Disintegrating comet, pristine meteorite and making stone tools

Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Today’s news:
g Stars - Last week, ESO's Very Large Telescope observed fragment B of the comet Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 that had split a few days earlier. To their great surprise, the ESO astronomers discovered that the piece just ejected by fragment B was splitting again! Five other mini-comets are also visible on the image. The comet seems thus doomed to disintegrate but the question remains in how much time. See http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0604/25comet/. For related story, see “NASA Says Comet Fragments Won't Hit Earth” at http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/060427_cometsw3_noim
pact.html.
g Abodes - The depths of space are much closer to home following the University of Alberta's acquisition of a meteorite that is the only one of its kind known to exist on Earth! What makes it so rare? The meteorite is “pristine” - that is, still frozen and uncontaminated - and so provides an invaluable preserved record of material from when the solar system formed 4.57 billion years ago. See http://
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/04/060421234604.htm.
g Life - Scientists are learning more about what appears to be one of the biggest meat-eating dinosaurs known, a two-legged beast whose bones were found several years ago in the fossil-rich Patagonia region of Argentina. See http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/
060417_big_dino.html.
g Intelligence - How did ancient man make stone tools, such as a Clovis spear point? See http://students.kennesaw.edu/~bberger/
page1.shtml.
g Message - The search for extraterrestrial intelligence could be taking the wrong approach. Instead of listening for alien radio broadcasts, a better strategy may be to look for giant structures placed in orbit around nearby stars by alien civilizations. See http://www.newscientist.com/channel/space/mg18624944.800.
g Cosmicus - Here is a transcript of the remarks given by John Marburger earlier this year during the Keynote Address of the 44th Robert H. Goddard Memorial Symposium in Greenbelt, Md. See http://space.com/adastra/adastra_marburger_vision_060420.html.
g Learning - An excellent collection of books about SETI, including some for elementary and middle school children, appears online at http://www.space.com/searchforlife/sharing_seti_devore_041209.
html. These would make some great holiday gifts.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Lisanne Norman’s novel “Turning Point,” published by DAW in 1993.
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. For reviews, see http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0965377431/
10232743405947363.

Star-creating black holes, wet Mars and mastodons on the Mississippi River

Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Today’s news:
g Stars - Older supermassive black holes that were once thought to be quiet, actually generate high energy jets of particles powerful enough to put a brake on the formation of new stars, say a team of researchers. See http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n06
04/24chandrablackholes/.
g Abodes - Mars started out relatively wet and temperate, underwent a major climate shift, and evolved into a cold, dry place strewn with acidic rock – less than ideal conditions for supporting life. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/04/0604211
10227.htm. For related story, see “One for the Water Side?” at http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop=modload&name=News
&file=article&sid=1939mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
g Life - What mastodon finds have occurred along the Mississippi River? See http://www.greatriver.com/mastodon.htm. For related story, see “The First People in Wisconsin” at http://www.fox.uwc.edu/academics/depts/tpleger/paleoindian.html.
g Intelligence - If you've experienced the highs and lows of creative thinking, you know that sometimes the creative well is dry, while at other times creativity is free flowing. It is during the latter times that people often experience so-called "Aha!" moments - those moments of clarity when the solution to a vexing problem falls into place with a sudden insight and you see connections that previously eluded you. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/04/060405234439.htm.
g Message - Put yourself in the situation of the aliens, out there somewhere in the galaxy. They surmise that Earth looks promising for the emergence of intelligent life one day, but they have no idea when. There would be little point in beaming radio messages in this direction for eons in the vague hope that one day radio technology would be developed here and someone would decide to tune in, says one astrobiologist. See http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/
08/09/1092022404578.htmloneclick=true. Note: this article is from 2004.
g Cosmicus - A former astronaut says protecting humans from high-level radiation, as well as bone and muscle loss, pose the greatest challenges in getting to Mars. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/
index.phpfeed=Science&article=UPI12006040418383100bcusmars
trip.xml. For related story, see “Piecing Phoenix Together” at http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop=modload&name=News
&file=article&sid=1941mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
g Learning - What is an astrobiologist, and can you become one? See http://www.astrobiology.com/how.to.html.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle’s “The Mote In God's Eye,” published by Simon & Shuster in 1974.
g Aftermath - In a cross-cultural study conducted several years ago, to scientists looked at the attitudes of college students towards the possibility that extraterrestrial life might exist, and if it does, what it might be like for people to learn that it exists. See http://publish.seti.org/general/articles.phpid=54. Note: This article is from 2002.

Neutron star crust, Venus Exploration Analysis Group and how fish evolved into land creatures

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 NASA's Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer have estimated the depth of the crust on a neutron star, the densest object known in the universe. The crust, they say, is close to a mile deep and so tightly packed that a teaspoon of this material would weigh about 10 million tons on Earth. See article.
g Abodes - The Venus Exploration Analysis Group was established by NASA in July 2005 to identify scientific priorities and strategy for exploration of Venus. VEXAG is currently composed of two co-chairs and two focus groups. The focus groups will actively solicit input from the scientific community. Here’s its Web site.
g Life - You might think a catfish on land would fare as well as an elephant on roller-skates, but a new study reveals they slither around and adeptly catch insect meals [Video]. The finding helps scientists imagine how ancient fish made their first hunting trips ashore prior to evolving into land creatures. See article.
g Intelligence - Claims of a pre-Clovis human occupation in the Americas have been around for decades. By the 1980s, dozens of such sites had been reported, some estimated to be as much as 200,000 years old. See article.
g Message - For more than 80 years, we’ve been sending radio (and eventually television) transmissions into space, allowing anyone in space to hear war reports from London, “I Love Lucy” reruns and our latest election results. So wouldn’t hearing aliens be as simple as turning on the radio? Here’s why not.
g Cosmicus - It is misleading to think of today’s "space program" as a single-source activity with NASA as the center of the universe. First of all, the multi-nation character of space exploration has long dethroned that notion. See article.
g Learning - Here’s a neat astrobiology lesson plan for teachers about “Life in the Universe”, courtesy the United Kingdom. It includes activities.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Anne McCaffrey’s novel “The Rowan,” published by Ace in 1991.
g Aftermath - Book alert: 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 reviews.

