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NEWS > SCIENCE > GIANT DUNE-LIKE WORMS MAY BE COMMON THROUGHOUT THE UNIVERSE
GIANT DUNE-LIKE WORMS MAY BE COMMON THROUGHOUT THE UNIVERSE
September 10 2011
Washington, D.C. – When it was first published in 1965, Dune became a smash hit. It won multiple awards and became a best-seller. It is, in fact, the best selling science fiction novel in history by a long margin. The story of feuding families, interstellar empires, drug addiction, and giant worms struck a chord with readers that has resonated to this day.
Dune, though, unlike a lot of other science fiction did not try to predict the future. It used scientific concepts to explore drama, to explore the deepest parts of the human condition. In multiple sequels to the book that drama was explored even further, eventually creating one of the great dramas of literature.
However, new research into the history of one of our nearest solar neighbours, Venus, has indicated that Frank Herbert’s work may have been a more scientifically accurate than once believed. That research indicates that Venus may have been habitable not all that long ago, a desert planet inhabited by distinct life forms not unlike the giant sand worms depicted in Dune. Further, it’s believed that such planets may in fact be common and that giant worms may in fact be the dominant life form throughout the Universe.
“We have always assumed that water is a prerequisite for life, but studies on Earth have proven that is simply not the case. We have found life in lava flows, in salty conditions, in environments totally unpalatable for our life but places where life thrives. That indicates that water is needed for certain types of life, but not all,” said one researcher. “It is likely that there are more desert planets than there are water planets. Water is common throughout the universe but proximity to their stars impacts how common it is on a planet. That could mean a number of desert planets, and desert planets have advantages water planets don’t.”
The novel Dune takes place primarily on the fictional planet of Arrakis, a desert planet inhabited by giant sand worms and the sole source of melange, a spice considered the most valuable resource in the Universe.
“Having a primarily land planet would allow the body to resist things like global cooling, it would limit the greenhouse effect and other issues we see on Earth which would make it very habitable indeed. Venus may have been such a planet at one time, perhaps we will find the remnants of giant worms when we eventually travel there,”
continued the scientist. “Even on Dune there were pockets of water which allowed the
Fremen to survive and thrive. I would doubt seriously that we will find a spice like melange, but you never know. The Universe is a pretty big place.”
Melange created interstellar strife amongst the various families, causing war and political thuggery.
“These planets might not exhibit signs of water that we can see, but they would of oxygen. Also, we're finding that water is so ubiquitous, it cannot be regarded as a signature of a planet's habitability,” said researcher Kevin Zahnle. “Of course the last thing we would want to deal with in moving to a new planet is giant sand worms. We saw how those worked out in Dune and that is not something we need when looking for a new home.”
Singer Sting has apparently been a major financial backer onto a new effort to travel to Venus, though it’s not clear if that’s related to this recent finding.
Anna Phillips, Science Correspondent
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