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 most detailed measurements to date of the dusty disks around young stars confirm a new theory that the region where rocky planets such as Earth form is much farther away from the star than originally thought. See article.
g Abodes - With a maneuver that scientists compared to landing a jumbo jet in a moving Grand Canyon, Japan's asteroid explorer, Hayabusa, touched down on the surface of the asteroid Itokawa Saturday for the second time in a week and this time it successfully collected a sample of the surface soils, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency announced several hours after its bird had flown. See article.
g Life - The fossil skeleton of the Archaeopteryx shows it had features common to birds and a group of meat-eating dinosaurs. See article.
g Intelligence - University of Alberta researchers say that using magnetic resonance imaging they found a man's brain works differently than a woman's brain. See article.
g Message - SETI researchers have long had to beg time on instruments built for conventional radio astronomy. Now they're building one of their own. See article.
g Cosmicus - A Brazilian suborbital rocket successfully launched a European microgravity experiment Thursday in a debut flight staged from northern Sweden. See article.
g Learning - Do you have what it takes to keep a trio of astronauts healthy? Play Space Doctor and see if you can make it to Mars alive. See article.
g Imagining - Here’s a neat site that examines aliens in science fiction films. While short on studying the evolution of those aliens, it does discuss how these villainous creatures are a manifestation of our own fears, a nice take on the anthropomorphic bias most people possess regarding alien life.
g Aftermath - How to predict reactions to receipt of evidence for an otherworldly intelligence? Some scientists argue that any unpredictable outcomes can only be judged against our own history. See article.
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Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Supermassive black hole venting, Venus Express looks back, paleontology-space connection
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 - Newfound plumes of material 300,000 light-years across are forced outward by the explosive venting of a supermassive black hole, astronomers announced. See article.
g Abodes - A recent check of the VIRTIS imaging spectrometer during the Venus Express commissioning phase has allowed its first remote-sensing data to be acquired, using Earth and the Moon as a reference. See article.
g Life - Learning as much as possible about the earliest life on Earth is probably the best starting point for trying to find life somewhere else, said Roger Buick, a paleontologist who became the first faculty member hired specifically for the University of Washington's pioneering graduate program in astrobiology. See article.
g Intelligence - German and U.S. scientists have launched a project to reconstruct the Neanderthal genome, the Max-Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology said. 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 - While paying for a flight on a commercial spaceship is now closer to reality challenges do remain, with flight safety a high priority. Furthermore, there are regulatory battles still to be waged. And major technical issues await resolution. See article.
g Learning - A new section of the Journal of Geophysical Research will focus on biogeosciences of the Earth system in the past, present and future and its applicability to planetary studies. See article.
g Imagining - Watch the film "Alien vs. Predator” and you might feel there was little left to lose in seeing "Exorcist - The Beginning". As it happens, both movies, although undeniably bad, are thought provoking. Humans have a longstanding fascination with powerful, malevolent entities, whether extraterrestrial or supernatural, and the existence of such entities, however farfetched in its cinematic presentation, is a fair topic for inquiry and speculation. See article.
Read this blogger’s books
g Stars - Newfound plumes of material 300,000 light-years across are forced outward by the explosive venting of a supermassive black hole, astronomers announced. See article.
g Abodes - A recent check of the VIRTIS imaging spectrometer during the Venus Express commissioning phase has allowed its first remote-sensing data to be acquired, using Earth and the Moon as a reference. See article.
g Life - Learning as much as possible about the earliest life on Earth is probably the best starting point for trying to find life somewhere else, said Roger Buick, a paleontologist who became the first faculty member hired specifically for the University of Washington's pioneering graduate program in astrobiology. See article.
g Intelligence - German and U.S. scientists have launched a project to reconstruct the Neanderthal genome, the Max-Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology said. 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 - While paying for a flight on a commercial spaceship is now closer to reality challenges do remain, with flight safety a high priority. Furthermore, there are regulatory battles still to be waged. And major technical issues await resolution. See article.
g Learning - A new section of the Journal of Geophysical Research will focus on biogeosciences of the Earth system in the past, present and future and its applicability to planetary studies. See article.
g Imagining - Watch the film "Alien vs. Predator” and you might feel there was little left to lose in seeing "Exorcist - The Beginning". As it happens, both movies, although undeniably bad, are thought provoking. Humans have a longstanding fascination with powerful, malevolent entities, whether extraterrestrial or supernatural, and the existence of such entities, however farfetched in its cinematic presentation, is a fair topic for inquiry and speculation. See article.
Read this blogger’s books
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
Titan’s window on early Earth, dust in the planet’s attic and Australian extinctions
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 launched the most highly sensitive telescope of its kind to be carried by balloon. The balloon-borne Large Aperture Sub-millimeter Telescope - or BLAST - will take a five- to nine-day journey along the upper reaches of Earth's atmosphere. BLAST will collect images of objects in our solar system as well as the distant light that details the formation of stars and the evolution of whole galaxies. See article.
g Abodes - Readings from the Huygens probe of the surface and atmosphere around Saturn's largest moon, Titan, give researchers a peek back through time to when and how Earth's atmosphere formed, and how our primitive planet looked before life took a foothold here. See article. For related stories, see “Titan's Mysterious Methane Comes From Inside, Not The Surface” and “Fountains of Enceladus”.
g Life - The dust has been piling up in Earth's attic for billions of years, and now some scientists want to sift through the accumulation to see if they can find evidence of the planet's earliest life. See article.
g Intelligence - Massive extinctions of animals and the arrival of the first humans in ancient Australia may be linked, according to scientists at the Carnegie Institution, University of Colorado, Australian National University and Bates College. The extinctions occurred 45,000-55,000 years ago. The researchers traced evidence of diet and the environment contained in ancient eggshells and wombat teeth over the last 140,000 years to reconstruct what happened. The remains showed evidence of a rapid change of diet at the time of the extinctions. The researchers believe that massive fires set by the first humans may have altered the ecosystem of shrubs, trees, and grasses to the fire-adapted desert-scrub of today. See article.
g Message - Modern Exobiology and Astrobiology studies now being sponsored by NASA, with participation by other nations and academia, are doing more than just ponder the probabilities of extraterrestrial life. Technological and human resources are being invested in remote-sensing efforts like the Terrestrial Planet Finder and robotic probe missions to search, in-situ, for clear signs of ET life on Mars, Europa and other promising solar system bodies. To further enhance and broaden the search for ETI, it’s now time to invest in methods, such as SETV, which search for clear evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence locally to aid in proving we are not alone in the universe. See article.
g Cosmicus - When it comes to taking the next "giant leap" in space exploration, NASA is thinking small - really small: Nanotechnology. See article.
g Learning - Here’s a neat classroom activity: “Gravity Hurts.” In this activity, students can sample some of the sensations of space right here on Earth, using the "weightless arms" isometric exercise and a good old-fashioned headstand. See article.
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 - Could religions survive contact with extraterrestrials? The Medieval Church didn't think so, as the discovery would challenge mankind's central role in the cosmos. Today such ideas are considered old fashioned, and many theologians welcome the discovery of life — even intelligent life — among the stars. But if scientists were to find microscopic Martians or a signal from another world, would established religions really take it in stride? For a discussion, check out this past program of SETI’s "Are We Alone?" Note: An mp3 player is required to play the audio files; you can download one at the site for free.
g Stars - Astronomers have launched the most highly sensitive telescope of its kind to be carried by balloon. The balloon-borne Large Aperture Sub-millimeter Telescope - or BLAST - will take a five- to nine-day journey along the upper reaches of Earth's atmosphere. BLAST will collect images of objects in our solar system as well as the distant light that details the formation of stars and the evolution of whole galaxies. See article.
g Abodes - Readings from the Huygens probe of the surface and atmosphere around Saturn's largest moon, Titan, give researchers a peek back through time to when and how Earth's atmosphere formed, and how our primitive planet looked before life took a foothold here. See article. For related stories, see “Titan's Mysterious Methane Comes From Inside, Not The Surface” and “Fountains of Enceladus”.
g Life - The dust has been piling up in Earth's attic for billions of years, and now some scientists want to sift through the accumulation to see if they can find evidence of the planet's earliest life. See article.
g Intelligence - Massive extinctions of animals and the arrival of the first humans in ancient Australia may be linked, according to scientists at the Carnegie Institution, University of Colorado, Australian National University and Bates College. The extinctions occurred 45,000-55,000 years ago. The researchers traced evidence of diet and the environment contained in ancient eggshells and wombat teeth over the last 140,000 years to reconstruct what happened. The remains showed evidence of a rapid change of diet at the time of the extinctions. The researchers believe that massive fires set by the first humans may have altered the ecosystem of shrubs, trees, and grasses to the fire-adapted desert-scrub of today. See article.
g Message - Modern Exobiology and Astrobiology studies now being sponsored by NASA, with participation by other nations and academia, are doing more than just ponder the probabilities of extraterrestrial life. Technological and human resources are being invested in remote-sensing efforts like the Terrestrial Planet Finder and robotic probe missions to search, in-situ, for clear signs of ET life on Mars, Europa and other promising solar system bodies. To further enhance and broaden the search for ETI, it’s now time to invest in methods, such as SETV, which search for clear evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence locally to aid in proving we are not alone in the universe. See article.
g Cosmicus - When it comes to taking the next "giant leap" in space exploration, NASA is thinking small - really small: Nanotechnology. See article.
g Learning - Here’s a neat classroom activity: “Gravity Hurts.” In this activity, students can sample some of the sensations of space right here on Earth, using the "weightless arms" isometric exercise and a good old-fashioned headstand. See article.
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 - Could religions survive contact with extraterrestrials? The Medieval Church didn't think so, as the discovery would challenge mankind's central role in the cosmos. Today such ideas are considered old fashioned, and many theologians welcome the discovery of life — even intelligent life — among the stars. But if scientists were to find microscopic Martians or a signal from another world, would established religions really take it in stride? For a discussion, check out this past program of SETI’s "Are We Alone?" Note: An mp3 player is required to play the audio files; you can download one at the site for free.
