-
The Fermi Paradox: The History and Legacy of the Famous Debate over the Existence of Aliens
- Narrated by: Colin Fluxman
- Length: 1 hr and 30 mins
- Categories: Science & Engineering, Science
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Audible Premium Plus
$14.95 a month
Buy for $6.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
The Pleistocene Era
- The History of the Ice Age and the Dawn of Modern Humans
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Daniel Houle
- Length: 2 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Pleistocene spans a period from around 2.5 million years ago (mya) to just over 12,000 years ago, and it was an epoch of enormous change on Earth, mainly characterized by climate changes involving fluctuations between periods of extreme heat and long periods of glaciation. This period is commonly known as the Ice Age, despite the fact there were actually a number of separate periods of cold. The Pleistocene Era: The History of the Ice Age and the Dawn of Modern Humans looks at the development of the era, what life on Earth was like, and the origins of archaic humans.
-
The Lost City of Mari
- The History and Legacy of an Ancient Mesopotamian Power Center
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Daniel Houle
- Length: 1 hr and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For a period of just under 100 years, the city of Mari in northern Mesopotamia (Eastern Syria) was one of the most, if not the most, important cities in the Near East. Mari was ruled by a dynasty of powerful Amorite kings who were not afraid to use their military power to keep subordinate provinces in line and their enemies at bay, but more often, they relied upon a combination of diplomacy and trade to establish their dominance.
-
Extraterrestrial
- The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth
- By: Avi Loeb
- Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
- Length: 7 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Harvard’s top astronomer lays out his controversial theory that our solar system was recently visited by advanced alien technology from a distant star.
-
-
Decent but the title shouldn't make you buy it
- By jiulio margalli on 01-27-21
By: Avi Loeb
-
Buffalo Bill
- A Captivating Guide to a Cowboy Who Served in the American Civil War and Is Known for the Wild West Shows
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jason Zenobia
- Length: 1 hr and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Buffalo Bill was an American soldier, bison hunter, and showman. He thrilled audiences far and wide with his Wild West shows, and he showed the world that the characters they read about in dime novels and magazines were real flesh and blood people. For many, Buffalo Bill has become the embodiment of the wild frontier, and both his legacy and his spirit continues to live on.
-
The Cambrian Period
- The History and Legacy of the Start of Complex Life on Earth
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Colin Fluxman
- Length: 1 hr and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The early history of Earth covers such vast stretches of time that years, centuries, and even millennia become virtually meaningless. Instead, paleontologists and scientists who study geochronology divide time into periods and eras. The current view of science is that Earth is around 4.6 billion years old, and the first four billion years of its development are known as the Precambrian period.
-
SETI: The History and Legacy of the Search for Extraterrestrial Life
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Daniel Houle
- Length: 1 hr and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The question of man’s place in the extended universe has been pondered by every known culture since the beginning of recorded history. Naturally, as technological advances and the creation of flying aircraft became realities, the sighting of UFOs increased, as did the interest in potential contact with aliens. While incidents like the one at Roswell led to conspiracies and a craze among those who insisted the government was hiding proof of extraterrestrials’ existence, governments across the world were actually secretly studying UFO sightings by the mid-20th century.
-
The Pleistocene Era
- The History of the Ice Age and the Dawn of Modern Humans
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Daniel Houle
- Length: 2 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Pleistocene spans a period from around 2.5 million years ago (mya) to just over 12,000 years ago, and it was an epoch of enormous change on Earth, mainly characterized by climate changes involving fluctuations between periods of extreme heat and long periods of glaciation. This period is commonly known as the Ice Age, despite the fact there were actually a number of separate periods of cold. The Pleistocene Era: The History of the Ice Age and the Dawn of Modern Humans looks at the development of the era, what life on Earth was like, and the origins of archaic humans.
-
The Lost City of Mari
- The History and Legacy of an Ancient Mesopotamian Power Center
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Daniel Houle
- Length: 1 hr and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For a period of just under 100 years, the city of Mari in northern Mesopotamia (Eastern Syria) was one of the most, if not the most, important cities in the Near East. Mari was ruled by a dynasty of powerful Amorite kings who were not afraid to use their military power to keep subordinate provinces in line and their enemies at bay, but more often, they relied upon a combination of diplomacy and trade to establish their dominance.
