In the war, Billy witnessed many terrifying tragedies, the most prominent of which was the bombing of Dresden, a civilian city in Germany. The Americans bombed Dresden in a display of power, and they killed over 20,000 civilians in the process. During the bombing, Billy, a few other American soldiers, and a few German soldiers watching over them, are hiding in a bomb shelter in the basement of Slaughterhouse-Five, an abandoned slaughterhouse on the outskirts of the city. When the bombing finally concludes, the mismatched group of soldiers emerges from the basement to see utter devastation. Restaurants and stores around the city that were open for business just a few hours earlier are now reduced to piles of rock. Burnt corpses lie as far as the eye can see, and the true devastation that the bombing caused is glaringly obvious through the eyes of the German soldiers, who have just learned that everything and everyone they know and love is gone.

Now, back to the the flying saucer where Billy is being held en route to Tralfamadore. When Billy asks the Tralfamadorians how the universe is expected to end, they tell him, “We blow it up, experimenting with new fuels for our flying saucers. A Tralfamadorian test pilot presses a starter button, and the whole Universe disappears” (Vonnegut 111). Naturally, Billy asks the Tralfamadorians why they would not prevent this if they already know it will occur. To this, they respond, “He has always pressed it, and he always will. We always let him and we always will let him. The moment is structured that way” (Vonnegut 111). This brilliantly illustrates the Tralfamadorian concept of time; fate is pre-determined and cannot be altered, so if something is known to happen in the future, no matter how terrible it is, it cannot be prevented. When Billy realizes this, he says to the aliens, “So – I suppose that the idea of preventing war on Earth is stupid, too” (Vonnegut 111). Once the ship arrives in Tralfamadore, Billy notes that the planet seems very peaceful. The Tralfamadorians correct him: while it is currently peacetime on Tralfamadore, war is no less inevitable on this distant planet than it is on Earth.

Finally, war is a more central theme in this book than extraterrestrial life because Billy’s entire Tralfamadorian story – his abduction and then his imprisonment in an alien zoo – is likely just a coping mechanism. After witnessing the bombing of Dresden, Billy needs to prove to himself that tens of thousands of innocents did not die pointlessly. Note that Billy cares deeply about the deaths of these many Germans, even though they are technically his enemy. To Billy, death on this scale is a tragedy, no matter which side it occurs on, which further emphasizes the point that this book is trying to make: war, although unavoidable, is idiotic and useless. As was stated earlier, the Tralfamadorians teach Billy that each moment in life is no more important or permanent than any of the others. Take Billy, for instance – his ability to time travel means that he has witnessed his own birth, his own death, and every moment in between countless times.

As a result, Billy’s death, and anyone else’s, for that matter, is just one out of an infinite number of moments that each person experiences in his or her life. This greatly comforts Billy as he can apply this rule to each innocent civilian who lost their life in Dresden in February of 1945, just a few months before World War II came to a close.

This idea of the Tralfamadorian story being a coping mechanism becomes clear when you look at Billy’s tale from the perspective of Barbara, his daughter who is tasked with taking care of him as he grows old. When Barbara hears Billy’s alien story, her father is to her like any other crazy, old war veteran whose life was drastically altered when he went to war. Instead of believing that her father actually encountered an advanced alien species, it is considerably easier for her to believe that her father’s perception of reality was simply altered during the war, causing him to believe that he saw these things, without actually seeing them.

All in all, it is evident throughout the novel that Vonnegut means to say that war is the reason for the Tralfamadorian tale, and that the story of the aliens is simply a way for an old, tired man to deal with horrendous catastrophes that he witnessed in his past. Slaughterhouse-Five is a novel about the nature of war – not an intriguing alien race called the Tralfamadorians – and it goes to great lengths to show just how devastating needless fighting can be.

Bibliography:

Vonnegut, Kurt. Slaughterhouse-five, Or, the Children’s Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death. New York: Dial Press, 2005. Print.