Monday, November 28, 2005
Water on ancient Mars, bacterial photographs and new commercial spaceport
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 - Two international teams of astronomers have observed with unprecedented detail the environment of two stars. One is a young, still-forming star and the new results provide useful information on the conditions leading to the creation of planets. The other is on the contrary a star entering the latest stages of its life. The astronomers found, in both cases, evidence for a surrounding disc. See article.
g Abodes - Substantial quantities of liquid water must have been present in the early history of Mars. The findings of OMEGA, aboard Mars Express, have implications on Mars' climatic history and the question of its 'habitability' at some point in its history. See article. For related stories, see “NASA Rover Helps Reveal Possible Secrets of Martian Life”.
g Life - Using Petri dishes full of genetically engineered E. coli instead of photo paper, students at The University of Texas at Austin and UCSF successfully created the first-ever bacterial photographs. Their work is published in this Nov. 24 issue of Nature, which is devoted entirely to the emerging field of synthetic biology. See article.
g Intelligence - During the course of human evolution, our ancestors eventually grasped the abstract concept of counting nothing, or '”zero.” Is this a unique component of human intelligence? Or does one of the most sophisticated abstractions discovered yet among animals tell us anything about the evolution of intelligence, on Earth or elsewhere? See article.
g Message - As SETI researchers are quick and keen to point out, the Allen Telescope Array, currently under construction about 200 miles northeast of San Francisco, is the first professional radio telescope designed from the get-go to speedily search for extraterrestrial signals. When completed, it will comprise 350 antennas, spread over roughly 150 acres of lava-riven real estate. See article.
g Cosmicus - NASA has decided that its next launch vehicle for getting humans into space will be based on the space shuttle system, including its main engines, solid rocket boosters and external tank. There will be one big difference, though, instead of riding along the side of the new rocket, astronauts in the future will be riding on top on top of their next launcher - above any debris that might fall off. See article.
g Learning - Meet SETI Institute Principal Investigator Emma Bakes. See article.
g Imagining - A complaint lodged again and again against science fiction aliens is that they look too much like us. Is that complaint valid? Is it so unlikely that extraterrestrials would look at least similar (though not identical) to humans? If so, then what would beings, intelligent or not so intelligent, who evolved on another world look like? That's what Cliff Pickover explores in The Science of Aliens.Though the book is a few years old, it’s still worth reading. Here’s a review.
g Aftermath - Scientists and governments are vigorously searching for signs of life in the universe. Will their efforts meet with success? Award-winning author Paul Davies, an eminent scientist who writes like a science fiction novelist, explores the ramifications of that success in his fascinating book, “Are We Alone? Philosophical Implications of the Discovery of Extraterrestrial Life.” "The discovery of a single extraterrestrial microbe," he writes, "would drastically alter our world view and change our society as profoundly as the Copernican and Darwinian revolutions. It could truly be described as the greatest scientific discovery of all time." Though a decade old, the book still is a great read. See review.
Read this blogger’s books
g Stars - Two international teams of astronomers have observed with unprecedented detail the environment of two stars. One is a young, still-forming star and the new results provide useful information on the conditions leading to the creation of planets. The other is on the contrary a star entering the latest stages of its life. The astronomers found, in both cases, evidence for a surrounding disc. See article.
g Abodes - Substantial quantities of liquid water must have been present in the early history of Mars. The findings of OMEGA, aboard Mars Express, have implications on Mars' climatic history and the question of its 'habitability' at some point in its history. See article. For related stories, see “NASA Rover Helps Reveal Possible Secrets of Martian Life”.
g Life - Using Petri dishes full of genetically engineered E. coli instead of photo paper, students at The University of Texas at Austin and UCSF successfully created the first-ever bacterial photographs. Their work is published in this Nov. 24 issue of Nature, which is devoted entirely to the emerging field of synthetic biology. See article.
g Intelligence - During the course of human evolution, our ancestors eventually grasped the abstract concept of counting nothing, or '”zero.” Is this a unique component of human intelligence? Or does one of the most sophisticated abstractions discovered yet among animals tell us anything about the evolution of intelligence, on Earth or elsewhere? See article.
g Message - As SETI researchers are quick and keen to point out, the Allen Telescope Array, currently under construction about 200 miles northeast of San Francisco, is the first professional radio telescope designed from the get-go to speedily search for extraterrestrial signals. When completed, it will comprise 350 antennas, spread over roughly 150 acres of lava-riven real estate. See article.
g Cosmicus - NASA has decided that its next launch vehicle for getting humans into space will be based on the space shuttle system, including its main engines, solid rocket boosters and external tank. There will be one big difference, though, instead of riding along the side of the new rocket, astronauts in the future will be riding on top on top of their next launcher - above any debris that might fall off. See article.
g Learning - Meet SETI Institute Principal Investigator Emma Bakes. See article.
g Imagining - A complaint lodged again and again against science fiction aliens is that they look too much like us. Is that complaint valid? Is it so unlikely that extraterrestrials would look at least similar (though not identical) to humans? If so, then what would beings, intelligent or not so intelligent, who evolved on another world look like? That's what Cliff Pickover explores in The Science of Aliens.Though the book is a few years old, it’s still worth reading. Here’s a review.
g Aftermath - Scientists and governments are vigorously searching for signs of life in the universe. Will their efforts meet with success? Award-winning author Paul Davies, an eminent scientist who writes like a science fiction novelist, explores the ramifications of that success in his fascinating book, “Are We Alone? Philosophical Implications of the Discovery of Extraterrestrial Life.” "The discovery of a single extraterrestrial microbe," he writes, "would drastically alter our world view and change our society as profoundly as the Copernican and Darwinian revolutions. It could truly be described as the greatest scientific discovery of all time." Though a decade old, the book still is a great read. See review.
Read this blogger’s books
Sunday, November 27, 2005
Failed star forms solar system, world's largest mass extinction and the origin question
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 - Scientists using a combination of ground-based and orbiting telescopes have discovered a failed star, less than one-hundredth the mass of the Sun, possibly in the process of forming a solar system. See article. For related story, see “Stellar weathervane”.
g Abodes - The world's largest mass extinction was probably caused by poisonous volcanic gas. The research, published in the journal Geology, reveals vital clues about the mass extinction at the end of the Permian period, 250 million years ago. See article.
g Life - While the past half century has seen an explosion of knowledge about the evolution of life after it began, there has been relatively little progress in the past half century on how it began—the so-called origin question. See article.
g Intelligence - Every few years scientists unearth the bones of humanity's forefathers. From Lucy to the Hobbits of Flores Island - we are gradually seeing building the puzzle of mankind's evolution. See article.
g Message - It has become somewhat accepted that an extrasolar contact could be interpreted as a good "artificial" signal if it arose from certain branches of mathematics. If another galactic civilization decided to reach us, they would send a beacon of bleeps akin to the digits of "pi" or only prime numbers, because they would realize that no natural process could mimic them. Renowned author and MacArthur "genius" award winner, Stephen Wolfram, argues for a new kind of science, and argues that the line between "artificial" and "natural" signals is not nearly so clear as first supposed. See article. Note: This article is from 2004.
g Cosmicus - Despite its potential to support NASA’s manned spaceflight ambitions, the International Space Station will fall short unless it sees larger crews, more science and a comprehensive plan to bolster future exploration efforts, according to a report released this week. See article.
g Learning - Students in a California home school and independent study program are learning not just from books and classroom teachers but also through interaction with scientists and other professionals via video conferencing. See article.
g Imagining - While science fiction has come a long way from the days of bug-eyed monsters, the genre still hasn't gone far enough in presenting well-conceived alien beings. As a derivative genre, role-playing games have an even poorer record. See article.
g Aftermath - Book alert: "Many Worlds: The New Universe, Extraterrestrial Life, and the Theological Implications," by Steven J. Dick (ed.), is a provocative collection examining science's impact on theology. Based on a 1998 conference sponsored by the Templeton Foundation, this collection of essays opens with the observation that the Copernican revolution looks insignificant when compared to the discoveries made about the earth and the universe in the last century: we now know, for example, that the universe is billions (not thousands) of light-years big; that it is expanding, not static; that our galaxy is just one of many, not the entirety of the universe. But from looking at modern theology, you wouldn't think anything had changed. The contributors (who include physicists, philosophers, historians of science, and theologians) suggest that cosmological advances might reshape the very fundamentals of theology. Paul C.W. Davies argues that if the universe turns out to be biofriendly (i.e., if given enough time and the right conditions, life will emerge as a matter of course), scientifically savvy thinkers may be compelled to reject atheism and embrace intelligent design theory. The contributors are especially interested in extraterrestrial life: philosopher Ernan McMullin, for example, argues that extraterrestrial intelligence will force Christians to do some hard thinking about original sin, the human soul, and the Incarnation. See article.
g Stars - Scientists using a combination of ground-based and orbiting telescopes have discovered a failed star, less than one-hundredth the mass of the Sun, possibly in the process of forming a solar system. See article. For related story, see “Stellar weathervane”.
g Abodes - The world's largest mass extinction was probably caused by poisonous volcanic gas. The research, published in the journal Geology, reveals vital clues about the mass extinction at the end of the Permian period, 250 million years ago. See article.
g Life - While the past half century has seen an explosion of knowledge about the evolution of life after it began, there has been relatively little progress in the past half century on how it began—the so-called origin question. See article.
g Intelligence - Every few years scientists unearth the bones of humanity's forefathers. From Lucy to the Hobbits of Flores Island - we are gradually seeing building the puzzle of mankind's evolution. See article.
g Message - It has become somewhat accepted that an extrasolar contact could be interpreted as a good "artificial" signal if it arose from certain branches of mathematics. If another galactic civilization decided to reach us, they would send a beacon of bleeps akin to the digits of "pi" or only prime numbers, because they would realize that no natural process could mimic them. Renowned author and MacArthur "genius" award winner, Stephen Wolfram, argues for a new kind of science, and argues that the line between "artificial" and "natural" signals is not nearly so clear as first supposed. See article. Note: This article is from 2004.
g Cosmicus - Despite its potential to support NASA’s manned spaceflight ambitions, the International Space Station will fall short unless it sees larger crews, more science and a comprehensive plan to bolster future exploration efforts, according to a report released this week. See article.
g Learning - Students in a California home school and independent study program are learning not just from books and classroom teachers but also through interaction with scientists and other professionals via video conferencing. See article.
g Imagining - While science fiction has come a long way from the days of bug-eyed monsters, the genre still hasn't gone far enough in presenting well-conceived alien beings. As a derivative genre, role-playing games have an even poorer record. See article.
g Aftermath - Book alert: "Many Worlds: The New Universe, Extraterrestrial Life, and the Theological Implications," by Steven J. Dick (ed.), is a provocative collection examining science's impact on theology. Based on a 1998 conference sponsored by the Templeton Foundation, this collection of essays opens with the observation that the Copernican revolution looks insignificant when compared to the discoveries made about the earth and the universe in the last century: we now know, for example, that the universe is billions (not thousands) of light-years big; that it is expanding, not static; that our galaxy is just one of many, not the entirety of the universe. But from looking at modern theology, you wouldn't think anything had changed. The contributors (who include physicists, philosophers, historians of science, and theologians) suggest that cosmological advances might reshape the very fundamentals of theology. Paul C.W. Davies argues that if the universe turns out to be biofriendly (i.e., if given enough time and the right conditions, life will emerge as a matter of course), scientifically savvy thinkers may be compelled to reject atheism and embrace intelligent design theory. The contributors are especially interested in extraterrestrial life: philosopher Ernan McMullin, for example, argues that extraterrestrial intelligence will force Christians to do some hard thinking about original sin, the human soul, and the Incarnation. See article.
Friday, November 25, 2005
How stars grow, evolution of lawn grass and the Tomatosphere
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 detected the magnetic fields surrounding a young star for the first time, confirming models of how such stars grow. See article.
g Abodes - Earth's oceans are rising twice as fast today compared to 150 years ago, according to a new study. See article.
g Life - Grass existed on Earth at least 10 million years earlier than was known, based on a new discovery in fossilized dinosaur dung. See article.
g Intelligence - Howard Hughes medical Institute researchers have discovered a vast network of neurons in the reproduction of mice that governs reproduction and controls the effects of reproductive status on other brain functions. See article.
g Message - Carl Sagan’s bestseller, "Contact," was made into a movie in 1997 in which Jodie Foster played the role of the ice-cream cone-eating chief protagonist Ellie Arroway. Yet, after all these years, you just can’t miss the similarities Ellie shares with her real-life role model Jill Tarter, on whom Sagan based most part of the character. See article.
g Cosmicus - Want to encourage space exploration? Join the Planetary Society (now in its 25th year). See article.
g Learning - The Tomatosphere educational project will reach its zenith during the 2005-2006 school year. For the final year of this educational program, tomato seeds that have spent 18 months in orbit will be used in class science projects across Canada. See article.
g Imagining - Book alert: The how-to book "Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy" is divided into four parts: "Storytelling," "Ideas and Foundations," and two sections on mechanics, markets, and dealing with editors. Isaac Asimov wades in rather superficially on "Plotting," "Dialog," and "Revisions," but Poul Anderson's almost technical essay on preparing a scientifically valid world couldn't be better, and Hal Clement's piece on peopling such a world is just as good. Norman Spinrad uses the techniques of futurists to model how space colonization could occur and provides graphs for the beginner. The tilt here is toward "hard" science fiction, but Jane Yolen's meditation on fantasy, "Turtles All the Way Down," is lyrical and even moving in its reverence for the past. Connie Willis writes about comedy and Stanley Schmidt, amusingly, about cliches. The market listings are exhaustive, including little magazines you won't find elsewhere. Valuable both for the beginner and the pro. See review.
g Aftermath - Award-winning author Paul Davies, an eminent scientist who writes like a science fiction novelist, explores the ramifications of successful contact with alien life in his fascinating book, "Are We Alone? Philosophical Implications of the Discovery of Extraterrestrial Life." "The discovery of a single extraterrestrial microbe," he writes, "would drastically alter our world view and change our society as profoundly as the Copernican and Darwinian revolutions. It could truly be described as the greatest scientific discovery of all time." Though a decade old, the book still is a great read. See review.
Read this blogger’s books
g Stars - Astronomers have detected the magnetic fields surrounding a young star for the first time, confirming models of how such stars grow. See article.
g Abodes - Earth's oceans are rising twice as fast today compared to 150 years ago, according to a new study. See article.
g Life - Grass existed on Earth at least 10 million years earlier than was known, based on a new discovery in fossilized dinosaur dung. See article.
g Intelligence - Howard Hughes medical Institute researchers have discovered a vast network of neurons in the reproduction of mice that governs reproduction and controls the effects of reproductive status on other brain functions. See article.
g Message - Carl Sagan’s bestseller, "Contact," was made into a movie in 1997 in which Jodie Foster played the role of the ice-cream cone-eating chief protagonist Ellie Arroway. Yet, after all these years, you just can’t miss the similarities Ellie shares with her real-life role model Jill Tarter, on whom Sagan based most part of the character. See article.
g Cosmicus - Want to encourage space exploration? Join the Planetary Society (now in its 25th year). See article.
g Learning - The Tomatosphere educational project will reach its zenith during the 2005-2006 school year. For the final year of this educational program, tomato seeds that have spent 18 months in orbit will be used in class science projects across Canada. See article.
g Imagining - Book alert: The how-to book "Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy" is divided into four parts: "Storytelling," "Ideas and Foundations," and two sections on mechanics, markets, and dealing with editors. Isaac Asimov wades in rather superficially on "Plotting," "Dialog," and "Revisions," but Poul Anderson's almost technical essay on preparing a scientifically valid world couldn't be better, and Hal Clement's piece on peopling such a world is just as good. Norman Spinrad uses the techniques of futurists to model how space colonization could occur and provides graphs for the beginner. The tilt here is toward "hard" science fiction, but Jane Yolen's meditation on fantasy, "Turtles All the Way Down," is lyrical and even moving in its reverence for the past. Connie Willis writes about comedy and Stanley Schmidt, amusingly, about cliches. The market listings are exhaustive, including little magazines you won't find elsewhere. Valuable both for the beginner and the pro. See review.
g Aftermath - Award-winning author Paul Davies, an eminent scientist who writes like a science fiction novelist, explores the ramifications of successful contact with alien life in his fascinating book, "Are We Alone? Philosophical Implications of the Discovery of Extraterrestrial Life." "The discovery of a single extraterrestrial microbe," he writes, "would drastically alter our world view and change our society as profoundly as the Copernican and Darwinian revolutions. It could truly be described as the greatest scientific discovery of all time." Though a decade old, the book still is a great read. See review.
Read this blogger’s books
Thursday, November 24, 2005
Cosmological constant, inspiration from evolution and future moon bases
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 genius of Albert Einstein, who added a "cosmological constant" to his equation for the expansion of the universe but later retracted it, may be vindicated by new research. The enigmatic dark energy that drives the accelerating expansion of the universe behaves just like Einstein's famed cosmological constant, according to the Supernova Legacy Survey. The observations reveal that the dark energy behaves like Einstein's cosmological constant to a precision of 10 percent. See article.
g Abodes - Here’s a Web page that presents a transcript of an interview with extrasolar planet hunter Geoffrey Marcy broadcast on the PBS program "NewsHour." See article. Note: The interview took place on Jan. 18, 1996.
g Life - Among all the senses that organisms possess, vision is perhaps the most varied in all the animal kingdom. Millions of years of evolution have produced more than ten different animal vision systems, each perfectly tailored to suit the needs of its owner. Scientists who look to nature when designing synthetic optics therefore have a lot to choose from. From birds to insects, whales to squid, researchers are taking inspiration from all corners of the animal kingdom when designing artificial eyes. In last week’s issue of the journal Science, Luke Lee, a bioengineer from the University of California Berkeley, reviewed the advances and possibilities. See article.
g Intelligence - Infants begin pulling off an amazing feat sometime in the final three months of their first year of life. They learn an important social interaction by following the gaze of an adult, a step that scientists believe gives babies a leg up on understanding language. See article.
g Message - Discovery Semiconductors has delivered wide bandwidth optical receivers for SETI’s Allen Telescope Array. See article.
g Cosmicus - If a planet or moon has only a slight rotational tilt, a tall mountain or crater rim can be forever bathed in sunlight. In 1994, NASA's Clementine mission found candidates for such "peaks of eternal light" on the moon's north and south poles. Today, the European Space Agency's SMART-1 spacecraft is orbiting the moon, hoping to confirm those peaks of light and find others as well. In this essay, SMART-1 principal scientist Bernard Foing explains why such sites would be ideal places for future bases on the moon. See article. For related story, see "Mockup Provides Early Glimpse of New Exploration Vehicle".
g Learning - Book alert: Astrobiology is one of the hottest areas of current research, reflecting not only impressive advances in the understanding of the origin of life but also the discovery of over 100 extrasolar planets in recent years. "Astrophysics of Life," offered by Cambridge University Press, is based on a meeting held at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which aimed to lay the astrophysical groundwork for locating habitable places in the Universe. Written by leading scientists in the field, it covers a range of topics relevant to the search for life in the universe, including: cosmology and its implications for the emergence of life, the habitable zone in the Milky Way Galaxy, the formation of stars and planets, the study of interstellar and interplanetary matter, searches for extrasolar planets, the synthesis of organic material in space, and spectroscopic signatures that could be used to detect life. This is an invaluable resource for both professional researchers and graduate students. See article.
g Imagining - Are there any alternatives to DNA or RNA, as an "X-Files" episode said there was? See article.
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.
Read this blogger’s books
g Stars - The genius of Albert Einstein, who added a "cosmological constant" to his equation for the expansion of the universe but later retracted it, may be vindicated by new research. The enigmatic dark energy that drives the accelerating expansion of the universe behaves just like Einstein's famed cosmological constant, according to the Supernova Legacy Survey. The observations reveal that the dark energy behaves like Einstein's cosmological constant to a precision of 10 percent. See article.
g Abodes - Here’s a Web page that presents a transcript of an interview with extrasolar planet hunter Geoffrey Marcy broadcast on the PBS program "NewsHour." See article. Note: The interview took place on Jan. 18, 1996.
g Life - Among all the senses that organisms possess, vision is perhaps the most varied in all the animal kingdom. Millions of years of evolution have produced more than ten different animal vision systems, each perfectly tailored to suit the needs of its owner. Scientists who look to nature when designing synthetic optics therefore have a lot to choose from. From birds to insects, whales to squid, researchers are taking inspiration from all corners of the animal kingdom when designing artificial eyes. In last week’s issue of the journal Science, Luke Lee, a bioengineer from the University of California Berkeley, reviewed the advances and possibilities. See article.
g Intelligence - Infants begin pulling off an amazing feat sometime in the final three months of their first year of life. They learn an important social interaction by following the gaze of an adult, a step that scientists believe gives babies a leg up on understanding language. See article.
g Message - Discovery Semiconductors has delivered wide bandwidth optical receivers for SETI’s Allen Telescope Array. See article.
g Cosmicus - If a planet or moon has only a slight rotational tilt, a tall mountain or crater rim can be forever bathed in sunlight. In 1994, NASA's Clementine mission found candidates for such "peaks of eternal light" on the moon's north and south poles. Today, the European Space Agency's SMART-1 spacecraft is orbiting the moon, hoping to confirm those peaks of light and find others as well. In this essay, SMART-1 principal scientist Bernard Foing explains why such sites would be ideal places for future bases on the moon. See article. For related story, see "Mockup Provides Early Glimpse of New Exploration Vehicle".
g Learning - Book alert: Astrobiology is one of the hottest areas of current research, reflecting not only impressive advances in the understanding of the origin of life but also the discovery of over 100 extrasolar planets in recent years. "Astrophysics of Life," offered by Cambridge University Press, is based on a meeting held at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which aimed to lay the astrophysical groundwork for locating habitable places in the Universe. Written by leading scientists in the field, it covers a range of topics relevant to the search for life in the universe, including: cosmology and its implications for the emergence of life, the habitable zone in the Milky Way Galaxy, the formation of stars and planets, the study of interstellar and interplanetary matter, searches for extrasolar planets, the synthesis of organic material in space, and spectroscopic signatures that could be used to detect life. This is an invaluable resource for both professional researchers and graduate students. See article.
g Imagining - Are there any alternatives to DNA or RNA, as an "X-Files" episode said there was? See article.
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.