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Starburst galaxy, ‘Habitable Planets for Man’ and sending humans to Mars

Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Stars - To celebrate the NASA-ESA Hubble Space Telescope's 16 years of success, the two space agencies are releasing this mosaic image of the magnificent starburst galaxy, Messier 82 (M82). It is the sharpest wide-angle view ever obtained of M82, a galaxy remarkable for its webs of shredded clouds and flame-like plumes of glowing hydrogen blasting out from its central regions. See article.
g Abodes - Book alert: Here’s a classic — “Habitable Planets for Man,” by Stephen H. Dale. As one reviewer writes, “This book was written in 1970 as an analysis of what sort of planet would be inhabitable by humans on a permanent basis (colonization), and what are the chances of finding such planets around nearby stars. The book looks at human requirements, such as temperature, gravity, atmospheric composition, etc. Then other factors are reviewed, such as solar system organization, stellar properties, satellite relationships, special properties of binary star systems, etc. This book makes for some very interesting reading. It is rather dated, though, with the mass of Pluto being placed at equivalent to the Earths, and with water oceans being speculated about for Venus. Admittedly, this probably does mean that some of the conclusions are suspect. However, the depth of information in this book does make it an interesting resource for science-fiction authors, and other interested in speculating about extra-solar planets for man.” See reviews.
g Life - Contrary to traditional wisdom, being a leftie promotes survival from attacks, at least in the world of snails and crabs, according to a report by researchers at Yale and Cornell in the Biology Letters of the Royal Society, UK. See article.
g Intelligence - If you dread going to the dentist, be thankful you didn't live in the Stone Age. Roughly 8,000 years before Novocaine and some 7,300 years before they could even swig whiskey to dull the pain, prehistoric patients were having holes drilled into their teeth with drill bits carved from stone. See article.
g Message - Here’s something neat albeit technical: A slide show presentation of "Spectrum Environment of the Allen Telescope Array".
g Cosmicus - The European Space Agency doesn’t have any concrete plans to send humans to Mars, but they’ve already begun making preparations for the trip. A small Italian-French crew is currently spending a year in a remote Antarctic research station, to learn how to handle the individual psychological problems and the stresses on group dynamics that can occur under such difficult, isolated conditions. See article.
g Learning - This module, from the Japan Science and Technology Corporation, provides excellent background to the search for life in the universe, for kids. There is information about all the planets in the solar system and possibilities for life beyond, as well as descriptions of spacecraft and signals that originate from Earth (requires Flash plug-in). See module.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Murray Leinster’s short story "The Castaway,” published in the June 1953 edition of Universe magazine.
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 lesson.

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Sun’s binary partner, mingling oceans and more proof for evolution

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 Binary Research Institute has found that orbital characteristics of the recently discovered planetoid, "Sedna", demonstrate the possibility that our sun might be part of a binary star system. A binary star system consists of two stars gravitationally bound orbiting a common center of mass. Once thought to be highly unusual, such systems are now considered to be common in the Milky Way galaxy. See article.
g Abodes - The Pacific and Atlantic oceans were separated by a giant landmass once, but then a chink formed in this supercontinent and their waters intermingled. New fossil dating reveals that this event occurred about 41 million years ago, millions of years earlier than some scientists had estimated. See article.
g Life - In a new study, scientists tested Darwin's theory that many current traits can be explained by the ancestral lineage of a species (For instance, predators that have evolved a taste for a certain prey, can go on to develop a taste for the prey's eggs.). See article.
g Intelligence - Microscopic specs of lead are offering clues about the enormous cultural changes that swept across northern Africa a thousand years ago. See article.
g Message - In the search for life on other worlds, scientists can listen for radio transmissions from stellar neighborhoods where intelligent civilizations might lurk or they can try to actually spot planets like our own in habitable zones around nearby stars. Either approach is tricky and relies on choosing the right targets for scrutiny out of the many thousands of nearby stars in our galactic neighborhood. See article.
g Cosmicus - Japan plans to send robots to explore and set up a base on the moon, possibly within the next 10 years, officials said. See article.
g Learning - Here’s a neat classroom activity courtesy of NASA: Who Can Live Here? Students explore the limits of life on Earth to extend their beliefs about life to include its possibility on other worlds. See article.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Stephen Leigh’s novel “Dark Water's Embrace,” published by Avon Eos in 1998.
g Aftermath - How would proof of extraterrestrial intelligence affect humanity’s “world” view? Astronomer Steve Dick discusses the matter in this transcribed Smithsonian Institute lecture, from 1999, at article.

