Hydrothermal vents vs. primordial soup and motives for a civilization broadcasting to the galaxy at large

Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Abodes - Researchers are learning about one of the biggest species extinctions on Earth by studying an environmental disaster that occurred in Spain 11 years ago. The study could provide practical information about how the biosphere responds to abrupt ecological changes. See article.
g Life - A new paper may overturn ideas that life emerged from a “primordial soup” of organic molecules before evolving out of the oceans millions of years later. The study asserts that hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor provided chemical energy to kick-start early life. See article.
g Message - Here’s a neat piece that explores the motives for a civilization broadcasting to the galaxy at large. See article. Note: This article is from 2009.
g Cosmicus - NASA has begun a live video stream of astronauts working inside the International Space Station. See article.
g Aftermath - Clearly, if we are not alone in the universe, there are some unavoidable theological and philosophical consequences. We should reflect on the consequences of a positive result of either finding extraterrestrial microorganisms, or receiving a radio message form an extraterrestrial source: When such discovery occurs, the implications are likely to have an impact on our culture requiring adjustments possibly more radical than those arising from the evidence that humans descend from microorganisms. See article.

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Image of giant stellar nursery and consulting with anthropologists about first contact with ETI

Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Stars - ESO has released a magnificent VLT image of the giant stellar nursery surrounding NGC 3603, in which stars are continuously being born. Embedded in this scenic nebula is one of the most luminous and most compact clusters of young, massive stars in our Milky Way, which therefore serves as an excellent "local" analogue of very active star-forming regions in other galaxies. The cluster also hosts the most massive star to be "weighed" so far. See article.
g Message - Interstellar spacecraft are superior to electromagnetic wave propagation for extrasolar exploration and communication. The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence should include a search for extraterrestrial probes. See article. Note: This article is from 1983.
g Cosmicus - ESA and NASA are inviting scientists from across the world to propose instruments for their joint Mars mission, the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter. See article.
g Learning - The fact that you’re confronting this column on a web site devoted to space science and astronomy makes you roughly as rare as technetium. Despite the fact that astronomy is one of the two most popular science subjects in American schools (the other is biology), it’s really not that popular. See article. Note: This article is from 2007.
g Aftermath - As SETI scientists plan for their first contact with other worlds, who better to consult with than anthropologists, who specialize in encounters with exotic cultures? And thus, over the past several years the SETI Institute has repeatedly brought together anthropologists and scholars from other disciplines, in an attempt to bridge the gap between humans and extraterrestrials. See article. Note: This article is from 2007.

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Sound of a supernova and holding up our end of an interstellar conversation with ETI

Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Stars - While a supernova can be seen, it can't be heard, as sound waves cannot travel through space. But what if the light waves emitted by the exploding star and other cosmological phenomena could be translated into sound? See article.
g Message - Here’s a quick, easy to understand primer to SETI’s radio searches and the Fermi Paradox.
g Cosmicus - It's 150 years into the future, and Homo sapiens have managed to eradicate all of Earth's native flora and fauna. But for some reason the nature-free lifestyle of our great-grandkids still requires that we import "unobtainium," a mineral of unspecified application that's worth $20 million a kilogram. Even crack isn't that pricey. See article.
g Learning - Be sure to check out Ken Murphy’s essay at adAstra: “Unlike many in my generation, I've never been particularly enamored of Mars. I don’t dislike it, but my interest has long been our Moon, such a tantalizingly close destination right there in the sky. Looking for a niche in the space field after graduate school, I decided to try to become the most knowledgeable person of my generation with regards to the Moon. It seemed the perfect Gen. X slacker goal - I'm part of a small demographic, studying a relatively esoteric (for my generation) topic. How hard could it be?” See essay. Note: This essay is from 2007.
g Aftermath - What then might we say to hold up our end of an interstellar conversation with ETI? See article. Note: This article is from 2008.

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Supernova without gamma rays and astrobiology curriculum

Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Stars - For the first time, astronomers have found a supernova explosion with properties similar to a gamma-ray burst, but without seeing any gamma rays from it. See article.
g Message - Among the most important SETI work is being done at Harvard University. The Harvard SETI home page discusses the Radio Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence, The Arecibo Search for Early Hydrogen and Optical SETI.
g Cosmicus - There is a genuine reason to be concerned. Earth has been hit by asteroids and comets many times over the past 4.5 billion years since its formation. See article. Note: This article is from 2002.
g Learning - Here’s a preview version of the Astrobiology Curriculum, an interdisciplinary year-long course for middle and high school students developed by TERC and NASA. Through a series of investigations based on the search for life on other planets, students explore diverse concepts in chemistry, biology, Earth and space science, and engineering. Topics include the geologic history of planets, the chemical foundations of life, biological diversity, extremophiles, and the use of remote-sensing instrumentation. Students develop research skills through modeling, lab experiments, field observations, and image and data analysis, and are linked to data from NASA's planetary space missions. The site includes links to the overview, course description, sample activities with teacher guide, student guide and worksheets, and other astrobiology links.
g Aftermath - Recently, the SETI Institute conducted an informal online survey to show some of the steps psychologists and sociologists can take when doing research on SETI. As we noted in an earlier article, there are many ways that online surveys fail to meet the standards for rigorous scientific research. Nevertheless, Internet surveys have one strong selling point: If they are examined closely, they can provide a very concrete sense of the steps that social scientists take when conducting real studies under more controlled conditions. With the goal of gaining insight into the process of doing social scientific work on SETI, we will delve more deeply into the specific items used in our online questionnaire. See article. Note: This article is from 2002.

