Is Hollywood's "Alien Fever" Inspired by Real Science Finds?
Mike Wal and SPACE.com, August 8, 2011
Hollywood might have caught alien fever.This glut of alien sci-fi films must come at a time when scientific discoveries are making the existence of life beyond Earth seem more and more plausible. And that might not be a coincidence, some experts say. "It's a long-term interest, but the science now is making it that much more realistic," said professor Sidney Perkowitz.
Just 20 years ago, scientists had yet to find a single planet beyond our own solar system. Now the count of confirmed extrasolar planets tops 550, with many more about to be added to the list.
In February, for example, scientists announced that NASA's Kepler space telescope had detected 1,235 candidate alien worlds in its first four months of operation. These candidate planets need to be confirmed by follow-up observations, but NASA researchers have estimated that at least 80 percent will end up being the real deal.
And last year, astronomers reported strong evidence that the Saturn moon Enceladus may harbor a huge and salty ocean beneath its icy crust. Subsurface oceans are also suspected to occur on other moons, such as Saturn's Titan and Europa, a satellite of Jupiter.
In short, the prospect that life might exist beyond Earth — and might even beyond our solar system — is becoming more and more likely. This is big news that must affect the way many people view our species and its place in the universe. And now more than ever, Hollywood may be tapping into that growing well of interest.
Hollywood has always loved aliens. Of course, it's not as if Hollywood has just discovered that aliens can be box-office gold. Alien films have been around — and have been raking in big bucks — for decades. "There's money in aliens," said Seth Shostak, who has advised Hollywood on a number of feature films, including 1997's "Contact". He thinks this year's surge may just be part of Hollywood's regular cycle, which tends to feature waves of alien movies from time to time.
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