Текст на английском:
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Macroengineering in the Galactic Context: A New Agenda for
Astrobiology
Milan M. Ćirković
Astronomical Observatory of Belgrade
Volgina 7, 11160 Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro
e-mail: mcirkovic@aob.bg.ac.yu
Abstract: We consider the problem of detectability of macro-engineering projects over
interstellar distances, in the context of Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence (SETI).
Freeman J. Dyson and his imaginative precursors, like Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, Olaf
Stapledon or John B. S. Haldane, suggested macro-engineering projects as focal points in the
context of extrapolations about the future of humanity and, by analogy, other intelligent
species in the Milky Way. We emphasize that the search for signposts of extraterrestrial
macro-engineering projects is not an optional pursuit within the family of ongoing and
planned SETI projects; inter alia, the failure of the orthodox SETI thus far clearly indicates
this. Instead, this approach (for which we suggest a name of 'Dysonian') should be the
front-line and mainstay of any cogent SETI strategy in future, being significantly more
promising than searches for directed, intentional radio or microwave emissions. This is in
accord with our improved astrophysical understanding of the structure and evolution of the
Galactic Habitable Zone, as well as with the recent wake-up call of Steven J. Dick to
investigate consequences of postbiological evolution for astrobiology in general and SETI
programs in particular. The benefits this multidisciplinary approach may bear for macro-
engineers are also briefly highlighted.

Introduction
Living beings change their environments and are changed by their environments in
turn. This truism has become especially pertinent within the framework of
astrobiology. Even before the onset of the explosive development of this field we are
witnesses of, the fact that even simple lifeforms can influence its physical and
chemical environment on the planetary scale has been widely known. The stock
example is the one of the Earth's atmosphere, which is markedly out of chemical
equilibrium due to the presence of the biosphere, and has been so for billions of
years. As the author of the Gaia hypothesis, James Lovelock wrote: 'Almost
everything about its composition seems to violate the laws of chemistry... The air we
breathe... can only be an artifact maintained in a steady state far from chemical
equilibrium by biological properties.' (Lovelock 1988) Recently publicized projects
dealing with detection of exoplanetary biospheres all rely on this simple fact. In
somewhat different light, we are all sadly aware of the impact of human activities
on the biosphere, Earth's climate and Earth's circumplanetary space. 
Even more ambitious in this regard are projects falling in the wide spectrum of
views and approaches characterizing the new multidisciplinary topic of macro-
engineering. All these dynamic approaches are worthy successors to the ultimate
goal set in Francis Bacon's posthumous New Atlantis (1626): 'The end of our
foundation is the knowledge of causes, and secret motions of things; and the
enlarging of the bounds of human empire, to the effecting of all things possible.'
Here we shall attempt to offer a new twist on the same old theme, a twist that is
likely to open multiple new and unexpected vistas of research. In order to expose
this novel perspective, we need to take a brief detour through a seemingly
unrelated, but in fact quite relevant and vigorously expanding discipline.
We are lucky enough to live in an epoch of great progress in the nascent field of
astrobiology, which deals with three canonical questions: How does life begin and
develop? Does life exist elsewhere in the universe? What is the future of life and
intelligence on Earth and in space? A host of discoveries have been made during the
last decade or so, the most important certainly being a large number of extrasolar
planets; the existence of many extremophile organisms at the deep ocean
hydrothermal vents, possibly vindicating the 'deep hot biosphere' of Thomas Gold
(1998); the discovery of subsurface water on Mars and the huge ocean on Europa,
and possibly also Ganymede and Callisto; the unequivocal discovery of amino-acids
and other complex organic compounds in meteorites; modelling organic chemistry
in Martian and Titan's atmosphere; the quantitative treatment of the Galactic
Habitable Zone; the development of a new generation of panspermia theories,
spurred by experimental verification that even terrestrial microorganisms survive
conditions of an asteroidal or a cometary impact; progress in philosophy and
methodology, etc. (for recent beautiful reviews see Des Marais and Walter 1999;
Darling 2001; Grinspoon 2003). All this deserves the label of a true astrobiological
revolution. 
Perhaps the most fascinating field in the multidisciplinary astrobiological spectrum
is the Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence (henceforth SETI). At the beginning of
XXI century it remains the oldest and perhaps the most intriguing scientific
problem. Starting with the pioneering work of Frank Drake, Carl Sagan, Iosif
Shklovsky, and others (e.g., Drake, 1965), as well as the historical OZMA project,
SETI studies have had their ebb and flow of tides over the last four decades (Dick,
1996). During that time a set of ideas which can be characterized as 'orthodox' SETI
has emerged. In a simplified form, it can be summarized as follows. Life is common
in the universe. Emergence of intelligence and technology is, if not necessary, then
at least typical outcome of biological evolution throughout the Milky Way. A
sizeable fraction of technological species are interested in communication with other
intelligent creatures. It makes sense to listen for intentional radio or optical
messages from out there and to transmit messages in return. It makes no sense to
travel across interstellar distances or to expect such interstellar visitors. What we
can hope to achieve is slow and benign exchange of messages, the greatest
beneficiaries in such exchange being the youngest newcomers to the 'Galactic
Club' (Bracewell, 1975), such as humans. Basic tenets of this view have crystallized
by mid-1970s, decades before the astrobiological revolution. 
Times are changing. In addition to the astrobiological revolution itself, some of the
important recent developments of relevance to the SETI endeavour (in the widest
sense) are: 
The rise of digital perspective in various fields, starting with fundamental physics
and computer science (e.g., Chaitin, 1987; Toffoli, 1998; Chaisson, 2001; Fredkin
2003), to biological and social sciences (e.g., Kauffman, 1995; Maynard Smith and
Szathmary, 1997; Adami et al., 2000; Carroll, 2001; Adams, 2003). In particular, this
includes understanding of the crucial importance of information dynamics, open
systems, complexity, substrate-independent dynamical laws, and interrelated
evolutionary pathways.
Closely related, tremendous efforts in the fields of computer science and
neurosciences, invested toward achieving of artificial intelligence (AI), which would
offer completely new perspectives on the nature of intelligence itself (Henry, 2005),
as well as the possible future evolutionary trajectory of humanity and, by analogy,
other intelligent communities in the Galaxy. Coupled with the digital perspective in
biological science, this raises the all-important (from the SETI point of view) issues
of whether we should search for biological or postbiological intelligence; this is
particularly forcefully put forward in a recent important paper by the distinguished
historian and philosopher of science Steven J. Dick (2003). Information theory also
recently highlighted all the difficulties (Lachmann, et al. 2004) and inefficiencies
(Rose and Wright, 2004) inherent in the attempts to communicate by radio signals
over interstellar distances. 
The advent of physical eschatology, a nascent astrophysical discipline dealing with
the future of astronomical objects, including the universe itself. The groundworks
were laid by Freeman J. Dyson a quarter century ago (Dyson, 1979), but the
explosion of interest occured only in the last decade or so; for reviews see Adams
and Laughlin (1997), Ćirković (2003). 
Related to research in physical eschatology, though on more modest spatio-
temporal scales are those aspects of future studies dealing with the future of
humanity, and, in particular, the rise of new vigorous intellectual movements,
which can be (in a revived term of Sir Julian Huxley; see Huxley, 1957) unified
under the banner of transhumanism (Moravec, 1988; Kurzweil, 2000; Wright, 2000;
Bostrom, 2005). These may