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Green black holes, Allen Telescope Array and asteroid impact

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 - Black holes are the most fuel efficient engines in the Universe, according to a new study using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. By making the first direct estimate of how efficient or "green" black holes are, this work gives insight into how black holes generate energy and affect their environment. See article.
g Abodes - The atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration is increasing as a consequence of the large-scale use of fossil fuels in the industrial era. This has apparently brought about a stronger relative increase in the light carbon isotope 12C. Due to this the ratio of the stable carbon isotopes 13C/12C has show a clearly measurable decrease of 0.1 percent. However in the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, 180 million and 120 million years ago, there were periods with a shift four times as large in a period of just several tens of thousands of years. Where did all of that light carbon suddenly come from? See article.
g Life - In findings that may offer insight into how evolution operates, a Duke University evolutionary ecologist reported evidence that aggressive male western bluebirds out-compete less aggressive males for preferred breeding territories. In the process, she found that more-aggressive and milder mannered birds also tended to breed in different settings that favor different body types. See article.
g Intelligence - If you're down in the dumps, you might just think about watching a funny movie. A new study suggests that the mere expectation of laughter makes us feel good. See article.
g Message - SETI and the University of California at Berkeley decided they needed their own instrument, so they started developing the Allen Telescope Array. See article.
g Cosmicus - Over the last few decades there has been a great deal of debate about the level of danger posed by impacts from asteroids and comets. It appears the world needs to take the threat of asteroid strikes a lot more seriously. See article.
g Learning - Here’s a good Web site that gives an general overview of astrobiology for kids: “Astrocentral.” See article.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Robert Heinlein’s novel “Have Spacesuit, Will Travel,” published by Scribners in 1958.
g Aftermath - Decades after Hollywood first made the leap between alien life and the threat of contamination, a scientist has issued a similar warning. U.S. Geological Survey geologist Jeffrey Kargel says convincing evidence uncovered by NASA's robotic rover Opportunity that water once flowed on Mars means scientists should proceed cautiously in bringing back potentially germ-laden samples of the Red Planet. See article.

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Galaxy globs, Xena’s size and China’s space program

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 - Try mixing caramel into vanilla ice cream - you will always end up with globs and swirls of caramel. Scientists are finding that galaxies may distribute themselves in similar ways throughout the universe and in places where there is lots of so-called dark matter. See article.
g Abodes - NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has resolved the "10th planet," nicknamed "Xena" for the first time, and has found that it is only just a little larger than Pluto. Previous ground-based observations suggested that Xena was about 30 percent greater in diameter than Pluto. See article.
g Life - Worms that live in deep-sea hypothermal vents have the highest temperature preference of any animal studied, scientists said. See article.
g Intelligence - It's true—you might die of loneliness, but not until you're older. See article.
g Message - The founder of the scientific search for extraterrestrial civilizations Frank Drake believed that a minimum of 200 highly developed civilizations were hiding somewhere in our galaxy. See article.
g Cosmicus - China is stepping up its space program, preparing to launch dozens upon dozens of Earth orbiting satellites over the next five to eight years. Also being readied are several space science missions, fielding a new heavy-lift booster, as well as strengthening its human spaceflight program to include an Earth-circling space lab and initiating a multi-step program of robotic lunar exploration. See article. For related story, see “U.S.-China Space Ties Weighed”.
g Learning - Here’s a neat classroom activity courtesy of DiscoverSchool.com: “Extraterrestrials.” In the activity, a digital radio message, intended to alert any intelligent life in space to the existence of intelligent life on Earth, has been electronically transmitted into space by the Arecibo radio dish in Puerto Rico. Students must ensure the message is effective by showing that the senders (humans from Earth) are capable of advanced thinking — but it must not depend on the ability of extraterrestrials to understand any Earth language. See article.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Alan Dean Foster’s novel “Quozl,” published by Ace in 1989.
g Aftermath - Would dutiful American citizens trust the government to handle first contact with extraterrestrials and rush to get information to the public? See article. Note: This article is from 1999.

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Comet data, spider threads plus thickening and thinning brains

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 - Over the past five years, three space missions - Deep Impact, Deep Space 1 and Stardust - have provided unprecedented information about comets. However, rather than clearing up the true nature of comets, the sometimes conflicting data from these missions have scientists questioning almost everything they thought they knew about these fascinating, and potentially dangerous, objects. See article.
g Abodes - As mankind spreads out through the universe, what creatures might he encounter and where? Life on Earth has evolved into a myriad of forms, capable of surviving in some very harsh conditions, but it all started in the oceans. Early life and its precursors were very fragile molecules without the survival mechanisms to protect them that cells and beasts are. See article.
g Life - The extraordinary properties of spider's thread are like a blessing for researchers working on polymers. However, the amazing twisting properties it displays are still not very well understood. How can one explain the fact that a spider suspended by a thread remains completely motionless, instead of rotating like a climber does at the end of a rope? See article.
g Intelligence - Youth with superior IQ are distinguished by how fast the thinking part of their brains thickens and thins as they grow up, researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health have discovered. MRI scans showed that their brain's outer mantle, or cortex, thickens more rapidly during childhood, reaching its peak later than in their peers — perhaps reflecting a longer developmental window for high-level thinking circuitry. It also thins faster during the late teens, likely due to the withering of unused neural connections as the brain streamlines its operations. See article.
g Message - Australian scientists also are conducting a search for extraterrestrial intelligence. Here’s an overview of their effort and facilities.
g Cosmicus - Exploration of space now and in the future depends on both human and robotic skills. However, according to a leading scientist, there is need to fortify and rebalance the funding between the two. See article.
g Learning - Here’s a neat interactive Web site for kids: “Are Humans All Alone in the Universe?” In the program, kids get to search for ET — and learn some principles of science along the way. See article.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Gordon R. Dickson’s short story, "In The Bone," published in the October 1966 Worlds of IF magazine.
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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Beta Pictoris dust disk, Martian geological history and bee speed

Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Today’s news:
g Stars - A combination of observing strategy and advanced technology has produced the most detailed picture yet of a dust disk surrounding a nearby star. Observations of the disk surrounding the star Beta Pictoris by a team of researchers from the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Nagoya University and Hokkaido University suggest that asteroid and comet-like objects are colliding to produce fluffy icy dust-balls the size of bacteria. See article.
g Abodes - By mapping minerals on the surface of Mars using the European Space Agency's Mars Express spacecraft, scientists have discovered the three ages of Martian geological history - as reported in the latest issue of Science - and found valuable clues as to where life might have developed. See article.
g Life - Bee speed is limited not by muscle power or how high they can flap their wings, but on how they balance themselves during unstable conditions, researchers have found. See article.
g Intelligence - Book alert: In an ongoing tour of literature related to astrobiology, Linda Sauter reviews "Collapse" by Jared Diamond. While not overtly about astrobiology, "Collapse" can provide insights about the likely development of life and civilizations in the universe. See article.
g Message - Since SETI first became a subject for serious scientific research, scientists have come up with many possible ways to detect the presence of other civilizations by searching our part of the galaxy for signs of artificially created signals. Using many different kinds of detection equipment and novel concepts, investigators labored away in their electronics laboratories and observatories dreaming, that one day, the signs they had been searching for would be found. See article.
g Cosmicus - NASA announced that a small, “secondary payload” spacecraft, to be developed by a team at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., has been selected to travel to the moon to look for precious water ice at the lunar south pole in October 2008. See article.
g Learning - As a society, we're increasingly ignorant about science, and if that continues, it's going to cost us. See article.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Hal Clement’s novel “Mission Of Gravity,” published by Doubleday in 1954.
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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Open star clusters, undersea volcano and Mojave 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 - The Hubble Space Telescope has captured the most detailed images to date of the open star clusters in the Small Magellanic Cloud - two sparkling sets of gemstones in the southern sky. See article.
g Abodes - An undersea volcano in the Pacific is growing from its summit and could breach the ocean surface within a few decades, a new study reveals. See article.
g Life - Scientists at the University of British Columbia believe the Hagfish's gruesome method of feeding may cause the stagnant water inside the carcass to become acidic from the build up of CO2 produced by the fish, which could explain why the fish is able to cope with environmental conditions of up to 7 percent CO2 — 350 times that found in normal air). See article.
g Intelligence - The most important factor in what kind of sweetener people prefer has little to do with how sweet it tastes. Rather, it has more to do with other tastes in the sweetener, such as bitterness or sourness, new research suggests. See article.
g Message - Here’s a neat National geographic interview of Seth Shostak, a senior astronomer at the SETI Institute, about the search for extraterrestrial intelligences: article. Note: The interview is from 2003.
g Cosmicus - California lawmakers took steps this week to provide an outlay of funds for the inland Mojave Spaceport, an action also designed to keep the state aggressive in public space travel and space enterprise. See article.
g Learning - What are SETI scientists doing to foment the study and understanding of astrobiology in our schools? See article.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Arthur C Clarke’s short story, "Before Eden," published in June 1961’s Amazing.
g Aftermath - If, as “The X-Files'” Fox Mulder might say, "The truth is out there," then the researchers running the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence program are likely to be the first ones to find it. On the other hand, there are numerous people who believe they've already been in contact with aliens. National Geographic's video ”Phantom Quest: The Search for Extraterrestrials” studies the claims of both groups, ultimately seeking to reveal precisely what an encounter with beings from another planet could mean for humanity. See article.

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Merging black holes, space weather and new moonship

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 types of black hole mergers predicted by Einstein's general relativity have been accurately simulated in a computer model for the first time. See article.
g Abodes - Five spacecraft from two European Space Agency missions unexpectedly found themselves engulfed by waves of electrical and magnetic energy as they traveled through Earth's nighttime shadow, a new report says. The data collected by the spacecraft are giving scientists an important clue to the effects of 'space weather' on Earth's magnetic field. See article.
g Life - Competition and conflict between males and females start inside the egg in some species, say scientists. See article.
g Intelligence - Sleeping helps to reinforce what we've learned. And brain scans have revealed that cerebral activity associated with learning new information is replayed during sleep. But, in a study published in the open access journal PLoS Biology, a team at the University of Liege demonstrate for the first time that the brain doesn't wait until night to structure information. Day and night, the brain doesn't stop (re)working what we learn. See article.
g Message - A new radio telescope array has been developed by the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute and the University of California at Berkeley that will shed some cosmic noise, and give scientists a better view of one million stars scattered throughout the universe. See article. Note: This article is from 2005.
g Cosmicus - As NASA marks 25 years of shuttle flight, the space agency is looking ahead to its next spaceship to reach for the orbit and the Moon. See article. For related stories, see “STS-121 Shuttle Commander Confident in July Launch Target” and “Spacewalk strategy revised for next shuttle flight”.
g Learning - There are some great teacher resources on space biology. The modules cover such topics as “Life in the Universe,” “Radiation Biology” and “Life in Space Environments.” Each module includes an introduction, readings and references, teaching resources and research and applications.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Greg Bear’s novel, “The Forge of God,” published by Tor in 1987.
g Aftermath - Clearly, if we are not alone in the universe, there are some unavoidable theological and philosophical consequences. We should reflect on the consequences of a positive result of either finding extraterrestrial microorganisms, or receiving a radio message form an extraterrestrial source: When such discovery occurs, the implications are likely to have an impact on our culture requiring adjustments possibly more radical than those arising form the evidence that humans descend from microorganisms. See article.