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Nearby galaxy’s star making almost over and creating an Earth-based comet

Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Stars - Galaxies throughout the universe are ablaze with star birth. But for a nearby, small spiral galaxy, the star-making party is almost over. See article.
g Life - Trails found in rocks dating back 565 million years are thought to be the earliest evidence of animal locomotion ever found. See article.
g Message - Would anyone deliberately beam high-powered signals into space? Can we assume that extraterrestrial societies would broadcast in ways that would mark their location as plainly as a flag on a golf green? See article. Note: This article is from 2003.
g Cosmicus - New Mexico's Spaceport America is no longer the stuff of fancy graphics. See article.
g Learning - Dr. Dennis Schatz created the first "Earth-based" comet many years ago. His very popular demonstration is conducted in classrooms and science museums around the world. You can build a comet following Schatz's very own recipe, "Making a Comet in the Classroom".
g Aftermath - What are the societal implications of astrobiology? A NASA workshop in 1999 set out to determine what they might be. Here’s their report.

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Small gas giants predominate (for now) and is bioastronomy real science?

Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Stars - For decades, the conventional wisdom on M dwarfs and habitable planets was “forget it.” See article. Note: This article is from 2005.
g Abodes - The extrasolar worlds discovered so far are all super-size (after all, that’s what the Doppler wobble technique is best at finding). However, if you sort out these giant planets into bins, you find that the somewhat smaller ones greatly outnumber the bigger guys. See article. Note: This article is from 2002.
g Life - A 60-million-year-old relative of crocodiles described recently by University of Florida researchers in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology was likely a food source for Titanoboa, the largest snake the world has ever known. See article.
g Message - What technological manifestations would make an advanced extraterrestrial civilization detectable? See article. Note: This paper was written in 1992.
g Cosmicus - International experts converged on Mexico City this month to discuss the best way to establish a global detection and warning network to monitor potential asteroid threats to all life on Earth. See article.
g Learning - Bioastronomy. Its a nifty word, but is bioastronomy an enthusiastic amalgam of biology and astronomy real science? See article. Note: This article is from 2002.
g Aftermath - If some day we detect a radio signal from a distant civilization, we’ll have to make some adjustments in the way we view ourselves. After millennia of knowing of no other intelligence in the universe than humankind, we could face a considerable challenge to our terrestrial egotism. In the process, will we simply gain a little healthy humility about our place in the universe? Or would it be downright humiliating to compare our own meager accomplishments with those of more advanced extraterrestrials? See article. Note: This article is from 2000.

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Seeding life from outer space and giving ETI its first impressions of us

Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Stars - Astronomers using ESO's Very Large Telescope have detected, in another galaxy, a stellar-mass black hole much farther away than any other previously known. With a mass above fifteen times that of the Sun, this is also the second most massive stellar-mass black hole ever found. It is entwined with a star that will soon become a black hole itself. See article.
g Abodes - NASA’s IceBite team are studying one of the few spots on Earth where the terrain resembles that of the Phoenix landing site on Mars. The place: a mile above sea level in Antarctica’s Dry Valleys. The goal: to test ice-penetrating drills for future Mars missions. Click 'Ask a Scientist' to ask the science team questions. See article.
g Life - New evidence from astrobiology "overwhelmingly" supports the view that life was seeded from outside Earth, a scientist has claimed. See article.
g Message - If some day we decide to transmit intentional messages to the stars, rather than solely listen as current SETI programs do, what would we say? What sort of first impression would we want to give our celestial correspondents? See article.
g Cosmicus - Supercomputing has helped astrophysicists create massive models of the universe, but such simulations remain out of reach for many in the United States and around the world. That could all change after a successful test allowed scientists in Portland, Ore., to watch a Chicago-based simulation of how ordinary matter and mysterious dark matter evolved in the early universe. See article.
g Learning - SETI Institute planetary astronomer Mark Showalter is rabid about rings. See article. Note: This article is from 2008.
g Aftermath - Among scientists involved in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, it’s quite common to be focused on the future, ever mindful that it could take years, or even decades, to find a signal from otherworldly intelligence. But if historian Steve Dick has his way, astronomers will also turn their attention toward the past as they search for life beyond Earth — to discover the aftereffects of contact between two intelligent cultures. See article. Note: This article is from 2003.