“Bombing of Dresden in World War II.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 25 Sept. 2013. Web. 25 Sept. 2013.

How Free is Freewill?

“…a far more humane proceeding than our earthly method of leaving children to grow into human beings, and then making machines of them.” (Wells 201)

A Call for Reflection

Originally published in 1901, H. G. Wells’ The First Men In the Moon presents a space travel voyage not quite up to par with the modern technicality of today’s science fiction. But despite the unlikely science, the social and political commentary springing from the final crossing of earthly and lunar worlds makes for a very different and spectacular kind of science fiction story. It is a story in which the idea of biologically engineering organisms from birth challenges the proclivity of humanity’s striving for independence. The concepts of inner differentiation between people and war between brothers drive a need to question our ways. The shock of the beings encountered on the moon upon hearing of the nature of Earth seeks to question our tendency towards the haven of choice and freewill, but ultimately to reassure us that it is the right direction.

A Journey Into Worlds

The novel begins with the mischance convergence of two very different people, Cavor, the classic professor and scientist, and Bedford, the capitalistic businessman and writer. They meet in the village of Lympne, in England, where each is working on what they individually deem the projects of their lives. Bedford is writing a play, which helps to develop the idea that he is on the far end of the social spectrum from the scientist. Cavor is working on a new compound, although unsuccessfully until coming together with Bedford, which is opaque to gravity. In essence, it is a compound that can defy gravity. Soon after the first synthesis of this compound, which they call Cavorite, Cavor becomes fixed on the idea of going to the moon using this new substance. All of the creation of Cavorite and the sphere in which they travel is then followed by a questionably smooth journey from Earth to the Moon. Soon after their arrival on an apparently barren and frozen Moon, the lunar sunrise gives life to all manner of exotic flora that grow at an incredible rate. “Darting shrubs, swelling cacti, creeping lichens,” and “interminable thickets of scrub” (71, 77) quickly overtake the two men, and their sphere. Lost, panicked, and hungry, the explorers stumble upon what appears to be an entrance into the interior of the Moon where they discover, and inevitably are captured by, a race of creatures, deemed Selenites after the moon goddess Selene. While Cavor tries to make some sort of communication of intelligence to the uncomprehending Selenites, Bedford’s efforts result in the discovery that the moon creatures are quite fragile due to the lower gravity of the moon. The men also discover that the crowbar-like tools that the Selenites are using are made of pure gold, which is apparently abundant inside of the moon. Using these tools as weapons the two men escape with their lives, and of course, two solid gold crowbars that Bedford plans to return to Earth with. Despite their aggressive evasion of captivity, Cavor and Bedford are still left with the problem of finding the sphere, their ride home. They decide to leave a flag as a waypoint at the center of the crater they are in and split up to try to find the sphere. This invariably leads to Bedford’s discovery of the sphere and Cavor’s disappearance when Bedford goes looking for him. Rationalizing that Cavor is lost, and with the fatal lunar night approaching, Bedford returns to the sphere and then to Earth, again quite easily. After landing conveniently back in England, Bedford stays in a small village where he learns of a man named Mr. Wendigee who has been receiving messages in fragmented English from somewhere on the Moon.

In the finale of the novel, we hear Bedford’s narrative of Cavor’s messages. After Cavor’s capture, he is brought to the interior of the Moon, to the great sea. He discovers that the Selenites are conditioned from birth to fulfill a certain role in society. They become extremely suited to that role both mentally and physically, and the aspects of their beings that are not necessary to that role shrivel and fade. Eventually, Cavor is brought before the Grand Lunar, the ruler of the Selenites, who is essentially a giant brain and consciousness. This is where we see the stark contrast between worlds, the intrigue, and sometimes horror, of the Selenites as Cavor shares his world with them. He tells them of the nature of Earth, of life on the surface, the atmosphere, architecture, democracy, independence, nations, and war, all things curious and disturbing to the Grand Lunar. The topic of war brings an abrupt end to the discourse. The Grand Lunar begins to ask, “but why should there be a need…” (217) But he stops. And no answer is given. Just as with the rest of the symbolic differences between humans and Selenites, the reader is left to ponder.

