Sunday, March 09, 2008

Enceladus' massivbe geysers and the connection between the environment of Earth and the evolution of life

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 Abodes - Plumes of water and dust that spout from the south pole of Saturn's moon Enceladus have intrigued scientists ever since the Cassini spacecraft first captured images of the phenomenon. Now, new information may help scientists determine how the massive geysers are formed. See article.
g Life - At two distinct points in history, increases in oxygen and oxidation of deep oceans may have impacted the spread of complex organisms. The two events - occurring 635 and 551 million years ago - highlight the connection between the environment of Earth and the evolution of life. See article.
g Message - For more than 80 years, we've been sending radio (and eventually television) transmissions into space, allowing anyone in space to hear war reports from London, "I Love Lucy" reruns and our latest election results. So wouldn't hearing aliens be as simple as turning on the radio? Here's why not.

No comments: