An ongoing look at the
life-forms that we might find on recently discovered exoplanets.
The Mysterious Activity on Super-Earth HD 97658 b
Purple night falls on the
lone world circling the star HD 97658 some 70 light-years away. Under the blazing
magenta daylight cast by this K-type main-sequence star, and during the frigid,
87-month-long indigo-dark nights, a system of pipelines grows, extending through
the thick atmosphere and into the rocky soil. The mysterious conduits
apparently connect somewhere, but Earthbound observers have not been able to
determine what they carry, and why. Perhaps they funnel fuel—or maybe air or
water.
A more speculative theory
suggests it is an attempt by the builders, globular life-forms (pictured here),
to develop a system of tubes—a version of the Internet. Although these beings
appear highly intelligent, having developed an advanced technological
civilzation, they have apparently and amazingly accomplished it without the
ability to social network.
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| During twilight, the creatures emit a greenish glow that seems to signify cocktail-hour-like festivities. |
Supporting a complex
society that, it is believed, has works far beyond human achievements, super-Earth
HD 97658 b’s dominant life-form has created a truly alien culture. As on Earth,
microscopic life here evolved into intelligence, had an industrial revolution
but then took a divergent path into an existence deprived of Facebook,
Pinterest, Tumblr, Twitter, Vine—even a blogosphere. Scientists remain baffled
as to how they could have created a civilization that does not rely on
continuous access to e-mail, texts podcasts and streaming video, thereby
lacking the ability to tweet, Instagram, Pin-It, and blog. It has been
suggested that because of this deprivation, their unchecked attention spans and
ability to see in the long run have resulted in the completion of projects such
as establishing unlimited renewable energy and an economic system that provides
ample sustenance and health for all complete with a four-day work week and
five-weeks paid vacation—and birthdays off, too.
HD 97658 b’s denizens also
have an ongoing space program and have colonized neighboring star systems. Intercepted
broadcasts also suggest they have a time-wasting tendency toward deep
intellectual conversations and learning by reading detailed literary works that
fill the void in a bleak world that does not know the joy of life-hacking, Google/Wikipedia
searches, Angry Birds, Top 10 anything lists, blog rants, viral YouTube cat videos
and 15-minute hashtag-based news cycles. The mystery of why this species has
survived under such harsh conditions will remain, scientists say, until their
approaching fleet of starships reaches Earth sometime around 2036. It is hoped
that on arrival we will be able to offer our ability to gain instant
gratification in exchange for whatever techno trinkets they may have to offer
us, although it is hard to envision how giving away the secret of our Internet in
exchange for something like star drive, teleportation or even the chance to
barter for our freedom from annexation into their stark, sensory-deprived empire
could get us the better end of the deal in such an exchange.
The diagram above depicts
an interpretation of high-intensity laser signals picked up from the vicinity
of the advancing fleet. Experts think it is an attempt to communicate via
visual symbology. Linguistic and symbol analysis suggest they are attempting to
diagram some kind of social network, a primitive analogue of "Liking"
our civilization and humanity’s amazing accomplishment.
Flora and Fauna of the Firmament is a satirical collaboration featuring illustrations by Ken Silber and descriptions by Michael Battaglia. Cross-posted at Quicksilber and Beige Matter. Part 1 is here.