Our Place in the Universe

In a society that constantly moves further and further into an age of independence and individuality, Wells implores us, through Cavor’s intra-lunar experiences, to consider the implications of a world in which mindless efficiency rules. In the Moon, beings are given neither choice, nor freewill. They are biologically engineered from birth to fulfill a position in society.

In the moon, every citizen knows his place. He is born to that place, and the elaborate discipline of training and education and surgery he undergoes fits him at last so completely to it that he has neither ideas nor organs for any purpose beyond it. (197)

For some, this means overdeveloped hands, or olfactory senses. The glass blowers have incredible lungs, while the rest of their body starves. For the thinkers though, for the leaders and the Grand Lunar, this means incredible intelligence. During the meeting between Cavor and the Grand Lunar, there are “learned heads… Not a thing in lunar science, not a point of view or a method of thinking” is excluded from the beings’ minds. (205) The Selenites are the highest level of specialists. Their society is efficient and unified. Although at times it is grotesque, it is ultimately peaceful. This presentation of a societal alternative challenges the idea that humanity is as profoundly successful as we often make it out to be. Oftentimes, humans will wander through life, without goals, without purpose, and without a place in society. The independence of choice that is such a hallmark of modern human existence is not perfect and will often lead to failure, outcast, and conflict. But it is that same independence and freewill that makes humanity great, that makes it such an incredible avenue of existence. Although the Selenite society might be perfect, perfection is not what makes a society great. What makes a society great is its character, its imperfection. It is the knowledge that we can make mistakes and fail, and that those mistakes will make society stronger. Without failure, society is stagnant. It will never move and it will never progress. We can see society within the main characters, Cavor and Bedford. They are wildly different personalities with their own intentions, thoughts, and opinions, and yet they can make this journey together and feel some sort of companionship. Upon his return to Earth, we also see a change in the initially cold and greedy Bedford. He is concerned about the fate of Cavor and seems to be willing to toss aside his life to try to help find a way to bring him back from the Moon. Both characters make mistakes along the way, and both change as a result. And in the end, despite their respective fates, they are better for it. Wells’ vision of a perfectly engineered society is one that humans could never live in, because humans need failure. Humans need independence. As Cavor tells the Grand Lunar, “Some [are] thinkers and some officials; some [hunt]; some [are] mechanics, some artists, some toilers… but all rule.” (214) The independence of humanity means that complete efficiency is impossible, for humans are not mindless, and they thrive on the idea that the entire world is a work in progress.

It is the customs of Earth and humanity themselves, and the contrast they present against those of the Moon that are used to ask us to think about the way in which this world has developed. The Selenite society beneath the cratered surface of the Moon can be seen as highly utopic. There is no error in their world. Each and every person has a place that they are perfectly suited to, so there is no reason for anything to go wrong. There is no war, no strife between people who are essentially the same. But this society is a far cry from our convoluted, secretive, human society. Upon hearing of this strange humanity, the Selenites are shocked and in awe that our world can continue at such an advanced level while it is clearly primitive in so many ways. When Cavor describes to them the idea of democracy, they wonder if people all do the same thing. Since there is not the physical differentiation as there is on the Moon, and everyone has a voice in society, they assume that people are very similar. To this Cavor responds, “Perhaps if one could see the minds and souls of men they would be as varied and unequal as the Selenites.” (214) While in the eyes of the lunar beings our world is strange and imperfect, it is the ability for its inhabitants to have so much in common, yet be so varied and beautifully diverse that makes it the exact opposite. The kind of diversity presented in the Moon may be perfect in some ways, but it brings up many other problems, and certainly is not as utopic as it might seem. But then there is war. The climax of the exchange between Cavor and the Grand Lunar comes with the topic of war.