Read this blogger’s books
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Closest 17,129 stars that could harbor life, "Where is Everybody?" and creating new alien species in fiction
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 - Which stars might harbor life-supporting planets? SETI researchers have identified the 17,129 closet, most likely candidates. See article.
g Abodes - A surprising new study by an international team of researchers has concluded Earth's continents most likely were in place soon after the Western Australia, thought to be among the oldest planet was formed, overturning a long-held theory that the early planet was either moon-like or dominated by oceans. See article.
g Life - Researchers have discovered evidence of an ancient sea creature that would have made Tyrannosaurus rex, think twice before stepping into the ocean. See article.
g Intelligence - A study of DNA from ancient farmers in Europe shows sharp differences from that of modern Europeans — results that are likely to add fuel to the debate over European origins. See article. For related story, see "Earliest European Farmers Left Little Genetic Mark On Modern Europe".
g Message - Book alert: During a lunchtime conversation at Los Alamos more than 50 years ago, four world-class scientists agreed, given the size and age of the Universe, that advanced extraterrestrial civilizations had to exist. The sheer numbers demanded it. But one of the four, the renowned physicist and back-of-the-envelope calculator Enrico Fermi, asked the telling questions: If the extraterrestrial life proposition is true, he wondered, "Where is everybody?" In "Where Is Everybody?: Fifty Solutions to the Fermi Paradox and the Problem of Extraterrestrial Life," Stephen Webb presents a detailed discussion of the 50 most cogent and intriguing answers to Fermi's famous question. See reviews.
g Cosmicus - The National Space Institute was a space advocacy group established by the late Dr. Wernher von Braun (1912-1977) to help maintain the public's support for the United States space program. Here’s its history.
g Learning - Three cheers for the University of Kansas at Lawrence: Creationism and intelligent design are going to be studied there – in a mythology course. See article.
g Imagining - What should science fiction writers consider when creating a new alien species? Here’s a list of some important considerations as part of a lesson from a class on "world building".
g Aftermath - Could religions survive contact with extraterrestrials? The Medieval Church didn't think so, as the discovery would challenge mankind's central role in the cosmos. Today such ideas are considered old fashioned, and many theologians welcome the discovery of life — even intelligent life — among the stars. But if scientists were to find microscopic Martians or a signal from another world, would established religions really take it in stride? For a discussion, check out this past program of SETI’s "Are We Alone?". Note: An mp3 player is required to play the audio files; you can download one at the site for free.
Read this blogger’s books
g Stars - Which stars might harbor life-supporting planets? SETI researchers have identified the 17,129 closet, most likely candidates. See article.
g Abodes - A surprising new study by an international team of researchers has concluded Earth's continents most likely were in place soon after the Western Australia, thought to be among the oldest planet was formed, overturning a long-held theory that the early planet was either moon-like or dominated by oceans. See article.
g Life - Researchers have discovered evidence of an ancient sea creature that would have made Tyrannosaurus rex, think twice before stepping into the ocean. See article.
g Intelligence - A study of DNA from ancient farmers in Europe shows sharp differences from that of modern Europeans — results that are likely to add fuel to the debate over European origins. See article. For related story, see "Earliest European Farmers Left Little Genetic Mark On Modern Europe".
g Message - Book alert: During a lunchtime conversation at Los Alamos more than 50 years ago, four world-class scientists agreed, given the size and age of the Universe, that advanced extraterrestrial civilizations had to exist. The sheer numbers demanded it. But one of the four, the renowned physicist and back-of-the-envelope calculator Enrico Fermi, asked the telling questions: If the extraterrestrial life proposition is true, he wondered, "Where is everybody?" In "Where Is Everybody?: Fifty Solutions to the Fermi Paradox and the Problem of Extraterrestrial Life," Stephen Webb presents a detailed discussion of the 50 most cogent and intriguing answers to Fermi's famous question. See reviews.
g Cosmicus - The National Space Institute was a space advocacy group established by the late Dr. Wernher von Braun (1912-1977) to help maintain the public's support for the United States space program. Here’s its history.
g Learning - Three cheers for the University of Kansas at Lawrence: Creationism and intelligent design are going to be studied there – in a mythology course. See article.
g Imagining - What should science fiction writers consider when creating a new alien species? Here’s a list of some important considerations as part of a lesson from a class on "world building".
g Aftermath - Could religions survive contact with extraterrestrials? The Medieval Church didn't think so, as the discovery would challenge mankind's central role in the cosmos. Today such ideas are considered old fashioned, and many theologians welcome the discovery of life — even intelligent life — among the stars. But if scientists were to find microscopic Martians or a signal from another world, would established religions really take it in stride? For a discussion, check out this past program of SETI’s "Are We Alone?". Note: An mp3 player is required to play the audio files; you can download one at the site for free.
Read this blogger’s books
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Life around red dwarfs, how perceptions of other creatures effects us and "Looking for Life in the Universe"
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 - As every comic-book fan knows, Superman was born on the planet Krypton, which orbited a red star. Scientists are now learning that the Superman legend may contain a kernel of truth: the best places to find life in our galaxy could be on planets that circle the small but common stars known as red dwarfs. See article.
g Abodes - Looking back toward the sun brings out the thin haze that hovers 500 kilometers above Saturn's moon Titan. See article. For related story, see "Graceful rings of ice".
g Life - Does our understanding of other life forms effect the way we think about the world and our place in it? Absolutely. Indeed, as early 19th-century Americans set out to conquer the Western wilderness, the then mythical creature of the mammoth helped them imagine themselves as new rulers of the natural world. See article.
g Intelligence - Meditation alters brain patterns in ways that are likely permanent, scientists have known. But a new study shows key parts of the brain actually get thicker through the practice. See article.
g Message - Is the reason we’ve not heard from alien civilizations because some travel faster than the speed of light? See essay.
g Cosmicus - NASA’s Spirit rover currently exploring Mars completed one full swing around the Sun Monday, giving researchers a yearlong look at the Martian seasons. See article. For related story, see "Mars rover comes alive with Hollywood special effects".
g Learning - Book alert for children: In "Looking for Life in the Universe," author Ellen Jackson and photographer Nic Bishop introduce readers to astrobiologist Jill Tarter and her thrilling, rigorous and awe-inspiring work in the field of SETI. See article.
g Imagining - Some science fiction fans will be reluctant to call extraterrestrials evil. It seems so judgmental, so human-centered, so unenlightened. But what do you call it when they seek to destroy us, eat us, use us, do experiments on our bodies - especially push things up our genitalia and rectums? No, we can only call them evil. Maybe not in the general scheme of things, but to us they are evil. See article.
g Aftermath - Even if the public seems less than awestruck by the prospect that alien life is a bunch of microscopic bugs, astrobiologists say unequivocal discovery of microbial life beyond Earth will change human society in profound ways, some unfathomable today. See article. Note: This article is from 2001.
Read this blogger’s books
g Stars - As every comic-book fan knows, Superman was born on the planet Krypton, which orbited a red star. Scientists are now learning that the Superman legend may contain a kernel of truth: the best places to find life in our galaxy could be on planets that circle the small but common stars known as red dwarfs. See article.
g Abodes - Looking back toward the sun brings out the thin haze that hovers 500 kilometers above Saturn's moon Titan. See article. For related story, see "Graceful rings of ice".
g Life - Does our understanding of other life forms effect the way we think about the world and our place in it? Absolutely. Indeed, as early 19th-century Americans set out to conquer the Western wilderness, the then mythical creature of the mammoth helped them imagine themselves as new rulers of the natural world. See article.
g Intelligence - Meditation alters brain patterns in ways that are likely permanent, scientists have known. But a new study shows key parts of the brain actually get thicker through the practice. See article.
g Message - Is the reason we’ve not heard from alien civilizations because some travel faster than the speed of light? See essay.
g Cosmicus - NASA’s Spirit rover currently exploring Mars completed one full swing around the Sun Monday, giving researchers a yearlong look at the Martian seasons. See article. For related story, see "Mars rover comes alive with Hollywood special effects".
g Learning - Book alert for children: In "Looking for Life in the Universe," author Ellen Jackson and photographer Nic Bishop introduce readers to astrobiologist Jill Tarter and her thrilling, rigorous and awe-inspiring work in the field of SETI. See article.
g Imagining - Some science fiction fans will be reluctant to call extraterrestrials evil. It seems so judgmental, so human-centered, so unenlightened. But what do you call it when they seek to destroy us, eat us, use us, do experiments on our bodies - especially push things up our genitalia and rectums? No, we can only call them evil. Maybe not in the general scheme of things, but to us they are evil. See article.
g Aftermath - Even if the public seems less than awestruck by the prospect that alien life is a bunch of microscopic bugs, astrobiologists say unequivocal discovery of microbial life beyond Earth will change human society in profound ways, some unfathomable today. See article. Note: This article is from 2001.
Read this blogger’s books
Monday, November 21, 2005
Transient binary stars, current answers to Fermi’s paradox and Falcon 1 launch
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 - ESA's Integral gamma-ray observatory has discovered a new, highly populated class of X-ray fast "transient" binary stars, undetected in previous observations. "Transients" are systems that display periods of enhanced X-ray emission. See article.
g Abodes - One in four of the planetary systems identified to date outside the solar system are capable of harboring other Earth-like planets, say astrophysicists, a much higher proportion than anyone expected. See article. Note: This article is from 2003.
g Life - Many insects go back and forth between their nests and a food source multiple times. But if the route to the food is very similar to the route away from it, then the foragers might get confused and not know which way to go. Different insects have different ways of dealing with this problem. Bees use the Sun as their compass. But ants use visual landmarks and let their stomachs guide their way, a new study finds. See article.
g Intelligence - One might assume that the more there is of a desired item the more favorable evaluation that item receives. For example, ice cream lovers would always be willing to pay more for more ice cream. An article in the latest issue of Current Directions in Psychological Science suggests that this is not always so. See article.
g Message - Here’s a Web page that summarizes some of the current answers to Fermi’s Paradox.
g Cosmicus - The private launch firm SpaceX will loft its Falcon 1 rocket on Nov. 25, marking the booster’s maiden flight and hopefully the first of many space shots to come, the company’s chief said Friday. See article.
g Learning - What are SETI scientists doing to foment the study and understanding of astrobiology in our schools? See article.
g Imagining - In a manner similar to the evolution of Jesus' features in art, or of the popular likeness of Santa Claus, the concept of what alien creatures look like has undergone change over time. See article.
g Aftermath - "If we are able to find one extraterrestrial civilization, we should be able to find many," according to the paper "Networking with our Galactic Neighbors." "By the year 3000 either we will have abandoned the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, or we will have made progress networking with other civilizations in our galaxy. One alternative is that we will first detect a civilization that, like our own, has not yet confirmed the existence of other distant civilizations. This success will accelerate our search efforts and put us in touch, one by one, with many more extraterrestrial societies. Under this alternative we would be founding members of the Galactic Club, that is the largest network of communicating civilizations within our galaxy. Another alternative is that our initial contact will be with a civilization that is already affiliated with the Galactic Club, with the result that we ourselves are offered membership. Whether we help build the first network of civilizations or are inducted into a pre-existing network could have profound implications for Humanity 3000." See article. Note: This paper was released in 2000.