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Gamma radiation, meteorite bombardment of our moon and neuro-chips

Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Today’s news:
g Stars - Are you losing sleep at night because you're afraid that all life on Earth will suddenly be annihilated by a massive dose of gamma radiation from the cosmos? Well, now you can rest easy. See http://
www.astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop=modload&name=News&file=
article&sid=1932mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
g Abodes - New age measurements of lunar rocks returned by the Apollo space missions have revealed that a surprising number of the rocks show signs of melting about 3.9 billion years ago, suggesting that the moon - and its nearby neighbor Earth - were bombarded by a series of large meteorites at that time. See http://www.astrobio.
net/news/modules.phpop=modload&name=News&file=article&
sid=1927mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
g Life - Chemists at Oregon State University have pioneered a controversial theory about how supposedly-stable DNA bases can be pushed into a "dark state" in which they are highly vulnerable to damage from ultraviolet radiation - an idea that has challenged some of the most basic concepts of modern biochemistry. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/04/060408124233.htm.
g Intelligence - The line between living organisms and machines has just become a whole lot blurrier. European researchers have developed "neuro-chips" in which living brain cells and silicon circuits are coupled together. See http://www.livescience.com/human
biology/060327_neuro_chips.html.
g Message - Since the beginning of astronomical observation, science has been viewing light on a curve. In a galaxy filled with thousands of eclipsing binary stars, we've refined our skills by measuring the brightness or intensity of so-called variable star as a function of time. The result is known as a "light curve." Through this type of study, we've discovered size, distance and orbital speed of stellar bodies and refined our ability to detect planetary bodies orbiting distant suns. Here on Earth, most of the time it's impossible for us to resolve such small objects even with the most powerful of telescopes, because their size is less than one pixel in the detector. But new research should let us determine the shape of an object... like a ringed planet, or an orbiting alien space station. See http://
www.universetoday.com/am/publish/alien_space_stations.html.
g Cosmicus - A rapid-turnaround launch system capable of hurling satellites or special purpose payloads into Earth orbit in as little as 48 hours is being touted by a major aerospace firm —Northrop Grumman Corporation. See http://space.com/news/060404_hybrid_air.html.
g Learning - Here’s a good Web site that gives an general overview of astrobiology for kids: “Astrocentral.” See http://www.astrocentral.co.uk/lifeindex.html.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Isaac Asimov’s "Found!" originally published in the October 1978 Omni magazine.
g Aftermath - While formal principles have been adopted for the eventuality of detecting intelligent life in our galaxy, no such guidelines exist for the discovery of non-intelligent extraterrestrial life within the solar system. Current scientifically based planetary protection policies for solar system exploration address how to undertake exploration, but do not provide clear guidance on what to do if and when life is detected. Considering that Martian life could be detected under several different robotic and human exploration scenarios in the coming decades, it is appropriate to anticipate how detection of non-intelligent, microbial life could impact future exploration missions and activities, especially on Mars. See http://www.seti.org/atf/cf/{B0D4BC0E-D59B-4CD09E79113953A58644}/m_race_guidelines.pdf.

Stellar clusters, ant evolution and searching for ET in the microwave band

Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Today’s news:
g Stars - Stellar clusters, gravity-bound collections of stars all created at roughly the same time and from the same material, are the closest thing astronomers have to a controlled laboratory environment. See http://space.com/scienceastronomy/0604
18_star_clusters.html.
g Abodes - The outermost ring of Uranus, discovered just last year, is bright blue, making it only the second known blue ring in the solar system, according to a report this week in the journal Science. Perhaps not coincidentally, both blue rings are associated with small moons. See http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0604/06
uranusmoon/.
g Life - The emergence of flowering plants 100 million years ago may have led to the explosion in ant diversity that occurred around the same time, scientists say. See http://www.livescience.com/animal
world/060406_ant_diversity.html. For related story, see “Water Found To Be Main Culprit In Argentine Ant Invasions” at http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/03/060331153612.htm.
g Intelligence - Scientists in northeastern Ethiopia said Saturday that they have discovered the skull of a small human ancestor that could be a missing link between the extinct Homo erectus and modern man. See http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/06
0325_ap_ethiopia_herectus.html.
g Message - The universe is a noisy place, filled with the hiss and crackle of stars being born and dying. There is little escape from this cosmic din, except in one small region of the radio dial — the microwave band. Here, only the faint whimper of the Big Bang breaks the silence, making it a “really good place to communicate,” according to Dan Werthimer of Berkeley’s Space Sciences Laboratory, perched close to the stars atop Grizzly Peak. See http://www.alumni.
berkeley.edu/Alumni/Cal_Monthly/December_2000/Can_we_talk.asp. Note: This article is from 2000.
g Cosmicus - Chinese space officials have invited NASA Administrator Michael Griffin to visit their country in the fall, possibly as early as September. See http://space.com/news/060405_nss_griffin.html.
g Learning - Here’s a neat classroom activity courtesy of DiscoverSchool.com: “Extraterrestrials.” In the activity, a digital radio message, intended to alert any intelligent life in space to the existence of intelligent life on Earth, has been electronically transmitted into space by the Arecibo radio dish in Puerto Rico. Students must ensure the message is effective by showing that the senders (humans from Earth) are capable of advanced thinking — but it must not depend on the ability of extraterrestrials to understand any Earth language. See http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/
programs/extraterrestrials/extraterrestrials.rtf.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Poul Anderson’s novel “The High Crusade,” published in 1960.
g Aftermath - What if we did contact another intelligent life form in the universe? Should we respond? What should we say? What traits best represent our humanity? Douglas Vakoch, the SETI Institute’s director of Interstellar Message Composition, is working with scientists, artists, linguists, composers, and others to imagine how to speak for our planet. Here’s a Web cast in which Vakoch describes his work: http://www.exploratorium.edu/origins/arecibo/live/index.html; scroll to “Talking with ET.”