[The Grand Lunar] was at first perplexed and incredulous. ‘You mean to say,’ he asked, seeking confirmation,’ that you run about over the surface of your world—this world, whose riches you have scarcely begun to scrape—killing one another for beasts to eat?’

I told him that was perfectly correct. (216)

The violent obsession that circles our world, everything that the Grand Lunar inquires about, is a direct result of our freewill. But there is no doubt, despite this causation, that a world in which there is no freewill, in which the lives and fates of individuals are predetermined, is no better alternative to ours. And while war is terrible and is something that no society should have to experience, it is a necessary and integral part of the world that we have built. War means an exercise of our freewill, of our independence, and not only our decision to choose, but also our ability to. On the Moon, most individuals are not even aware of the option of freewill, let alone its practice. There is no conflict, because there is barely a society to disagree. There are barely individuals; the Moon is a world of drones. The diversity and individuality of humans, although mostly interior, is the reason for war. And though it can be seen as a downfall of society, it can also be seen as beautiful when you are comparing our world to that of the Moon. War gives hope to the continuing freewill of humans. It is a beacon for the humanity we know and love. A terrible, bloody beacon. But a beacon nonetheless. When the Grand Lunar asks why should there be a need, it is because it proves that our society is still alive. There is not necessarily a need, but it shows that our world still has a pulse.

Where Do We Go Now?

Although with ambiguous intention, the ideas presented in The First Men In the Moon questions, but ultimately commends, the efficiency and success of freewill and independence in society. The strange society of beings encountered within the moon is shocked by the ways of Earth and of humans. They find it hard to believe that a society in which people have choice and freewill, and in which war and violence exist, could ever be successful, let alone thrive. But the Selenites, in their sheltered, mechanized society do not understand that the same characteristics that give them doubts about humans are also those that make them great. It is the independence, freewill, choice, and individuality of the human race that makes it all that it is, with its successes, its failures, and its overall sense of humanity on both sides of the spectrum. That said, there are aspects of the Selenite society that, alone, are superior to ours. By presenting a society with positive aspects, but that is ultimately worse off, thoughts arise about what human society could truly benefit from, what changes might need to be made in order to truly make this society everything it can be. This novel leaves many questions and issues unanswered. But as to how free freewill is on a societal scale; it is as free as it gets.

Works Cited:

Wells, H. G. The First Men In the Moon. New York: Random House, 2003. Print.

“The First Men in the Moon.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 20 Sept. 2013. Web. 22 Sept. 2013.

Maddox, David. “The SF Site Featured Review: The First Men in the Moon.” The SF Site Featured Review: The First Men in the Moon. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2013.

Tonight is the last night when Venus and Saturn will be visible in the same binocular field. Look southwest about an hour and a half after sunset to see the two shining together. Venus will be easiest to spot, because of its intense luminosity. Saturn’s coordinates will be Right Ascension: 2h 42m 21s | Declination:  83° 32.400′. For more information, visit EarthSky.org. It will be an exciting opportunity to see the two together! 

The Five Visible Planets in September:

http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/visible-planets-tonight-mars-jupiter-venus-saturn-mercury

If you’ve ever wondered why we have a moon, here’s a quick explanation along with some fun facts!

“A not-very-in-depth look into why we even have a moon, and the effect that the moon has had on our planet. From the perspective of a science fan… rather than a proper scientist.”
-Charlie McDonnell

Well, according to a study conducted by six Swiss scientists last month, the lunar cycle does have a clear effect on melatonin levels and therefore many aspects of our sleep. The folklore might be correct after all, as there is now evidence supporting it. The study was performed eliminating error from outside factors such as fluctuating daylight hours and knowledge of the study details.

The data collected showed a 30 percent diminish in EEG delta activity during non-rapid-eye-movement sleep at the tine of full moons which manifests as less deep sleep. Data also suggested an average of 5 minutes longer to fall asleep during these phases of the lunar cycle. Lastly, there was also evidence collected that the average complete sleeping time is reduced around these phases as well. Quantitative melatonin hormone levels support the finding that the lunar cycle likely affects human sleep.