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Rocky worlds around Alpha Centauri and moon return dropped

Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Stars - The Alpha Centauri dual star system is thought to host rocky Earth-mass worlds, but this assumes they could form in the turbulent conditions associated with the opposing gravitational tugs of paired star systems. See article.
g Abodes - Differences in the number and speed of cometary impacts onto Jupiter's large moons Ganymede and Callisto some 3.8 billion years ago can explain their vastly different surfaces and interior states. See article.
g Life - It’s a question as common as brown dogs: will alien life be carbon-based? See article. Note: This article is from 2004.
g Message - The SETI Institute predicts that we'll detect an extraterrestrial transmission within 20 years. If that turns out to be true, it'll probably be the folks at UC Berkeley's Hat Creek radio observatory who will have heard the call. See article. Note: This article is from 2004.
g Cosmicus - President Barack Obama's proposed budget gives NASA a $6 billion 5-year boost but aborts early attempts to return to the moon and turns over space transportation to commercial companies. See article.
g Learning - While we yearn to walk on other worlds, SETI Institute scientist Cynthia Phillips strolls the surfaces of distant planets each day at her computer. She’s a planetary geologist on a quest to understand how liquids change the surfaces of other worlds. See article. Note: This article is from 2008.
g Imagining - Not so long ago, putative extraterrestrials were the color of moss. Generic space aliens were inevitably described as Little Green Men, probably because an avocado complexion is dramatically unlike any human skin tint. See article. Note: This article is from 2004.
g Aftermath - What would an intelligent signal from another planet change about human destiny? This large question is the topic of the book "The SETI Factor" by Frank White, who also analyzes how to announce such an historic finding and whether it would unite or divide nations. Note: This article is from 2003.


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Universe more run down than thought and the dangers of signaling ETI

Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Stars - Cars run out of petrol, stars run out of fuel and galaxies collapse into black holes. As they do, the universe and everything in it is gradually running down. But how run down is it? Researchers from The Australian National University have found that the universe is 30 times more run down than previously thought. See article.
g Life - Biologists have discovered the secret to the evolutionary longevity of bdelloid rotifers. These microscopic organisms are able to avoid parasites by drying up until they are exposed to a fresh drop of water. These unique lifeforms are helping scientists understand the complexities of life on Earth and the various methods that organisms have evolved for survival. See article.
g Message - Calling all aliens, this is Earth. Are you receiving me?" Rather than simply listening for signals of extra-terrestrial life, some scientists are preparing to take a proactive approach to finding alien intelligence on other planets. They believe we should start beaming regular signals into space specifically to find intelligent life, even as other scientists believe it could be an invitation to danger. See article.
g Learning - The field of astrobiology is young enough to still have vocal critics; in particular, those who think that "astrobiology" is nothing more than a hope that life will someday be discovered beyond Earth. See article.
g Imagining - Will aliens be super-smart predators, glass-veined acid-dwellers or giant microbial blobs? We asked astrobiologists for their best guesses. See article.

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Coolest ever brown dwarf found and modifying the Drake Equation

Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Stars - Astronomers have discovered a brown dwarf that is the coolest sub-stellar body ever found outside our solar system. Astrobiologists study brown dwarfs in order to learn more about stars and star formation. Ultimately, this will help us determine the best places to search for extrasolar planets. See article.
g Message - Should we modify the Drake Equation to account for civilizations which actually engage in deliberate interstellar transmission? See article.
g Cosmicus - In light of the risks, is space exploration really worth it? See article. Note: This article is from 2003.
g Aftermath - In the last quarter of the 20th century, an international social movement — Communication with Extraterrestrial Intelligence — has emerged which advocates an attempt to achieve communication with extraterrestrial intelligence, and many of its most active members have been leading scientists. Modest efforts to detect radio signals from intelligent extraterrestrials already have been made, both under government aegis and privately funded, and the technical means for a more vigorous search have been developed. If a CETI project were successful, linguists would suddenly have one or more utterly alien languages to study, and some consideration of linguistic issues is a necessary preparation for it. See paper.

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How to tell the world we’re not alone and deciding what to take pictures of on Mars

Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Abodes - Quartz-rich deposits that formed below the upper temperature limit of life could preserve chemical and morphological fossil records if life emerged on Mars. See article.
g Cosmicus - NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is now taking suggestions from the public on which sights to photograph on the Martian surface. MRO has returned an immense amount of data for astrobiologists trying to understand the past habitability of Mars, and now members of the public have a chance to participate in further exploration of the red planet. See article.
g Learning - Over and over again at a recent science conference, teachers remarked that their students are always asking about SETI and astronomy. Kids have a keen interest in astronomy, space sciences, and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. What's out there? Are we alone? See article.
g Imagining - While I’m researching our next alien, browse the local used bookstores for this volume, which examined the scientific plausibility of many alien creatures in “Star Trek”: “To Seek Out New Life: The Biology of Star Trek.” Published a few years ago, Athena Andreadis' book makes a good read, boosted by her background as a molecular biologist and neurosurgeon. See review.
g Aftermath - R = Q x - Astronomer Ivan Almar suggests the brief formula above might help scientists decide how to tell the world that we are not alone in the universe. See article.

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Replicating Titan on earth and should we start transmitting interstellar greetings?

Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Abodes - A new project aims to replicate the surface on the moon Titan in order to learn more about its hydrocarbon lakes. This study could also tell us about the chemistry that led to the origin of life on early Earth. See article.
g Message - At the Astrobiology Science Conference 2010 in April, scientists working on the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) will debate whether it's a good idea to systematically start transmitting interstellar greetings into space. See article.
g Cosmicus - While social-media mavens and space buffs thrilled to the first Tweets from outer space last week, NASA was working on the kind of network improvements that will be necessary if astronauts are to use any online tools more demanding than Twitter. See article.
g Learning - "Teacher, why do I need to learn this?" "Whats it good for?" Students ask these questions when faced with content that seems unrelated to their lives. Motivating students is fundamental to promoting achievement in any classroom, even in science, which encompasses the entire natural world, the whole universe. Good questions and quality experiences support science learning for all students, not just those who are already science-friendly. See article. Note: This article is from 2004.
g Aftermath - High-tech telescopes on the ground and in space that perform daunting astronomical peep shows in a search for Earth-like worlds aim to answer one of humankind's most monumental questions: “Are we alone?” There is on-going deliberation relating to the societal, philosophical and religious fallout that stems from resolving such a stellar inquiry. See article. Note: This article is from 2007.

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Recognizing aliens and Spirit rover stuck in sand trap

Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Life - If aliens do exist in the Goldilocks zones of outer space, we still may not recognize them. See article.
g Intelligence - We don’t know, but there could be thousands, and possibly millions, of Earth-like planets studding the dark latitudes of the Milky Way. Our Galaxy could be thick with worlds that host not just life, but intelligence. In this putative club of sentients, is it possible that we are the newest arrivals? See article. Note: This article is from 2004.
g Message - If extraterrestrials are out there, signals that would prove their existence are cascading over your body right now. Needless to say, you don’t notice. The challenge for SETI researchers is to build an instrument that will. Rising to the challenge, the SETI Institute and others are developing new search strategies and telescopes, encouraging some scientists to speculate that a signal detection will occur in the next decade or two. See article. Note: This article is from 2001.
g Cosmicus - NASA has now designated the Mars Exploration Rover, Spirit, a 'stationary science platform'. For months, the rover has been unable to free itself from a sand trap on Mars. Although Spirit is now immobile, the rover will continue to perform scientific studies that will help astrobiologists understand the past environment of Mars. See article.
g Imagining - In nearly all popular science fiction dramatizations on television, most of the alien protagonists look remarkably like humans. In "Star Trek," if you forgave the Vulcan's their ears (and their hair-styles), the Klingons their foreheads and the Bajorans their ridged noses you'd think that they were all human. After all, they have two legs, two arms, 10 fingers and toes, two ears, two eyes and a nose. And while arms and eyes are universals, two arms and two legs are parochial. See article.
g Aftermath - Scientists searching for alien life should get governments and the UN involved lest we unwittingly contact hostile extraterrestrials, a British astronomer has warned. See article.

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Video game astrobiology and will we get more than we bargained for if trying to contact ETI?

Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Abodes - Scientists have attributed the different surfaces and interior states of Jupiter's moons Ganymede and Callisto to cometary impacts that occurred some 3.8 billion years ago. The study in comparative planetology shows how influences from space can shape the formation of celestial bodies. See article.
g Message - Some scientists want to send signals into space in search of aliens but others warn we may get more than we bargained for. See article.
g Cosmicus - NASA's current mission in orbit around the moon, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, has been providing crucial insights about our nearest celestial neighbor since its launch in June. See article. Note: This article is from Dec. 2009.
g Imagining - Electronic Arts’ video game Spore is based on serious scientific research that is out of this world. Literally. The game, which incubated for five years in the studios of the world’s leading developer of video games, takes much of its inspiration from the real-world research of the SETI Institute, an organization dedicated to the deep scientific understanding of life in all its forms on Earth and to exploration of the cosmos for evidence of life, especially intelligent life. See article. Note: his article is from 2008.
g Aftermath - Looking for some interesting reading on “first contact”? Try the science fiction anthology “First Contact,” edited by Martin H. Greenberg and Larry Segriff. The book came out in 1997. Here’s a review (though it’s less than flattering).

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Looking for proof of ET on Earth and what does it mean to be intelligent?

Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Life - Professor Paul Davies, a physicist at Arizona University will tell a meeting at the Royal Society that the best way of proving that extra-terrestrial life exists elsewhere in the universe is to use evidence from earth. See article.
g Intelligence - What does it mean to be intelligent? What defines a species as intelligent, and how do SETI researchers decide? See article. Note: This article is from 2002.
g Message - For years scientists have wrestled with a puzzling fact: The universe appears to be remarkably suited for life. Its physical properties are finely tuned to permit our existence. Stars, planets and the kind of sticky chemistry that produces fish, ferns and folks wouldn't be possible if some of the cosmic constants were only slightly different. Well, there's another property of the universe that's equally noteworthy: It's set up in a way that keeps everyone isolated. See article. Note: This article is from 2007.
g Cosmicus - NASA’s IceBite team are studying one of the few spots on Earth where the terrain resembles that of the Phoenix landing site on Mars. The place: a mile above sea level in Antarctica’s Dry Valleys. The goal: to test ice-penetrating drills for a future Mars missions. See article.
g Learning - Here’s a neat classroom activity: “Designer Genes for a Designer World”. In this series of guided inquiry activities, students explore how organisms adapt to their environments through changes in their genetic codes.