‘Empty’ sky, ‘fifth’ planet and SETI alternatives

Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Today’s news:
g Stars - An image made of about 300 million pixels is being released by ESO, based on more than 64 hours of observations with the Wide-Field Camera on the 2.2m telescope at La Silla (Chile). The image covers an “empty” region of the sky five times the size of the full moon, opening an exceptionally clear view towards the most distant part of our universe. It reveals objects that are 100 million times fainter than what the unaided eye can see. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/04/060414010938.htm.
g Abodes - A fifth terrestrial planet may once have orbited between Mars and Jupiter. Although gravitational disturbances would have sent the planet hurtling into the sun or out into space long ago, traces of this long-gone world may still be visible in part of the asteroid belt today. See http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releas
es/200604/nswgo040506.php.
g Life - The discovery of a possible hibernation hormone in the brain may unlock the mystery behind the dormant state, researchers report. Hibernation allows animals from bears to rodents to survive unscathed - in a state of suspended animation - under the harshest of winter conditions. See http://www.astrobiology.com/news/viewpr.htmlpid=19473.
g Intelligence - A mathematical analysis of humpbacked whale song shows it follows complex grammatical rules. Using syntax, the whales combine sounds into phrases, which they further weave into hours-long melodies packed with information. See http://www.livescience.
com/animalworld/060322_whale_grammar.html.
g Message - On an episode of “The Space Show” last year, Scot Stride, a senior engineer at NASA JPL in Pasadena, Calif., was the guest for this Space Show program. Stride discussed SETI programs with us and highlighted his discussion with the SETI alternatives, SETV (Search for ET Visitation) and S3ETI (Solar System SETI). Stride provided listeners with a superb background and history on SETI, how it started and how it became what it is today. He also discussed the Allen Telescope Array and what it will mean for future SETI efforts. To hear a copy of the show, see http://thespaceshow.com/detail.asp?q=359.
g Cosmicus - The European Space Agency has taken a further step in preparing for participation in Mars Sample Return, the landmark mission to return samples from the Red Planet, with the announcement of the next phase of industrial activity. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/04/060407150414.htm.
g Learning - Here’s a great resource for middle school science teachers; “Life on Other Planets in the Solar System.” See http://www.resa.net/nasa/xlife_intro.htm.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Timothy Zahn’s novel “Conqueror's Pride,” published by Bantam Spectra in 1994.
g Aftermath - Astronomers are searching hard for that first interstellar phone-call from ET. But when it happens, how will we react? Will it be a major trauma for humankind, or a new beginning? See http://www.firstscience.com/site/articles/shostak.asp.

Deflecting killer asteroid, another blow to anti-evolution arguments and low-gravity tourism

Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Today’s news:
g Stars - New findings are revealing how individual galaxies in galaxy clusters evolve over time, changing from chemically simple to complex and from spirals to smooth disks. See http://space.com/
scienceastronomy/060410_mm_galaxy_evo.html.
g Abodes - If a large asteroid such as the recently identified 2004 VD17 – about 500 m in diameter with a mass of nearly 1000 million tons - collides with the Earth it could spell disaster for much of our planet. As part of ESA’s Near-Earth Object deflecting mission Don Quijote, three teams of European industries are now carrying out studies on how to prevent this. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/
releases/2006/04/060403130841.htm.
g Life - Using new techniques for resurrecting ancient genes, scientists have for the first time reconstructed the Darwinian evolution of an apparently "irreducibly complex" molecular system. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/04/060406231
032.htm.
g Intelligence - In a groundbreaking new study, researchers from the University of Michigan and Harvard University use cutting-edge brain-scanning technology to explore how different regions of the brain are activated when we think about certain qualities of brands and products. The study, forthcoming in the Journal of Consumer Research, is the first to use fMRI to assess consumer perceptions and has important implications for the use of metaphorical human-like traits in branding. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/
2006/03/060318144712.htm.
g Message - Scientists are ramping up the search for extraterrestrial life with a powerful array of new telescopes and a refined sense of where to look within the vast expanses of our universe. See http://
www.newsday.com/news/health/nyhsstar224636482feb22,0,64304
91.storycoll=nyhealthprint.
g Cosmicus - Virgin Galactic has collected $13 million in cash from some 157 people who have signed contracts to be flown to the edge of the atmosphere — about 110 kilometers — to experience about five minutes of low-gravity conditions, Virgin Galactic President Will Whitehorn said. See http://space.com/spacenews/businessmonday
_060403.html.
g Learning - Here’s a neat classroom resource courtesy of NASA: “Life on Earth … and Elsewhere?” This booklet contains 5 classroom activities for grades 5-10 spanning topics from "Defining Life," to "Determining the Chances of Extraterrestrial Life." See http://www.erg.pdf/.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Ivan Yefremov’s novel "Cor Serpentis (Serdtse Zmei)" ("Heart of the Serpent"), published in 1959.
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 http://nai.arc.nasa.gov/news_stories/news_print.cfmID=138. Note: This article is from 2001.

