Stellar graveyard and extraterrestrial machine intelligence

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 announced the first results of a search for extrasolar planets and brown dwarfs in an unlikely place — a stellar graveyard. A team found two candidate planets in its survey of 20 dead stars, white dwarfs at distances between 24 and 220 light-years. The research is part of an intense race to take the first "photograph" of an extrasolar planet. See article.
g Life – Findings reported last week reveal how an evolutionary innovation involving the sharing of genes between two ant species has given rise to a deep-seated dependency between them for the survival of both species populations. The new work illustrates how genetic exchange through interbreeding between two species can give rise to a system of interdependence at a high level of biological organization — in this case, the production of worker ants for both species. See article.
g Intelligence – Any extraterrestrial intelligence we detect likely will be machine intelligence, not biological like us, some scientists say. See article. Note: This story is from 2000.
g Message – How will we decode any message from ET? For some speculation and a discussion of the inherent difficulties, see article; part II follows at here. Note: This story is from 2001.
g Cosmicus – A pair of physicists have successfully managed to levitate micron-sized fluids using magnets, which could lead to new advances in medicine, chemistry, chemical engineering and other related fields. What will the effect on space exploration? For starters, imagine an entire chemistry laboratory reduced to the size of a postage stamp. See article.
g Learning – TERC and NASA are developing an interdisciplinary year-long course for middle and high school students using astrobiology as its unifying, underlying structure. Through a series of inquiry-based activities centered on the search for life on other planets, students can explore diverse concepts in chemistry, biology, physics, Earth and space science and engineering. Astrobiology provides students opportunities to master fundamental science concepts in a relevant context and apply their skill and understanding directly in a variety of investigative modes. See article.
g Imagining – Would the universe be populated by aggressive intelligent species, such as science fiction’s Alien and Predator? SETI senior astronomer Seth Shostak offers some thoughts.
g Aftermath – Scientists such as the SETI Institute’s John Billingham and Jill Tarter have taken the lead in planning for the day we might receive a signal from life beyond Earth. Working with diplomats and space lawyers, they have helped develop protocols that guide the activities of SETI scientists who think they may have detected extraterrestrial intelligence. See article. Note: This story is from 2003.

Get your SF book manuscript edited