In 2010, I reviewed Jerry Fodor's book and corresponded briefly with him, wishing to form an alliance with a fellow non-Darwinist. He patiently answered, but I had unwisely chosen a peripheral issue to raise with him. (Can neo-darwinism allow microevolution?) We got stuck there. He certainly agreed that mutation-and-selection cannot invent wholly new genetic programs. Of course, the subject could be better analyzed with improved understanding of the details of molecular biology, genetics and related science, but Fodor's interest was more philosophical. Now, sadly, he has died, November 29th, 2017.

Zubrin is entirely optimistic about the opportunity for bacteria to travel and survive between star systems, even without cometary panspermia. He knows that bacteria swap genes rampantly and he conjectures that they might contain undeployed genes and enable evolutionary advances among eukaryotic species via their microbiomes. The essay is edifying and imaginative, as he freely ranges to several unorthodox speculations like our own. He gets it. Recommended.

So, it should be clear. If we are going to transmit across the ages, we need to send instructions on how to make ourselves. Such messages are not sent via radio. They are sent using genes.