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g Stars - ESA's Integral gamma-ray observatory has discovered a new, highly populated class of X-ray fast "transient" binary stars, undetected in previous observations. "Transients" are systems that display periods of enhanced X-ray emission. See article.
g Abodes - One in four of the planetary systems identified to date outside the solar system are capable of harboring other Earth-like planets, say astrophysicists, a much higher proportion than anyone expected. See article. Note: This article is from 2003.
g Life - Many insects go back and forth between their nests and a food source multiple times. But if the route to the food is very similar to the route away from it, then the foragers might get confused and not know which way to go. Different insects have different ways of dealing with this problem. Bees use the Sun as their compass. But ants use visual landmarks and let their stomachs guide their way, a new study finds. See article.
g Intelligence - One might assume that the more there is of a desired item the more favorable evaluation that item receives. For example, ice cream lovers would always be willing to pay more for more ice cream. An article in the latest issue of Current Directions in Psychological Science suggests that this is not always so. See article.
g Message - Here’s a Web page that summarizes some of the current answers to Fermi’s Paradox.
g Cosmicus - The private launch firm SpaceX will loft its Falcon 1 rocket on Nov. 25, marking the booster’s maiden flight and hopefully the first of many space shots to come, the company’s chief said Friday. See article.
g Learning - What are SETI scientists doing to foment the study and understanding of astrobiology in our schools? See article.
g Imagining - In a manner similar to the evolution of Jesus' features in art, or of the popular likeness of Santa Claus, the concept of what alien creatures look like has undergone change over time. See article.
g Aftermath - "If we are able to find one extraterrestrial civilization, we should be able to find many," according to the paper "Networking with our Galactic Neighbors." "By the year 3000 either we will have abandoned the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, or we will have made progress networking with other civilizations in our galaxy. One alternative is that we will first detect a civilization that, like our own, has not yet confirmed the existence of other distant civilizations. This success will accelerate our search efforts and put us in touch, one by one, with many more extraterrestrial societies. Under this alternative we would be founding members of the Galactic Club, that is the largest network of communicating civilizations within our galaxy. Another alternative is that our initial contact will be with a civilization that is already affiliated with the Galactic Club, with the result that we ourselves are offered membership. Whether we help build the first network of civilizations or are inducted into a pre-existing network could have profound implications for Humanity 3000." See article. Note: This paper was released in 2000.
Read this blogger’s books
Sunday, November 20, 2005
Earth’s space-time vortex, 30 billion Earth-like planets and the American Meteor Society
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 - Is Earth in a vortex of space-time? We'll soon know the answer: A NASA/Stanford physics experiment called Gravity Probe B recently finished a year of gathering science data in Earth orbit. The results, which will take another year to analyze, should reveal the shape of space-time around Earth - and, possibly, the vortex. See article.
g Abodes - Astronomers say there could be 30 billion Earth-like planets in our galaxy. See article. Note: This article is from 2002.
g Life - Scientists have known of just two living venomous lizards: the Gila monster and the Mexican beaded lizard. Turns out there may be more than 1,500 of them. The discovery, reported last week by the journal Nature, alters thinking on the origins of venom. See article.
g Intelligence - Heredity helps determine why some adults are persistently lonely, research co-authored by psychologists at the University of Chicago shows. See article.
g Message - We seem to have the galaxy to ourselves. At least, that’s the obvious conclusion from the apparent lack of aliens in the neighborhood. But that conclusion may be a bit too obvious. Here’s part II of a neat series, by astrobiologist Seth Shostak, on Fermi’s Paradox.
g Cosmicus - China’s space program is about three decades from landing astronauts on the Moon, but will make significant strides during that time, according to one expert following the nation’s human spaceflight efforts. See article. For related story, see "Digging the Moon".
g Learning - One great way to get kids interested in astronomy is to have them see falling stars. How would you know when to do that? The American Meteor Society, Ltd., a non-profit scientific organization established to encourage and support the research activities of both amateur and professional astronomers who are interested in the fascinating field of meteor astronomy, offers a great web site with all of the information you need. The society’s affiliates observe, monitor, collect data on, study, and report on meteors, meteor showers, meteoric fireballs and related meteoric phenomena. See article.
g Imagining - Book alert: "The Extraterrestrial Life Debate, 1750-1900," by Michael J. Crowe, marks the first detailed, scholarly study in English of the many varied astronomical, philosophical and religious ideas that developed between 1750 and 1900 regarding the existence of intelligent extraterrestrial life. The author examines the great extent to which prominent historical figures (Kant, Herschel, Paine, Lowell, etc.) engaged the issue, and demonstrates the powerful effect the question has had on Western intellectual life. See reviews.
g Aftermath - Could religions survive contact with extraterrestrials? The Medieval Church didn't think so, as the discovery would challenge mankind's central role in the cosmos. Today such ideas are considered old fashioned, and many theologians welcome the discovery of life — even intelligent life — among the stars. But if scientists were to find microscopic Martians or a signal from another world, would established religions really take it in stride? For a discussion, check out this past program of SETI’s "Are We Alone?". Note: An mp3 player is required to play the audio files; you can download one at the site for free.
Read this blogger’s books
g Stars - Is Earth in a vortex of space-time? We'll soon know the answer: A NASA/Stanford physics experiment called Gravity Probe B recently finished a year of gathering science data in Earth orbit. The results, which will take another year to analyze, should reveal the shape of space-time around Earth - and, possibly, the vortex. See article.
g Abodes - Astronomers say there could be 30 billion Earth-like planets in our galaxy. See article. Note: This article is from 2002.
g Life - Scientists have known of just two living venomous lizards: the Gila monster and the Mexican beaded lizard. Turns out there may be more than 1,500 of them. The discovery, reported last week by the journal Nature, alters thinking on the origins of venom. See article.
g Intelligence - Heredity helps determine why some adults are persistently lonely, research co-authored by psychologists at the University of Chicago shows. See article.
g Message - We seem to have the galaxy to ourselves. At least, that’s the obvious conclusion from the apparent lack of aliens in the neighborhood. But that conclusion may be a bit too obvious. Here’s part II of a neat series, by astrobiologist Seth Shostak, on Fermi’s Paradox.
g Cosmicus - China’s space program is about three decades from landing astronauts on the Moon, but will make significant strides during that time, according to one expert following the nation’s human spaceflight efforts. See article. For related story, see "Digging the Moon".
g Learning - One great way to get kids interested in astronomy is to have them see falling stars. How would you know when to do that? The American Meteor Society, Ltd., a non-profit scientific organization established to encourage and support the research activities of both amateur and professional astronomers who are interested in the fascinating field of meteor astronomy, offers a great web site with all of the information you need. The society’s affiliates observe, monitor, collect data on, study, and report on meteors, meteor showers, meteoric fireballs and related meteoric phenomena. See article.
g Imagining - Book alert: "The Extraterrestrial Life Debate, 1750-1900," by Michael J. Crowe, marks the first detailed, scholarly study in English of the many varied astronomical, philosophical and religious ideas that developed between 1750 and 1900 regarding the existence of intelligent extraterrestrial life. The author examines the great extent to which prominent historical figures (Kant, Herschel, Paine, Lowell, etc.) engaged the issue, and demonstrates the powerful effect the question has had on Western intellectual life. See reviews.
g Aftermath - Could religions survive contact with extraterrestrials? The Medieval Church didn't think so, as the discovery would challenge mankind's central role in the cosmos. Today such ideas are considered old fashioned, and many theologians welcome the discovery of life — even intelligent life — among the stars. But if scientists were to find microscopic Martians or a signal from another world, would established religions really take it in stride? For a discussion, check out this past program of SETI’s "Are We Alone?". Note: An mp3 player is required to play the audio files; you can download one at the site for free.
Read this blogger’s books
Saturday, November 19, 2005
Einstein rings, galactic empires and science in our schools
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 ring often serves as the visible symbol of the unseen - be it mystical, Lord of the Rings-style power or the devotion between two people. In space, a ring of light is more than a symbol. It is a guidepost to unseen matter and a beacon from galaxies in the distant universe. See article.
g Abodes - Not many people celebrate their year-end holidays on the east Antarctic ice sheet. But nearly every year for more than a decade, University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory professors, graduate students or alumni have. See article. For related story, see "Japanese Asteroid Probe Apparently Lost in Space".
g Life - When amateur fossil finder Van Turner discovered a small vertebra at a construction site near Dallas 17 years ago, he knew the creature was unlike anything in the fossil record. Scientists now know the significance of Turner's fossil as the origin of an extinct line of lizards with an evolutionary twist: a land-dwelling species that became fully aquatic, Dallasaurus turneri. See article.
g Intelligence - Women seem more likely than men to enjoy a good joke, mainly because they don't always expect it to be funny, according to a new study. See article.
g Message - Could galactic empires exist? In a previous article, we noted that there has been plenty of time for aliens keen on colonizing the Milky Way to pull it off. However, we see no signs of galactic federation ("Star Trek" aside). Why does the cosmos look so untouched and unconquered? What is keeping advanced extraterrestrials from claiming every star system in sight?
Here’s part II of a neat series, by astrobiologist Seth Shostak, on Fermi’s Paradox.
g Cosmicus - Many scientists are skeptical about the scientific value of sending people into space. A physicist argues that this skepticism is seriously misplaced, and that science has been, and will continue to be, a major beneficiary of human space flight. See article.
g Learning - The Vatican's chief astronomer said Friday that "intelligent design'' isn't science and doesn't belong in science classrooms, the latest high-ranking Roman Catholic official to enter the evolution debate raging in the United States. See article.
g Imagining - One of the questions bruited about in SF circles is Fermi's Paradox: Where are the aliens? In a universe with billions of galaxies, galaxies having a hundred billion stars, it is implausible that this planet is the only abode of intelligent life, that there aren't quite a few planets around with intelligent life forms on them. Given intelligent aliens it is not likely that we lead the pack as far as technology and science are concerned. In fact, if one thinks of the billions of years involved, there should be races that are millions of years ahead of us. When we think of what our own race has managed to achieve in the past few hundred years of technological development we boggle at what could be achieved in millions of years by these hypothetical aliens. Surely their technology must be like magic to us, as far beyond our comprehension and the laser are beyond the comprehension of a caveman. See article.
g Aftermath - Scientists should pay greater attention to discussing the social implications of discovering extraterrestrial life - even though many researchers shy away from the subject because they don't consider it "hard" science. See article.
Read this blogger’s books
g Stars - A ring often serves as the visible symbol of the unseen - be it mystical, Lord of the Rings-style power or the devotion between two people. In space, a ring of light is more than a symbol. It is a guidepost to unseen matter and a beacon from galaxies in the distant universe. See article.
g Abodes - Not many people celebrate their year-end holidays on the east Antarctic ice sheet. But nearly every year for more than a decade, University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory professors, graduate students or alumni have. See article. For related story, see "Japanese Asteroid Probe Apparently Lost in Space".
g Life - When amateur fossil finder Van Turner discovered a small vertebra at a construction site near Dallas 17 years ago, he knew the creature was unlike anything in the fossil record. Scientists now know the significance of Turner's fossil as the origin of an extinct line of lizards with an evolutionary twist: a land-dwelling species that became fully aquatic, Dallasaurus turneri. See article.
g Intelligence - Women seem more likely than men to enjoy a good joke, mainly because they don't always expect it to be funny, according to a new study. See article.
g Message - Could galactic empires exist? In a previous article, we noted that there has been plenty of time for aliens keen on colonizing the Milky Way to pull it off. However, we see no signs of galactic federation ("Star Trek" aside). Why does the cosmos look so untouched and unconquered? What is keeping advanced extraterrestrials from claiming every star system in sight?
