Evo-SETI: Life Evolution Statistics on Earth and Exoplanets

Claudio Maccone

Feb. 2021 · Springer Nature

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This book offers a vision of how evolutionary life processes can be modelled. It presents a mathematical description that can be used not only for the full evolution of life on Earth from RNA to modern human societies, but also the possible evolution of life on exoplanets, thus leading to SETI, the current Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence.

The main premise underlying this mathematical theory is that the Geometric Brownian Motion (GBM) can be applied as a key stochastic process to model the evolution of life. In the resulting Evo-SETI Theory, the life of any living thing (a cell, an animal, a human, a civilization of humans, or even an ET civilization) is represented by a b-lognormal, i.e., a lognormal probability density function starting at a precise instant (b, birth) then increasing up to a peak time, then decreasing to senility time and then continuing as a straight line down to the time of death.

Using this theory, Claudio Maccone arrives at remarkable hypotheses on the development of life and civilizations, the possibility of extraterrestrial life, and when computers will take over the reins from us humans (Singularity). The book develops the mathematical Evo-SETI Theory by integrating a set of articles that the author has published in various journals on Astrobiology and Astronautical Research.

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Claudio Maccone is an Italian astronomer, space scientist and mathematician. In 2002 he was awarded the "Giordano Bruno Award" by the SETI League "for his efforts to establish a radio observatory on the far side of the Moon." In 2010 he was appointed Technical Director for Scientific Space Exploration by the International Academy of Astronautics. Since 2012, he has chaired the SETI Permanent Committee of the International Academy of Astronautics.

He obtained his PhD at the Department of Mathematics of King's College London in 1980. He then joined the Space Systems Group of Aeritalia (now called Thales Alenia Space) in Turin as a technical expert for the design of artificial satellites, and got involved in the design of new space missions. In 2009 he published the first scientific book ever about the “FOCAL” space mission to 550 Astronomical Units capable of exploiting the Sun as a magnifying gravitational lens. He has published five textbooks and over 100 scientific and technical papers, most of them in "Acta Astronautica" and “International Journal of Astrobiology”.