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 - What is the habitable zone of nearby Epsilon Eridani?
g Abodes - Amphitheater-headed canyons have been used as diagnostic indicators of erosion by groundwater seepage, which has important implications for landscape evolution on Earth and astrobiology on Mars. See article.
g Life - The most comprehensive analysis ever performed of the genetic relationships among all the major groups of snakes, lizards and other scaly reptiles has resulted in a radical reorganization of the family tree of these animals, requiring new names for many of the tree's new branches. See article. Note: This article is from 2005.
g Message - What is the "zoo hypothesis"? See article.
g Cosmicus -This week's Mars landing by the unmanned Phoenix spacecraft may bring back applications that enhance life on Earth as much as they inform on whether life exists elsewhere. See article.
g Learning - Science teacher Grant Elliott watched anxiously from his Cobourg home as the NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander settled safely on Mars on May 25. Elliott was one of two Canadian teachers chosen by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) to perform scientific investigations on the frozen terrain the Mars mission will encounter. See article.
g Aftermath - The recent Hollywood movie "War of the Worlds" by Steven Spielberg garnered much attention, but it's nothing like that accorded the 1938 radio version of H.G. Wells' novel. The extent of the panic that broadcast caused is still debated. So what really happened that night? See article.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Friday, May 30, 2008
Phoenix on Mars and the cliché of aggressive extraterrestrials
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 - What is the habitable zone for the nearby star Lalande 21185?
g Abodes - A new study suggests that “megacryometeors” could possibly be new signs of climate change. See article.
g Life - Once considered a barren plain with the odd hydrothermal vent, the seafloor appears to be teeming with microbial life, according to a paper being published May 29 in Nature. See article.
g Intelligence - At least part of the mystery of Stonehenge may have now been solved: It was from the beginning a monument to the dead. See article.
g Message - Among the most important SETI work is being done at Harvard University. Here's the Harvard SETI home page. See article.
g Cosmicus -A satellite radio that carries signals and commands to the Mars Phoenix lander has restarted, ending a one-day delay in the robotic explorer’s deployment on the Martian surface. See article.
g Learning - What are SETI scientists doing to foment the study and understanding of astrobiology in our schools? See article.
g Imagining - Bad news for the NASA Administrator - the Space Shuttle has blown up again. But this time the cause is not foam-fretted tiles, it's alien hitchhikers. That's right: aggressive extraterrestrials have bummed a rocket ride to Earth to take over our planet. It's a familiar theme, indeed, but there's a silver lining to this interstellar cloud: the invaders are doing it for your own good. See article.
g Stars - What is the habitable zone for the nearby star Lalande 21185?
g Abodes - A new study suggests that “megacryometeors” could possibly be new signs of climate change. See article.
g Life - Once considered a barren plain with the odd hydrothermal vent, the seafloor appears to be teeming with microbial life, according to a paper being published May 29 in Nature. See article.
g Intelligence - At least part of the mystery of Stonehenge may have now been solved: It was from the beginning a monument to the dead. See article.
g Message - Among the most important SETI work is being done at Harvard University. Here's the Harvard SETI home page. See article.
g Cosmicus -A satellite radio that carries signals and commands to the Mars Phoenix lander has restarted, ending a one-day delay in the robotic explorer’s deployment on the Martian surface. See article.
g Learning - What are SETI scientists doing to foment the study and understanding of astrobiology in our schools? See article.
g Imagining - Bad news for the NASA Administrator - the Space Shuttle has blown up again. But this time the cause is not foam-fretted tiles, it's alien hitchhikers. That's right: aggressive extraterrestrials have bummed a rocket ride to Earth to take over our planet. It's a familiar theme, indeed, but there's a silver lining to this interstellar cloud: the invaders are doing it for your own good. See article.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Hydroxyl in Venus’ atmosphere and exosociology
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 - What is the habitable zone for the nearby red dwarf GJ 1105?
g Abodes - Hydroxyl has been found in the atmosphere of Venus. It's the first time the molecule has been spotted on another planet and will help scientists understand the workings of Venus's dense atmosphere. See article.
g Life - Life on Earth may have begun much earlier than the accepted date of about 3.5 billion years ago, according to a study of bacteria colonies near Australia's western tip. See article.