Here’s part II of a neat series, by astrobiologist Seth Shostak, on Fermi’s Paradox.
g Cosmicus - Many scientists are skeptical about the scientific value of sending people into space. A physicist argues that this skepticism is seriously misplaced, and that science has been, and will continue to be, a major beneficiary of human space flight. See article.
g Learning - The Vatican's chief astronomer said Friday that "intelligent design'' isn't science and doesn't belong in science classrooms, the latest high-ranking Roman Catholic official to enter the evolution debate raging in the United States. See article.
g Imagining - One of the questions bruited about in SF circles is Fermi's Paradox: Where are the aliens? In a universe with billions of galaxies, galaxies having a hundred billion stars, it is implausible that this planet is the only abode of intelligent life, that there aren't quite a few planets around with intelligent life forms on them. Given intelligent aliens it is not likely that we lead the pack as far as technology and science are concerned. In fact, if one thinks of the billions of years involved, there should be races that are millions of years ahead of us. When we think of what our own race has managed to achieve in the past few hundred years of technological development we boggle at what could be achieved in millions of years by these hypothetical aliens. Surely their technology must be like magic to us, as far beyond our comprehension and the laser are beyond the comprehension of a caveman. See article.
g Aftermath - Scientists should pay greater attention to discussing the social implications of discovering extraterrestrial life - even though many researchers shy away from the subject because they don't consider it "hard" science. See article.
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Friday, November 18, 2005
How stars form, liquid water on Mars and Fermi’s paradox
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 - Astrophysicists have exploded one of two competing theories about how stars form inside immense clouds of interstellar gas. See article.
g Abodes - A new research by a team of scientists at the University of Arkansas suggests that liquid water could persist for some time on Mars, so long as it is salty. See article. For related stories, see "Rock found in Atlas hints at past water on the Martian surface" (Note: this article is from 2004), "Mars magmas once contained a lot of water, researchers from MIT and U. of Tennessee report", and "Mars Society boldly goes to Oz".
g Life - Arizona State University geochemists have discovered that certain clay mineral under conditions at the bottom of the ocean may have acted as incubators for the first organic molecules on Earth. See article.
g Intelligence - A gigantic ape standing 10 feet tall and weighing up to 1,200 pounds lived alongside humans for over a million years, according to a new study. See http://www.livescience.com/
animalworld/051107_giant_ape.html. For related story, see "King Kong... Almost".
g Message - Here’s part I of a neat series, by astrobiologist Seth Shostak, on Fermi’s Paradox. In this chapter, Shostak asks: "Is there obvious proof that we could be alone in the galaxy? Enrico Fermi thought so - and he was a pretty smart guy. Might he have been right?"
g Cosmicus - A record-setting, point-to-point piloted rocket plane flight is scheduled for next month. See article.
g Learning - Prior to the public opening of "Darwin" Nov. 19 at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, LiveScience's Ker Than toured the exhibit. These are his impressions.
g Imagining - Book alert: Stephen Baxter's "Manifold Time" and (especially) "Manifold Space" are extensive explorations of two variants of the Fermi paradox. The first uses the "rarity of life" explanation, the second assumes ubiquitous life but emphasizes how vicious the universe appears to be. The second book presupposes that intelligent life cannot get substantially "smarter" than we are now (ie. no super-intelligences); this is a necessary assumption for his story telling (and an increasingly common device in science fiction). See reviews.
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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g Stars - Astrophysicists have exploded one of two competing theories about how stars form inside immense clouds of interstellar gas. See article.
g Abodes - A new research by a team of scientists at the University of Arkansas suggests that liquid water could persist for some time on Mars, so long as it is salty. See article. For related stories, see "Rock found in Atlas hints at past water on the Martian surface" (Note: this article is from 2004), "Mars magmas once contained a lot of water, researchers from MIT and U. of Tennessee report", and "Mars Society boldly goes to Oz".
g Life - Arizona State University geochemists have discovered that certain clay mineral under conditions at the bottom of the ocean may have acted as incubators for the first organic molecules on Earth. See article.
g Intelligence - A gigantic ape standing 10 feet tall and weighing up to 1,200 pounds lived alongside humans for over a million years, according to a new study. See http://www.livescience.com/
animalworld/051107_giant_ape.html. For related story, see "King Kong... Almost".
g Message - Here’s part I of a neat series, by astrobiologist Seth Shostak, on Fermi’s Paradox. In this chapter, Shostak asks: "Is there obvious proof that we could be alone in the galaxy? Enrico Fermi thought so - and he was a pretty smart guy. Might he have been right?"
g Cosmicus - A record-setting, point-to-point piloted rocket plane flight is scheduled for next month. See article.
g Learning - Prior to the public opening of "Darwin" Nov. 19 at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, LiveScience's Ker Than toured the exhibit. These are his impressions.
g Imagining - Book alert: Stephen Baxter's "Manifold Time" and (especially) "Manifold Space" are extensive explorations of two variants of the Fermi paradox. The first uses the "rarity of life" explanation, the second assumes ubiquitous life but emphasizes how vicious the universe appears to be. The second book presupposes that intelligent life cannot get substantially "smarter" than we are now (ie. no super-intelligences); this is a necessary assumption for his story telling (and an increasingly common device in science fiction). See reviews.
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.
Read this blogger’s books
Thursday, November 17, 2005
SETI looks at M dwarfs, lichens in space and the Darwin exhibition
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 - More than half the stars in our galaxy are small, dim M dwarfs. Until recently, scientists believed these stars put out too little light to support life on any planets that orbited them. But at a recent workshop held at the SETI Institute, a multidisciplinary group of researchers concluded not only that M dwarfs might host habitable planets, but that they might also be good targets in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. See article.
g Abodes - Palmettos in Pennsylvania? Magnolias in Minnesota? The migration of subtropical plants to northern climates may not be too far-fetched if future global warming patterns mirror a monumental shift that took place in the past, new research by an international team of scientists suggests. See article. For related story, see "Rapid warming caused vegetation changes".
g Life - One of the main focuses in the search for living organisms on other planets and the possibilities for transfer of life between planets currently centers on bacteria, due to the organism's simplicity and the possibility of it surviving an interplanetary journey exposed to the harsh space environment. This focus may develop to encompass more advanced organisms following the results of an ESA experiment on the recent Foton-M2 mission where it was discovered that lichens are very adept at surviving in open space. See article.
g Intelligence - In a major new development in human evolutionary studies, researchers from the University of Cambridge argue that the dispersal of modern humans from Africa to South Asia may have occurred as recently as 70,000 years ago. See article.
g Message - The only real issue regarding the existence of ETI species is whether they live near enough for us to contact them. See article.
g Cosmicus - Commercial space station cargo ships, crew ferries and other spacecraft will prove a vital cog in NASA’s engine for future space exploration, the agency’s top official said Tuesday. See article.
g Learning - Going to New York City any time soon? Then be sure to check this out: "Darwin" at American Museum of Natural History will be the most comprehensive exhibit ever mounted on the British naturalist, whose ideas transformed biology and sparked a religious debate that is playing out in courtrooms, statehouses and school board meetings across the United States. It opens Saturday. See article.
g Imagining - If the galaxy was colonized before the solar system existed, the possibility of interstellar colonization does not necessarily imply the nonexistence of extraterrestrial civilizations. See article.
g Aftermath - Book alert: In their November 2003 book "In Cosmic Company: The Search for Life in the Universe," authors Seth Shostak and Alex Barnett ponder the possibility of alien life and the consequences of receiving a signal from the cosmos. They explain why scientists think sentient life might exist on other worlds, how we could discover it and what it might be like. Entertaining and informative, this hard cover book is lavishly illustrated. See reviews.
Read this blogger’s books
g Stars - More than half the stars in our galaxy are small, dim M dwarfs. Until recently, scientists believed these stars put out too little light to support life on any planets that orbited them. But at a recent workshop held at the SETI Institute, a multidisciplinary group of researchers concluded not only that M dwarfs might host habitable planets, but that they might also be good targets in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. See article.
g Abodes - Palmettos in Pennsylvania? Magnolias in Minnesota? The migration of subtropical plants to northern climates may not be too far-fetched if future global warming patterns mirror a monumental shift that took place in the past, new research by an international team of scientists suggests. See article. For related story, see "Rapid warming caused vegetation changes".
g Life - One of the main focuses in the search for living organisms on other planets and the possibilities for transfer of life between planets currently centers on bacteria, due to the organism's simplicity and the possibility of it surviving an interplanetary journey exposed to the harsh space environment. This focus may develop to encompass more advanced organisms following the results of an ESA experiment on the recent Foton-M2 mission where it was discovered that lichens are very adept at surviving in open space. See article.
g Intelligence - In a major new development in human evolutionary studies, researchers from the University of Cambridge argue that the dispersal of modern humans from Africa to South Asia may have occurred as recently as 70,000 years ago. See article.
g Message - The only real issue regarding the existence of ETI species is whether they live near enough for us to contact them. See article.
g Cosmicus - Commercial space station cargo ships, crew ferries and other spacecraft will prove a vital cog in NASA’s engine for future space exploration, the agency’s top official said Tuesday. See article.
g Learning - Going to New York City any time soon? Then be sure to check this out: "Darwin" at American Museum of Natural History will be the most comprehensive exhibit ever mounted on the British naturalist, whose ideas transformed biology and sparked a religious debate that is playing out in courtrooms, statehouses and school board meetings across the United States. It opens Saturday. See article.
g Imagining - If the galaxy was colonized before the solar system existed, the possibility of interstellar colonization does not necessarily imply the nonexistence of extraterrestrial civilizations. See article.
g Aftermath - Book alert: In their November 2003 book "In Cosmic Company: The Search for Life in the Universe," authors Seth Shostak and Alex Barnett ponder the possibility of alien life and the consequences of receiving a signal from the cosmos. They explain why scientists think sentient life might exist on other worlds, how we could discover it and what it might be like. Entertaining and informative, this hard cover book is lavishly illustrated. See reviews.