Solar twin, life on Mars and Himalayan ecosystems

Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Today’s news:
g Stars - Astronomers have discovered a nearby solar twin which may shed light on the search for planets that are similar to Earth and that may even support life. See http://www.astrobiology.com/news/
viewpr.htmlpid=19462.
g Abodes - Life on Mars is currently unfeasible but probably existed millions of years ago, said Andrew Knoll, professor of natural history and earth and planetary sciences at Harvard University, in a recent lecture at Lehigh University. See http://www.bw.lehigh.edu/story.
aspID=19645. For related stories, see “Wintering on Mars” at http://
www.astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop=modload&name=News&
file=article&sid=1928mode=thread&order=0&thold=0 and “Mars rovers head for new sites after studying layers” at http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0604/12marsrovers/.
g Life - Mount Everest and the Himalayan mountain range conjure images of llamas and Sherpas loaded with heavy packs. But tucked into the cold shadows of the world's tallest mountain are biologically diverse hotspots filled with poorly known plants and animals found nowhere else on the globe. See http://www.livescience.com/animal
world/060407_everest_expedition.html.
g Intelligence - Depending on which journals you've picked up in recent months, early humans were either peace-loving softies or war-mongering buffoons. Which theory is to be believed? See http://
www.livescience.com/history/060316_peace_violence.html.
g Message - Visiting another civilization on a distant world would be fascinating, but at present such a trip is beyond our capabilities. However, it is perfectly within our capabilities to develop a communications system using a powerful transmitter and a sensitive receiver, and using it to search the sky for alien worlds whose citizens have a similar inclination. See http://www.vectorsite.
net/taseti.html.
g Cosmicus - Long before “astrobiology” was even a real word, scientists in Europe had started using space research to try and find answers to deep-rooted questions about life. From simple beginnings, the experiments became more complex and more ambitious. Looking at the effects of space on living systems, exploring new worlds for life or the building blocks of it, searching for habitable planets outside our Solar System; step-by-step Europe has developed a strong and diverse program of space research for astrobiology. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop=mod
load&name=News&file=article&sid=1919mode=thread
&order=0&thold=0.
g Learning - Here’s an interesting classroom activity: “Who Can Live Here?” Students explore the limits of life on Earth to extend their beliefs about life to include its possibility on other worlds. See http://btc.montana.edu/ceres/astrobiology/LabActivities/Extreme
Environments.doc.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Ralph Williams’ short story "Pax Galactica," published in the November 1952 Astounding magazine.
g Aftermath - The scientific search for extraterrestrial intelligence is accelerating its pace and adopting fresh strategies. This increases the likelihood of successful detection in the near future. Humanity's first contact with alien intelligence will trigger extraordinary attention from the media, from government authorities, and from the general public. By improving our readiness for contact, especially for security during the first 30 days, we can avoid the most negative scenarios — and also enhance humanity's benefits from this first contact with an alien intelligence. Six potential problem areas include communicating with the media and the public, communicating with scientific colleagues, government control, an assassin or saboteur, well-meaning officials and lawsuits. See http://ieti.org/articles/
security.htm.

Merging black holes, Venusian vortex and next Mars lander

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 pair of supermassive black holes in the distant universe are intertwined and spiraling toward a merger that will create a single super-supermassive black hole capable of swallowing billions of stars, according to a new study by astronomers. See article.
g Abodes - The latest images from Venus show a previously suspected dark vortex over the south pole of the planet. See article.
g Life - The changing climate of the Holocene would have had little bearing on the survival of the mammoth ecosystem, a researcher contends. See article.
g Intelligence - Psychologists at the University of Manchester have set up a 'BabyLab' within the campus, to try and learn more about how babies acquire knowledge. See article.
g Cosmicus - The next Mars lander is undergoing assembly and testing, being readied for departure next year to explore the Martian arctic. This probe is equipped to dig deep, quite literally, into an ongoing mystery—the history of water on Mars and the planet’s potential as an extraterrestrial address for life. See article. For related story, see “Soggy Sands Of Mars?” For related story, see “Broken Wheel Forces NASA Rover to Seek Alternate Winter Site on Mars”.
g Learning - Here’s a neat classroom activity: “Alien Safari.” New from NASA PlanetQuest, Alien Safari can be used in your classrooms or informal education settings to help kids discover some of the most extreme organisms on our planet, and find out what they are telling astrobiologists about the search for life beyond Earth.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Cherry Wilder’s "The Ark of James Carlyle," published in “New Writers in SF 24” (1974).
g Aftermath - Book alert: The authentic discovery of extraterrestrial life would usher in a scientific revolution on par with Copernicus or Darwin, says Paul Davies in “Are We Alone?: Philosophical Implications of the Discovery of Extraterrestrial Life.” Just as these ideas sparked religious and philosophical controversy when they were first offered, so would proof of life arising away from Earth. With this brief book (160 pages, including two appendices and an index), Davies tries to get ahead of the curve and begin to sort out the metaphysical mess before it happens. Many science fiction writers have preceded him, of course, but here the matter is plainly put. This is a very good introduction to a compelling subject. See reviews.

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Supernova bubbles, missing fish link and space shuttle’s silver anniversary

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 - When stars explode as supernova, they carve giant bubbles in space. Our own solar system is enveloped by such a structure from a long-ago explosion. See article.
g Abodes - Like most living things, microscopic marine plants need iron and other minerals to live and grow. On land, soil provides a ubiquitous source of minerals, but how do essential nutrients get into vast watery stretches of the open ocean? See article.
g Life - A newfound beast with swim fins and a head like a crocodile fills an evolutionary gap between fish and four-legged land animals. See article.
g Intelligence - A research team that included members from The Johns Hopkins University and the University of Minnesota Medical School has for the first time identified a substance in the brain that is proven to cause memory loss. This identification gives drug developers a target for creating drugs to treat memory loss in patients with dementia. See article.
g Message - Since the Department of Defense launched the first Global Positioning System satellite in 1978, GPS technology has matured into a highly valued, national resource used for a virtually limitless variety of applications involving location, navigation, tracking, mapping and timing. Despite the amazing variety of uses of the technology, there is one application that the creators of GPS surely never could have imagined: seeking to detect the existence of intelligent extraterrestrial life. See article. Note: This article is from 2002.
g Cosmicus - Two astronauts, one space plane and NASA’s shuttle era began this week in 1981 as the Columbia orbiter launched into the morning skies above Cape Canaveral, Fla. See article.
g Learning - Here’s a neat Web site to help students learn about constellations: “Sky Maps.” The site helps students find out which constellations are visible in the night sky during the year as the Earth revolves around our sun. The maps are set for 9 p.m. in the Northern Hemisphere around mid-month. January and July maps are larger so you can compare winter and summer skies. See article.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read H.G. Wells’ short story "In the Abyss," published in the August 1896 issue of Pearson's Magazine.
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 reviews.