Intelligence - Quote of the Day: “… the profound and inextinguishable longing for better and more fortunate conditions than those which the Earth offers us. Indeed we do dream of a higher civilization, but we would also like to come know it as something more than the hope for a distant future. We tell ourselves that what the future can sometime bring about on Earth must even now, in view of the infiniteness of time and space, have already become a reality somewhere.” – Kurd Lasswitz
g Message - When scientists get together to talk about extraterrestrial life, they certainly don't imagine little green men. In fact, our first contact with life beyond our planet probably will involve a microbe. See article. Note: This article is from 2001.
g Cosmicus - NASA has achieved a photographic first. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured an image of Phoenix, hanging below its parachute, as the lander descended through the Martian atmosphere. See article.
g Learning - By combining ideas and bringing different specialists into one room to collaborate, the UCLA Center for Astrobiology is working to answer the timeless questions about the origins of life and whether humans are alone in the universe. See article.
g Imagining - When science fiction writers set out to design a world, they usually take care that their physics and astronomy conforms to known science by reading a few physics and astronomy books. But when designing aliens, anything goes, it seems! The problem appears to be that the literature of biology is simply unknown in the SF world. Mention Freeman Dyson or Robert Forward, and most hard SF readers and writers will know whom you are talking about. But mention Steven Vogel or Colin Pennycuick, and you are likely to be rewarded with polite bafflement. Here's a list of books that'll give you a solid grounding in biology. See article.
g Aftermath - Communication with extraterrestrial intelligence depends as much upon social support for the project as upon appropriate engineering design and upon the actual existence of a nearby extrasolar civilization. The results of a sociological survey of 1,465 American college students provide the first detailed analysis of the social and ideological factors that influence support for CETI, thereby suggesting ways that support might be increased. Linked to the most idealistic goals of the space program, notably interplanetary colonization, enthusiasm for CETI is little affected by attitudes toward technology or militarism. Few sciences or scholarly fields encourage CETI, with the exceptions of anthropology and astronomy. Support is somewhat greater among men than among women, but the sex difference is far less than in attitudes toward space flight in general. Evangelical Protestantism, represented by the "Born Again" movement, strongly discourages support for CETI. Just as exobiology begins with an understanding of terrestrial biology, exosociology on the question of how interstellar contact can be achieved should begin with serious sociological study of factors operating on our own world. See article.
g Stars - What is the habitable zone for the nearby red dwarf GJ 1105?
g Abodes - Hydroxyl has been found in the atmosphere of Venus. It's the first time the molecule has been spotted on another planet and will help scientists understand the workings of Venus's dense atmosphere. See article.
g Life - Life on Earth may have begun much earlier than the accepted date of about 3.5 billion years ago, according to a study of bacteria colonies near Australia's western tip. See article.
Intelligence - Quote of the Day: “… the profound and inextinguishable longing for better and more fortunate conditions than those which the Earth offers us. Indeed we do dream of a higher civilization, but we would also like to come know it as something more than the hope for a distant future. We tell ourselves that what the future can sometime bring about on Earth must even now, in view of the infiniteness of time and space, have already become a reality somewhere.” – Kurd Lasswitz
g Message - When scientists get together to talk about extraterrestrial life, they certainly don't imagine little green men. In fact, our first contact with life beyond our planet probably will involve a microbe. See article. Note: This article is from 2001.
g Cosmicus - NASA has achieved a photographic first. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured an image of Phoenix, hanging below its parachute, as the lander descended through the Martian atmosphere. See article.
g Learning - By combining ideas and bringing different specialists into one room to collaborate, the UCLA Center for Astrobiology is working to answer the timeless questions about the origins of life and whether humans are alone in the universe. See article.
g Imagining - When science fiction writers set out to design a world, they usually take care that their physics and astronomy conforms to known science by reading a few physics and astronomy books. But when designing aliens, anything goes, it seems! The problem appears to be that the literature of biology is simply unknown in the SF world. Mention Freeman Dyson or Robert Forward, and most hard SF readers and writers will know whom you are talking about. But mention Steven Vogel or Colin Pennycuick, and you are likely to be rewarded with polite bafflement. Here's a list of books that'll give you a solid grounding in biology. See article.
