At the end of the 19th century in Russia, Konstantin Tsiolkowsky imagined the precursors of our r... more At the end of the 19th century in Russia, Konstantin Tsiolkowsky imagined the precursors of our rockets and wrote the following, as previously quoted: “Earth is the cradle of Humanity; but mankind cannot stay in the cradle forever”. Did the passing of the 20th century and the start of the 21st century prove him right? There is nothing to confirm this. Certainly, his compatriots, as Soviets, became the firsts to send a human being into circumterrestrial space and the Americans planted their flag on the surface of the Moon. Through its representatives, the cosmonauts, astronauts and taikonauts, mankind had effectively ventured out of its cradle. But for how long? Several days, several months, at the most. How far? From the Earth to the Moon, at best. Still a long way off, perhaps even unreachable, is the moment when mankind, reduced to a group of pioneers, will be able to definitively leave its terrestrial cradle, to pursue its singular odyssey elsewhere. The Earth, once the cradle of mankind, would become the spaceship with humans making up part of the crew, the boat which they must salute, and also the prison from which they might never be able to escape. Astronomer Fred Hoyle had, it seemed, predicted this contradiction, this opposition to Tsiolkowsky’s prophecy, even before the success of Sputnik and Gagarin’s inaugural flight. In 1948, he wrote: “Once a photograph of the Earth taken from the outside if available, a new idea as powerful as any in history will be set loose”.31 What idea is he referring to? Maybe that the drama of mankind would now take place on a planetary and not cosmic stage, that of the Earth, now in its globality observed, understood, even mastered.
56th International Astronautical Congress of the International Astronautical Federation, the International Academy of Astronautics, and the International Institute of Space Law, Oct 17, 2005
Introduction. 1. Waiting for Darwin. 2. The Darwinian paradigm. 3. Population genetics and ecolog... more Introduction. 1. Waiting for Darwin. 2. The Darwinian paradigm. 3. Population genetics and ecological genetics. 4. The key to genes. 5. Conflict and cooperation. 6. Eros and Thanatos revisited. 7. What can be done, what can't be done. Conclusion. Mathematical Appendices. Glossary. Bibliography. Index.
La deuxieme moitie du xxeme siecle a ete marquee a la fois par la naissance effective de l'en... more La deuxieme moitie du xxeme siecle a ete marquee a la fois par la naissance effective de l'entreprise spatiale et par l'emergence d'une prise de conscience en faveur de l'environnement ; il ne s'agit pas d'une pure coincidence : les images de la terre venues de l'espace ont contribue a cette prise de conscience ecologique. Toutefois, le public est en general insuffisamment informe des realisations en matiere d'observation de la terre depuis l'orbite circumterrestre ; est-ce un simple defaut de communication ou, de par ses activites de teledetection, l'entreprise spatiale possederait-elle une maniere specifique d'aborder le milieu naturel et d'en parler? si oui, comment cette maniere rencontre-t-elle celles des publics et des cultures contemporains ? dans cette these, j'ai ainsi montre comment les images de la terre par satellites participent a un processus de distanciation entre notre planete et ses habitants : vue de l'espace, la terre apparait en fin de compte moins notre. Cette distanciation n'apparait pas seulement dans les produits de communication d'un organisme comme le cnes, largement marques par la thematique des ressources terrestres et donc difficilement recevables par des sensibilites ecologiques. Elle trouve egalement des racines dans les ressorts mythiques de l'espace, ceux qui promeuvent les idees de conquete et de fuite, de frontiere et d'horizon, autrement dit d'arrachement a une terre comprise seulement comme le berceau de l'humanite. Les images elles-memes contribuent a ce phenomene de prise de distance : pour le public et meme certains professionnels de l'environnement, elles apparaissent comme les produits non seulement d'une haute technologie trop peu soucieuse de developpement durable mais egalement de systemes socio-politiques trop peu democratiques. Vue de l'espace, la terre est moins notre, que nous soyons pousses a la quitter ou qu'elle nous soit confisquee.
