Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Today’s news:
g Stars - One of Sol's unusual features is its orbit around the center of the galaxy, which is significantly less elliptical ("eccentric") than those of other stars similar in age (and therefore metallicity) and type and is barely inclined relative to the Galactic plane. This circularity in Sol's orbit prevents it from plunging into the inner Galaxy where life-threatening supernovae are more common. Moreover, the small inclination to the galactic plane avoids abrupt crossings of the plane that would stir up Sol's Oort Cloud and bombard the Earth with life-threatening comets. See article.
g Abodes - Scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research have created a computer simulation showing Earth's climate in unprecedented detail at the time of the greatest mass extinction in the planet's history. The work gives support to a theory that an abrupt and dramatic rise in atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide triggered the massive die-off 251 million years ago. The research appears in the September issue of Geology. See http://www.astrobio.
net/news/modules.phpop=modload&name=News&file=article&
sid=1692mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
g Life - The ubiquitous bacteria E. coli rank among nature's most successful species for lots of reasons, to which biologists at the University of Southern California have added another: In a pinch, E. coli can feast on the DNA of their dead competitors. See http://
www.astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop=modload&name=News&
file=article&sid=1975&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
g Intelligence - A few simple but important steps that have led to the manufacture of radio telescopes. In human evolution, the development of facilities and fire was critical in the establishment of a metal technology. Adequate resources derived from agriculture were essential for the development of advanced technology. At all stages, the ratio of cost to reward had to be small and the technological development had to follow an appropriate cultural preadaptation. Play would unquestionably have been important in technological innovation. The history of toys has yet to be written, but it may be a key to an understanding of the progressive development of human technology. See http://history.nasa.gov/CP-2156/ch4.4.htm.
g Message - Here’s a quick, easy to understand primer to SETI’s radio searches and the Fermi Paradox: http://shayol.bartol.udel.edu/~rhdt/diploma/lecture_12/.
g Cosmicus - Researchers in Switzerland have succeeded in breaking the cosmic speed limit by getting light to go faster than, well, light. See http://www.livescience.com/technology/050819_fastlight.html. Note: This article is from 2005.
g Learning - Here’s a neat classroom resource courtesy of NASA: “Life on Earth … and Elsewhere?” This booklet contains five 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 - Psychologist Frederick Malmstrom, currently a visiting scholar at the U.S. Air Force Academy, believes that “visions” of space aliens are actually the image of the prototypical female face that is hardwired into every baby human's brain. When Malmstrom altered a picture of a woman in a way consistent with the characteristics of a newborn's vision (astigmatism and a shallow focal plane), the result looked very much like a big-eyed alien. See article.
g Aftermath - Donald E. Tarter, a consultant in space policy and technology assessment, makes a persuasive case for developing the protocols and technology to reply to an extraterrestrial signal before news of the discovery is made public, in his article, “Advocating an Immediate Response.” Delay could be costly as technologically advanced fringe groups or ambitious nations could attempt to score a propaganda victory by being the first to reply, creating a mixed and perhaps embarrassing first message. This could be avoided by settling on a quick and simple message to let the extraterrestrial source know that we had received their message. See http://seti.planetary.org/Contact/ImmediateResponse.html. Note: This report is from 1996.
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Monday, May 29, 2006
Guth’s calculation, expanding bubble of electromagnetic radiation and ‘Life on Other Planets’
Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Today’s news:
g Stars - Even now, almost 30 years later, Alan Guth can remember that night in his rented off-campus house in Menlo Park, Calif., when he first made the calculation that changed his life. See article.
g Abodes - A number of hypotheses have been used to explain how free oxygen first accumulated in Earth's atmosphere some 2.4 billion years ago, but a full understanding has proven elusive. Now a new model offers plausible scenarios for how oxygen came to dominate the atmosphere, and why it took at least 300 million years after bacterial photosynthesis started producing oxygen in large quantities. See http://www.rednova.com/news/science/201594/how_oxy
gen_came_to_dominate_earths_atmosphere/index.html.
g Life - For many, computer networks are an indispensable infrastructure that interconnects people, places and organizations. But increasingly they are beginning to creak as their complexity grows. Biological systems through years of evolution can offer clues on how to cope, as a research project has demonstrated. See http://www.astrobiology.com/news/viewpr.htmlpid=19962.
g Intelligence - Scientists have deciphered the DNA of the chimpanzee, the closest living relative of humankind, and made comprehensive comparisons with the human genetic blueprint. It's a step toward finding a biological answer to a key question: What makes us human? See http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/0508
31_ap_chimp_dna.html. Note: This article is from 2005.
g Message - The Earth is at the center of an expanding bubble of electromagnetic radiation. The bubble, expanding at the speed of light, contains all of the man-made electromagnetic transmissions of the earth - radio, TV, radar and so on. In theory, an alien civilization could receive these signals, and form their opinion about the earth by analyzing them. To most people, it is quite discouraging to think that some alien civilization would form their opinion of Earth based upon our situation comedies. Upon a slightly deeper analysis, the conventional wisdom says, “Aliens might detect our TV signals, but at least they can't form their opinion of our civilization from our TV transmissions. Decoding the transmission is so much harder than detecting it that we don't need to worry about this.” But an editor of the book “SETI 2020” argues that this view considerably underestimates the technologies that aliens might employ. By looking at likely technical improvements - better receivers and feeds, bigger antenna, signal processing, and perhaps stellar focusing, any civilization that can detect our radiations might well be able to decode it as well. Thus aliens can form their impression of Earth from “I Love Lucy.” See http://contactincontext.org/cic/v2i1/lucy.pdf.
g Cosmicus - In recent years "teamwork" and "team-building" have been catchphrases of the workplace environment. For most people, however, worrying about getting along with their co-workers and working together for the common good may occupy only a small amount of their time. But what if you and your co-workers were confined to a small space, together for 24 hours a day in an inherently dangerous workplace, and unable to get away from each other because you were orbiting more than 350 kilometers above Earth? See http://spaceresearch.nasa.gov/research_projects/
bioastronautics_12-2001_lite.html. Note: This article is fron 2001.
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 Arthur C. Clarke’s novel “Rendezvous with Rama,” published by Harcourt Brace in 1973.
g Aftermath - If we establish communication with a civilization even as close as 100 light years from Earth, the round-trip time for a message and its reply is 200 years. What will be the psychology of a civilization that can engage in a meaningful conversation with this sort of delay? How is such a conversation to be established? What should the content of such a conversation be? These are the questions which motivate our title: "Minds and Millennia: The Psychology of Interstellar Communication." See http://web.archive.
/org/web/20010217051450/204.240.36.10/radobs/vol1no3/
minds.htm.
g Stars - Even now, almost 30 years later, Alan Guth can remember that night in his rented off-campus house in Menlo Park, Calif., when he first made the calculation that changed his life. See article.
g Abodes - A number of hypotheses have been used to explain how free oxygen first accumulated in Earth's atmosphere some 2.4 billion years ago, but a full understanding has proven elusive. Now a new model offers plausible scenarios for how oxygen came to dominate the atmosphere, and why it took at least 300 million years after bacterial photosynthesis started producing oxygen in large quantities. See http://www.rednova.com/news/science/201594/how_oxy
gen_came_to_dominate_earths_atmosphere/index.html.
g Life - For many, computer networks are an indispensable infrastructure that interconnects people, places and organizations. But increasingly they are beginning to creak as their complexity grows. Biological systems through years of evolution can offer clues on how to cope, as a research project has demonstrated. See http://www.astrobiology.com/news/viewpr.htmlpid=19962.
g Intelligence - Scientists have deciphered the DNA of the chimpanzee, the closest living relative of humankind, and made comprehensive comparisons with the human genetic blueprint. It's a step toward finding a biological answer to a key question: What makes us human? See http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/0508
31_ap_chimp_dna.html. Note: This article is from 2005.
g Message - The Earth is at the center of an expanding bubble of electromagnetic radiation. The bubble, expanding at the speed of light, contains all of the man-made electromagnetic transmissions of the earth - radio, TV, radar and so on. In theory, an alien civilization could receive these signals, and form their opinion about the earth by analyzing them. To most people, it is quite discouraging to think that some alien civilization would form their opinion of Earth based upon our situation comedies. Upon a slightly deeper analysis, the conventional wisdom says, “Aliens might detect our TV signals, but at least they can't form their opinion of our civilization from our TV transmissions. Decoding the transmission is so much harder than detecting it that we don't need to worry about this.” But an editor of the book “SETI 2020” argues that this view considerably underestimates the technologies that aliens might employ. By looking at likely technical improvements - better receivers and feeds, bigger antenna, signal processing, and perhaps stellar focusing, any civilization that can detect our radiations might well be able to decode it as well. Thus aliens can form their impression of Earth from “I Love Lucy.” See http://contactincontext.org/cic/v2i1/lucy.pdf.
g Cosmicus - In recent years "teamwork" and "team-building" have been catchphrases of the workplace environment. For most people, however, worrying about getting along with their co-workers and working together for the common good may occupy only a small amount of their time. But what if you and your co-workers were confined to a small space, together for 24 hours a day in an inherently dangerous workplace, and unable to get away from each other because you were orbiting more than 350 kilometers above Earth? See http://spaceresearch.nasa.gov/research_projects/
bioastronautics_12-2001_lite.html. Note: This article is fron 2001.
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 Arthur C. Clarke’s novel “Rendezvous with Rama,” published by Harcourt Brace in 1973.
g Aftermath - If we establish communication with a civilization even as close as 100 light years from Earth, the round-trip time for a message and its reply is 200 years. What will be the psychology of a civilization that can engage in a meaningful conversation with this sort of delay? How is such a conversation to be established? What should the content of such a conversation be? These are the questions which motivate our title: "Minds and Millennia: The Psychology of Interstellar Communication." See http://web.archive.
/org/web/20010217051450/204.240.36.10/radobs/vol1no3/
minds.htm.
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Local Interstellar Cloud, our giant ape neighbor and space biology
Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Today’s news:
g Stars - In recent millennia, the Sun has been passing through a Local Interstellar Cloud. See http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020210.html.
g Abodes - The hellish climate of Venus may have arisen far more recently than previously supposed, suggests new research. If so, pleasant Earth-like conditions probably persisted for 2 billion years after the planet's birth - plenty of time for life to have developed. See http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn4136. Note: This article is from 2003.
g Life - When most people think of Louisiana as being unique, they think of Mardi Gras, crawfish and Cajun culture. Few realize that what lies beneath the Gulf of Mexico along Louisiana's coast is also unique, from the terrain and habitat to the animals living there. And two LSU researchers are diving down some 3,000 meters to explore it. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop=modload
&name=News&file=article&sid=1971&mode=thread
&order=0&thold=0.
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.
g Message - Several big hunts are seeking radio and laser emissions from other civilizations. From Project Phoenix to SETI@home, here's a complete rundown of all the searches now under way or recently conducted. See http://skyandtelescope.com/resources/seti/article_248_1.asp.
g Cosmicus - We all use plastic trash bags; they're so common that we hardly give them a second thought. So who would have guessed that a lowly trash bag might hold the key to sending humans to Mars? See http://www.rednova.com/news/space/220862/protecting_
astronauts_with_plastic_spaceships/index.html.
g Learning - There are some great teacher resources on space biology at http://www.spacebio.net/modules/index.html. 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 Murray Leinster’s short story "This Star Shall Be Free," anthologized in “Invaders of Earth” (edited by Groff Conklin and published in 1952).