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Analogues of the first Martian environments and the next decade of human space exploration

Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Abodes - Until space agencies will be able to develop the necessary technology to put people in a permanent outpost on the Red Planet, scientists have no chance of analyzing the Martian environment first-hand. Undoubtedly, if one were to investigate the rocks, river beds, deltas and craters on our neighboring planet, many of its mysteries would be revealed, but rovers, landers and orbiters cannot send too much information about the most interesting aspects of Mars. So, for now, researchers stick to analyzing the analogues of the first Martian environments, right here on Earth. See article.
g Message - Want to help SETI discover alien life? If you haven’t already done so, download the free SETI at Home software. Using Internet-connected computers, the program downloads and analyzes radio telescope data on your desktop when it is idle. The program has been so successful in plowing through data that other scientific researchers, especially in medicine, are adopting it to their fields.
g Cosmicus - As we look to the next decade, what sort of human space exploration will we see? See article.
g Learning - If you’re a high school student interested in a career as an astrobiologist, what can you did in school to put yourself on the right track? See article.
g Imagining - Skull Island’s commendably diverse population (of “King Kong” fame) isn’t very realistic. In such isolated habitats, competition among species is limited. The consequence is that, with time, predator species tend to get smaller while prey species grow larger. The optimum size (at least for mammals) seems to be roughly that of a rabbit. Kong is bigger than many rabbits. See article. Note: This article is from 2006.

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Space chemicals leading to life and public excited by astrobiology-oriented film

Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Abodes - The first microbiological survey of Mars analog lakes in Western Australia is offering new evidence of the diverse life that could have once thrived on Mars. See article.
g Life - The landscape could be the backdrop of a post­apocalyptic film. It’s an environment of extremes, blasted by intense radiation, fierce winds and shock waves from violent explosions. Yet within this desolation, species persist. Not only are there ordinary, familiar faces, there is also, evidence suggests, a motley crew: galactic gangs that would make Mad Max cringe. Some are decked out in metal; others are radicals itching to react, amped up with positive and, new research shows, even negative charge. See article.
g Message - SETI researchers are a bold lot. They’ve chosen to accept a mission that might dissuade Mr. Phelps. Year after year, they spin their telescopes to the sky, sifting through a broiling rumpus of cosmic static in hopes of finding a signal made by other beings. But how will they know? See article. Note: This article is from 2003.
g Cosmicus - James Cameron's "Avatar" has continued to break box office records, has won the Golden Globe Awards for "best picture" and "best director", and is now headed for the Oscars. There is clearly something that the public enjoys about "Avatar". At a time when NASA needs to re-exert its relevance to decision makers and the public, you'd think that there would be some effort to tap this interest in a movie about the wonders of extrasolar planets, astrobiology, and what may lay out there as we explore space - rendered in unparalleled detail and believability. So, how did NASA capitalize on this phenomenon? Answer: It didn't. See article.
g Learning - A study of Greek school children indicates that spatial knowledge lies at the root of how youngsters conceptualize time. See article.

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Would ETI be aggressive and can we listen to aliens by turning on the radio?

Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Abodes - The asteroid that crashed in northern Sudan last year was shaped like a loaf of walnut-raisin bread, according to astronomer Peter Scheirich and colleagues at Ondrejov Observatory and Charles University in the Czech Republic. See article.
g Life - Following in a giant dinosaur's footsteps could be fatal—but not for the reasons you might suspect. See article.
g Message - For more than 80 years, we’ve been sending radio (and eventually television) transmissions into space, allowing anyone in space to hear war reports from London, “I Love Lucy” reruns and our latest election results. So wouldn’t hearing aliens be as simple as turning on the radio? Here’s why not. Note: This article is from 2004.
g Cosmicus - India has launched a fleet of small suborbital rockets to study the effects of last week’s stunning solar eclipse – touted as the longest this millennium - on Earth's atmosphere. See article.
g Learning - Astrobiology Magazine's climate blog, The Hot Zone, feature a recent essay by Jim Hansen of NASA GISS. In this essay, he describes his frustration with the media’s approach to the climate controversy. See article.
g Imagining - Films often suggest that the galaxy is largely populated by highly aggressive species, ones whose interest in Earth might extend no farther than using it now and again as a hunting lodge. But would ETI really be that way? See article. Note: This article is from 2004.

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Planet formation a natural by-product of star formation and aliens beaming signals at one another

Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Stars - A new study has confirmed that planet formation is a natural by-product of star formation, even around stars that are much larger than the Sun. However, it is not likely that planets around large stars could support complex forms of life. See article.
g Abodes - Our knowledge of Titan has improved considerably over the last five years. Before that, Saturn's largest satellite had only been hastily approached by a handful of space probes. See article.
g Life - By studying how alligators breathe, scientists have drawn new connections between the reptiles and modern birds. Their breathing method may have helped the dinosaurs' ancestors dominate the planet after one of Earth's worst mass extinctions. See article.
g Message - However, since the invention of the radio, humans have been broadcasting signals into outer space. Other civilizations in our galaxy might be doing the same. They might even be deliberately sending out signals to find other civilizations. Someone out there may even be beaming a signal directly at the Earth. See article.
g Cosmicus - A group of 13 scientists hoping to perform experiments on suborbital spaceships took a dizzying spin in a centrifuge this week in the first-ever commercial training session targeted at civilian researchers. See article.

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Messages to ETI aboard Kepler and exploring mars via Antarctica

Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Stars - Could our solar system’s gas giants combine to make a second star? See article.
g Abodes - NASA’s IceBite team are studying a spot on Earth where the terrain resembles that of the Phoenix landing site on Mars. The place: a mile above sea level in Antarctica’s McMurdo Dry Valleys. The goal: to test ice-penetrating drills for a future mission to Mars. Click the Ask a Scientist button above to ask the team questions. See article.
g Life - Millions of years ago a group of wasps "decided to" become vegetarians and so today we have the bee. Some of their cousins "decided to" quit flying and so became the ants, but that is another story. Although only about 20% of bees are social, honey bees are very social indeed. It has been stated by several biologists that, if it were not for the honey bee pollinating plants, humans would only last 3 or 4 years as our food supply would disappear. See article. Note: This article is from 2009.
g Message - Although the main payload onboard the Kepler spacecraft consists of instruments to detect other worlds, a second package reminds anyone who may intercept the craft millennia from now of the hopes of the generation that launched it. Over a six-month period, tens of thousands of people submitted messages explaining why they thought the Kepler mission is important. These were gathered onto a DVD and attached to the spacecraft. See article. Note: This article is from 2009.
g Cosmicus - NASA has slashed its multi-million dollar price tag for museums looking to acquire one of its three space shuttle orbiters after they are retired later this year. The due date for the reduced payment, which dropped by almost one-third, was also advanced to be six months earlier than previously announced. See article.
g Aftermath - Freelance writer Mark Pendergrast examines the folly of the Anthropic Principle in a 2005 newspaper op-ed. See article.

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Mysterious ribbon at edge of solar system and why doesn’t ETI come here and kill us?

Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Stars - A mysterious ribbon spotted on the edge of the solar system has turned out to be a reflection of particles streaming off the sun, scientists have found. See article.
g Abodes - Blobs of warm ice that periodically rise to the surface and churn the icy crust on Saturn's moon Enceladus explain the quirky heat behavior and intriguing surface of the moon's south polar region, according to a new paper using data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft. See article.
g Life - How does life begin and evolve? Is there life elsewhere in the Universe? What is the future of life on Earth and beyond? Today, NASA's Astrobiology Institute (NAI) is not only asking these age-old questions, it is actively seeking answers. See article. Note: This article is from 2004.
g Message - Book alert: In response to Enrico Fermi's famous 1950 question concerning the existence of advanced civilizations elsewhere, physicist Stephen Webb in “If the Universe Is Teeming with Aliens... Where Is Everybody? Fifty Solutions to Fermi's Paradox and the Problem of Extraterrestrial Life” critically examines 50 resolutions to explain the total absence of empirical evidence for probes, starships, and communications from extraterrestrials. He focuses on our Milky Way Galaxy, which to date has yielded no objects or signals that indicate the existence of alien beings with intelligence and technology. His comprehensive analysis covers topics ranging from the Drake equation and Dyson spheres to the panspermia hypothesis and anthropic arguments. Of special interest are the discussions on the DNA molecule, the origin of life on Earth, and the threats to organic evolution on this planet (including mass extinctions). Webb himself concludes that the "great silence" in nature probably results from humankind's being the only civilization now in this galaxy, if not in the entire universe. This richly informative and very engaging book is recommended for most academic and public library science collections. See reviews.
g Cosmicus - The first wealthy tourists rocketing into space from Florida may start their trips in Jacksonville, not the Space Coast. See article.
g Learning - The SETI Institute regularly invites Explorers of the Universe to a weekly lecture held in Mountain View in northern California. Each talk is delivered by leading scientists and engineers in their field of expertise, and each topic is easily introduced for the uninitiated. See article.
g Aftermath - During the last hundred years, Homo sapiens has been flamboyantly belching clues into space that could alert technically savvy extraterrestrials of our presence. Radar and television, odd chemical compounds in the atmosphere, and even the occasional spacecraft sent beyond the heliopause are all messages in bottles that could conceivably wash up on the shores of ET’s planet. So why don’t they come here and kill us? See article. Note: This article is from 2008.

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Chemical fingerprint of an extrasolar planet and origin of life no longer a ‘mystery’

Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Abodes - By studying a triple planetary system, astronomers have obtained the “chemical fingerprint” of an extrasolar planet. This is the first time the spectrum of an exoplanet orbiting a normal, almost Sun-like star has been obtained directly. The data represents a new milestone in the search for habitable planets beyond our own solar system. See article.
g Life - The origin of life should be traced beyond the bracketed knowledge as the mystery of life may be resolved through astrobiology, said Nalin Chandra Wikramsinghe, director of the Cardiff Centre for Astrobiology, Cardiff University, UK, on Saturday. See article.
g Message - What are the chances that an alien signal has been sent our way just at the right moment to splash upon our antennas during that brief interval? If the extraterrestrials beam their broadcasts to the whole galaxy (or at least a big chunk of it), the chances are 100 percent. See article. Note: This article is from 2006.
g Learning - The SETI Institute has created an “Adopt a Scientist Program.” Among the scientists is the father of SETI, Frank Drake.
g Imagining - Many science fiction story lines involve alien life forms. From a literary prospective, aliens often serve as metaphors for something more familiar. From a practical prospective, they make stories more interesting and TV more eye-catching. But what of scientific accuracy? A professor offers his advice about “How to Build an Alien”.
g Aftermath - Within the scientific community, the question is no longer whether extraterrestrial life exists, but if ET is smart enough to do long division — and the United States and other world governments already have detailed secret plans for first contact. My apologies in advanced for Popular Mechanic’s lurid title, but the reporting is sound. See article. Note: This article is from 2004.

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Life in other universes and how Earth-like planets survive their solar system’s birth

Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Abodes - Planets are thought to grow from swirling disks of dust and gas around stars. New simulations show how small planets like Earth can survive in these tumultuous environments instead of crashing into their host stars. The key is inward and outward migrations that trap the planets on orbits. See article.
g Life - Could our universe be just one among countess universes that emerged from the same primordial vacuum? And if so... could other universes be inhabited by life? In a recent article, theorists from Florida State University and the Weizmann Institute discussed these questions and the answers that physics may hold. See article.
g Message - The timescales of interstellar communication can be measured in two ways. First, we can compute them by the objective ticking of timepieces. Measuring time by a clock has the virtue of being objective and quantifiable, whether using a beloved old windup pocket watch or the latest atomic clock, accurate to one second in 20 million years. See article. Note: This article is from 2003.
g Aftermath - Book alert: Beep, beep, bop, be-bop. These could represent a new song or a communication from intelligent species on another world. With discoveries of more and more planets circling far away suns, there seems an increasing possibility that we have fellow, smart occupants sharing this universe. Michael Michaud takes this consideration seriously in his book Contact with Alien Civilizations. In a very forwarding looking text, he puts sound reasoning into analyzing the issues about if and when we find we're not alone.

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We’ll know in a few months if there’s another Earth and why aliens will be more advanced than us

Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Abodes - Thanks to a NASA telescope currently scanning the skies as it orbits the Sun, we may be mere months from knowing that there are inhabitable Earth-like planets orbiting other stars in our galaxy, said a NASA researcher and University at Albany professor. See article.
g Life - Contrary to a widely held scientific theory that the mammalian Y chromosome is slowly decaying or stagnating, new evidence suggests that in fact the Y is actually evolving quite rapidly through continuous, wholesale renovation. See article.
g Intelligence - Have you ever accidentally pulled your headphone socket out while listening to music? What happens when the music stops? Psychologists believe that our brains continuously predict what is going to happen next in a piece of music. So, when the music stops, your brain may still have expectations about what should happen next. See article.
g Message - In 2003, an international science team led by Alexander Zaitsev of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Richard Braastad of Team Encounter, broadcast scientific and personal messages in “Cosmic Call 2003” to five, Sun-like stars. Here’s a brief description of the preparation and implementation of CC-2003. See article.
g Cosmicus - Scientists in Texas are reporting the development of a "nanodragster" that may speed the course toward development of a new generation of futuristic molecular machines. The vehicle - only 1/50,000th the width of a human hair - resembles a hot-rod in shape and can outperform previous nano-sized vehicles. See article.
g Aftermath - Movie aliens are often like distant relatives: they resemble us in an unpleasant sort of way. This is hardly a surprise. Hollywood creates characters that audiences can identify with, and that’s why its aliens are so anthropomorphic (and why Donald Duck looks more like a human than a duck.)But appearances aside, cinema aliens have another implausible attribute: They’re nearly always at our level of technical sophistication. We frequently trade gunfire with them or chase them around in dogfights. This is silly, of course. Any beings capable of bridging the vast distances between the stars would be able to clean our clock when it comes to science and engineering. See article. Note: This article is from 2000.

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Five years on Titan and water on Mars 3 billion BCE

Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Abodes - New satellite images suggest that the surface of Mars was warm enough to sustain lakes three billion years ago. This period of time on Mars was previously thought to be too cold and arid for liquid water to persist. The data may have implications in determining the habitability of ancient Mars. See article.
g Message - While some scientists cautiously plan for ways to reply to extraterrestrial transmissions, others haven't waited for a signal to start talking. Sending messages from Earth into space to announce the existence of the human race is somewhat rare and controversial. Digital transmissions have been beamed into space from radio telescopes, and four spacecraft currently leaving the solar system bear messages for anyone who finds them. See article. Note: This article is from 2002.
g Cosmicus - Exactly five years ago today the European Space Agency's (ESA) Huygens Probe made history when it landed on Titan, the largest moon in the Saturnian system. The touchdown on the surface of Titan marked the first, and so far only, landing of a man-made probe in the outer Solar System. See article.

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Imagining the cosmos and what Martians might look like

Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Abodes - NASA’s IceBite team is studying a location on Earth where the terrain resembles that of the Phoenix landing site on Mars. The place: a mile above sea level in Antarctica’s McMurdo Dry Valleys. The goal: to test ice-penetrating drills for future Mars mission. Click the 'Ask a Scientist' button to ask questions of the science team. See article.
g Life - In this interview, Nigel Mason explains how molecules formed in space might eventually lead to life, and describes what scientists are doing to better understand this process. See article. Note: This article is from 2008.
g Message - The idea and project of the 1st Theremin Concert for Aliens (stated in the Arecibo Proposal "One-Dimensional Radio Message for Blind Aliens" was not accepted by Arecibo reviewers because of their misgiving that such interstellar radio transmission may be a dangerous affair. See article.
g Cosmicus - Imagine the cosmos. What do you picture? A great void extending infinitely in all directions, sparsely dotted by stars, planets and other heavenly bodies, booby-trapped by black holes and traversed by light rays and magnetic fields? If you are a modern secularist that might be what you envision. See article.
g Learning - The Beginner's Guide to Rockets will help you learn the basic math and physics that govern the design and flight of rockets. See article.
g Imagining - What might life on Mars look like? Discover an ecosystem in “A Cold Dry Cradle”, a short story by Gregory Benford and Elizabeth Malarte, anthologized in “The Year's Best Science Fiction: Fifteenth Annual Collection”.

