What if life emerged under conditions nothing like those on Earth? How do scientists and speculative thinkers model worlds beyond our own?

Proxima Kósmos: Volume I – Theories & Visions introduces the speculative and scientific foundations of the Proxima Kósmos project—an interdisciplinary experiment in planetary science, astrobiology, and world-building. This volume explores how planetary systems are imagined, how life’s possibilities are expanded through speculation, and how creative methods shape scientific inquiry.

With contributions from Claire Isabel Webb (Director, Future Humans) and astrobiologist Sara Walker (ASU), Theories & Visions unpacks the conceptual frameworks behind Proxima Kósmos. Through essays, visual storytelling, and interactive features, readers will explore:

How world-building serves as a tool for rethinking life beyond Earth.
The blurred boundaries between science, fiction, and philosophy in planetary speculation.
Thought experiments that challenge Earth-based assumptions about evolution, intelligence, and bio-signatures.

This volume is part of a limited-edition, four-part series, designed to complement the interactive Proxima Kósmos website, where scientific research, speculative design, and digital storytelling converge.

Alongside thought-provoking essays, this issue invites readers to participate in the creative process:

Design your own planet in an interactive world-building exercise.
Trace humanity’s evolving theories of alien life through a visual timeline.
Experience deep time with a guided meditation, unraveling the history of the universe—breath by breath, from the present moment to the Big Bang.
Theories & Visions is both a primer and a provocation, bridging the known and the unknown, the scientific and the speculative.

Noema (Issue 5, Fall 2024)

Cui Ling

Berggruen Press