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 http://www.innovationwatch.com/books/bks_0465004180.htm.
g Stars - In recent millennia, the Sun has been passing through a Local Interstellar Cloud. See http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020210.html.
g Abodes - The hellish climate of Venus may have arisen far more recently than previously supposed, suggests new research. If so, pleasant Earth-like conditions probably persisted for 2 billion years after the planet's birth - plenty of time for life to have developed. See http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn4136. Note: This article is from 2003.
g Life - When most people think of Louisiana as being unique, they think of Mardi Gras, crawfish and Cajun culture. Few realize that what lies beneath the Gulf of Mexico along Louisiana's coast is also unique, from the terrain and habitat to the animals living there. And two LSU researchers are diving down some 3,000 meters to explore it. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop=modload
&name=News&file=article&sid=1971&mode=thread
&order=0&thold=0.
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.
g Message - Several big hunts are seeking radio and laser emissions from other civilizations. From Project Phoenix to SETI@home, here's a complete rundown of all the searches now under way or recently conducted. See http://skyandtelescope.com/resources/seti/article_248_1.asp.
g Cosmicus - We all use plastic trash bags; they're so common that we hardly give them a second thought. So who would have guessed that a lowly trash bag might hold the key to sending humans to Mars? See http://www.rednova.com/news/space/220862/protecting_
astronauts_with_plastic_spaceships/index.html.
g Learning - There are some great teacher resources on space biology at http://www.spacebio.net/modules/index.html. 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 Murray Leinster’s short story "This Star Shall Be Free," anthologized in “Invaders of Earth” (edited by Groff Conklin and published in 1952).
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 http://www.innovationwatch.com/books/bks_0465004180.htm.
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Galactic habitable zone, deep-sea volcanic eruption and radio waves over lasers
Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Today’s news:
g Stars - Only around 10 percent of the Milky Way's stars reside in one recent definition of a galactic habitable zone with chemical and environmental conditions suitable for the development of complex Earth-type life. See http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/GHZ/.
g Abodes - A NOAA-led team of ocean explorers returned this month with new and dramatic video and sound recordings of a long-term deep-sea volcanic eruption first discovered in 2004 on the Mariana Arc. The site, with red lava and spewing sulphur and rocks, has been seen erupting on three visits in two years and provides a unique opportunity for scientists to study underwater volcanic activity. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop=modload&name=
News&file=article&sid=1970&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
g Life - When single-celled organisms such as sperm crack their whip-like appendages called flagella, the beating sets them in motion. But in certain colonies of green algae, flagella also boost nutrient uptake, according to surprising new research. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop=modload&name=
News&file=article&sid=1973&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
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 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/11/051107080321.htm.
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 http://www.coseti.org/tps_01.htm.
g Cosmicus - At a place known for space exploration, engineers have turned to a brave new world of ground transportation. See http://
www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/articleAID=/20060527/NEWS01/
605270316.
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 http://jvsc.jst.go.jp/universe/et_e/index_e.htm.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Orson Scott Card’s novel “Ender's Game,” published by Tor in 1985.
g Aftermath - Reactions to the announcement that scientists had found evidence for primitive life in a meteorite from Mars have been intense. Some concerned the scientific evidence, some the implications of extraterrestrial life, especially if intelligent. Underlying these reactions are assumptions, or beliefs, which often have a religious grounding. The two divergent beliefs, for and against the plurality of life in the universe, are examined historically and through religious traditions, particularly the Judeo-Christian. This examination guides the formulation of the right relation between science and religion as one that respects the autonomy of each discipline, yet allows for each to be open to the discoveries of the other. Based on this relationship, perspectives from scientific exploration are developed that can help individuals to respect and cope with the new phenomena that science brings, whether these imply that we might be alone in the universe or co-creatures of God with the ancient Martians. See http://www.aaas.org/spp/dser/cosmos/perspectives/corbally.shtml.
g Stars - Only around 10 percent of the Milky Way's stars reside in one recent definition of a galactic habitable zone with chemical and environmental conditions suitable for the development of complex Earth-type life. See http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/GHZ/.
g Abodes - A NOAA-led team of ocean explorers returned this month with new and dramatic video and sound recordings of a long-term deep-sea volcanic eruption first discovered in 2004 on the Mariana Arc. The site, with red lava and spewing sulphur and rocks, has been seen erupting on three visits in two years and provides a unique opportunity for scientists to study underwater volcanic activity. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop=modload&name=
News&file=article&sid=1970&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
g Life - When single-celled organisms such as sperm crack their whip-like appendages called flagella, the beating sets them in motion. But in certain colonies of green algae, flagella also boost nutrient uptake, according to surprising new research. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop=modload&name=
News&file=article&sid=1973&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
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 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/11/051107080321.htm.
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 http://www.coseti.org/tps_01.htm.
g Cosmicus - At a place known for space exploration, engineers have turned to a brave new world of ground transportation. See http://
www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/articleAID=/20060527/NEWS01/
605270316.
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 http://jvsc.jst.go.jp/universe/et_e/index_e.htm.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Orson Scott Card’s novel “Ender's Game,” published by Tor in 1985.
g Aftermath - Reactions to the announcement that scientists had found evidence for primitive life in a meteorite from Mars have been intense. Some concerned the scientific evidence, some the implications of extraterrestrial life, especially if intelligent. Underlying these reactions are assumptions, or beliefs, which often have a religious grounding. The two divergent beliefs, for and against the plurality of life in the universe, are examined historically and through religious traditions, particularly the Judeo-Christian. This examination guides the formulation of the right relation between science and religion as one that respects the autonomy of each discipline, yet allows for each to be open to the discoveries of the other. Based on this relationship, perspectives from scientific exploration are developed that can help individuals to respect and cope with the new phenomena that science brings, whether these imply that we might be alone in the universe or co-creatures of God with the ancient Martians. See http://www.aaas.org/spp/dser/cosmos/perspectives/corbally.shtml.
Friday, May 26, 2006
37 Geminorum’s habitability, Sun's effects on Earth and Mars, and how people will stay in touch in outer space
Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Today’s news:
g Stars - In September 2003, astrobiologist Maggie Turnbull from the University of Arizona in Tucson identified a shortlist of 30 stars that were screened from around 5,000 that have been estimated to be located 100 ly of Earth, as the best nearby candidates for hosting complex Earth-type life. One of them is 37 Geminorum: http://www.solstation.com/stars2/37gem.htm.
g Abodes - An atmospheric study shows similarities in the Sun's effects on Earth and Mars. See http://www.astrobiology.com/news/viewpr.htmlpid=19956.
g Life - Would life forms on other worlds have to possess eyes, ears and limbs like higher organisms on Earth? Would they have to have a similar genetic code? Or can life exist not as we know it? These questions may be unanswerable now, but astrobiologists are anxious to answer the underlying question: How do you define life? See http://www.msnbc.com/news/389080.asp?cp1=1. Note: This article is from 2000.
g Intelligence - An international team, led by researchers at the Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, in Leipzig, Germany, have extracted and sequenced protein from a Neanderthal from Shanidar Cave, Iraq dating to approximately 75,000 years old. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/03/050329133310.htm.
g Message - Most SETI programs scan the sky looking for strong radio signals. Any signals that are deemed interesting are put on a list for follow-up observations weeks, months — even years later. Long delays in verification of potential ET signals sometimes generate tantalizing, but ultimately frustrating, stories. See http://www.space.com/searchforlife/seti_backus_rhythm_030320.html. Note: This article is from March 2003.
g Cosmicus - Research based at The University of Queensland is taking journalism where it hasn't gone before by asking the question: How will people stay in touch in outer space? See http://www.physorg.com/news67839914.html.
g Learning - What are SETI scientists doing to foment the study and understanding of astrobiology in our schools? See http://space.com/searchforlife/seti_phspace_051117.html.
g Imagining - Here are 10 alleged alien encounters — those brushes with aliens (or supposed aliens) that have been definitively debunked over the years. See http://www.space.com/top10_alienencounters_debunked.html.
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.
g Stars - In September 2003, astrobiologist Maggie Turnbull from the University of Arizona in Tucson identified a shortlist of 30 stars that were screened from around 5,000 that have been estimated to be located 100 ly of Earth, as the best nearby candidates for hosting complex Earth-type life. One of them is 37 Geminorum: http://www.solstation.com/stars2/37gem.htm.
g Abodes - An atmospheric study shows similarities in the Sun's effects on Earth and Mars. See http://www.astrobiology.com/news/viewpr.htmlpid=19956.
g Life - Would life forms on other worlds have to possess eyes, ears and limbs like higher organisms on Earth? Would they have to have a similar genetic code? Or can life exist not as we know it? These questions may be unanswerable now, but astrobiologists are anxious to answer the underlying question: How do you define life? See http://www.msnbc.com/news/389080.asp?cp1=1. Note: This article is from 2000.
g Intelligence - An international team, led by researchers at the Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, in Leipzig, Germany, have extracted and sequenced protein from a Neanderthal from Shanidar Cave, Iraq dating to approximately 75,000 years old. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/03/050329133310.htm.
g Message - Most SETI programs scan the sky looking for strong radio signals. Any signals that are deemed interesting are put on a list for follow-up observations weeks, months — even years later. Long delays in verification of potential ET signals sometimes generate tantalizing, but ultimately frustrating, stories. See http://www.space.com/searchforlife/seti_backus_rhythm_030320.html. Note: This article is from March 2003.
g Cosmicus - Research based at The University of Queensland is taking journalism where it hasn't gone before by asking the question: How will people stay in touch in outer space? See http://www.physorg.com/news67839914.html.
g Learning - What are SETI scientists doing to foment the study and understanding of astrobiology in our schools? See http://space.com/searchforlife/seti_phspace_051117.html.
g Imagining - Here are 10 alleged alien encounters — those brushes with aliens (or supposed aliens) that have been definitively debunked over the years. See http://www.space.com/top10_alienencounters_debunked.html.
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.
Thursday, May 25, 2006
18 Scorpii’s habitability, what we think about life and ‘Looking for Life’
Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Today’s news:
g Stars - In September 2003, astrobiologist Maggie Turnbull from the University of Arizona in Tucson identified a shortlist of 30 stars that were screened from around 5,000 that have been estimated to be located 100 ly of Earth, as the best nearby candidates for hosting complex Earth-type life. One of them is 18 Scorpii: http://www.solstation.com/stars2/18sco.htm.
g Abodes - Like pieces in a giant jigsaw puzzle, continents have split, drifted and merged again many times throughout Earth's history, but geologists haven't understood the mechanism behind the moves. A new study now offers evidence that continents sometimes break along preexisting lines of weakness created when small chunks of land attach to a larger continent. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/
modules.phpop=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1969&
mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
g Life - What we think and what we don't know strongly affect our method of studying life in the universe — perhaps more than what we know. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/article309.html. Note: This article is from 2002.
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 - When talk turns to SETI, there’s one question that’s as common as catfish: "We’re not broadcasting to the aliens; so what makes you think they’ll be broadcasting to us?" See http://www.space.com/searchforlife/seti_transmit_060525.html.
g Cosmicus - Leading aerospace contractors are eagerly awaiting NASA’s multibillion-dollar decision on who’ll build the space agency’s follow-on to the space shuttle, now set for retirement in 2010. See http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12988843/.
g Learning - Is life on Earth unique? Are humans the only intelligent beings in the universe? These are some of the deepest and most ancient of questions. Now, for the first time, we have the tools and technology to begin probing for the answers. Scientists believe these answers lie untouched in some of the most exotic and dramatic sites on our home planet. A TV special, "Looking for Life," takes viewers to these distant locations for the most current reports on this exciting scientific frontier. See http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.htmlpid=20740.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Arthur C. Clarke’s short story "Publicity Campaign," published in 1953.
