King of Spin, radiation on Mars and Little Green Men

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 – New ultraviolet observations indicate a Milky Way star, dubbed the “King of Spin,” is spinning nearly 200 times faster than Earth's sun, the probable result of a merger between two sun-like stars whose binary orbit recently collapsed, according to a University of Colorado at Boulder astronomer. See article.
g Abodes – University of Hawaii astronomer Toby Owens spoke with Astrobiology Magazine shortly after the successful Huygens mission had completed. In this part of the interview, Owens talks about the significance of methane in Titan's atmosphere. See article.
g Intelligence – Paleontologists working in Ethiopia have discovered the remains of at least nine primitive human ancestors that are up to 4.5 million years old. The specimens belong to a hominid species called Ardipithicus ramidus, a transitional creature with significant ape characteristics. See article.
g Cosmicus – NASA has selected an instrument that will characterize the radiation at the surface of Mars. The Mars Science Laboratory, part of NASA's Mars Exploration Program, will explore the viability of the surface of the red planet as a potential habitat for past or present life and for our astronauts who one day will visit. See article.
g Learning — Evolution for educators: Visit “Understanding Evolution,” a site Berkeley University’s launched in February to meet the needs of K-12 teachers. The site provides an informal on-line course covering essential science content, as well as a searchable database of resources for the classroom. See course.
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. Green was alien, in other words. Today, scientists dismiss that sci fi idea. So what’s their case against “little green men”? See article.
g Aftermath – Here’s an intriguing article: How SETI is using the social sciences to decipher our thoughts on alien life. See article. Note: This article is from 2002.

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