Project Gutenberg 2004-01-01 Public domain in the USA. 169 Wallace, Alfred Russel 1823 1913 Wallace, A. R. (Alfred Russel) Wallace, Russell Wallace, Alfred R. Is Mars habitable? A critical examination of Professor Percival Lowell's book "Mars and its canals," with an alternative explanation Produced by Thaadd and the PG Distributed Proofreading Team "Is Mars Habitable?" by Alfred Russel Wallace is a critical examination of Professor Percival Lowell's theories on the habitability of Mars, written in the early 20th century. The work critically addresses the claims made in Lowell's book, "Mars and Its Canals," particularly the idea that Mars may support intelligent life due to its supposed irrigation canals. Wallace presents scientific evidence and arguments that refute the notion of Mars as a habitable planet, focusing on its harsh climatic conditions and lack of substantial water sources. At the start of the book, Wallace details his motivations for challenging Lowell's theories, emphasizing the necessity of addressing the claims made in Lowell's recent mathematical publication. He reviews historical observations of Mars to establish a foundation for the discourse. Wallace outlines early astronomers' findings, including Schiaparelli's detection of the "canals" and subsequent assertions that they might be tools of an intelligent civilization. The opening chapters establish the groundwork for a thorough critique of Lowell's conclusions about Martian climate, geography, and potential for life, setting the stage for a scientific exploration of the realities of Mars, in contrast to the romanticized theories suggesting its habitability. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 50.1 (10th to 12th grade). Somewhat difficult to read. en Lowell, Percival, 1855-1916. Mars and its canals Mars (Planet) QB Text Category: Science - Earth/Agricultural/Farming 190848 2025-10-05T05:18:40.168134 text/html 190753 190660 2024-11-05T06:48:47.847408 2023-10-05T07:17:50.601952 text/html text/html 194018 2025-10-05T05:18:46.988110 application/epub+zip 195725 2025-10-05T05:18:43.915122 application/epub+zip 138741 2025-10-05T05:18:42.675100 application/epub+zip 467539 2025-10-05T05:18:49.140054 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 454695 2025-10-05T05:18:46.174068 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 165234 2022-09-05T10:18:17.542612 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 174875 2025-10-05T05:18:39.909132 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 154658 2024-10-28T18:12:44 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 17011 2025-10-05T05:18:49.258052 application/rdf+xml 29452 2025-10-05T05:18:43.167089 image/jpeg 5181 2025-10-05T05:18:42.920083 image/jpeg 195146 2025-10-05T05:18:40.185117 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia