If someone can recall the title of the book I am looking for (and tell me) I would appreciate it.
I read this book in the early 1980s and promptly lost it! I do not remember the authors name either. The story line goes as follows:
A team is conducting archaeological research on a planet where they have discovered the remains of an ancient advanced civilization (very much advanced over our current day civilization). The beings were crab like in form. They also developed nearly perfect technological devices.
When the team from earth had been dropped on the planet, political conditions on earth were at a point where war was possible.
The team investigates what had caused this intelligent alien race to die out. A major researcher with a great reputation had been placed on the team. This person had a crab suit made that he used to try to help get into the mind set of t he aliens.
Ultimately he concludes that the aliens were perfectionists and made machines that did not fail.
They also used breeding rights as their medium of exchange, practicing a form of eugenics to perfect their species. Ultimately this lead to their extinction as they removed to much diversity from their gene pool and caused genetic imperfections to dominate.
It became very important for the key researcher to let earth know. He saw that people could become hyper focused on critical items and likewise become extinct due to lack of flexibility in a critical area.
War broke out, things happened with the research colony and the researchers all died. The key researcher was the last to go. He modified some food production equipment to create a caustic solution to etch a metal wall with his discovery about the aliens to leave a message for any returning ships.
This is a crude summary. If anybody recognizes the book please reply.
Thanks!
I read this book in the early 1980s and promptly lost it! I do not remember the authors name either. The story line goes as follows:
A team is conducting archaeological research on a planet where they have discovered the remains of an ancient advanced civilization (very much advanced over our current day civilization). The beings were crab like in form. They also developed nearly perfect technological devices.
When the team from earth had been dropped on the planet, political conditions on earth were at a point where war was possible.
The team investigates what had caused this intelligent alien race to die out. A major researcher with a great reputation had been placed on the team. This person had a crab suit made that he used to try to help get into the mind set of t he aliens.
Ultimately he concludes that the aliens were perfectionists and made machines that did not fail.
They also used breeding rights as their medium of exchange, practicing a form of eugenics to perfect their species. Ultimately this lead to their extinction as they removed to much diversity from their gene pool and caused genetic imperfections to dominate.
It became very important for the key researcher to let earth know. He saw that people could become hyper focused on critical items and likewise become extinct due to lack of flexibility in a critical area.
War broke out, things happened with the research colony and the researchers all died. The key researcher was the last to go. He modified some food production equipment to create a caustic solution to etch a metal wall with his discovery about the aliens to leave a message for any returning ships.
This is a crude summary. If anybody recognizes the book please reply.
Thanks!