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.
g Stars - In September 2003, astrobiologist Maggie Turnbull from the University of Arizona in Tucson identified a shortlist of 30 stars that were screened from around 5,000 that have been estimated to be located 100 ly of Earth, as the best nearby candidates for hosting complex Earth-type life. One of them is 18 Scorpii: http://www.solstation.com/stars2/18sco.htm.
g Abodes - Like pieces in a giant jigsaw puzzle, continents have split, drifted and merged again many times throughout Earth's history, but geologists haven't understood the mechanism behind the moves. A new study now offers evidence that continents sometimes break along preexisting lines of weakness created when small chunks of land attach to a larger continent. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/
modules.phpop=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1969&
mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
g Life - What we think and what we don't know strongly affect our method of studying life in the universe — perhaps more than what we know. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/article309.html. Note: This article is from 2002.
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 - When talk turns to SETI, there’s one question that’s as common as catfish: "We’re not broadcasting to the aliens; so what makes you think they’ll be broadcasting to us?" See http://www.space.com/searchforlife/seti_transmit_060525.html.
g Cosmicus - Leading aerospace contractors are eagerly awaiting NASA’s multibillion-dollar decision on who’ll build the space agency’s follow-on to the space shuttle, now set for retirement in 2010. See http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12988843/.
g Learning - Is life on Earth unique? Are humans the only intelligent beings in the universe? These are some of the deepest and most ancient of questions. Now, for the first time, we have the tools and technology to begin probing for the answers. Scientists believe these answers lie untouched in some of the most exotic and dramatic sites on our home planet. A TV special, "Looking for Life," takes viewers to these distant locations for the most current reports on this exciting scientific frontier. See http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.htmlpid=20740.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Arthur C. Clarke’s short story "Publicity Campaign," published in 1953.
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.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Chara’s habitability, space artists and ‘Consequences of Success in SETI’
Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Today’s news:
g Stars - In September 2003, astrobiologist Maggie Turnbull from the University of Arizona in Tucson identified a shortlist of 30 stars that were screened from around 5,000 that have been estimated to be located 100 ly of Earth, as the best nearby candidates for hosting complex Earth-type life. One of them is Chara: http://www.solstation.com/stars/chara.htm.
g Abodes - The detection of methane on Mars has generated a lot of speculation about what could possibly be producing it. Is it coming out of active volcanoes? Maybe the methane results from some geologic or chemical process we don't yet understand. Or, since much of the methane on Earth is produced by biology, perhaps the faint whiffs of methane point to the existence of present-day life on Mars. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop=modload
&name=News&file=article&sid=148&mode=thread&
order=0&thold=0.
g Life - Two schools of thought exist on the question of what life (assuming there is any) will be like on other worlds. These fall under the headings of "divergionism" and "convergionism," or to use Harold Blum's terminology, "opportunism" and "determinism.” See http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/E/etlifevar.html.
g Intelligence - We may never agree on a universal definition of intelligence because it is an open-ended word, like consciousness. Intelligence and consciousness concern the high end of our mental life, but they are frequently confused with more elementary mental processes, such as ones we would use to recognize a friend or tie a shoelace. Of course, such simple neural mechanisms are probably the foundations from which our abilities to handle logic and metaphor evolved. But how did that occur? That's an evolutionary question and a neurophysiological one as well. Both kinds of answers are needed if we are to understand our own intelligence. They might even help us appreciate how an artificial or an exotic intelligence could evolve. See http://proxy.arts.uci.edu/~nideffer/Hawking/early_proto/
calvin.html.
g Message - Should we modify the Drake Equation to account for civilizations which actually engage in deliberate interstellar transmission? See http://lnfm1.sai.msu.ru/SETI/koi/articles/DrakeEquation.htm.
g Cosmicus - From a cramped garage in Long Beach, astronomical artist Don Dixon has conjured the cosmos — geysers of liquid methane on Titan, Martian moonrises, a supernova in deep space. He's taken people to places they could barely imagine through his illustrations, which have appeared over two decades in Scientific American, Omni and other magazines. Then came the Hubble Space Telescope, the Mars Rovers and other robotic explorers that have poured out amazing images. Even space artists, who have spent their careers imagining the universe, reel at the photos of boulders on Saturn's moon Titan or star clusters 270 million light-years from Earth. See http://www.insidebayarea.com/bayarealiving/ci_3979469.
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 http://jvsc.jst.go.jp/universe/et_e/index_e.htm.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Harry Turtledove’s novel “A World of Difference,” published by Del Rey in 1990.
g Aftermath - Here’s another “old” piece worth reading: “Consequences of Success in SETI: Lessons from the History of Science,” given during a Bioastronomy Symposium in 1993. See http://www.nidsci.org/articles/steve_dick.php.
g Stars - In September 2003, astrobiologist Maggie Turnbull from the University of Arizona in Tucson identified a shortlist of 30 stars that were screened from around 5,000 that have been estimated to be located 100 ly of Earth, as the best nearby candidates for hosting complex Earth-type life. One of them is Chara: http://www.solstation.com/stars/chara.htm.
g Abodes - The detection of methane on Mars has generated a lot of speculation about what could possibly be producing it. Is it coming out of active volcanoes? Maybe the methane results from some geologic or chemical process we don't yet understand. Or, since much of the methane on Earth is produced by biology, perhaps the faint whiffs of methane point to the existence of present-day life on Mars. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop=modload
&name=News&file=article&sid=148&mode=thread&
order=0&thold=0.
g Life - Two schools of thought exist on the question of what life (assuming there is any) will be like on other worlds. These fall under the headings of "divergionism" and "convergionism," or to use Harold Blum's terminology, "opportunism" and "determinism.” See http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/E/etlifevar.html.
g Intelligence - We may never agree on a universal definition of intelligence because it is an open-ended word, like consciousness. Intelligence and consciousness concern the high end of our mental life, but they are frequently confused with more elementary mental processes, such as ones we would use to recognize a friend or tie a shoelace. Of course, such simple neural mechanisms are probably the foundations from which our abilities to handle logic and metaphor evolved. But how did that occur? That's an evolutionary question and a neurophysiological one as well. Both kinds of answers are needed if we are to understand our own intelligence. They might even help us appreciate how an artificial or an exotic intelligence could evolve. See http://proxy.arts.uci.edu/~nideffer/Hawking/early_proto/
calvin.html.
g Message - Should we modify the Drake Equation to account for civilizations which actually engage in deliberate interstellar transmission? See http://lnfm1.sai.msu.ru/SETI/koi/articles/DrakeEquation.htm.
g Cosmicus - From a cramped garage in Long Beach, astronomical artist Don Dixon has conjured the cosmos — geysers of liquid methane on Titan, Martian moonrises, a supernova in deep space. He's taken people to places they could barely imagine through his illustrations, which have appeared over two decades in Scientific American, Omni and other magazines. Then came the Hubble Space Telescope, the Mars Rovers and other robotic explorers that have poured out amazing images. Even space artists, who have spent their careers imagining the universe, reel at the photos of boulders on Saturn's moon Titan or star clusters 270 million light-years from Earth. See http://www.insidebayarea.com/bayarealiving/ci_3979469.
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 http://jvsc.jst.go.jp/universe/et_e/index_e.htm.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Harry Turtledove’s novel “A World of Difference,” published by Del Rey in 1990.
g Aftermath - Here’s another “old” piece worth reading: “Consequences of Success in SETI: Lessons from the History of Science,” given during a Bioastronomy Symposium in 1993. See http://www.nidsci.org/articles/steve_dick.php.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Cool methane brown dwarf, meteors’ organic particles and ‘After Contact’
Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Today’s news:
g Stars - A team of astronomers using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope announced the detection of a cool methane brown dwarf in orbit around the recently discovered, red dwarf star SCR 1845-6357. See http://www.solstation.com/stars/new-obj.htm.
g Abodes - Like an interplanetary spaceship carrying passengers, meteorites have long been suspected of ferrying relatively young ingredients of life to our planet. Using new techniques, scientists have discovered that meteorites can carry other, much older passengers as well - primitive, organic particles that originated billions of years ago. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.
phpop=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1953.
g Life - Sex is an expensive and risky business. It steals time and drains precious nutrient resources. And each act of reproduction runs the risk of messing up carefully crafted genetic blueprints. So why do we do it? See http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/050330_sex_good.html.
g Intelligence - Could a technologically oriented intelligence as likely arise from a predatory species as a non-predatory one? An anthropologist explores the possibilities at http://holtz.org/Library/Natural%20Science/Predator%20Prey%20Models%20&%20Contact%20Consids.htm.
g Message - A number of searches for extraterrestrial intelligence actually have occurred, are ongoing and are planned. Here’s one of the more famous ones: Project BETA, at Harvard University. See http://seti.harvard.edu/seti/beta.html.
g Cosmicus - In this interview, Charles Cockell talks about studying microbes in the harsh conditions of outer space. He also explains why in the future, humans must expand our horizons outwards into that final frontier. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop
=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1955&
mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
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 - Watch any science fiction film or series, and all the aliens are humanoid. Of course they are, the actors under the costumes are all human. But is this realistic? Surely any number of exotic and bizarre shapes and sizes are possibly, just look at the myriad of invertebrates that inhabit this world. See http://members.lycos.co.uk/thepixie/sfrpg/sf-essay.htm.
g Aftermath - Here’s an interesting book for some astrobiological reading: “After Contact: The Human Response to Extraterrestrial Life” by Albert A. Harrison. See http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/
customerreviews/0306456214/10426166182449525_encoding
=UTF8&me=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=books for some reviews.
g Stars - A team of astronomers using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope announced the detection of a cool methane brown dwarf in orbit around the recently discovered, red dwarf star SCR 1845-6357. See http://www.solstation.com/stars/new-obj.htm.
g Abodes - Like an interplanetary spaceship carrying passengers, meteorites have long been suspected of ferrying relatively young ingredients of life to our planet. Using new techniques, scientists have discovered that meteorites can carry other, much older passengers as well - primitive, organic particles that originated billions of years ago. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.
phpop=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1953.
g Life - Sex is an expensive and risky business. It steals time and drains precious nutrient resources. And each act of reproduction runs the risk of messing up carefully crafted genetic blueprints. So why do we do it? See http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/050330_sex_good.html.
g Intelligence - Could a technologically oriented intelligence as likely arise from a predatory species as a non-predatory one? An anthropologist explores the possibilities at http://holtz.org/Library/Natural%20Science/Predator%20Prey%20Models%20&%20Contact%20Consids.htm.
g Message - A number of searches for extraterrestrial intelligence actually have occurred, are ongoing and are planned. Here’s one of the more famous ones: Project BETA, at Harvard University. See http://seti.harvard.edu/seti/beta.html.
g Cosmicus - In this interview, Charles Cockell talks about studying microbes in the harsh conditions of outer space. He also explains why in the future, humans must expand our horizons outwards into that final frontier. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop
=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1955&
mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
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 - Watch any science fiction film or series, and all the aliens are humanoid. Of course they are, the actors under the costumes are all human. But is this realistic? Surely any number of exotic and bizarre shapes and sizes are possibly, just look at the myriad of invertebrates that inhabit this world. See http://members.lycos.co.uk/thepixie/sfrpg/sf-essay.htm.
g Aftermath - Here’s an interesting book for some astrobiological reading: “After Contact: The Human Response to Extraterrestrial Life” by Albert A. Harrison. See http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/
customerreviews/0306456214/10426166182449525_encoding
=UTF8&me=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=books for some reviews.