Read this blogger’s books
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Jupiter’s banded flows, how Fermi’s paradox was first asked and laboratory created aliens
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 - Just in time for Thanksgiving, NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has harvested a bounty of young stars. A new infrared image of the reflection nebula NGC 1333, located about 1,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Perseus, reveals dozens of stars like the Sun but much younger. See article.
g Abodes - Scientists from the Max-Planck Institute for Solar System Research, the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, and the University of California Los Angeles, have now presented a new three-dimensional computer model that successfully describes and explains all important characteristics of the banded flows on Jupiter. The simulations suggest that the wind system may reach as deep as 7,000 km into the planet's atmosphere. See article.
g Life - Howard Hughes Medical Institute researchers have discovered that pheromones essential for mating behavior in mice are recognized by the nose and not by the vomeronasal system, as researchers had long suspected. See article.
g Intelligence - Perceiving a simple touch may depend as much on memory, attention, and expectation as on the stimulus itself, according to new research from Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Scientists there found that monkeys' perceptions of touch match brain activity in the frontal lobe, an area that assimilates many types of neural information. See article.
g Message - Here’s an account of how Fermi’s famous question, "Where is everybody?" was first asked. Sorry in advance for the Web site that I found this on.
g Cosmicus -Faster-than-light travel does not necessarily conflict with the theory of relativity, a physicist says. See article.
g Learning - Here’s a neat set of lesson plans for middle school science students: "Interstellar Space Travel and Space Technology: The Solar system and Beyond".
g Imagining - You can keep Alabama on the places not worth moving to, unless you like living the Dark Ages: The state school board voted unanimously Thursday to keep a disclaimer in biology textbooks that describes evolution as "a controversial theory" after no one in the audience disputed the label, which has generated heated debate in the past. See article.
g Aftermath - What would you call an alien if you encountered it on the street tomorrow? What if that alien didn't come from another world but rather was created in a laboratory right here on Earth and functioned differently from other Earth life? See article.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
g Stars - Just in time for Thanksgiving, NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has harvested a bounty of young stars. A new infrared image of the reflection nebula NGC 1333, located about 1,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Perseus, reveals dozens of stars like the Sun but much younger. See article.
g Abodes - Scientists from the Max-Planck Institute for Solar System Research, the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, and the University of California Los Angeles, have now presented a new three-dimensional computer model that successfully describes and explains all important characteristics of the banded flows on Jupiter. The simulations suggest that the wind system may reach as deep as 7,000 km into the planet's atmosphere. See article.
g Life - Howard Hughes Medical Institute researchers have discovered that pheromones essential for mating behavior in mice are recognized by the nose and not by the vomeronasal system, as researchers had long suspected. See article.
g Intelligence - Perceiving a simple touch may depend as much on memory, attention, and expectation as on the stimulus itself, according to new research from Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Scientists there found that monkeys' perceptions of touch match brain activity in the frontal lobe, an area that assimilates many types of neural information. See article.
g Message - Here’s an account of how Fermi’s famous question, "Where is everybody?" was first asked. Sorry in advance for the Web site that I found this on.
g Cosmicus -Faster-than-light travel does not necessarily conflict with the theory of relativity, a physicist says. See article.
g Learning - Here’s a neat set of lesson plans for middle school science students: "Interstellar Space Travel and Space Technology: The Solar system and Beyond".
g Imagining - You can keep Alabama on the places not worth moving to, unless you like living the Dark Ages: The state school board voted unanimously Thursday to keep a disclaimer in biology textbooks that describes evolution as "a controversial theory" after no one in the audience disputed the label, which has generated heated debate in the past. See article.
g Aftermath - What would you call an alien if you encountered it on the street tomorrow? What if that alien didn't come from another world but rather was created in a laboratory right here on Earth and functioned differently from other Earth life? See article.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Stellar nursery theories, visit to Titan and how common other civilizations are in the universe
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 - Some regions in space are especially good at creating massive stars. Astronomers know the recipe for creating a star in one of these stellar nurseries calls for hydrogen gas, dust and some amount of heat and gravity, but they still don't know quite how all the parts come together or what triggers the event. Now, a collection of images presented by astronomers at the Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille, France provides the most complete and detailed evidence supporting the collect-and-collapse model, without ruling out the other models. See article.
g Abodes - Saturn's giant moon Titan is so cold that, on its surface, water is as hard as a rock - literally. The European Space Agency's Huygens probe landed on Titan earlier this year. Images sent back to Earth by the probe reveal what appear to be rocks made of super-frozen water. But other instruments on the probe have raised some doubts. Chris McKay, a planetary scientist at NASA Ames Research Center, recently gave a public lecture, sponsored by the Planetary Society, about what scientists have learned about Titan from the Huygens probe. In this, the final part of a four-part series, McKay talks about the unsolved mystery of Titan's ice rocks. See article. For related story, see "Surfing Saturn’s gravity".
g Life - Josh Smith, assistant professor of earth and planetary sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, has concocted a mathematical scheme for identifying dinosaurs based upon measurements of their copious Mesozoic dental droppings. His method could help paleobiologists identify and reconstruct the lives of the creatures that roamed our terra firma many millions of years ago. See article.
g Intelligence - Most comparisons of language and inherited traits consider whether genetics conform with expected relationships observed by linguists. But now researcher is utilizing genetic data to support specific hypotheses raised by linguists regarding the relationships between language families. See article.
g Message - Humanity is even now advertising itself splendidly to the universe. Given this, we cannot know whether the first artificial nonhuman signal detected would place us in the role of intended recipient or of eavesdropper. In our explorations, we should allow for both possibilities. See article.
g Cosmicus - Within the framework of general relativity and without the introduction of wormholes, is it is possible to modify a space-time in a way that allows a spaceship to travel with an arbitrarily large speed, such as faster than light? One physicist thinks so. See article.
g Learning - It’s a familiar chestnut: "the dinosaurs would be around today if they only had a space program." Of course there’s truth in this. If the lubberly lizards that once stomped the planet had rocket technology, they might have deflected the 5-mile diameter asteroid that speedily incinerated them and subsequently starved most of what remained. But the simple is: Science education is good for the survival of the species. See article.
g Imagining - How common are other civilizations in the universe? This question has fascinated humanity for centuries, and although we still have no definitive answer, a number of recent developments have brought it once again to the fore. Chief among these is the confirmation - after a long wait and several false starts - that planets exist outside our solar system. See article. Sorry in advance for the Web site that I found this otherwise credible article on.
g Aftermath - For some provocative reading, pick up "Sharing the Universe," by Seth Shostak, at your local bookstore. SETI scientist Shostak almost single-handedly is outlining social and political issues that will arise once we make contact with extraterrestrials. See reviews.
Read this blogger’s books
g Stars - Some regions in space are especially good at creating massive stars. Astronomers know the recipe for creating a star in one of these stellar nurseries calls for hydrogen gas, dust and some amount of heat and gravity, but they still don't know quite how all the parts come together or what triggers the event. Now, a collection of images presented by astronomers at the Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille, France provides the most complete and detailed evidence supporting the collect-and-collapse model, without ruling out the other models. See article.
g Abodes - Saturn's giant moon Titan is so cold that, on its surface, water is as hard as a rock - literally. The European Space Agency's Huygens probe landed on Titan earlier this year. Images sent back to Earth by the probe reveal what appear to be rocks made of super-frozen water. But other instruments on the probe have raised some doubts. Chris McKay, a planetary scientist at NASA Ames Research Center, recently gave a public lecture, sponsored by the Planetary Society, about what scientists have learned about Titan from the Huygens probe. In this, the final part of a four-part series, McKay talks about the unsolved mystery of Titan's ice rocks. See article. For related story, see "Surfing Saturn’s gravity".
g Life - Josh Smith, assistant professor of earth and planetary sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, has concocted a mathematical scheme for identifying dinosaurs based upon measurements of their copious Mesozoic dental droppings. His method could help paleobiologists identify and reconstruct the lives of the creatures that roamed our terra firma many millions of years ago. See article.
g Intelligence - Most comparisons of language and inherited traits consider whether genetics conform with expected relationships observed by linguists. But now researcher is utilizing genetic data to support specific hypotheses raised by linguists regarding the relationships between language families. See article.
g Message - Humanity is even now advertising itself splendidly to the universe. Given this, we cannot know whether the first artificial nonhuman signal detected would place us in the role of intended recipient or of eavesdropper. In our explorations, we should allow for both possibilities. See article.
g Cosmicus - Within the framework of general relativity and without the introduction of wormholes, is it is possible to modify a space-time in a way that allows a spaceship to travel with an arbitrarily large speed, such as faster than light? One physicist thinks so. See article.
g Learning - It’s a familiar chestnut: "the dinosaurs would be around today if they only had a space program." Of course there’s truth in this. If the lubberly lizards that once stomped the planet had rocket technology, they might have deflected the 5-mile diameter asteroid that speedily incinerated them and subsequently starved most of what remained. But the simple is: Science education is good for the survival of the species. See article.
g Imagining - How common are other civilizations in the universe? This question has fascinated humanity for centuries, and although we still have no definitive answer, a number of recent developments have brought it once again to the fore. Chief among these is the confirmation - after a long wait and several false starts - that planets exist outside our solar system. See article. Sorry in advance for the Web site that I found this otherwise credible article on.
g Aftermath - For some provocative reading, pick up "Sharing the Universe," by Seth Shostak, at your local bookstore. SETI scientist Shostak almost single-handedly is outlining social and political issues that will arise once we make contact with extraterrestrials. See reviews.
Read this blogger’s books
Monday, November 14, 2005
Mission to Europa, Fermi Paradox as a logical fallacy and Neil Armstrong’s autobiography
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 - Using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope, astronomers have recorded a massive star moving at more than 2.6 million kilometers per hour. Its position in the sky leads to the suggestion that the star was kicked out from the Large Magellanic Cloud, providing indirect evidence for a massive black hole in the Milky Way's closest neighbor. See article.
g Abodes - The Galileo Mission has provided encouraging evidence that Europa might have an ocean of liquid water under a layer of ice and this has stimulated speculation that life might possibly exist in such an environment. In 2003 the Europa Orbiter left Earth with the goal of determining if Europa does indeed have an ocean. If the result turns out to be positive, then a future mission might send some kind of robotic submarine to melt through the ice and explore the sea below. See article.
g Life - Researchers have discovered evidence of an ancient sea creature that would have made Tyrannosaurus rex, think twice before stepping into the ocean. At the southern tip of South America, they found fossils of an entirely new species of ancient crocodile - one whose massive jaws and jagged teeth would have made it the most fearsome predator in the sea. See article.
g Intelligence - A group of monkeys have shown a similar ability to humans in telling the difference between large and small groups of dots, according to a recent study by Duke University researchers. See article.
g Message - The "Fermi Paradox," an argument that extraterrestrial intelligence cannot exist because it has not yet been observed, is a logical fallacy. This "paradox" is a formally invalid inference. both because it requires modal operators lying outside the first-order propositional calculus and because it is unsupported by the observational record. See article.
g Cosmicus - The European Astrobiology Network Association brings the various voices from Europe together to discuss astrobiology issues and missions. Scientists from the 17 member nations - Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom - recently met in Budapest, Hungary. This blog by Astrobiology Magazine's Leslie Mullen provides an overview of the workshop. See article.
g Learning - Neil Armstrong himself has long been enigmatic in recounting his most private of reflections regarding this seminal episode in space history, and the behind-the-scenes drama surrounding the most important "step" in human space exploration. Now he has published his autobiography. See article.
g Imagining - While science fiction has come a long way from the days of bug-eyed monsters, the genre still hasn't gone far enough in presenting well-conceived alien beings. As a derivative genre, role-playing games have an even poorer record. See article.
g Aftermath - Quote of the Day: "We have to mentally prepare ourselves for this big shock — perhaps even being dethroned from the center of the universe, the biological universe — when we discover evidence of life in outer space. At that point, there'll be another Copernican revolution, a biological Copernican revolution when we realize that we're not the only game in town." — Michio Kaku
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g Stars - Using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope, astronomers have recorded a massive star moving at more than 2.6 million kilometers per hour. Its position in the sky leads to the suggestion that the star was kicked out from the Large Magellanic Cloud, providing indirect evidence for a massive black hole in the Milky Way's closest neighbor. See article.
g Abodes - The Galileo Mission has provided encouraging evidence that Europa might have an ocean of liquid water under a layer of ice and this has stimulated speculation that life might possibly exist in such an environment. In 2003 the Europa Orbiter left Earth with the goal of determining if Europa does indeed have an ocean. If the result turns out to be positive, then a future mission might send some kind of robotic submarine to melt through the ice and explore the sea below. See article.
g Life - Researchers have discovered evidence of an ancient sea creature that would have made Tyrannosaurus rex, think twice before stepping into the ocean. At the southern tip of South America, they found fossils of an entirely new species of ancient crocodile - one whose massive jaws and jagged teeth would have made it the most fearsome predator in the sea. See article.