Here is a graph of sleep latency versus the lunar cycle. The sinusoidal relationship between the two is clearly visible.

This graph shows multiple sleep factors graphed against the cycle of the moon. A clear symmetrical pattern is observable in each.

So, if the moon’s cycle really does affect our hormone levels and our sleeping abilities, what does that mean? Why do we have bodily systems in place that react to lunar phases? Is this reaction purposeful or merely a trivial product of some unexplained physics? If the reaction has some purpose, is it an outdated evolutionary characteristic that no longer applies? This study raises a number of questions to be asked about the apparent correlation between the moon and our sleep. Perhaps the next step is to further investigate the connection. Who knows what we could discover about human biology, history, and lunar physics.

Works Cited: 

1.         Christian Cajochen, Songül Altanay-Ekici, Mirjam Münch, Sylvia Frey, Vera Knoblauch, Anna Wirz-Justice. Evidence that the Lunar Cycle Influences Human Sleep. Current Biology, Volume 23, Issue 15, 5 August 2013, Pages 1485-1488, ISSN 0960-9822, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2013.06.029. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982213007549).

Today I read an interesting article by Scientific American about seeing the skies of different planets, and extrasolar planetary discovery.  As it turns out, the skies of different planets (outside our solar system) are very hard to observe because all we can see is the glare from the star it orbits. 

The article begins with a brief history of our understanding and observations of extrasolar planets, and then gets into what scientists are doing today.  Because planets are so small few extrasolar ones have ever been directly observed.  How we normally detect them is by looking at minute changes in the star’s orbit.  Now though, using more modern telescopes, we have been able to detect planets just twice as massive as earth, and what is more, even look at their atmospheres.  Instead of only being able to use the star’s wobble to observe new planets we have also been looking at the apparent brightness of the star change as the planet passes in between it and Earth.  By looking at the light that shines through we can get an estimate as to what the atmosphere is made of and the planet’s density.

Though this new research had lead to the discovery of numerous potential Earth like planets it still brings up many questions.  One issue plaguing scientists currently is that on some planets, like Jupiter and Saturn temperature is not decreased with altitude, rather it increases.  Because there is no easy ways of telling which temperature gradient an extrasolar planet has it is impossible to know much more about its atmosphere, and perhaps, habitability for life. 

For now we will have to wait, but when the James Webb Space Telescope is lauched and new large sized ground telescopes become operational sometime at the end of this decade we will be able to see the planets much more directly.

I really find this article intriguing because of the sense of exploration that it captures.  Though directly imaging extrasolar planets is fantasy right now, it will be possible in the future, and I can’t wait for that to happen.

The article: http://www.nature.com/scientificamerican/journal/v309/n1/full/scientificamerican0713-40.html

For almost a year now the astronomical community has been abuzz about the possibility of a spectacular upcoming event. On the 21^st of September, 2012, Russian astronomers Vitali Nevski and Artyom Novichonok of the International Scientific Optical Network (ISON) picked up a faint, moving object out near the orbit of Jupiter on their long-range telescope. After a brief analysis, they discovered that it was a comet, somewhere between 1 and 10 kilometers in diameter, heading on a near crash-course for the sun. In the time following the discover, data on “Comet ISON” has made many researchers think that it could put on one of the biggest shows ever seen in Earth’s sky.

Classified as a “sungrazzer”, this massive ball of ice and dust is set to come within 680,000 miles of the Sun’s surface (a hairsbreadth, in astronomical terms) on highly elliptical orbit that could end up slinging it out of the solar system on its return trip. However, the fact that has got stargazers dancing around in circles is that this orbital path should bring it fairly close to the surface of the earth (relatively speaking- about 40 million miles) after rounding the Sun, on December 26^th of this year. Assuming that it doesn’t break up as a result of solar wind and radiation during its flyby, it should put on quite a light-show for Christmas.