Monday, May 22, 2006
Dwarf galaxies, ‘The Rock from Mars’ and the only geologist to have walked on the Moon
Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Today’s news:
g Stars - When the universe was young, countless dwarf galaxies formed, heating the universe and preventing the formation of more small galaxies, a new study suggests. See http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/060521_dwarf_galaxy.html.
g Abodes - Book alert: When it comes to telling stories, science writers and scientists are at a disadvantage in that unlike novelists (who are free to create their own reality) they must reconstruct events accurately. But once in a great while, science offers up a tale as compelling as any found in fiction and someone comes along who is equipped to tell it well. In “The Rock from Mars,” journalist Kathy Sawyer realizes the full potential of a great science story in all its multidimensional complexity and richness. See http://www.americanscien
tist.org/template/BookReviewTypeDetail/assetid/51931;jsession
id=baabphh0oQQ9Ru.
g Life - A new University of Colorado at Boulder study indicates Earth in its infancy probably had substantial quantities of hydrogen in its atmosphere, a surprising finding that may alter the way many scientists think about how life began on the planet. See http://www.
astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop=modload&name=News&file
=article&sid=1515mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
g Intelligence - Did evolution shape your taste in a mate? Take this poll. See http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/sex/love/.
g Message - The spectral approach is a universal tool of both astronomical observations and SETI. Furthermore, it has a clear physical meaning – a spectrometer finds the energy distribution of photons, in human sensing it is color and pitch. Under the hypothesis on identity of physical laws in our part of universe, it may be proposed that spectrometry also are using by those aliens, who know radio and lead theirs own SETI, too. See http://www.cplire.ru/html/ra&sr/irm/radio-signals.html.
g Cosmicus - Harrison Schmitt, the only geologist to have walked on the Moon, discusses the past, present and future of space exploration in this interview. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1959.
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 Murray Leinster’s short story "Proxima Centauri," published in the March 1935 issue of Astounding Stories.
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?" at http://www.seti.org/site/apps/nl/newsletter2.asp?c=ktJ2J9MMIsE&b=289154. Note: An mp3 player is required to play the audio files; you can download one at the site for free.
g Stars - When the universe was young, countless dwarf galaxies formed, heating the universe and preventing the formation of more small galaxies, a new study suggests. See http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/060521_dwarf_galaxy.html.
g Abodes - Book alert: When it comes to telling stories, science writers and scientists are at a disadvantage in that unlike novelists (who are free to create their own reality) they must reconstruct events accurately. But once in a great while, science offers up a tale as compelling as any found in fiction and someone comes along who is equipped to tell it well. In “The Rock from Mars,” journalist Kathy Sawyer realizes the full potential of a great science story in all its multidimensional complexity and richness. See http://www.americanscien
tist.org/template/BookReviewTypeDetail/assetid/51931;jsession
id=baabphh0oQQ9Ru.
g Life - A new University of Colorado at Boulder study indicates Earth in its infancy probably had substantial quantities of hydrogen in its atmosphere, a surprising finding that may alter the way many scientists think about how life began on the planet. See http://www.
astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop=modload&name=News&file
=article&sid=1515mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
g Intelligence - Did evolution shape your taste in a mate? Take this poll. See http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/sex/love/.
g Message - The spectral approach is a universal tool of both astronomical observations and SETI. Furthermore, it has a clear physical meaning – a spectrometer finds the energy distribution of photons, in human sensing it is color and pitch. Under the hypothesis on identity of physical laws in our part of universe, it may be proposed that spectrometry also are using by those aliens, who know radio and lead theirs own SETI, too. See http://www.cplire.ru/html/ra&sr/irm/radio-signals.html.
g Cosmicus - Harrison Schmitt, the only geologist to have walked on the Moon, discusses the past, present and future of space exploration in this interview. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1959.
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 Murray Leinster’s short story "Proxima Centauri," published in the March 1935 issue of Astounding Stories.
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?" at http://www.seti.org/site/apps/nl/newsletter2.asp?c=ktJ2J9MMIsE&b=289154. Note: An mp3 player is required to play the audio files; you can download one at the site for free.
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Ross 154, astrobiological expedition to Mars and shortlist of stellar candidates for habitable worlds
Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Today’s news:
g Stars - The dim star Ross 154 is the seventh closest to our Sun, lying at about 9.7 light-years away. Might it support habitable planets? See http://www.solstation.com/stars/ross154.htm.
g Abodes - The possibility that life may once have evolved on Mars is strongly linked to the availability of liquid water over long time periods. So what criteria would make a good site for an astrobiological expedition on that world? See http://cmex.arc.nasa.gov/SiteCat/sitecat2/selexo.htm.
g Life - With cobalt waters harboring eerie, coral-like formations, this archipelago of lakes in Mexico’s searing Chihuahuan desert has always had an otherworldly appearance. Now, top NASA researchers say the calcified clumps of primitive bacteria lurking in its pools could provide important clues in their search for extraterrestrial life. See http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7381599/.
g Intelligence - Researchers are aiming to learn more about how the Earth was populated by collecting and analyzing genetic samples from 100,000 people around the globe. See http://www.rednova.com/
news/science/143473/gene_project_aims_to_trace_human_migration
/index.html. Note: This article is from 2005.
g Message - A U.S. astronomer has announced her shortlist of stars where extraterrestrial life might be found. See http://www.science
daily.com/upi/index.phpfeed=Science&article=UPI12006021909
215000bcusstars.xml. For related story, see “Shortlist of stellar candidates for habitable worlds” at http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0602/18habitable/.
g Cosmicus - AKARI, the new Japanese infrared sky surveyor mission in which ESA is participating, saw ‘first light’ on April 13, 2006 and delivered its first images of the cosmos. The images were taken towards the end of a successful checkout of the spacecraft in orbit. See http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEM8NF9ATME_index_0.html.
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 http://btc.montana.edu/ceres/html/ExtremeEnvironment/Extreme.
htm.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Arthur C. Clarke’s short story "No Morning After," anthologized in “Time to Come” (edited by August Derleth and published by Farrar, Starus & Young in 1954).
g Aftermath - If we establish communication with a civilization even as close as 100 light years from Earth, the round-trip time for a message and its reply is 200 years. What will be the psychology of a civilization that can engage in a meaningful conversation with this sort of delay? How is such a conversation to be established? What should the content of such a conversation be? These are the questions which motivate this article’s title: "Minds and Millennia: The Psychology of Interstellar Communication." See http://web.archive.
/org/web/20010217051450/204.240.36.10/radobs/vol1no3/
minds.htm
g Stars - The dim star Ross 154 is the seventh closest to our Sun, lying at about 9.7 light-years away. Might it support habitable planets? See http://www.solstation.com/stars/ross154.htm.
g Abodes - The possibility that life may once have evolved on Mars is strongly linked to the availability of liquid water over long time periods. So what criteria would make a good site for an astrobiological expedition on that world? See http://cmex.arc.nasa.gov/SiteCat/sitecat2/selexo.htm.
g Life - With cobalt waters harboring eerie, coral-like formations, this archipelago of lakes in Mexico’s searing Chihuahuan desert has always had an otherworldly appearance. Now, top NASA researchers say the calcified clumps of primitive bacteria lurking in its pools could provide important clues in their search for extraterrestrial life. See http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7381599/.
g Intelligence - Researchers are aiming to learn more about how the Earth was populated by collecting and analyzing genetic samples from 100,000 people around the globe. See http://www.rednova.com/
news/science/143473/gene_project_aims_to_trace_human_migration
/index.html. Note: This article is from 2005.
g Message - A U.S. astronomer has announced her shortlist of stars where extraterrestrial life might be found. See http://www.science
daily.com/upi/index.phpfeed=Science&article=UPI12006021909
215000bcusstars.xml. For related story, see “Shortlist of stellar candidates for habitable worlds” at http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0602/18habitable/.
g Cosmicus - AKARI, the new Japanese infrared sky surveyor mission in which ESA is participating, saw ‘first light’ on April 13, 2006 and delivered its first images of the cosmos. The images were taken towards the end of a successful checkout of the spacecraft in orbit. See http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEM8NF9ATME_index_0.html.
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 http://btc.montana.edu/ceres/html/ExtremeEnvironment/Extreme.
htm.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Arthur C. Clarke’s short story "No Morning After," anthologized in “Time to Come” (edited by August Derleth and published by Farrar, Starus & Young in 1954).
g Aftermath - If we establish communication with a civilization even as close as 100 light years from Earth, the round-trip time for a message and its reply is 200 years. What will be the psychology of a civilization that can engage in a meaningful conversation with this sort of delay? How is such a conversation to be established? What should the content of such a conversation be? These are the questions which motivate this article’s title: "Minds and Millennia: The Psychology of Interstellar Communication." See http://web.archive.
/org/web/20010217051450/204.240.36.10/radobs/vol1no3/
minds.htm
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Luyten 726-8 AB, exploring Europa via the Arctic and “Perfect Planet”
Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Today’s news:
g Stars - Luyten 726-8 AB is the sixth closest system to Sol. Might it support habitable planets? See http://www.solstation.com/stars/luy726-8.htm.
g Abodes - If you're looking for life beyond Earth, Jupiter's ice-encased moon, Europa, beckons as one of the solar system's most promising destinations. If you're looking for a possible analog to Europa on Earth, then head for frigid Ellesmere Island above the Arctic Circle. See http://www.astrobiology.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=20169.
g Life - Book alert: “Perfect Planet, Clever Species: How Unique Are We?” by William C. Burger, is a sweeping, fascinating look at the history of life on what might be the rarest of planetary jewels. See http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591020166/10405941167186310?v=glance&n=283155.
g Intelligence - The complexity of the brain and, more specifically, how nerve cells form billions of contacts when there are fewer than 30,000 human genes is still a scientific mystery. A research team appears to have answered that question. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/04/050425204640.htm.
g Message - In late 1997, after almost 40 years of operation, the Ohio State University Radio Observatory and its "Big Ear" radio telescope — which picked up the famous “Wow!” signal — ceased operation. The land on which the observatory was sitting (owned by the Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio) was sold in 1983 to land developers who later claimed their rights to develop the property. The telescope was destroyed in early 1998. For a Web page memorial to Big Ear, see http://www.bigear.org/.
g Cosmicus - Plenty of books have been written about living in space, but they tend to concentrate on the past experience of people who have stayed in orbit. These people have nearly all been in the unusual situation of doing scientific research. And they have all undergone extensive selection and training, because going to orbit is so expensive today that it would be very wasteful if they were ill or failed to do some of their planned work. And so they've mostly been very busy all the time. So most books don't say much about how it will be for people to live in space for fun, for example in an orbiting hotel. See http://www.spacefuture.com/habitat/living.shtml.
g Learning - The research scientists aren’t the only ones getting excited about astrobiology. This new discipline has tremendous potential for revolutionizing science education. It is rich with exciting content to engage those who generally don’t consider themselves scientifically oriented, and also for opening the ears and minds of adults who may want a new reason to visit their local science center. See http://www.terc.edu/handsonIssues/f00/asbellclarke.html. Note: This article is from 2000.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Murray Leinster’s short story "Propagandist," published in the Aug. 1947 issue of Astounding.
g Aftermath - If SETI is successful in detecting an extraterrestrial civilization, it will raise the question of whether and how humanity should attempt to communicate with the other civilization. How should that decision be made? What should be the content of such a message? Who should decide? The same questions would apply to proposals that signals be sent in the absence of detection, in the hope that they might be detected by an extraterrestrial civilization. See http://www.iaanet.org/p_papers/seti.html. Note: This paper was presented in October 1995.
g Stars - Luyten 726-8 AB is the sixth closest system to Sol. Might it support habitable planets? See http://www.solstation.com/stars/luy726-8.htm.
