Finding E.T. (roughdraft Pt. 2)

Paper Two Rough draft- Part 2

     Where in the universe will we locate extraterrestrial life?  Who will be the one to locate it?  By examining two different articles from Popular Science magazine the reader can tell the variance in opinion of these two questions through the use of genre. The audiences of said two articles are very different in fact.  In "The Search Is On" Jennifer Abbasi addresses normal laymen to conclude that we all should be involved in the search for extraterrestrial life, including how citizens can monetarily support said projects.  However, in "The Search For Extraterrestrial Life" author Matt Ransford seems to say that only scientists should be involved in the search and therefore writes accordingly.  The use of genre and language and even the way basic facts are represented show a very clear picture of how genre is used to express the opinions of these authors.
     "The Search Is On" by Jennifer Abbasi examines the current methods used to locate extraterrestrial life.  The article examines projects by astrobiologists on earth to locate life in places before thought to be uninhabitable.  The author also examines several space missions within our solar system to locate life on other planets and moons.  Abbasi further discusses both the Kepler Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope.  "The Search Is On" discusses projects by SETI which are currently being funded by public support and even tells the reader how to contribute money.  The article is written in laymen’s terms and is directed at the public to gain public support for the search for extraterrestrial life.
     "The Search For Extraterrestrial Life: A Brief History" by author Matt Ransford gives the reader a scientific perspective of the history and current search by scientists for extraterrestrial life.  This article is definitely written for scientists as it uses a great number of big scientific words which most laymen would not understand.  The article also cites the names of each project and the scientists responsible for each discovery.  Ransford even discusses the Drake equation, which probably would be unknown to anyone other than scientists.  Ransford discusses many SETI projects and NASA missions throughout the article with regard to what they contribute to the search for extraterrestrial life.  Projects discussed include SETI, the Drake Equation, astrobiology, life on Mars, Project Cyclops, the Pioneer Plaques, the Arecibo Message, the Voyager Golden Records, meteorites, extremophiles, the Wow! Signal, Project Phoenix, SETI at UC Berkeley, extra solar planets, the Kepler Mission, and the Allen Telescope Array.
     The intended audience difference from each article is clearly expressed within each articles thesis statement.  Ransford writes, "If (or, as some would say, when) humans make contact with alien intelligence, the scientists who devote their careers to the search will be our first point of contact."  This clearly shows bias towards scientists leading the search. Abbasi, on the other hand, states, "New missions and discoveries on Earth, within our solar system and beyond are bringing us closer than ever to finding alien life on other planets.  The term "us" would clearly mean to imply everyone.

     Another trait that characterizes the intended audience of each article is the use of language.  The biggest word used in “The Search Is On” by Abbasi is the word “astrobiologist”.  While it is large word, most laymen could clearly distinguish the meaning of this word by its root parts: “astro” meaning space, “biologist” meaning one who studies life.  This makes the article simple to read for anyone.  However, in “The Search For Extraterrestrial Life: A Brief History” by Matt Ransford many large words are used, especially scientific words.  Words such as “Interstellar communications”, “electromagnetic”, ”nebulous”, “interdisciplinary”, “extremophiles”, “compendium”, “tardigrades”, etc. are used throughout the article.  The reader would have to be well educated in the scientific field to know what most of these words meant.  Therefore, the audiences for both articles are clearly different through the use of language.

     Although both articles address many of the same projects, the manner in which they are discussed clearly shows the authors intended audience.  There are many large differences.  For example, Abbasi rarely names the scientists who made the discoveries in each project.  In fact, “The Search Is On” usually uses the term “scientists” instead of names.  Ransford, however, always names the scientist credited to each discovery or project in “The Search For Extraterrestrial Life: A Brief History”.  Most laymen would not care about the names of the scientists.  However, most scientists definitely would want to know the names of each scientist.  This gives another clear view of audience and intended purpose.

     Another example of intended audience is the terminology used to address the same projects.  Both articles, for example, discuss the exoplanets discovered by the Kepler Space Telescope.  Abbasi calls them “exoplanets”, while Ransford calls them “extra solar planets”.  Most laymen could determine the meaning of “exoplanet” from its two root words: “exo” meaning external, and planets.  However, “extra solar planets” would probably only be understood by a scientist, as breaking it down into its roots would not give a clear meaning to the word.


                                           Works Cited
Abbasi, Jennifer.  "The Search Is On."  Popular Science Oct. 2011: 37-44.  Print.

Ransford, Matt.  "The Search For Extraterrestrial Life:  A Brief History."  Popular Science June 2008:  Print