The search for evidence of extraterrestrial life is an important scientific theme that fascinates... more The search for evidence of extraterrestrial life is an important scientific theme that fascinates the public and encourages interest in space exploration, both within the solar system and beyond. The rapid pace of mass media communication allows the public to share mission results and new discoveries almost simultaneously with the scientific community. The public can read about proposed sample return
At the end of the 19th century in Russia, Konstantin Tsiolkowsky imagined the precursors of our r... more At the end of the 19th century in Russia, Konstantin Tsiolkowsky imagined the precursors of our rockets and wrote the following, as previously quoted: “Earth is the cradle of Humanity; but mankind cannot stay in the cradle forever”. Did the passing of the 20th century and the start of the 21st century prove him right? There is nothing to confirm this. Certainly, his compatriots, as Soviets, became the firsts to send a human being into circumterrestrial space and the Americans planted their flag on the surface of the Moon. Through its representatives, the cosmonauts, astronauts and taikonauts, mankind had effectively ventured out of its cradle. But for how long? Several days, several months, at the most. How far? From the Earth to the Moon, at best. Still a long way off, perhaps even unreachable, is the moment when mankind, reduced to a group of pioneers, will be able to definitively leave its terrestrial cradle, to pursue its singular odyssey elsewhere. The Earth, once the cradle of mankind, would become the spaceship with humans making up part of the crew, the boat which they must salute, and also the prison from which they might never be able to escape. Astronomer Fred Hoyle had, it seemed, predicted this contradiction, this opposition to Tsiolkowsky’s prophecy, even before the success of Sputnik and Gagarin’s inaugural flight. In 1948, he wrote: “Once a photograph of the Earth taken from the outside if available, a new idea as powerful as any in history will be set loose”.31 What idea is he referring to? Maybe that the drama of mankind would now take place on a planetary and not cosmic stage, that of the Earth, now in its globality observed, understood, even mastered.
56th International Astronautical Congress of the International Astronautical Federation, the International Academy of Astronautics, and the International Institute of Space Law, Oct 17, 2005
Introduction. 1. Waiting for Darwin. 2. The Darwinian paradigm. 3. Population genetics and ecolog... more Introduction. 1. Waiting for Darwin. 2. The Darwinian paradigm. 3. Population genetics and ecological genetics. 4. The key to genes. 5. Conflict and cooperation. 6. Eros and Thanatos revisited. 7. What can be done, what can't be done. Conclusion. Mathematical Appendices. Glossary. Bibliography. Index.
La deuxieme moitie du xxeme siecle a ete marquee a la fois par la naissance effective de l'en... more La deuxieme moitie du xxeme siecle a ete marquee a la fois par la naissance effective de l'entreprise spatiale et par l'emergence d'une prise de conscience en faveur de l'environnement ; il ne s'agit pas d'une pure coincidence : les images de la terre venues de l'espace ont contribue a cette prise de conscience ecologique. Toutefois, le public est en general insuffisamment informe des realisations en matiere d'observation de la terre depuis l'orbite circumterrestre ; est-ce un simple defaut de communication ou, de par ses activites de teledetection, l'entreprise spatiale possederait-elle une maniere specifique d'aborder le milieu naturel et d'en parler? si oui, comment cette maniere rencontre-t-elle celles des publics et des cultures contemporains ? dans cette these, j'ai ainsi montre comment les images de la terre par satellites participent a un processus de distanciation entre notre planete et ses habitants : vue de l'espace, la terre apparait en fin de compte moins notre. Cette distanciation n'apparait pas seulement dans les produits de communication d'un organisme comme le cnes, largement marques par la thematique des ressources terrestres et donc difficilement recevables par des sensibilites ecologiques. Elle trouve egalement des racines dans les ressorts mythiques de l'espace, ceux qui promeuvent les idees de conquete et de fuite, de frontiere et d'horizon, autrement dit d'arrachement a une terre comprise seulement comme le berceau de l'humanite. Les images elles-memes contribuent a ce phenomene de prise de distance : pour le public et meme certains professionnels de l'environnement, elles apparaissent comme les produits non seulement d'une haute technologie trop peu soucieuse de developpement durable mais egalement de systemes socio-politiques trop peu democratiques. Vue de l'espace, la terre est moins notre, que nous soyons pousses a la quitter ou qu'elle nous soit confisquee.
The search for evidence of extraterrestrial life is an important scientific theme that fascinates... more The search for evidence of extraterrestrial life is an important scientific theme that fascinates the public and encourages interest in space exploration, both within the solar system and beyond. The rapid pace of mass media communication allows the public to share mission results and new discoveries almost simultaneously with the scientific community. The public can read about proposed sample return
Uploads
Papers by jacques arnould