g Abodes - If you're looking for life beyond Earth, Jupiter's ice-encased moon, Europa, beckons as one of the solar system's most promising destinations. If you're looking for a possible analog to Europa on Earth, then head for frigid Ellesmere Island above the Arctic Circle. See http://www.astrobiology.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=20169.
g Life - Book alert: “Perfect Planet, Clever Species: How Unique Are We?” by William C. Burger, is a sweeping, fascinating look at the history of life on what might be the rarest of planetary jewels. See http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591020166/10405941167186310?v=glance&n=283155.
g Intelligence - The complexity of the brain and, more specifically, how nerve cells form billions of contacts when there are fewer than 30,000 human genes is still a scientific mystery. A research team appears to have answered that question. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/04/050425204640.htm.
g Message - In late 1997, after almost 40 years of operation, the Ohio State University Radio Observatory and its "Big Ear" radio telescope — which picked up the famous “Wow!” signal — ceased operation. The land on which the observatory was sitting (owned by the Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio) was sold in 1983 to land developers who later claimed their rights to develop the property. The telescope was destroyed in early 1998. For a Web page memorial to Big Ear, see http://www.bigear.org/.
g Cosmicus - Plenty of books have been written about living in space, but they tend to concentrate on the past experience of people who have stayed in orbit. These people have nearly all been in the unusual situation of doing scientific research. And they have all undergone extensive selection and training, because going to orbit is so expensive today that it would be very wasteful if they were ill or failed to do some of their planned work. And so they've mostly been very busy all the time. So most books don't say much about how it will be for people to live in space for fun, for example in an orbiting hotel. See http://www.spacefuture.com/habitat/living.shtml.
g Learning - The research scientists aren’t the only ones getting excited about astrobiology. This new discipline has tremendous potential for revolutionizing science education. It is rich with exciting content to engage those who generally don’t consider themselves scientifically oriented, and also for opening the ears and minds of adults who may want a new reason to visit their local science center. See http://www.terc.edu/handsonIssues/f00/asbellclarke.html. Note: This article is from 2000.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Murray Leinster’s short story "Propagandist," published in the Aug. 1947 issue of Astounding.
g Aftermath - If SETI is successful in detecting an extraterrestrial civilization, it will raise the question of whether and how humanity should attempt to communicate with the other civilization. How should that decision be made? What should be the content of such a message? Who should decide? The same questions would apply to proposals that signals be sent in the absence of detection, in the hope that they might be detected by an extraterrestrial civilization. See http://www.iaanet.org/p_papers/seti.html. Note: This paper was presented in October 1995.
Friday, May 19, 2006
Alpha Canis Majoris, trawling for planets and “Planetary Dreams”
Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Today’s news:
g Stars - Also known as Alpha Canis Majoris, Sirius is the fifth closest system to Sol, at 8.6 light-years away. Might it support habitable planets? See http://www.solstation.com/stars/sirius2.htm.
g Abodes - An international team of professional and amateur astronomers, using simple off-the-shelf equipment to trawl the skies for planets outside our solar system, has hauled in its first "catch." See http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop=modload
&name=News&file=article&sid=1968&mode=thread
&order=0&thold=0.
g Life - Book alert: Are we alone, literally freaks of nature, just one planet of living, breathing things amidst a seemingly infinite, lifeless desert? This is one of the big questions posed by human nature, one that we have traditionally looked to religion to answer, but that is now coming within the grasp of science. Despite - or perhaps because - of this, we find increasing opposition to allocating resources to space exploration. Biochemist Robert Shapiro is an unabashed supporter of this research, and his book “Planetary Dreams: The Quest to Discover Life Beyond Earth” is both a compelling response to the stay-at-homes and a pleasantly readable overview of what we know and don't know about the origin of life here and elsewhere. See http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0471179361/104059411671863
10v=glance&n=283155.
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 http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/051102_monkey_math.html.
g Message - A lot of science fiction doesn’t offer a particularly accurate description of SETI. Here’s one piece that does: James Gunn’s novel “The Listeners,” published by Signet in 1972. This offers a good early portrayal of a scientifically reasonable search.
g Cosmicus - Thousands of tiny fruit flies soon will journey into space to help NASA scientists better understand changes in the human immune system caused by space flight. See http://www.
astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop=modload&name=News&file=
article&sid=2001&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
g Learning - Looking for an overview of the astrobiological field? Try "Introduction to Exobiology", which explores the field from a lay perspective and includes a self-test. It's part of the Cruising Chemistry project at Duke.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Arthur C. Clarke’s short story "Loophole," appearing in the April 1946 issue of Astounding.
g Aftermath - Humans live and die by approximations. We are seldom as perfect or as accurate as we would like to be. And as we contemplate what we might say to an advanced extraterrestrial civilization, maybe that's a point we should emphasize. See http://seti.astrobio.net/news/article10.html.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
g Stars - Also known as Alpha Canis Majoris, Sirius is the fifth closest system to Sol, at 8.6 light-years away. Might it support habitable planets? See http://www.solstation.com/stars/sirius2.htm.
g Abodes - An international team of professional and amateur astronomers, using simple off-the-shelf equipment to trawl the skies for planets outside our solar system, has hauled in its first "catch." See http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop=modload
&name=News&file=article&sid=1968&mode=thread
&order=0&thold=0.
g Life - Book alert: Are we alone, literally freaks of nature, just one planet of living, breathing things amidst a seemingly infinite, lifeless desert? This is one of the big questions posed by human nature, one that we have traditionally looked to religion to answer, but that is now coming within the grasp of science. Despite - or perhaps because - of this, we find increasing opposition to allocating resources to space exploration. Biochemist Robert Shapiro is an unabashed supporter of this research, and his book “Planetary Dreams: The Quest to Discover Life Beyond Earth” is both a compelling response to the stay-at-homes and a pleasantly readable overview of what we know and don't know about the origin of life here and elsewhere. See http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0471179361/104059411671863
10v=glance&n=283155.
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 http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/051102_monkey_math.html.
g Message - A lot of science fiction doesn’t offer a particularly accurate description of SETI. Here’s one piece that does: James Gunn’s novel “The Listeners,” published by Signet in 1972. This offers a good early portrayal of a scientifically reasonable search.
g Cosmicus - Thousands of tiny fruit flies soon will journey into space to help NASA scientists better understand changes in the human immune system caused by space flight. See http://www.
astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop=modload&name=News&file=
article&sid=2001&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
g Learning - Looking for an overview of the astrobiological field? Try "Introduction to Exobiology", which explores the field from a lay perspective and includes a self-test. It's part of the Cruising Chemistry project at Duke.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Arthur C. Clarke’s short story "Loophole," appearing in the April 1946 issue of Astounding.
g Aftermath - Humans live and die by approximations. We are seldom as perfect or as accurate as we would like to be. And as we contemplate what we might say to an advanced extraterrestrial civilization, maybe that's a point we should emphasize. See http://seti.astrobio.net/news/article10.html.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Lalande 21185, measuring planet rotation and astrobiology smörgåsbord
Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Today’s news:
g Stars - Lalande 21185 is the fourth system closest to Sol after Alpha Centauri 3, Barnard's Star and Wolf 359. Might it support habitable planets? See http://www.solstation.com/stars/la21185.htm.
g Abodes - Measuring the rotation period of a rocky planet like the Earth is easy, but similar measurements for planets made of gas, such as Saturn, pose problems. Researchers present new results in this week's Nature that may solve the mystery. See http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0605/03saturn/.
g Life - In early May, astrobiologists gathered in Sweden to sample smörgåsbord and to discuss planetary, space and life sciences. While there is already an astrobiology network for Europeans – the European Astrobiology Network Association – the shared culture and geography of Sweden, Finland, Norway, Iceland, and Denmark, and also the Baltic States and Russia, make a Nordic astrobiology community necessary as well. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop
=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1974&
mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
g Intelligence - A new study of 8,000 people age 2 to 90 found females handle timed tasks more quickly than males. See http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/060425_boys_girls.html.
g Message - Here’s a famous 1960 article from Freeman John Dyson: “Search for Artificial Stellar Sources of Infrared Radiation.” See http://www.islandone.org/LEOBiblio/SETI1.HTM.
g Cosmicus - NASA has teamed up with two universities to study ways to reduce the adverse effects of space travel has on astronauts' physical heath. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.ph
pop=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1933mode=thread
&order=0&thold=0.
g Learning - Americans love science in their movies and TV shows, yet recent reports indicate we are losing our scientific dominance to the rest of the world. Can science-themed entertainment get Americans off the couch and into the lab? See http://www.astrobio.net
/news/modules.phpop=modload&name=News&file=article&sid
=1032.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Isaac Asimov’s short story "Victory Unintentional," published in the Aug. 1942 edition of Super Science Stories.
g Aftermath - If we hear from ET, not only can we expect his civilization to be an old one with a great time lag in correspondence, a SETI astronomer says. Could this limit the impact of extraterrestrial contact upon humanity? See http://www.space.com
/searchforlife/seti_long_distance_011227.html. Note: This article is from December 2001.
g Stars - Lalande 21185 is the fourth system closest to Sol after Alpha Centauri 3, Barnard's Star and Wolf 359. Might it support habitable planets? See http://www.solstation.com/stars/la21185.htm.
g Abodes - Measuring the rotation period of a rocky planet like the Earth is easy, but similar measurements for planets made of gas, such as Saturn, pose problems. Researchers present new results in this week's Nature that may solve the mystery. See http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0605/03saturn/.
g Life - In early May, astrobiologists gathered in Sweden to sample smörgåsbord and to discuss planetary, space and life sciences. While there is already an astrobiology network for Europeans – the European Astrobiology Network Association – the shared culture and geography of Sweden, Finland, Norway, Iceland, and Denmark, and also the Baltic States and Russia, make a Nordic astrobiology community necessary as well. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop
=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1974&
mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
g Intelligence - A new study of 8,000 people age 2 to 90 found females handle timed tasks more quickly than males. See http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/060425_boys_girls.html.
g Message - Here’s a famous 1960 article from Freeman John Dyson: “Search for Artificial Stellar Sources of Infrared Radiation.” See http://www.islandone.org/LEOBiblio/SETI1.HTM.
g Cosmicus - NASA has teamed up with two universities to study ways to reduce the adverse effects of space travel has on astronauts' physical heath. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.ph
pop=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1933mode=thread
&order=0&thold=0.
g Learning - Americans love science in their movies and TV shows, yet recent reports indicate we are losing our scientific dominance to the rest of the world. Can science-themed entertainment get Americans off the couch and into the lab? See http://www.astrobio.net
/news/modules.phpop=modload&name=News&file=article&sid
=1032.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Isaac Asimov’s short story "Victory Unintentional," published in the Aug. 1942 edition of Super Science Stories.
g Aftermath - If we hear from ET, not only can we expect his civilization to be an old one with a great time lag in correspondence, a SETI astronomer says. Could this limit the impact of extraterrestrial contact upon humanity? See http://www.space.com
/searchforlife/seti_long_distance_011227.html. Note: This article is from December 2001.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Wolfe 359, human-chimp evolutionary split and reusing old spacecraft parts
Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Today’s news:
g Stars - The extremely faint star Wolfe 359 is the third closest to Sol after Alpha Centauri 3 and Barnard's Star. Might it support habitable planets? See http://www.solstation.com/stars/wolf359.htm.
g Abodes - The explosive force of a large asteroid impact would kill anyone unlucky enough to be nearby, and the craters they leave behind can serve as a reminder for the dangers that still lurk in our solar system. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop
=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1947mode=thread
&order=0&thold=0.
g Life - NASA is spending billions of dollars to search for life on Mars, the most Earth-like of our sister planets. But we may not need to go all the way to Mars to find another sample of life, says one astrobiologist. It could be lurking under our very noses. See http://www.justpacific.com/bits.
g Intelligence - Genome comparisons reveal that the evolutionary split between humans and chimpanzees may have been more recent and more convoluted than expected. See http://www.astrobio.net/
news/modules.phpop=modload&name=News&file=article&sid
=1967&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
g Message - Contrary to a SETI astronomer’s prediction a few weeks ago that we’re about 25 years from receiving an extraterrestrial signal, during an August 2004 symposium at Harvard searchers for life in the universe concluded that we've got a long, long way to go. See http://skyandtelescope.com/news/article_1322_1.asp.
g Cosmicus - Engineers at NASA's Independent Verification and Validation facility are examining the feasibility of reusing portions of old NASA spacecraft systems software for new missions. One of the goals of the effort is to determine whether using that old software would actually save the agency time and money. See http://space.com/spacenews/businessmonday_060417.html.
g Learning - Here’s a neat classroom activity: “Jellyplants on Mars.” Scientists are creating a new breed of glowing plants - part mustard and part jellyfish - to help humans explore Mars. In this lesson, students learn about the plants and bioregeneration. See http://www.thursdaysclassroom.com/01jun01/corner.html.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Harry Turtledove’s novel “Worldwar: In the Balance,” published by Del Rey in 1992.
