 As more extrasolar planets are discovered (and more of them looking terrestrial or even earthlike), the odds of finding alien life seem promising. Given the hundred billion plus stars in our galaxy, and the hundreds of billions of galaxies in our universe, there may be uncountable civilizations out there. However, if the universe is swarming with life, and if a significant percentage of that life is intelligent, why is the universe so quiet? This is the essential conundrum behind the Fermi paradox; the observation that while intelligent alien life may be statistically or even astronomically high, it is utterly devoid of signs of life. There may be a number of reasons behind this great silence. It could be that humans haven’t been listening long enough or know what to look for. Civilizations could have fell in their infancy after the intelligent species went extinct. They might have killed themselves in a planetwide war or got wiped out by asteroids. One eerie possibility is that something or someone is out there culling the numbers. Speculative fiction often depicts unmanned alien probes sent to explore space and seek out signs of intelligence. One, the so-called Von Neumann probe (named after the mathematician John Neumann) self-replicates in order to seed itself throughout the universe. One popular and less friendly variant of the alien probe concept has also become a trope. After finding proof of intelligence (usually through some kind of test), a doomsday weapon type of probe could promptly annihilate that life – leaving one less intelligent race in the universe. An interpretation of the concept was central to the Berserker series of Fred Saberhagen. The creators of such a probe could be as advanced as they are cruel. Perhaps the protagonists rush to answer a series of riddles like the mythical sphinx in the hopes of getting a reward. Maybe it’s armed with an array of powerful and advanced weapons that the military thinks they can disarm and reverse engineer. Perhaps it even has some form of intelligence and, at the zero hour, spares its target out of sympathy. Jonathan Hernandez   Svalbard is a small archipelago off the North coast of Norway, and lies at such a high latitude that it is permanently covered in a thick layer of permafrost. It is also the site of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault.
Since the early eighties, the gene bank has stored over 10,000 seeds from 300 different species. The seeds, representing a genetically diverse sampling, are kept in sealed cold rooms and can theoretically be stored for hundreds of years. The hope is that these seeds could be used to replant species that have been endangered due to various crises. Perhaps because of the vault's remoteness and exclusive access (typically only scientists visit the site), many conspiracy theories also surround it. Some subscribe to the idea that companies are promoting GMO versions of crops and storing the original organic ones in seed vaults like the one in Svalbard. While there is no evidence to suggest that it has such a nefarious purpose, it could make for an interesting story premise. This could also pique your interest in the concept of gene banks in general. What if we’re required to store the genes of a variety of species in suspended animation in order to avoid mass extinctions? As we continue to deplete natural resources and suffer from global climate change, gene banks might become a tantalizing hope that future generations can repopulate a dying planet. You could be writing an apocalyptic themed story. In John Christopher's “The Death of Grass" and Cormac McCarthy's “The Road" a notable loss of plant life is a key aspect of the story. Perhaps mischievous villains are attempting to sabotage gene banks in order to hasten a doomsday scenario. Perhaps the hero is like Noah and must use a genetic ‘ark’ to restore the Earth’s diversity of life - and reverse the damage done by the blind generations of the past. Jonathan Hernandez |
The Muse The purpose of this page is to inspire and inform writers. Come to find that spark from the Picture Prompt of the Month, the Speculative Facts, our latest Pinterest Pins and the News Feed. Come to BSFW meetings to take your story through its paces and on to publication.
Speculative Fact contributions are researched and written by Jonathan Hernandez and Rob Cameron
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