-
Extraterrestrial
- The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth
- By: Avi Loeb
- Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
- Length: 7 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Harvard’s top astronomer lays out his controversial theory that our solar system was recently visited by advanced alien technology from a distant star.
-
-
Decent but the title shouldn't make you buy it
- By jiulio margalli on 01-27-21
By: Avi Loeb
-
Buffalo Bill
- A Captivating Guide to a Cowboy Who Served in the American Civil War and Is Known for the Wild West Shows
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jason Zenobia
- Length: 1 hr and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Buffalo Bill was an American soldier, bison hunter, and showman. He thrilled audiences far and wide with his Wild West shows, and he showed the world that the characters they read about in dime novels and magazines were real flesh and blood people. For many, Buffalo Bill has become the embodiment of the wild frontier, and both his legacy and his spirit continues to live on.
-
The Cambrian Period
- The History and Legacy of the Start of Complex Life on Earth
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Colin Fluxman
- Length: 1 hr and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The early history of Earth covers such vast stretches of time that years, centuries, and even millennia become virtually meaningless. Instead, paleontologists and scientists who study geochronology divide time into periods and eras. The current view of science is that Earth is around 4.6 billion years old, and the first four billion years of its development are known as the Precambrian period.
-
SETI: The History and Legacy of the Search for Extraterrestrial Life
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Daniel Houle
- Length: 1 hr and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The question of man’s place in the extended universe has been pondered by every known culture since the beginning of recorded history. Naturally, as technological advances and the creation of flying aircraft became realities, the sighting of UFOs increased, as did the interest in potential contact with aliens. While incidents like the one at Roswell led to conspiracies and a craze among those who insisted the government was hiding proof of extraterrestrials’ existence, governments across the world were actually secretly studying UFO sightings by the mid-20th century.
-
Ancient Africa
- A Captivating Guide to Ancient African Civilizations, Such as the Kingdom of Kush, the Land of Punt, Carthage, the Kingdom of Aksum, and the Mali Empire with Its Timbuktu
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jason Zenobia
- Length: 4 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Africa is the continent where the first humans were born. They explored the vast land and produced the first tools. And although we migrated from that continent, we never completely abandoned it. From the beginning of time, humans lived and worked in Africa, leaving evidence of their existence in the sands of the Sahara Desert and the valleys of the great rivers, such as the Nile and the Niger. Some of the earliest great civilizations were born there, and they give us an insight into the smaller kingdoms of ancient Africa.
-
-
African civilizations
- By Beatris Plewa on 10-22-20
-
Marco Polo: A Life from Beginning to End
- Biographies of Explorers, Book 2
- By: Hourly History
- Narrated by: Jason Zenobia
- Length: 1 hr and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Marco Polo, a Venetian merchant, was a great explorer of far and unfamiliar lands. He traveled the world in order to find things that no one else had seen, but what did he really discover? The stories that he told upon his return to his homeland of the Republic of Venice were so unusual that his fellow compatriots often had a hard time believing him.
By: Hourly History
-
The Cold War
- A Captivating Guide to the Tense Conflict Between the United States of America and the Soviet Union Following World War II
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jason Zenobia
- Length: 3 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The seeds of the Cold War were sown toward the end of World War II. During the war, the US and the Soviet Union were reluctant partners. But as is often the case in history, despite their differences, America and Soviet Russia had a common enemy that brought them together - Nazi Germany. But soon after Truman was elected president, American and Soviet relations began to go south. Before the war was over, disagreements arose over how the postwar world should be administered.