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-4CD0-9E79-113953A58644}/m_race_guidelines.pdf.
g Stars - The extremely faint star Wolfe 359 is the third closest to Sol after Alpha Centauri 3 and Barnard's Star. Might it support habitable planets? See http://www.solstation.com/stars/wolf359.htm.
g Abodes - The explosive force of a large asteroid impact would kill anyone unlucky enough to be nearby, and the craters they leave behind can serve as a reminder for the dangers that still lurk in our solar system. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop
=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1947mode=thread
&order=0&thold=0.
g Life - NASA is spending billions of dollars to search for life on Mars, the most Earth-like of our sister planets. But we may not need to go all the way to Mars to find another sample of life, says one astrobiologist. It could be lurking under our very noses. See http://www.justpacific.com/bits.
g Intelligence - Genome comparisons reveal that the evolutionary split between humans and chimpanzees may have been more recent and more convoluted than expected. See http://www.astrobio.net/
news/modules.phpop=modload&name=News&file=article&sid
=1967&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
g Message - Contrary to a SETI astronomer’s prediction a few weeks ago that we’re about 25 years from receiving an extraterrestrial signal, during an August 2004 symposium at Harvard searchers for life in the universe concluded that we've got a long, long way to go. See http://skyandtelescope.com/news/article_1322_1.asp.
g Cosmicus - Engineers at NASA's Independent Verification and Validation facility are examining the feasibility of reusing portions of old NASA spacecraft systems software for new missions. One of the goals of the effort is to determine whether using that old software would actually save the agency time and money. See http://space.com/spacenews/businessmonday_060417.html.
g Learning - Here’s a neat classroom activity: “Jellyplants on Mars.” Scientists are creating a new breed of glowing plants - part mustard and part jellyfish - to help humans explore Mars. In this lesson, students learn about the plants and bioregeneration. See http://www.thursdaysclassroom.com/01jun01/corner.html.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Harry Turtledove’s novel “Worldwar: In the Balance,” published by Del Rey in 1992.
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-4CD0-9E79-113953A58644}/m_race_guidelines.pdf.
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Barnard’s Star, hot Jupiters and BabyBot
Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Today’s news:
g Stars - Barnard's Star, an old and very dim red dwarf, was once thought to have two Jupiter-class planets. Might this star support habitable planets? See http://www.solstation.com/stars/barnards.htm.
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 http://www.newscientistspace.com/article/dn8928-hot-jupiters-do-not-rule-out-alien-earths.html.
g Life - Comfortable living is not why so many different life forms seem to converge at the warmer areas of the planet. See http://
www.astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop=modload&name=News&
file=article&sid=1978&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
g Intelligence - BabyBot, a robot modeled on the torso of a two year-old child, is helping researchers take the first, tottering steps towards understanding human perception, and could lead to the development of machines that can perceive and interact with their environment. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop
=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1946mode=thread&order
=0&thold=0.
g Message - Here’s an intriguing hypothesis concerning the nature of extraterrestrial messages to Earth. It is based on the assumptions that aliens exist in abundance in the galaxy, that they are benevolent toward Earth-based life forms and that the lack of any human detection of extraterrestrials is due to an embargo designed to prevent any premature disclosure of their existence. It is argued that any embargo not involving alien force must be a leaky one designed to allow a gradual disclosure of the alien message and its gradual acceptance on the part of the general public over a very long time-scale. The communication may take the form of what is now considered magic, and may therefore be misinterpreted as “magic” or a hoax by contemporary governments and scientists. See http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgibin/nphbib_querybibcode=1986QJR
AS..27...94D&db_key=AST.
g Cosmicus - Podcast: In Part II of Radio Astrobiology’s in-depth interview with the director of science for the European Space Agency, host Simon Mitton discusses astrobiology and its exploration frontiers. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop=modload
&name=News&file=article&sid=1926mode=thread&order=0
&thold=0.
g Learning - Here’s a neat classroom activity that examines if yeast, a common yet tenacious microbe, can survive boiling water, salt, UV radiation and citric acid? Students find out for themselves by creating "Planets in a Bottle" which illustrate extreme conditions on other worlds. See http://science.nasa.gov/newhome/headlines/msad16mar99_1a.htm.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Theodore Sturgeon’s short story "To Marry Medusa," appearing in the Aug. 1958 issue of Galaxy.
g Aftermath - Book alert: “Many Worlds: The New Universe, Extraterrestrial Life, and the Theological Implications, by Steven J. Dick (editor), 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. See http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail//1890151424/qid
=/sr=/ref=cm_lm_asin/1039154374-8730217v=glance.
g Stars - Barnard's Star, an old and very dim red dwarf, was once thought to have two Jupiter-class planets. Might this star support habitable planets? See http://www.solstation.com/stars/barnards.htm.
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 http://www.newscientistspace.com/article/dn8928-hot-jupiters-do-not-rule-out-alien-earths.html.
g Life - Comfortable living is not why so many different life forms seem to converge at the warmer areas of the planet. See http://
www.astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop=modload&name=News&
file=article&sid=1978&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
g Intelligence - BabyBot, a robot modeled on the torso of a two year-old child, is helping researchers take the first, tottering steps towards understanding human perception, and could lead to the development of machines that can perceive and interact with their environment. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop
=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1946mode=thread&order
=0&thold=0.
g Message - Here’s an intriguing hypothesis concerning the nature of extraterrestrial messages to Earth. It is based on the assumptions that aliens exist in abundance in the galaxy, that they are benevolent toward Earth-based life forms and that the lack of any human detection of extraterrestrials is due to an embargo designed to prevent any premature disclosure of their existence. It is argued that any embargo not involving alien force must be a leaky one designed to allow a gradual disclosure of the alien message and its gradual acceptance on the part of the general public over a very long time-scale. The communication may take the form of what is now considered magic, and may therefore be misinterpreted as “magic” or a hoax by contemporary governments and scientists. See http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgibin/nphbib_querybibcode=1986QJR
AS..27...94D&db_key=AST.
g Cosmicus - Podcast: In Part II of Radio Astrobiology’s in-depth interview with the director of science for the European Space Agency, host Simon Mitton discusses astrobiology and its exploration frontiers. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop=modload
&name=News&file=article&sid=1926mode=thread&order=0
&thold=0.
g Learning - Here’s a neat classroom activity that examines if yeast, a common yet tenacious microbe, can survive boiling water, salt, UV radiation and citric acid? Students find out for themselves by creating "Planets in a Bottle" which illustrate extreme conditions on other worlds. See http://science.nasa.gov/newhome/headlines/msad16mar99_1a.htm.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Theodore Sturgeon’s short story "To Marry Medusa," appearing in the Aug. 1958 issue of Galaxy.
g Aftermath - Book alert: “Many Worlds: The New Universe, Extraterrestrial Life, and the Theological Implications, by Steven J. Dick (editor), 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. See http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail//1890151424/qid
=/sr=/ref=cm_lm_asin/1039154374-8730217v=glance.
Monday, May 15, 2006
Dark energy, habitable planet sizes and ‘Vital Dust’
Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Today’s news:
g Stars - For centuries, humans have looked to the heavens for their gods and goddesses and clues for finding the nature of the universe. Now, the largest ever-produced map of the universe gives those lost in the dark some direction, but is also confirms that the universe is full of dark energy, a strange force pushing galaxies apart at ever faster speeds. See http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/060515_map_heavens.html.
g Abodes - A moon or planet with about 10 percent the Earth's mass has enough gravity to retain water vapor and other gases in a temperate atmosphere (As a counterexample, Venus has enough gravity but is much too hot to retain water - the speed of water molecules in the atmosphere exceeds the escape velocity of the planet.). Mars-sized or larger moons may therefore be able to sustain both atmosphere and liquid water, if their host planet is not too far from the star. See http://www.physorg.com/news65376545.html.
g Life - Book Alert: “Vital Dust: Life as a Cosmic Imperative,” by C. De Duve is about the history of life on Earth -- from its birth, shrouded in the depths of the past, to the variegated pageantry of living beings that cover our planet today. It is the most extraordinary adventure in the known universe, an adventure that has produced a species capable of influencing in decisive fashion the future unfolding of the natural process by which it was born. See http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=6991411.
g Intelligence - Several scientific studies have determined that light on the eye’s retina is the primary synchronizer of human circadian rhythms, the biological cycles that repeat approximately every 24 hours. Both the visual system and the circadian system respond to light as it is processed through photoreceptors in the retina. Similar light sources can have similar effects on each system, but recent research demonstrates that similar light sources can also affect each system very differently. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/04/060425015333.htm.
g Cosmicus - To get a feel for why using solar energy delivered from space is a good idea it helps if you use a little imagination and envisage where it will lead - the world humans will live in when solar power satellites are a major energy source. Then it's easier to understand why it would obviously be a good direction for technological development to aim at today - instead of being almost completely ignored! See http://www.spacefuture.com/power/business.shtml.
g Learning - There are some great teacher resources on space biology at http://www.spacebio.net/modules/index.html. 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 Murray Leinster’s short story "Nobody Saw The Ship," anthologized in “The Big Book of Science Fiction,” edited by Groff Conklin and published by Crown in 1950.
g Aftermath - Add one more worry to the computerized world of the 21st century. Could a signal from the stars broadcast by an alien intelligence also carry harmful information, in the spirit of a computer virus? Could star folk launch a "disinformation" campaign -- one that covers up aspects of their culture? Perhaps they might even mask the "real" intent of dispatching a message to other civilizations scattered throughout the Cosmos. See http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/space_hackers_031111.html. Note: This article is from 2003.
g Stars - For centuries, humans have looked to the heavens for their gods and goddesses and clues for finding the nature of the universe. Now, the largest ever-produced map of the universe gives those lost in the dark some direction, but is also confirms that the universe is full of dark energy, a strange force pushing galaxies apart at ever faster speeds. See http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/060515_map_heavens.html.
g Abodes - A moon or planet with about 10 percent the Earth's mass has enough gravity to retain water vapor and other gases in a temperate atmosphere (As a counterexample, Venus has enough gravity but is much too hot to retain water - the speed of water molecules in the atmosphere exceeds the escape velocity of the planet.). Mars-sized or larger moons may therefore be able to sustain both atmosphere and liquid water, if their host planet is not too far from the star. See http://www.physorg.com/news65376545.html.
