You don’t really understand something until you can explain it to somebody else. There are lots and lots of quotes out there to that effect, sometimes attributed (or misattributed) to Einstein, sometimes attributed (or misattributed) to other great scientists. Regardless of where all those quotes really came from, that sentiment has long been the guiding philosophy of this blog.
For this year’s A to Z Challenge, my theme was the scientific search for alien life. Obviously I’ve written about that topic before, many times over, but I still felt a bit shaky in my knowledge. So I wanted to dive deep into the science of astrobiology and the closely related field of SETI. I wanted to double check the things I thought I already knew, and of course I wanted to add to that knowledge.
Writing those 26 blog posts was the final step, the final test. Have I learned this stuff well enough to explain it clearly and concisely? I suppose only you, dear reader, can be the judge of that. But based on the responses I’ve gotten so far and the conversations I’ve been having with people in the comments, I feel like I must’ve done a decent enough job.
With this year’s A to Z Challenge now behind me, I certainly feel more confident talking about astrobiology and SETI than I did before. More importantly, I feel a whole lot more comfortable incorporating what I’ve learned into my science fiction. After all, I started this blog with one purpose in mind: to force myself to do the kind of research that, in my opinion, a science fiction writer ought to do.
If any of you came away from my A to Z series feeling like you learned something, or even if you just have a newfound sense of wonder for the stars—for all the things that might be out there in the cosmos—I consider that a bonus. Thank you for reading, and thank you especially to those of you who commented.
On Monday, I’ll be back to my regular blogging schedule.
Planet Pailly 
I wonder if you will be writing about time travel, as it’s the subject of much of your fiction. PS. I love time travel 🙂
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I love time travel too. It’s not an easy subject to research, though, but I do love writing about it.
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I loved reading all of your posts in the series (and in general), and I’m really looking forward to seeing where it’s going to take you. Great job with it. Here’s to you.
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Thanks, Scott! That means a lot to me, coming from you!
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Thanks. I appreciate that.
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I’m fairly well read in this stuff but I pick up new things from your blog all the time. Keep up the excellent work!
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Thanks! That’s one of the reasons I started reading more scientific papers. There are so many interesting things out there that don’t get any attention from the press.
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I enjoyed your posts. They were like the science teacher that everyone wanted. The teacher who made learning science fun. I look forward to reading more.
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Wow, thank you! It makes me feel very good to hear that!
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I have to admit, I enjoyed your drawings the most, but yes, I did learn a few things (when my eyes weren’t glazing over from some of the terms). I will continue to follow and see what you’re up to. Thanks for being a reader of my little stories during the A-Z.
DB McNicol, author
A to Z Reflections
My Author Page
My Personal Blog
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Yeah, I think learning the terminology is the hardest part of science. Well, either that or the math. But I’m glad you picked up some things! Looking forward to reading more of your stories in the future!
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Yours was one of the few other blogs that I read during the challenge and I genuinely enjoyed, learnt and was challenged in my thinking about possible life out there and what forms it may take. I was also really impressed with how professional your posts were. Mine could have done eith editing but yours came across really well. Well done on completing the challenge.
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Thank you so much! I’m really passionate about this topic, so I really wanted to make sure I did this right. It was exhausting work, but it was worth it, and I’m really glad to hear people enjoyed it.
By the way, I tried to click through to see your blog, but something doesn’t seem to be working. Do you have a link for your A to Z posts? I’d love to see them—I’m sure the editing is fine 😉
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