This article needs additional citations for
verification. (September 2010) |
Natural History of an Alien | |
---|---|
Starring | Various scientists |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
No. of episodes | 1 |
Production | |
Running time | 1 hour with commercials (US) |
Original release | |
Network | BBC Two (UK), Discovery Channel (US) |
Release | 1998 |
Natural History of an Alien, also known as Anatomy of an Alien in the US, is an early Discovery Channel pseudo-documentary similar to Alien Planet, aired in 1998. This pseudo-documentary featured various alien ecosystem projects from the Epona Project to Ringworld. It also featured many notable scientists and science fiction authors such as Dr. Jack Cohen, Derek Briggs, Christopher McKay, David Wynn-Williams, Emily Holton, Peter Cattermole, Brian Aldiss, Sil Read, Wolf Read, Edward K. Smallwood, Adega Zuidema, Steve Hanly, Kevin Warwick and Dougal Dixon.
The viewer is in an intergalactic spaceship named the S.S. Attenborough, run by a small green alien.
The documentary visits asteroids and talks about the possibility of panspermia seeding solar system with life.
The next world visited is a high gravity planet home to many insect-like aliens who have adapted to 1.5 times Earth's gravity. High gravity means a thicker atmosphere (the planet in question having an atmosphere 15 times as dense as Earth's) and therefore easier flight.
The documentary visits the science fiction world of Helliconia, which was created by Brian Aldiss. It's a binary system and they show how life can adapt to having two suns.
The documentary visits the science fiction world of Sulfuria, which was created by Dougal Dixon. It's a sulfur rich world that is similar to Io.
The next world visited is Epona, an imaginary ecosystem created by group of scientists and science fiction writers called The Epona Project and begun by Martyn J. Fogg.
Epona is an offshoot of the Contact - Cultures Of The Imagination, [1] a bi-yearly conference, where scientists and Science Fiction authors come together and discuss how the human race may progress in space. The 2012 event program is here. [2] James Funaro is a guest on the Space Show Blog #3466 [3] and describes one year's conference. The contact idea came from an original premise by Joel Hagen and James Funaro, instructor of anthropology at Cabrillo College, Palo Alto. Two groups of COTI Attendees are provided with simulated planetary conditions, then have to devise a species to fit in that ecology and that develops spaceflight and has "First contact" with one another, one race may be human. The process was described in [4] This later developed into COTI - the roleplaying half simulating "first contact" and "The Bateson Project" - which is the strictly scientific disciplines come together. Science Fiction authors involved include Karen and Poul Anderson.
[1] [5] http://www.contact-conference.org [2] [6] http://www.contact-conference.org/c12d.html (On the wayback internet archive). {3} [7]
The documentary then visits the science fiction world of Greenworld, which was created by Dougal Dixon. It is an Earth-like planet filled with lush rainforests.
On Greenworld, the ship encounters an artificial lifeforms from a robotic cube ship. It uses solar panels to gather energy and mines asteroids to get resources to grow. It even sends down a probe resembling a metallic centipede to Greenworld to explore it. At the end of the film, the narrator is revealed to be a little green man-like female alien.
This article needs additional citations for
verification. (September 2010) |
Natural History of an Alien | |
---|---|
Starring | Various scientists |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
No. of episodes | 1 |
Production | |
Running time | 1 hour with commercials (US) |
Original release | |
Network | BBC Two (UK), Discovery Channel (US) |
Release | 1998 |
Natural History of an Alien, also known as Anatomy of an Alien in the US, is an early Discovery Channel pseudo-documentary similar to Alien Planet, aired in 1998. This pseudo-documentary featured various alien ecosystem projects from the Epona Project to Ringworld. It also featured many notable scientists and science fiction authors such as Dr. Jack Cohen, Derek Briggs, Christopher McKay, David Wynn-Williams, Emily Holton, Peter Cattermole, Brian Aldiss, Sil Read, Wolf Read, Edward K. Smallwood, Adega Zuidema, Steve Hanly, Kevin Warwick and Dougal Dixon.
The viewer is in an intergalactic spaceship named the S.S. Attenborough, run by a small green alien.
The documentary visits asteroids and talks about the possibility of panspermia seeding solar system with life.
The next world visited is a high gravity planet home to many insect-like aliens who have adapted to 1.5 times Earth's gravity. High gravity means a thicker atmosphere (the planet in question having an atmosphere 15 times as dense as Earth's) and therefore easier flight.
The documentary visits the science fiction world of Helliconia, which was created by Brian Aldiss. It's a binary system and they show how life can adapt to having two suns.
The documentary visits the science fiction world of Sulfuria, which was created by Dougal Dixon. It's a sulfur rich world that is similar to Io.
The next world visited is Epona, an imaginary ecosystem created by group of scientists and science fiction writers called The Epona Project and begun by Martyn J. Fogg.
Epona is an offshoot of the Contact - Cultures Of The Imagination, [1] a bi-yearly conference, where scientists and Science Fiction authors come together and discuss how the human race may progress in space. The 2012 event program is here. [2] James Funaro is a guest on the Space Show Blog #3466 [3] and describes one year's conference. The contact idea came from an original premise by Joel Hagen and James Funaro, instructor of anthropology at Cabrillo College, Palo Alto. Two groups of COTI Attendees are provided with simulated planetary conditions, then have to devise a species to fit in that ecology and that develops spaceflight and has "First contact" with one another, one race may be human. The process was described in [4] This later developed into COTI - the roleplaying half simulating "first contact" and "The Bateson Project" - which is the strictly scientific disciplines come together. Science Fiction authors involved include Karen and Poul Anderson.
[1] [5] http://www.contact-conference.org [2] [6] http://www.contact-conference.org/c12d.html (On the wayback internet archive). {3} [7]
The documentary then visits the science fiction world of Greenworld, which was created by Dougal Dixon. It is an Earth-like planet filled with lush rainforests.
On Greenworld, the ship encounters an artificial lifeforms from a robotic cube ship. It uses solar panels to gather energy and mines asteroids to get resources to grow. It even sends down a probe resembling a metallic centipede to Greenworld to explore it. At the end of the film, the narrator is revealed to be a little green man-like female alien.