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Star exploding within another’s atmosphere, why our world is brown and arriving at Venus

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 nova that lights up in the sky every 20 years is the result of a small star exploding repeatedly inside the outer atmosphere of a larger star. See article.
g Abodes - Ecologists have long asked, Why is the world green? In other words, why aren't herbivores, such as insects and grazing animals, more successful at eating the world's green leaves, also known as plant biomass? In the May issue of American Naturalist, a scientist asks the same questions a different way: Why is the ground brown? Why don't the organisms that break down the carbon in the soil consume it all? See article.
g Life - When it comes to love among worms, there's more than one way for a gal to leave her lover and still keep the worm population booming. See article.
g Intelligence - Different areas of the brain react differently when recognizing others, depending on the emotions attached to the memory, a team of Cornell University research psychologists has found.
g Message - When NASA's Voyager spacecraft left the boundaries our solar system last year, it carried a golden record with greetings from our civilization for posterity - or for eventual discovery by space archaeologists from another civilization. The golden record was a beacon to the future. The idea of our own civilization using its probes as surrogate representatives prompts the question: Can we probe for such beacons in our own solar system? See article. Note: This article is from 2004.
g Cosmicus - Venus received a visitor from its sister planet this morning when a European space probe completed a five-month interplanetary cruise and swooped into orbit to begin the first comprehensive scientific survey of its sultry atmosphere. See article.
g Learning - Here’s a neat Web site for finding your way around the galaxy: “3D Universe.” 3D Universe takes the Hipparcos data and presents them in an accessible manner. Although many 3D star maps exist out there, most are either (a) non-stereo renditions (i.e., simple 2D maps with no depth information), or (b) based on pre-Hipparcos data. By contrast, 3D Universe takes you through the new Hipparcos data, showing you directly what the space near Earth - and, in many cases, hundreds of light-years away from Earth - looks like. See article.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Ian Watson’s short story "Now! You Can Banish Embarrassing Foot Odor Forever! The Ultimate One-Word First contact Story," published in “Alien Encounters” (edited by Jan Finder).
g Aftermath - Book alert: “When SETI succeeds: The impact of high-information contact,” edited by Allen Tough, gives the intriguing proceedings of a seminar on the cultural impact of extraterrestrial contact (held in conjunction with Bioastronomy '99) plus eleven additional in-depth papers. Topics include the practical information and the answers to major questions that we might gain from another civilization, the likely changes in our view of ourselves, the role of the social sciences in SETI, cosmic humanity, the age of ET, cultural aspects of astrobiology, and what next. Published in 2000, the book is available from the Foundation For the Future. See article.

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Earths near hot Jupiters, why humans differ from chimps and return to Venus

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 - Rings of debris formed in the aftermath of stellar explosions could fuel the birth of new, rocky planets around dead stars. They could also provide an alternative way to make black holes. See article.
g Abodes - Habitable, Earth-like planets can form even after giant planets have barrelled through their birthplace on epic migrations towards their host stars, new computer simulations suggest. The finding contradicts early ideas of how planets behave and suggests future space missions should search for terrestrial planets near known "hot Jupiters". See article.
g Life - Fossils found in southern Utah five years ago are a new dinosaur that resembled a brightly colored, 7-foot tall turkey which could run at speeds up to 25 mph when it roamed the Earth about 75 million years ago. See article.
g Intelligence - The vast differences between humans and chimpanzees are due more to changes in gene regulation than differences in individual genes themselves. See article.
g Message - Here’s an interesting interview of Jill Tarter, the director of the SETI Institute, by The Montreal Mirror from 2002. See article.
g Cosmicus - It was on Nov. 9 that ESA's Venus Express spacecraft lifted off from the desert of Kazakhstan onboard a Soyuz-Fregat rocket. Now, after having traveled 400 million kilometers in only about five months, the spacecraft is about to reach its final destination. The rendezvous is due to take place today. See article.
g Learning - Here’s a neat Web site about extinction, “Put Extinction on Paws”, created by elementary school students for fellow students.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Hugh Walters’ short story, “First Contact?” published by Nelson in 1971.
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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Interstellar dust knots, paleoclimate melts and Ice Age dancing blues

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 yearly ritual of spring cleaning clears a house of dust as well as dust "bunnies," those pesky dust balls that frolic under beds and behind furniture. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has photographed similar dense knots of dust and gas in our Milky Way Galaxy. This cosmic dust, however, is not a nuisance. It is a concentration of elements that are responsible for the formation of stars in our galaxy and throughout the universe. See article.
g Abodes - If a large asteroid such as the recently identified 2004 VD17 about 500 m in diameter with a mass of nearly 1000 million tons - collides with the Earth it could spell disaster for much of our planet. As part of ESA s Near-Earth Object deflecting mission Don Quijote, three teams of European industries are now carrying out studies on how to prevent this. See article.
g Life - Scientists from The University of Tokyo announce today that gibbons, arboreal primates that inhabit the jungles of Southeast Asia, do not carry a major obesity gene that is present in the genomes of all other primates, including humans. This omission is due to a genetic mis-shuffling event that occurred approximately 25 million years ago. Their results are reported in the April issue of the scientific journal Genome Research. See article.
g Intelligence - Some people are naturally graceful on the dance floor, while others seem burdened by two inept left feet. Blame it on the Ice Age. See article.
g Message - While advanced civilizations might be tempted to use optical means such as lasers to send information between the stars, there are some good reasons that nearly all the major Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence experiments are looking for radio waves instead. See article.
g Cosmicus - The artificial gravity generator is probably the science-fictional pseudo-science device most disliked by physicists. Used as a plot device as early as 1930 by Olaf Stapleton, artificially produced gravity fields make space flight a lot easier and more bearable for everyone. But it's impossible, right? See article.
g Learning - How is the scientific method used in archeology? Here’s a primer.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Harry Turtledove’s novel, “Noninterference,” published by Del Rey in 1988.
g Aftermath - The chances are there's life out there, but any messages could be thousands of years old and indecipherable. See article. Note: This article is from 2005.

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