g Life - Book Alert: “Vital Dust: Life as a Cosmic Imperative,” by C. De Duve is about the history of life on Earth -- from its birth, shrouded in the depths of the past, to the variegated pageantry of living beings that cover our planet today. It is the most extraordinary adventure in the known universe, an adventure that has produced a species capable of influencing in decisive fashion the future unfolding of the natural process by which it was born. See http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=6991411.
g Intelligence - Several scientific studies have determined that light on the eye’s retina is the primary synchronizer of human circadian rhythms, the biological cycles that repeat approximately every 24 hours. Both the visual system and the circadian system respond to light as it is processed through photoreceptors in the retina. Similar light sources can have similar effects on each system, but recent research demonstrates that similar light sources can also affect each system very differently. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/04/060425015333.htm.
g Cosmicus - To get a feel for why using solar energy delivered from space is a good idea it helps if you use a little imagination and envisage where it will lead - the world humans will live in when solar power satellites are a major energy source. Then it's easier to understand why it would obviously be a good direction for technological development to aim at today - instead of being almost completely ignored! See http://www.spacefuture.com/power/business.shtml.
g Learning - There are some great teacher resources on space biology at http://www.spacebio.net/modules/index.html. 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 Murray Leinster’s short story "Nobody Saw The Ship," anthologized in “The Big Book of Science Fiction,” edited by Groff Conklin and published by Crown in 1950.
g Aftermath - Add one more worry to the computerized world of the 21st century. Could a signal from the stars broadcast by an alien intelligence also carry harmful information, in the spirit of a computer virus? Could star folk launch a "disinformation" campaign -- one that covers up aspects of their culture? Perhaps they might even mask the "real" intent of dispatching a message to other civilizations scattered throughout the Cosmos. See http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/space_hackers_031111.html. Note: This article is from 2003.
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Sol’s nearest neighbor, water on Mars, promise of space tourism
Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Today’s news:
g Stars - What is the closest star system to Earth, and might it support habitable planets? See http://www.solstation.com/stars/alp-cent3.htm.
g Abodes - Layered terrains on Mars discovered by NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft bear a striking resemblance to sedimentary deposits here on Earth that form under water. Liquid water is scarce on Mars nowadays, but it might have been common four billion years ago. If these Martian layers turn out to have a watery origin, as some scientists suspect, they could hold the key to the mysterious history of water (and maybe even life) on the Red Planet. See http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast23
jan_1.htm. Note: This article is from 2001.
g Life - If "E.T." is out there, whether in the form of intelligent beings or much simpler organisms, we may soon be hot on its trail. For the first time in history, the dream of searching for signs of life in other solar systems belongs not only on the philosopher's wish list but also on the list of doable and planned human endeavors. See http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2002/10jan_exo-atmospheres.htm?list505529. Note: This article is from 2002.
g Intelligence - Dartmouth researchers are learning more about the effects of alcohol on the brain. They've discovered more about how the brain works to mask or suppress the impact that alcohol has on motor skills, like reaching for and manipulating objects. In other words, the researchers are learning how people process visual information in concert with motor performance while under the influence of alcohol. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/04/060426000314.htm.
g Message - A lot of science fiction doesn’t offer a particularly accurate description of SETI. Here’s one piece that does: Robert Sawyer’s “Factoring Humanity,” published in 1998 by Tor. In this novel, a radio message from the direction of the nearby star Alpha Centauri helps humanity get in touch with both another civilization and itself.
g Cosmicus - Until space tourism becomes a substantial business space activities, including particularly all crewed space activities, will remain a burden on taxpayers. But some argue that no activity other than tourism offers similar promise of turning space activities into profitable commercial activities in the foreseeable future. See http://www.spacefuture.com/tourism/taxes.shtml.
g Learning - In this interview, David Grinspoon talks about his job as the first-ever curator of astrobiology for a museum. While there are no alien artifacts yet available for display, there are many ways a museum can feature the various facets of astrobiology. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop=modload&name=News
&file=article&sid=1966&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Arthur C. Clarke’s novel “Expedition to Earth,” published by Ballantine in 1953.
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 http://seti.astrobio.net/news/article118.html.
g Stars - What is the closest star system to Earth, and might it support habitable planets? See http://www.solstation.com/stars/alp-cent3.htm.
g Abodes - Layered terrains on Mars discovered by NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft bear a striking resemblance to sedimentary deposits here on Earth that form under water. Liquid water is scarce on Mars nowadays, but it might have been common four billion years ago. If these Martian layers turn out to have a watery origin, as some scientists suspect, they could hold the key to the mysterious history of water (and maybe even life) on the Red Planet. See http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast23
jan_1.htm. Note: This article is from 2001.
g Life - If "E.T." is out there, whether in the form of intelligent beings or much simpler organisms, we may soon be hot on its trail. For the first time in history, the dream of searching for signs of life in other solar systems belongs not only on the philosopher's wish list but also on the list of doable and planned human endeavors. See http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2002/10jan_exo-atmospheres.htm?list505529. Note: This article is from 2002.
g Intelligence - Dartmouth researchers are learning more about the effects of alcohol on the brain. They've discovered more about how the brain works to mask or suppress the impact that alcohol has on motor skills, like reaching for and manipulating objects. In other words, the researchers are learning how people process visual information in concert with motor performance while under the influence of alcohol. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/04/060426000314.htm.
g Message - A lot of science fiction doesn’t offer a particularly accurate description of SETI. Here’s one piece that does: Robert Sawyer’s “Factoring Humanity,” published in 1998 by Tor. In this novel, a radio message from the direction of the nearby star Alpha Centauri helps humanity get in touch with both another civilization and itself.
g Cosmicus - Until space tourism becomes a substantial business space activities, including particularly all crewed space activities, will remain a burden on taxpayers. But some argue that no activity other than tourism offers similar promise of turning space activities into profitable commercial activities in the foreseeable future. See http://www.spacefuture.com/tourism/taxes.shtml.
g Learning - In this interview, David Grinspoon talks about his job as the first-ever curator of astrobiology for a museum. While there are no alien artifacts yet available for display, there are many ways a museum can feature the various facets of astrobiology. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop=modload&name=News
&file=article&sid=1966&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Arthur C. Clarke’s novel “Expedition to Earth,” published by Ballantine in 1953.
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 http://seti.astrobio.net/news/article118.html.
Saturday, May 13, 2006
How Super Earths form, searching for life in Jovian satellites and science fiction’s treatment of astrobiology
Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Today’s news:
g Stars - A new explanation for forming super-Earths suggests that they are more likely to be found orbiting red dwarf stars — the most abundant type of star - than gas giant planets like Jupiter and Saturn. The theory, by Alan Boss of the Carnegie Institution's Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, describes a mechanism whereby UV radiation from a nearby massive star strips off a planet's gaseous envelope, exposing a super-Earth. See http://www.astrobio.net
/news/modules.phpop=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=
1990&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
g Abodes - One of the primary goals of astrobiology is to determine how common habitable planets are. Most astrobiologists expect that habitable planets would likely be terrestrial planets—small, rocky planets like Earth, Mars, or Venus—rather than gas giants such as Jupiter. Now scientist Charley Lineweaver and student Daniel Grether, both of the University of New South Wales in Australia, have estimated the number of terrestrial planets in our Milky Way galaxy: Up to 30 billion. See http://astrobiology.arc.nasa.gov/news/expand
news.cfmid=1227.
g Life - Mars and the ice-covered satellites of Jupiter are currently the most favorable sites for the search of extraterrestrial life. The motivation for the search for life in the Solar System is the evidence of liquid water in the early history of Mars and, at present, in the interior of at least two of the galilean satellites (Callisto and Europa). Hydrothermal vents on the Earth's sea floor have been found to sustain life forms that can live without direct solar energy. Similar possible geologic activity on Europa, caused by tidal heating and decay of radioactive elements, makes this Jovian moon the best target for identifying a separate evolutionary line. This search addresses the main problem remaining in astrobiology, namely, the distribution of life in the universe. We explore ideas related to Europa's likely degree of evolution, and discuss a possible experimental test. The total lack of understanding of the distribution of extraterrestrial life is particularly troublesome. Nevertheless, technical ability to search for extraterrestrial intelligence, by means of radioastronomy, has led to remarkable technological advances. In spite of this success, the theoretical bases for the distribution of life in the universe are still missing. The search for life in the Jovian satellites can provide a first step towards the still missing theoretical insight. See http://www.ictp.trieste.it/~chelaf/ss2.html.
g Intelligence - A forensic anthropologist at Middle Tennessee State University is one of a select number of scientists to participate in the examination of a skeleton that could force historians to rewrite the story of the entire North American continent. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/04/060425183740.htm.
g Message - A lot of science fiction doesn’t offer a particularly accurate description of SETI. Here’s one piece that does: Carl Sagan’s “Contact,” published by Simon & Schuster in 1985. In this story, the discovery of radio signals from extraterrestrial intelligence leads humanity to re-evaluate its self-image. The heroine is loosely based on Jill Tarter, the scientist who leads one of the major scientific searches for signals today.
g Cosmicus - The idea of tourism in space is the central story line in a number of well-known and not-so-well-known science fiction stories. It also plays a significant part in a number of other stories, and gets some sort of mention in even more. See http://www.spacefuture.com/tourism/sciencefiction.shtml.
g Learning - How are key concepts of astrobiology treated in science fiction? See http://www.ibiblio.org/astrobiology/index.phppage=lesson05. Note: This article is from 2001 and intended to be used as part of a classroom lesson.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Isaac Asimov’s short story "Nothing for Nothing," published in the Feb. 1979 issue of IASFM.
g Aftermath - Would dutiful American citizens trust the government to handle first contact with extraterrestrials and rush to get information to the public? See http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/1999/Jun-11-Fri-1999/news/11331065.html. Note: This article is from 1999.
g Stars - A new explanation for forming super-Earths suggests that they are more likely to be found orbiting red dwarf stars — the most abundant type of star - than gas giant planets like Jupiter and Saturn. The theory, by Alan Boss of the Carnegie Institution's Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, describes a mechanism whereby UV radiation from a nearby massive star strips off a planet's gaseous envelope, exposing a super-Earth. See http://www.astrobio.net
/news/modules.phpop=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=
1990&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
g Abodes - One of the primary goals of astrobiology is to determine how common habitable planets are. Most astrobiologists expect that habitable planets would likely be terrestrial planets—small, rocky planets like Earth, Mars, or Venus—rather than gas giants such as Jupiter. Now scientist Charley Lineweaver and student Daniel Grether, both of the University of New South Wales in Australia, have estimated the number of terrestrial planets in our Milky Way galaxy: Up to 30 billion. See http://astrobiology.arc.nasa.gov/news/expand
news.cfmid=1227.
g Life - Mars and the ice-covered satellites of Jupiter are currently the most favorable sites for the search of extraterrestrial life. The motivation for the search for life in the Solar System is the evidence of liquid water in the early history of Mars and, at present, in the interior of at least two of the galilean satellites (Callisto and Europa). Hydrothermal vents on the Earth's sea floor have been found to sustain life forms that can live without direct solar energy. Similar possible geologic activity on Europa, caused by tidal heating and decay of radioactive elements, makes this Jovian moon the best target for identifying a separate evolutionary line. This search addresses the main problem remaining in astrobiology, namely, the distribution of life in the universe. We explore ideas related to Europa's likely degree of evolution, and discuss a possible experimental test. The total lack of understanding of the distribution of extraterrestrial life is particularly troublesome. Nevertheless, technical ability to search for extraterrestrial intelligence, by means of radioastronomy, has led to remarkable technological advances. In spite of this success, the theoretical bases for the distribution of life in the universe are still missing. The search for life in the Jovian satellites can provide a first step towards the still missing theoretical insight. See http://www.ictp.trieste.it/~chelaf/ss2.html.
g Intelligence - A forensic anthropologist at Middle Tennessee State University is one of a select number of scientists to participate in the examination of a skeleton that could force historians to rewrite the story of the entire North American continent. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/04/060425183740.htm.
g Message - A lot of science fiction doesn’t offer a particularly accurate description of SETI. Here’s one piece that does: Carl Sagan’s “Contact,” published by Simon & Schuster in 1985. In this story, the discovery of radio signals from extraterrestrial intelligence leads humanity to re-evaluate its self-image. The heroine is loosely based on Jill Tarter, the scientist who leads one of the major scientific searches for signals today.
g Cosmicus - The idea of tourism in space is the central story line in a number of well-known and not-so-well-known science fiction stories. It also plays a significant part in a number of other stories, and gets some sort of mention in even more. See http://www.spacefuture.com/tourism/sciencefiction.shtml.
g Learning - How are key concepts of astrobiology treated in science fiction? See http://www.ibiblio.org/astrobiology/index.phppage=lesson05. Note: This article is from 2001 and intended to be used as part of a classroom lesson.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Isaac Asimov’s short story "Nothing for Nothing," published in the Feb. 1979 issue of IASFM.
g Aftermath - Would dutiful American citizens trust the government to handle first contact with extraterrestrials and rush to get information to the public? See http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/1999/Jun-11-Fri-1999/news/11331065.html. Note: This article is from 1999.