-
-
Fantastic storytelling on the Cold War
- By Ben Sewell on 02-23-21
-
History of Rome
- A Captivating Guide to Roman History, Starting from the Legend of Romulus and Remus Through the Roman Republic, Byzantium, Medieval Period, and Renaissance to Modern History
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jason Zenobia
- Length: 6 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The importance of Rome cannot be argued. Its history is not the history of Italy or its people. Rome is a part of the foundation of Europe, just as Athens is. Without it, the world as we know it today wouldn’t exist. In History of Rome: A Captivating Guide to Roman History, Starting from the Legend of Romulus and Remus Through the Roman Republic, Byzantium, Medieval Period, and Renaissance to Modern History, you will discover topics such as the founding of Rome, the Roman Republic, the third and early fourth centuries, the Renaissance, modern history of Rome, and more.
-
War Beneath the Sea
- Submarine Conflict During World War II
- By: Peter Padfield
- Narrated by: Chris MacDonnell
- Length: 25 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This riveting chronicle of submarine warfare is the first to cover all the major submarine campaigns of the war, describing, in detail, the operations of the British, American, Japanese, Italian, and German submarine and anti-submarine forces. Beginning with a vivid re-creation of the sinking of the passenger liner Athenia by a German U-boat in September 1939, critically acclaimed military historian Peter Padfield's compelling narrative casts an unflinching eye on the devastating consequences of maritime warfare.
-
-
Encyclopedic boredom
- By prc on 12-09-20
By: Peter Padfield
-
American Legends: The Life of Brigham Young
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Michael Gilboe
- Length: 1 hr and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Next to Joseph Smith, Brigham Young is one of the best known Mormon leaders and perhaps the most important. After Smith's death, it was Young who led Mormon pioneers westward in a journey that the Latter Day Saints often likened to the Exodus, and Young became popular as "American Moses". At the same time, Young and his group were involved in a seemingly never ending list of controversies, both of their own making and the misconceptions of so many Americans who were unfamiliar with the religion.
-
-
Interesting and Complete
- By MYRON MN on 05-24-19
-
Legends of the Ancient World: The Life and Legacy of Constantine the Great
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Dan Gallagher
- Length: 1 hr and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It would be hard if not outright impossible to overstate the impact Roman Emperor Constantine I had on the history of Christianity, Ancient Rome, and Europe as a whole. Best known as Constantine the Great, the kind of moniker only earned by rulers who have distinguished themselves in battle and conquest, Constantine remains an influential and controversial figure to this day. He achieved enduring fame by being the first Roman emperor to personally convert to Christianity.
-
-
Well done
- By Jan on 01-19-19
-
The Whig Party
- The History and Legacy of the Influential Political Party in 19th Century America
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Gregory T. Luzitano
- Length: 1 hr and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Whig Party: The History and Legacy of the Influential Political Party in 19th Century America looks at how the party came into being, its most important leaders and ideas, and why the party disappeared shortly before the Civil War. Along with pictures depicting important people, places, and events, you will learn about the Whig Party like never before.
-
The Emperor Charlemagne
- By: E.R. Chamberlin
- Narrated by: Nigel Patterson
- Length: 10 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On Christmas Day, 800, Charlemagne was crowned "Emperor of the Romans" by Pope Leo III. Under his guidance the Carolingian Renaissance flourished, with his capital of Aachen becoming a center of learning and artistic genius. The legacy of Charlemagne on European history and culture is monumental. Yet, within 30 years of his death, his empire had fragmented. Who was this legendary ruler? How had he managed to rule these vast domains? And why has his legacy continued to influence Europeans to this day?
-
-
What’s the bloody point?
- By Greg Russell on 01-30-21
By: E.R. Chamberlin
-
Algorithms to Live By
- The Computer Science of Human Decisions
- By: Brian Christian, Tom Griffiths
- Narrated by: Brian Christian
- Length: 11 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From finding a spouse to finding a parking spot, from organizing one's inbox to understanding the workings of human memory, Algorithms to Live By transforms the wisdom of computer science into strategies for human living.
-
-
Loved this book!
- By Michael D. Busch on 10-03-16
By: Brian Christian, and others
-
One Second After
- By: William R. Forstchen
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 13 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Already cited on the floor of Congress and discussed in the corridors of the Pentagon as a book all Americans should read, One Second After is the story of a war scenario that could become all too terrifyingly real. Based upon a real weapon - the Electro Magnetic Pulse (EMP) - which may already be in the hands of our enemies, it is a truly realistic look at the awesome power of a weapon that can destroy the entire United States.