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Rocky exoplanet remains of gas giant and what life on Europa might look like

Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Abodes - Research indicates that the most Earth-like exoplanet yet found could be the rocky remains of a Saturn-sized gas giant. The study increases our knowledge of how planets form and evolve and could help astronomers better estimate the potential number of Earth-like planets in the universe. See article.
g Life - Final proof that Mars has bred life will be confirmed this year, leading NASA experts believe. The historic discovery will come not on Mars itself but from chunks of the red planet here on Earth. David McKay, chief of astrobiology at NASA's Johnson Space Centre in Houston, says powerful new microscopes and other instruments will establish whether features in Martian meteorites are alien fossils. See article.
g Learning - Students for the Exploration and Development of Space is an international student organization whose purpose is to promote space exploration and development through educational and engineering projects. See article.
g Imagining - What might life on Europa look like? Meet the Ventlings in “A Spy in Europa”, a short story by Alastair Reynolds.

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Recently discovered exoworld unbearably hot and interpreting alien message via anticryptography

Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Stars - The meteors that rained down the early morning of Sept. 1, 2007, date from around 4 A.D., the latest calculations show. See article.
g Abodes - This past October, scientists confirmed the discovery of the first rocky planet outside our solar system. Now, astronomers have gathered further information about the planet, CoRoT-7 b. The distant world might experience surface temperatures of more than 2,200 degrees Celsius, rendering the surface uninhabitable. See article.
g Message - Interpreting any alien message likely will involve anticryptography. See article.
g Learning - The NASA Postdoctoral Program offers qualified postdoctoral scientists and engineers the opportunity to engage in ongoing NASA research and serves as a source of talent to ensure the continued quality of the NASA research workforce. These competitive one- to three-year fellowship appointments advance NASA's missions in space science, Earth science, aeronautics, space operations, exploration systems and astrobiology. See article.

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Evolutionary potential linked to environment and the ‘Arecibo message’

Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Abodes - Astrobiology Magazine's climate blog, The Hot Zone, discusses a recent essay by Jim Hansen of NASA GISS. In the piece Hansen speaks of the increase in negative attitudes toward climate change and the need for a 'fighting spirit' if a future climate crisis is to be averted. See article.
g Life - Coral reefs aren't just beautiful and rich in species. They also have long served as an evolutionary wellspring for countless types of marine life, even groups such as clams and snails that researchers thought had originated in shallow coastal waters. That's the conclusion of a new examination of the fossil record, and the findings reinforce the idea that evolutionary potential is linked to the environment. See article.
g Message - In 1974, astronomers sent the "Arecibo message," a binary-coded signal that decodes to a graphic illustrating some basic characteristics of Earth. The message was intended more to demonstrate the power of the telescope than to contact distant civilizations. Cornell's 25th anniversary announcement includes a decoded explanation and more information about what the scientists were thinking. See article. Note: This article is from 1999.
g Learning - Every summer, NAI teams and others host hands-on, in-the-field, in-the-lab workshops for educators. The workshops feature cutting edge astrobiology research delivered by astrobiology scientists and education professionals, as well as inquiry- and standards-based activities ready for your classroom. See article.

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Just 15 % of galaxy’s solar systems like our own and the benefits of reading Franz Kafka

Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Stars - A new study shows that just 15 percent of solar systems in the galaxy are like our own. The finding may have implications in the search for habitable worlds in the universe. See article.
g Abodes - Book review: “The Life and Death of Planet Earth: How the New Science of Astrobiology Charts the Ultimate Fate of Our World”, by Peter Ward and Don Brownlee, is the first real biography of the Earth - not only a brilliant portrait of the emergence and evolution of life on this planet, but a vivid and frightening look at Earth's remote future. Peter Ward and Donald Brownlee combine storytelling power with extreme scientific care, and their narrative is as transfixing as any of H.G. Wells' fantasies, but more enthralling, for Ward and Brownlee have real power to prognosticate. This is a book that makes one shiver, but also inspires one to wonder how humanity (if we survive in the short term) will fare in the distant future." Oliver Sachs Peter Ward and Don Brownlee, a geologist and an astronomer respectively, are in the vanguard of the new field of astrobiology. Combining their knowledge of the evolution of life on our planet with their understanding of the life cycles of stars and solar systems, the authors tell the awe-inspiring story of the second half of Earth's life. The process of planetary evolution will essentially reverse itself; life as we know it will subside until only the simplest forms remain. The oceans will evaporate, and as the sun slowly expands, Earth itself will eventually meet a fiery end.
g Message - In the absence of knowledge of physical and cultural clues, communication between two species can be almost impossible - almost. See article. Note: This article is from 1999.
g Learning - Reading a book by Franz Kafka –– or watching a film by director David Lynch – could make you smarter. See article.

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