At some point in the second century, the Syrian writer and satirist Lucian of Samosata changed the world. With a new short novel, wryly titled A True Story , he had invented an entirely new genre of fiction: one with space travel, interplanetary warfare, and extraterrestrial beings communicating with humans.

Ever since then, the idea that we may not be alone in the universe has captivated the human imagination. From tales of the “man in the Moon”, to Wells (and Welles) induced hysteria , to Mork from Ork and ET phoning home, stories about aliens looking down on us from above or even coming to meet us in person have always proved popular. But despite the many various shapes these visitors have taken, there’s one thing they all seem to have in common: they’re all organic.

With the po

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