-
-
Couldn’t finish
- By Joel on 09-16-19
-
Mau Mau Rebellion
- A History from Beginning to End
- By: Hourly History
- Narrated by: Jason Zenobia
- Length: 1 hr and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Mau Mau Rebellion took place in Kenya, beginning in 1952. A group of native Kenyan peoples, mostly from the Kikuyu tribe, rose up against their British colonizers, who had held the region since 1895. With a complicated story, it can be difficult to place the Mau Mau Uprising within the larger history of Kenyan nationalism and nationhood. Regardless of nuance, though, its importance in the history of Kenya, Africa, and British colonialism cannot be understated. This is the complete history of the Mau Mau Rebellion.
By: Hourly History
Publisher's Summary
“The size and age of the universe incline us to believe that many technologically advanced civilizations must exist. However, this belief seems logically inconsistent with our lack of observational evidence to support it. Either (1) the initial assumption is incorrect and technologically advanced intelligent life is much rarer than we believe, or (2) our current observations are incomplete and we simply have not detected them yet, or (3) our search methodologies are flawed and we are not searching for the correct indicators, or (4) it is the nature of intelligent life to destroy itself.” (The Fermi Paradox)
As technological advances and the creation of flying aircraft became realities, the sighting of UFOs increased, as did the interest in potential contact with aliens. While incidents like the one at Roswell led to conspiracies and a craze among those who insisted the government was hiding proof of extraterrestrials’ existence, governments across the world were actually secretly studying UFO sightings by the mid-20th century.
Given all of that, it would hardly be groundbreaking for scientists in the 20th century to have a lunchtime discussion in which the search for extraterrestrial life arises, and the question of where it might reside is innocuous enough. However, a furor was created somewhat innocently when physicist Enrico Fermi voiced his “casual lunchtime remark” in the presence of colleagues in 1950. The august company included Edward Teller, a Hungarian physicist, Herbert York, am American nuclear physicist whose lineage included Mohawk heritage, and Emil Konopinski, a nuclear physicist of Polish origin. Fermi himself, an Italian-American born in Rome, was renowned for developing a statistical base for subatomic phenomena, work on nuclear alterations caused by neutrons, and for leading the first controlled chain reaction from nuclear fission. In pursuit of managing the atom, he created the first nuclear reactor. A gifted theoretician, he advanced the field of statistical mechanics, and won the Nobel Prize over a decade before he asked his important question. The four men represented a fair percentage of the research core during the Manhattan Project that developed and produced the atomic bomb.
Despite the sophisticated conversation that appears to have followed, Fermi’s oft-asked question soon became elevated within the scientific community as the Fermi Paradox. The subsequent musings on our search for extraterrestrial life have grown to such proportions that extensive lists of solutions to the inquiry proliferate with each passing year. Not only is the core of the question bombarded with speculative theory, but the viability of the term paradox is itself called into question. Merriam-Webster characterizes a paradox as “a statement that is seemingly contradictory or opposed to common sense and yet is perhaps true”. The definition adds to the same contradictory statement the caveat of appearing to be true at first. By every account of the Fermi conversation, the physicist raised a question as to where extraterrestrial life might be hiding, not a statement as to whether it existed. For a contradictory statement to be true on a first hearing would require a reversal for the case of extraterrestrial search, as it requires a first observable example. It must begin as an untrue statement, or one that is perceived so. Evidence-based science must proceed then, from the most skeptical position to a hopeful reversal. Similarly, the Merriam-Webster paradox requests a premise steeped in a reasonable model. With no external observations accomplished, our own is the only one available.
What listeners say about The Fermi Paradox: The History and Legacy of the Famous Debate over the Existence of Aliens
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jon T. Sexton
- 02-11-21
Short and to the Point
It's a short book, but really interesting. It makes you think on a different level about life here and the possibility elsewhere.