To give you a bit of an idea, take Comet Lovejoy, which passed the sun on December 16^th 2011. This comet, which wowed skywatchers for weeks with a long tail (day and night), was only half the size ISON is predicted to be by the time it passes over us, and came much closer to the sun than ISON should which bodes well for the cosmic snowball in question. Despite the warnings of researchers and astronomers who remind us that comets can be notoriously unpredictable, and that ISON might break up before it reaches us or lose enough mass to crash into the sun as it passes, anticipation has grown so much over this icy body that some are already dubbing it the “Comet of the Century”. At any rate, keep your eyes on the sky this Christmas season- you may be in for a bit of a holiday treat.

http://media.skyandtelescope.com/images/Comet-ISON-recovery_by-Gary_big.jpg

http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/463/cache/comet-lovejoy-morning_46313_600x450.jpg

Since the space race began in the fifties space has always been a frontier that has taken immense amounts of money to reach and has only been accessible to a select few. In recent years though the chances of our generation easily going to space has greatly increased. Private companies such as SpaceX and Virgin have both put massive funding into programs to create space ships and rockets, respectively, to get tourists and cargo into space. Recently Virgin sent up its Space Ship Two for a test flight that successfully reached an altitude of 69,000 feet at a top speed of Mach 1.6.

The space plane is still in testing, but the expected launch date is sometime in 2014. To me the only issue here left to tackle is cost. At this point the price of a ticket would be far beyond the average person’s budget. On the other hand going to space is something that only a few have done so it will not be hard to convince those with the funds to splurge. Ideally if the price can be brought down to a point where more people can afford it, it could be a lucrative business model.

On a more personal note I  have always wanted to go to space or at least for a long time now. I was never obsessed with rockets or astronauts as a kid, but the vastness of space has fascinated me. looking up at the night sky with no light pollution in a huge open field can really make you feel insignificant. It makes one wonder what else is out there and there is that human drive to explore the unknown that can’t be ignored. Hopefully by the end of my life time affordable space travel it will be a reality.

Today, the Royal Observatory of the United Kingdom and Sky at Night Magazine announced the winners of the 2013 Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition. The competition opens every year for professionals and amateurs alike to submit their best photos of the universe. The winners this year, as always, were stunning, as were all of the entries.

Guiding Light to the Stars by Mark Gee. 2013 Astronomy Photographer of the Year Overall Winner. 

I think that contests like this one are important to the future of astronomy. It gets the public interested in not only the beauty of space, but also in the importance of studying it scientifically. Categories like the Young Astronomer Photographer of the Year and Newcomer of the Year celebrate new additions to the cosmology world.

Newcomer of the Year Winner: “Venus Transit.” Foxhunter’s Grave, Welsh Highlands. Photocredit: Sam Cornwell

Additionally, any opportunity when science and art can exist cohesively is worth an entire exhibition. One does not usually think of the two together, yet they often compliment each other beautifully. I recommend a scientific art exhibition to anyone who has the chance to see one, whether it is long exposures of the night sky or magnified strands of cells or DNA.

Art in Science. Precursor Neural Cells. Photo Credit: Su-Chun Zhang.

Anyway, back on topic! You can check out these amazing photos online on the observatory’s website as well as Flickr. I suggest checking out all the winners of every category, as well as browsing the entries and winning shots from previous years. I have also provided a hyperlink to the overall winner, Mark Gee’s, personal Flickr page. He has many amazing photos of the night sky over New Zealand that are worth checking out!

My brother and I recently became interested in astrophotography. This is one of his shots from outside Zion National Park in Utah. Photocredit: Leon Emmett Sport III

I hope these images further inspire you to pursue an interest in outer space and our place in the universe. I also hope you may be inspired to pick up a camera and try to make some images yourself. I know I am! Here are some easy instructions on how to take long exposures of the night sky at home. You can always consult your camera’s manual or Google the model for further information. Stay golden!

Additional Sources:

http://www.universetoday.com/104869/and-the-winners-are-amazing-astronomy-photographer-of-the-year-2013-photos-revealed/