Germs in Space
Joshua Lederberg, Exobiology, and the Public Imagination, 1958-1964
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3576756 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Audra J Wolfe (Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2002 |
| Volume | 93 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 183-205 |
| Publication date | 2002-06-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Isis (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0021-1753 • E-ISSN: 1545-6994 |
| Publisher | University of Chicago Press (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1086/344962 |
| PMID | 12198792 |
| OpenAlex | W2284487588 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 15 |
| References cited | 14 |
Under the leadership of Joshua Lederberg, some American biologists and chemists proposed exobiology as the most legitimate program for space research. These scientists used the fear of contamination--of earth and other planets--as a central argument for funding "nonpolitical," "scientifically valid" experiments in extraterrestrial life detection. Exobiology's resemblance to popular science fiction narratives presented a significant challenge to its advocates' scientific authority. Its most practical applications, moreover, bore an unseemly resemblance to the United States Army's research on biological weapons. At the same time that exobiologists wanted to use the media to attract support for their program, they had to monitor their statements carefully in order to maintain their view of exobiology as a peaceful, scientifically valid research program. In examining how exobiology's creators positioned their work in comparison to other space sciences as well as science fiction, this case study highlights how cultural and political imperatives entered science through practice and narrative during the Cold War
Argument (complex analysis · Astronomy · Dystopia · Engineering ethics · Environmental ethics · Epistemology · Narrative · Order (exchange · Physics · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Space (punctuation) · Space Science · Computer Science · Engineering · History and Developments in Astronomy · Law · Medicine · Philosophy · Space exploration and regulation · Space Science and Extraterrestrial Life
Networking Biology
"Life in a Germ-Free World"
Life, Not Itself
The Signature of Life
Gaze-scaling
Research repertoires and boundary work in the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence (Seti)
The maintenance of ambiguity in Martian exobiology
Colliding Worlds
Joan Oró Florensa
Life cycle of a star
The perils and promises of microbial abundance
Périls et promesses de l'abondance microbienne
The Speculative Present
Current Bibliography of the History of Science and Its Cultural Influences 2002
One Small Step for Man, One Giant Leap for Moon Microbes? Interpretations of Risk and the Limits of Quarantine in Nasa's Apollo Program
| Unique citing works | 15 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,63 |
| Citation span | 2002 - 2024 (23) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 13 |