Friday, May 12, 2006
Supernova-hiding star, potentially habitable planets and water on Mars
Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Today’s news:
g Stars - A star once hidden by a stellar death shroud is the source of odd behavior of its companion supernova, a new study has found. See http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/060504_super
nova_companion.html.
g Abodes - Chances are you haven't spent a whole lot of time wondering how many Jupiter-like planets exist in our galaxy. But Charley Lineweaver has, because it bears on a more important question: How many potentially habitable planets are there? See http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/astronomy/jupiter_
typical_020128.html. Note: This article is from 2002.
g Life - A team of researchers from the University of Arkansas has measured water evaporation rates under Mars-like conditions, and their findings favor the presence of surface water on the planet. Water on the planet's surface makes the existence of past or present life on Mars a little more likely. See http://www.spacedaily.com/
news/mars-water-science-03o.html.
g Intelligence - The shapes of letters in all languages are derived from common forms in nature, according to a new hypothesis. The idea, in some ways seemingly obvious and innately human, arose however from a study of how robots see the world. See http://www.
livescience.com/othernews/060425_letter_shapes.html.
g Message - A lot of science fiction doesn’t offer a particularly accurate description of SETI. Here’s one piece that does: C. Zerwick’s and H. Brown’s “The Cassiopeia Affair,” published in 1968 by Curtis. In this novel, an exploration of the effects that an alien radio message might have on Earth. One of the authors is a geochemist.
g Cosmicus - A lot of people think you need to be a superman to survive the trip to orbit, or to live there. But it's not true. This is just a myth - largely based on fictional stories and movies from before the first space flight was made. (Remember Tintin and friends blacking out? Or the strained expressions on people's faces in old space movies?) The fact is that acceleration of even several Gs is no problem at all so long as you're lying on your back. It doesn't hurt. It's not even hard to breathe. It's like having a baby lying on your chest. But it's not uncomfortable so long as you're lying on something soft. And there's no need for an individually contoured couch! See http://www.spacefuture.com/habitat/healthfitness.shtml.
g Learning - Here’s a neat classroom activity that examines if yeast, a common yet tenacious microbe, can survive boiling water, salt, UV radiation and citric acid? Students find out for themselves by creating "Planets in a Bottle" which illustrate extreme conditions on other worlds. See http://science.nasa.gov/newhome/headlines/msad16mar99_1a.htm.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Theodore Sturgeon’s short story "Killdozer," published in the November 1944 edition of Astounding.
g Aftermath - What would an intelligent signal from another planet change about human destiny? This large question is the topic of the book “The SETI Factor,” by Frank White, who also analyzes how to announce such an historic finding and whether it would unite or divide nations. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/article646.html. Note: This article is from 2003.
g Stars - A star once hidden by a stellar death shroud is the source of odd behavior of its companion supernova, a new study has found. See http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/060504_super
nova_companion.html.
g Abodes - Chances are you haven't spent a whole lot of time wondering how many Jupiter-like planets exist in our galaxy. But Charley Lineweaver has, because it bears on a more important question: How many potentially habitable planets are there? See http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/astronomy/jupiter_
typical_020128.html. Note: This article is from 2002.
g Life - A team of researchers from the University of Arkansas has measured water evaporation rates under Mars-like conditions, and their findings favor the presence of surface water on the planet. Water on the planet's surface makes the existence of past or present life on Mars a little more likely. See http://www.spacedaily.com/
news/mars-water-science-03o.html.
g Intelligence - The shapes of letters in all languages are derived from common forms in nature, according to a new hypothesis. The idea, in some ways seemingly obvious and innately human, arose however from a study of how robots see the world. See http://www.
livescience.com/othernews/060425_letter_shapes.html.
g Message - A lot of science fiction doesn’t offer a particularly accurate description of SETI. Here’s one piece that does: C. Zerwick’s and H. Brown’s “The Cassiopeia Affair,” published in 1968 by Curtis. In this novel, an exploration of the effects that an alien radio message might have on Earth. One of the authors is a geochemist.
g Cosmicus - A lot of people think you need to be a superman to survive the trip to orbit, or to live there. But it's not true. This is just a myth - largely based on fictional stories and movies from before the first space flight was made. (Remember Tintin and friends blacking out? Or the strained expressions on people's faces in old space movies?) The fact is that acceleration of even several Gs is no problem at all so long as you're lying on your back. It doesn't hurt. It's not even hard to breathe. It's like having a baby lying on your chest. But it's not uncomfortable so long as you're lying on something soft. And there's no need for an individually contoured couch! See http://www.spacefuture.com/habitat/healthfitness.shtml.
g Learning - Here’s a neat classroom activity that examines if yeast, a common yet tenacious microbe, can survive boiling water, salt, UV radiation and citric acid? Students find out for themselves by creating "Planets in a Bottle" which illustrate extreme conditions on other worlds. See http://science.nasa.gov/newhome/headlines/msad16mar99_1a.htm.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Theodore Sturgeon’s short story "Killdozer," published in the November 1944 edition of Astounding.
g Aftermath - What would an intelligent signal from another planet change about human destiny? This large question is the topic of the book “The SETI Factor,” by Frank White, who also analyzes how to announce such an historic finding and whether it would unite or divide nations. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/article646.html. Note: This article is from 2003.
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Monstrous stars, exploring Europa and evolutionary biomarkers
Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Today’s news:
g Stars - Scientists have secured their first look at the birth of monstrous stars that shine 100,000 times more brightly than the Sun, thanks to the European Space Agency's Infrared Space Observatory. See http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0605/02monstrous/.
g Abodes - Europa remains a tantalizing target for astrobiologists - but what would be the best way to investigate the mysterious moon? In this interview, Karl Hibbitts describes a proposed hyper-velocity impactor that would smack right into Europa’s outer ice shell. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop=modload&name=News
&file=article&sid=1944mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
g Life - In view of the substantial challenges ahead in instrumentation and trials on Earth analogs, we must now begin to plan a second generation of feasible evolutionary experiments with whole microorganisms. In those new experiments universal evolutionary biomarkers should be searched for. See http://www.ictp.trieste.it/~chelaf/ss5.html.
g Intelligence - Humans have an uncanny ability to skim through text, instantly recognizing words by their shape--even though writing developed only about 6000 years ago - long after humans evolved. Thus, neuroscientists have hotly debated whether an area of the cortex called the Visual Word Form Area is truly a specific and necessary area for recognizing words. See http://www.
sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/04/060422122127.htm.
g Message - A lot of science fiction doesn’t offer a particularly accurate description of SETI. Here’s one piece that does: Norman Spinrad’s short story "The Helping Hand," anthologized in “Full Spectrum 3,” (edited by Lou Aronica, et al., 1991, Bantam). In this story, an alien message unites humanity, but turns out to be a benevolent lie.
g Cosmicus - The first accommodation in orbit available to the public won't be a real "hotel" - it's more likely just to be rooms in pre-fabricated cylindrical modules connected together, because this is the easiest way to start. However, it will gradually grow in quantity and quality to include more elaborate facilities constructed in orbit - eventually including full-scale hotels and even apartment blocks. Starting at thousands of dollars per night, costs will fall continually as the volume grows, and it's likely that guests will choose to stay for longer and longer. See http://www.spacefuture.com/habitat/accommodation.shtml.
g Learning - Are you thinking of a career in SETI? Get the low-down at http://www.setileague.org/articles/getinto.htm. Note: This article is from 1998.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Anne McCaffrey and Jody Lynn Nye’s “Treaty at Doona,” published by Ace in 1994.
g Aftermath - What affect would the discovery of alien life have on the story-telling genre that inspires the search for it — science fiction? See http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue388/cassutt.html.
g Stars - Scientists have secured their first look at the birth of monstrous stars that shine 100,000 times more brightly than the Sun, thanks to the European Space Agency's Infrared Space Observatory. See http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0605/02monstrous/.
g Abodes - Europa remains a tantalizing target for astrobiologists - but what would be the best way to investigate the mysterious moon? In this interview, Karl Hibbitts describes a proposed hyper-velocity impactor that would smack right into Europa’s outer ice shell. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop=modload&name=News
&file=article&sid=1944mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
g Life - In view of the substantial challenges ahead in instrumentation and trials on Earth analogs, we must now begin to plan a second generation of feasible evolutionary experiments with whole microorganisms. In those new experiments universal evolutionary biomarkers should be searched for. See http://www.ictp.trieste.it/~chelaf/ss5.html.
g Intelligence - Humans have an uncanny ability to skim through text, instantly recognizing words by their shape--even though writing developed only about 6000 years ago - long after humans evolved. Thus, neuroscientists have hotly debated whether an area of the cortex called the Visual Word Form Area is truly a specific and necessary area for recognizing words. See http://www.
sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/04/060422122127.htm.
g Message - A lot of science fiction doesn’t offer a particularly accurate description of SETI. Here’s one piece that does: Norman Spinrad’s short story "The Helping Hand," anthologized in “Full Spectrum 3,” (edited by Lou Aronica, et al., 1991, Bantam). In this story, an alien message unites humanity, but turns out to be a benevolent lie.
g Cosmicus - The first accommodation in orbit available to the public won't be a real "hotel" - it's more likely just to be rooms in pre-fabricated cylindrical modules connected together, because this is the easiest way to start. However, it will gradually grow in quantity and quality to include more elaborate facilities constructed in orbit - eventually including full-scale hotels and even apartment blocks. Starting at thousands of dollars per night, costs will fall continually as the volume grows, and it's likely that guests will choose to stay for longer and longer. See http://www.spacefuture.com/habitat/accommodation.shtml.
g Learning - Are you thinking of a career in SETI? Get the low-down at http://www.setileague.org/articles/getinto.htm. Note: This article is from 1998.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Anne McCaffrey and Jody Lynn Nye’s “Treaty at Doona,” published by Ace in 1994.
g Aftermath - What affect would the discovery of alien life have on the story-telling genre that inspires the search for it — science fiction? See http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue388/cassutt.html.
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