New class of star and insights into how life evolved from the simple to the complex

Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. You may notice that this and future entries are shorter than usual; career, family and book deal commitments have forced me to cut back some of my projects. Now, here’s today’s news:
g Stars - Astronomers have spotted a new class of star - those that support the formation of a second generation of planets long after the stars themselves have formed. The finding is providing scientists with new information about the behavior of planet-forming stars. See article.
g Life - A protein from a primitive fungus has provided scientists with important insights into how life evolved from the simple to the complex. The finding is allowing scientists to understand how the inter-relations between important functional molecules in organisms developed over time. See article.
g Aftermath - Here’s an interesting book for some astrobiological reading: “After Contact: The Human Response to Extraterrestrial Life” by Albert A. Harrison.