g Intelligence - A group of monkeys have shown a similar ability to humans in telling the difference between large and small groups of dots, according to a recent study by Duke University researchers. See article.
g Message - The "Fermi Paradox," an argument that extraterrestrial intelligence cannot exist because it has not yet been observed, is a logical fallacy. This "paradox" is a formally invalid inference. both because it requires modal operators lying outside the first-order propositional calculus and because it is unsupported by the observational record. See article.
g Cosmicus - The European Astrobiology Network Association brings the various voices from Europe together to discuss astrobiology issues and missions. Scientists from the 17 member nations - Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom - recently met in Budapest, Hungary. This blog by Astrobiology Magazine's Leslie Mullen provides an overview of the workshop. See article.
g Learning - Neil Armstrong himself has long been enigmatic in recounting his most private of reflections regarding this seminal episode in space history, and the behind-the-scenes drama surrounding the most important "step" in human space exploration. Now he has published his autobiography. See article.
g Imagining - While science fiction has come a long way from the days of bug-eyed monsters, the genre still hasn't gone far enough in presenting well-conceived alien beings. As a derivative genre, role-playing games have an even poorer record. See article.
g Aftermath - Quote of the Day: "We have to mentally prepare ourselves for this big shock — perhaps even being dethroned from the center of the universe, the biological universe — when we discover evidence of life in outer space. At that point, there'll be another Copernican revolution, a biological Copernican revolution when we realize that we're not the only game in town." — Michio Kaku
Read this blogger’s books
Sunday, November 13, 2005
Sun in 3-D, ET percolation theory and (de)evolution in school 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 - The first spacecraft designed to capture 3-D "stereo" views of the sun and solar wind were shipped today from the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., to NASA Goddard Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., for their next round of pre-launch tests. See article.
g Abodes - A common substance found in ordinary classroom chalk could hold the key to a puzzle of planetary proportions: the mysterious whereabouts of water on Mars. See article. Note: This article is from 2001. For related story, see "Dust storm in opposition".
g Life - A deep-voiced black-capped chickadee may wonder why other birds ignore it, but there may be a good reason behind the snub, says a University of Alberta study that looked into how the bird responds to calls. Researchers modified the black- capped chickadee calls, played those sounds back to the bird and observed how they reacted. They found that the chickadee relies on several acoustic features including pitch, order of the notes and rhythm of the call. See article.
g Intelligence - Neurons experience large-scale changes across their dendrites during learning, say neuroscientists at The University of Texas at Austin in a new study that highlights the important role that these cell regions may play in the processes of learning and memory. See article.
g Message - What if we approached the Fermi paradox — the absence of such extraterrestrial civilizations visiting Earth — using percolation theory? Geoffrey A. Landis explains.
g Cosmicus - In 30 years, a nuclear-powered space exploration mission to Neptune and its moons may begin to reveal some of our solar system’s most elusive secrets about the formation of its planets – and recently discovered ones that developed around other stars. See article.
g Learning - The latest chapter in the long and controversial history of evolution theory was written this week in the form of two votes. A Kansas Board of Education decision essentially brings supernatural explanations into biology classes. Meanwhile, residents of a town in Pennsylvania ousted school board members who tried to do the same. See article.
g Imagining - Like stories about alien biologies and environments? Scour your used bookstore for Hal Clement’s "Mission of Gravity" (1953).
g Aftermath - The scientific discussion of the evolution of life in the universe raises some key philosophical and theological issues Will life and intelligence be found throughout the universe, or will it turn out to be exceedingly rare? Will intelligent life be capable of both rationality and moral agency? Will evolutionary biology determine its moral content or will it merely bequeath intelligent life with moral capacity, leaving moral content to be determined independently of biology? If moral agency evolves, will these species inevitably exhibit moral failure, or is our generic human experience of moral failure strictly the result of our particular evolution, leaving us to expect there to be other civilizations that are entirely benign? The discussion of these issues, though largely hypothetical, can offer insight into the theological and cultural implications of the discovery of extraterrestrial intelligence as well into a better understanding of the human condition. See article.
Read this blogger’s books
g Stars - The first spacecraft designed to capture 3-D "stereo" views of the sun and solar wind were shipped today from the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., to NASA Goddard Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., for their next round of pre-launch tests. See article.
g Abodes - A common substance found in ordinary classroom chalk could hold the key to a puzzle of planetary proportions: the mysterious whereabouts of water on Mars. See article. Note: This article is from 2001. For related story, see "Dust storm in opposition".
g Life - A deep-voiced black-capped chickadee may wonder why other birds ignore it, but there may be a good reason behind the snub, says a University of Alberta study that looked into how the bird responds to calls. Researchers modified the black- capped chickadee calls, played those sounds back to the bird and observed how they reacted. They found that the chickadee relies on several acoustic features including pitch, order of the notes and rhythm of the call. See article.
g Intelligence - Neurons experience large-scale changes across their dendrites during learning, say neuroscientists at The University of Texas at Austin in a new study that highlights the important role that these cell regions may play in the processes of learning and memory. See article.
g Message - What if we approached the Fermi paradox — the absence of such extraterrestrial civilizations visiting Earth — using percolation theory? Geoffrey A. Landis explains.
g Cosmicus - In 30 years, a nuclear-powered space exploration mission to Neptune and its moons may begin to reveal some of our solar system’s most elusive secrets about the formation of its planets – and recently discovered ones that developed around other stars. See article.
g Learning - The latest chapter in the long and controversial history of evolution theory was written this week in the form of two votes. A Kansas Board of Education decision essentially brings supernatural explanations into biology classes. Meanwhile, residents of a town in Pennsylvania ousted school board members who tried to do the same. See article.
g Imagining - Like stories about alien biologies and environments? Scour your used bookstore for Hal Clement’s "Mission of Gravity" (1953).
g Aftermath - The scientific discussion of the evolution of life in the universe raises some key philosophical and theological issues Will life and intelligence be found throughout the universe, or will it turn out to be exceedingly rare? Will intelligent life be capable of both rationality and moral agency? Will evolutionary biology determine its moral content or will it merely bequeath intelligent life with moral capacity, leaving moral content to be determined independently of biology? If moral agency evolves, will these species inevitably exhibit moral failure, or is our generic human experience of moral failure strictly the result of our particular evolution, leaving us to expect there to be other civilizations that are entirely benign? The discussion of these issues, though largely hypothetical, can offer insight into the theological and cultural implications of the discovery of extraterrestrial intelligence as well into a better understanding of the human condition. See article.
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Saturday, November 12, 2005
Proving gravity with a pencil, build a gravity detector and the day everyone totally freaks out and panics
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 - Scientists at The University of Manchester have discovered a new way to test Einstein's theory of relativity using the 'lead' of a pencil. Until now it was only possible to test the theory by building expensive machinery or by studying stars in distant galaxies, but a team of British, Russian and Dutch scientists has now proven it can be done in the lab using an ultra-thin material called Graphene. See article.
g Abodes - A University of Alberta physicist who helped solve the age-old mystery of what keeps afloat the highest plateau on earth has added more pieces to the Tibetan plateau. See article.
g Life - Scientists at Oregon State University have successfully cultured in a laboratory a microorganism with a gene for an alternate form of photochemistry an advance that may ultimately help shed light on the ecology of the world's oceans. See article.
g Intelligence - Monkeys have a semantic perception of numbers that is like humans' and which is independent of language, Duke University cognitive neuroscientists have discovered. They said their findings demonstrate that the neural mechanism underlying numerical perception is evolutionarily primitive. Jessica Cantlon and Elizabeth Brannon described their findings with macaque monkeys in an article published online the week of earlier this month in the Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academies of Science. See article.
g Message - What should we say to an extraterrestrial? Try the World Wide Web. SETI astronomer Seth Shostak opines here.
g Cosmicus - It is difficult to go to the stars. They are far away, and the speed of light limits us to a slow crawl along the starlanes. Decades and centuries will pass before the stay-at-homes learn what the explorers have found. The energies required to launch a manned interstellar transport are enormous, for the mass to be accelerated is large and the cruise speed must be high. Yet even these energies are not out of the question once we move our technology out into nearby space, where the constantly flowing sunlight is a never-ending source of energy-greater than a kilowatt per square meter, a gigawatt per square kilometer. There are many ideas on methods for achieving interstellar transport. In time, one or more of these dreams will be translated into a real starship. See article.
g Learning - New data shows repeatable and predictable gravity detected from the center of the Milky Way galaxy. Build a simple gravity detector and observe that phenomenon for yourself. See article.
g Imagining - Quote of the Day: "An ounce of imagination is worth any 10 facts in the world." — Ray Bradbury
g Aftermath - How would humans react the day after ET landed? A nationwide survey by the Roper Organization in 1999 found that the following: "...one out of four Americans think most people would "totally freak out and panic" if such evidence were confirmed. See article.
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g Stars - Scientists at The University of Manchester have discovered a new way to test Einstein's theory of relativity using the 'lead' of a pencil. Until now it was only possible to test the theory by building expensive machinery or by studying stars in distant galaxies, but a team of British, Russian and Dutch scientists has now proven it can be done in the lab using an ultra-thin material called Graphene. See article.
g Abodes - A University of Alberta physicist who helped solve the age-old mystery of what keeps afloat the highest plateau on earth has added more pieces to the Tibetan plateau. See article.
g Life - Scientists at Oregon State University have successfully cultured in a laboratory a microorganism with a gene for an alternate form of photochemistry an advance that may ultimately help shed light on the ecology of the world's oceans. See article.
g Intelligence - Monkeys have a semantic perception of numbers that is like humans' and which is independent of language, Duke University cognitive neuroscientists have discovered. They said their findings demonstrate that the neural mechanism underlying numerical perception is evolutionarily primitive. Jessica Cantlon and Elizabeth Brannon described their findings with macaque monkeys in an article published online the week of earlier this month in the Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academies of Science. See article.
g Message - What should we say to an extraterrestrial? Try the World Wide Web. SETI astronomer Seth Shostak opines here.
g Cosmicus - It is difficult to go to the stars. They are far away, and the speed of light limits us to a slow crawl along the starlanes. Decades and centuries will pass before the stay-at-homes learn what the explorers have found. The energies required to launch a manned interstellar transport are enormous, for the mass to be accelerated is large and the cruise speed must be high. Yet even these energies are not out of the question once we move our technology out into nearby space, where the constantly flowing sunlight is a never-ending source of energy-greater than a kilowatt per square meter, a gigawatt per square kilometer. There are many ideas on methods for achieving interstellar transport. In time, one or more of these dreams will be translated into a real starship. See article.
g Learning - New data shows repeatable and predictable gravity detected from the center of the Milky Way galaxy. Build a simple gravity detector and observe that phenomenon for yourself. See article.
g Imagining - Quote of the Day: "An ounce of imagination is worth any 10 facts in the world." — Ray Bradbury
g Aftermath - How would humans react the day after ET landed? A nationwide survey by the Roper Organization in 1999 found that the following: "...one out of four Americans think most people would "totally freak out and panic" if such evidence were confirmed. See article.
Read this blogger’s books
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