g Aftermath - Communication with extraterrestrial intelligence depends as much upon social support for the project as upon appropriate engineering design and upon the actual existence of a nearby extrasolar civilization. The results of a sociological survey of 1,465 American college students provide the first detailed analysis of the social and ideological factors that influence support for CETI, thereby suggesting ways that support might be increased. Linked to the most idealistic goals of the space program, notably interplanetary colonization, enthusiasm for CETI is little affected by attitudes toward technology or militarism. Few sciences or scholarly fields encourage CETI, with the exceptions of anthropology and astronomy. Support is somewhat greater among men than among women, but the sex difference is far less than in attitudes toward space flight in general. Evangelical Protestantism, represented by the "Born Again" movement, strongly discourages support for CETI. Just as exobiology begins with an understanding of terrestrial biology, exosociology on the question of how interstellar contact can be achieved should begin with serious sociological study of factors operating on our own world. See article.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Planetary formation around sun-like stars and germ-laden samples of the Red Planet
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 - What are the habitable zones for the nearby trinary GJ 1245 ABC?
g Abodes - Astronomers have discovered that terrestrial planets might form around many, if not most, of the nearby sun-like stars in the disk of our galaxy. These new results suggest that worlds with potential for life might be more common than thought. See article.
g Life - A leading Welsh academic has said pictures from Mars give the clearest indication yet that life exists on the red planet. See article.
g Intelligence - When older people can no longer remember names at a cocktail party, they tend to think that their brainpower is declining. But a growing number of studies suggest that this assumption is often wrong. See article.
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 article. Note: This article is from March 2003.
g Cosmicus - A team of more than 50 international academics have named Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey as the science fiction film with the most realistic vision of the future of mankind. See article.
g Learning - Here's a neat classroom activity, courtesy of NASA: "Ergonomics For Extraterrestrials," in which students develop an extraterrestrial life form, and to create a workstation that accommodates its unique characteristics. See article.
g Aftermath - Decades after Hollywood first made the leap between alien life and the threat of contamination, a scientist has issued a similar warning. U.S. Geological Survey geologist Jeffrey Kargel says convincing evidence uncovered by NASA's robotic rover Opportunity that water once flowed on Mars means scientists should proceed cautiously in bringing back potentially germ-laden samples of the Red Planet. See article. Note: This article is from 2004.
g Stars - What are the habitable zones for the nearby trinary GJ 1245 ABC?
g Abodes - Astronomers have discovered that terrestrial planets might form around many, if not most, of the nearby sun-like stars in the disk of our galaxy. These new results suggest that worlds with potential for life might be more common than thought. See article.
g Life - A leading Welsh academic has said pictures from Mars give the clearest indication yet that life exists on the red planet. See article.
g Intelligence - When older people can no longer remember names at a cocktail party, they tend to think that their brainpower is declining. But a growing number of studies suggest that this assumption is often wrong. See article.
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 article. Note: This article is from March 2003.
g Cosmicus - A team of more than 50 international academics have named Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey as the science fiction film with the most realistic vision of the future of mankind. See article.
g Learning - Here's a neat classroom activity, courtesy of NASA: "Ergonomics For Extraterrestrials," in which students develop an extraterrestrial life form, and to create a workstation that accommodates its unique characteristics. See article.
g Aftermath - Decades after Hollywood first made the leap between alien life and the threat of contamination, a scientist has issued a similar warning. U.S. Geological Survey geologist Jeffrey Kargel says convincing evidence uncovered by NASA's robotic rover Opportunity that water once flowed on Mars means scientists should proceed cautiously in bringing back potentially germ-laden samples of the Red Planet. See article. Note: This article is from 2004.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Atmospheric heating shuts down plate tectonics and brain chips
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 - What is the habitable zone for the nearby star Wolf 359?
g Abodes - A new study finds that prolonged heating of a planet's atmosphere can shut down plate tectonics. The study could have important implications for our understanding of climates on terrestrial planets like Earth and Venus. See article.
g Life - New research reveals that songbirds add style to their songs using the same mechanism as humans. See article.
g Intelligence - A uniform neural net of brain cells — a brain chip — has been created by a team of scientists lead by Yael Hanein of Tel Aviv University in Israel. See article.
g Message - To contact an alien civilization, humanity might want to consider a Bracewell probe — a hypothetical concept for an autonomous interstellar space probe dispatched for the express purpose of communication with (an) alien civilization(s). It was proposed by Ronald N. Bracewell in a 1960 paper, as an alternative to interstellar radio communication between widely separated civilizations. See article.
g Cosmicus - Imagine yourself hip-to-hip, shoulder-to-shoulder, inside a room the size of a walk-in closet for eight hours with five people you just met. Does that make you sweat? Or maybe make your breathing a little more animated? For three weeks, 23 volunteers dedicated time to do just that -- sweat and breathe -- inside a test chamber so NASA scientists at Johnson Space Center in Houston could measure the amount of moisture and carbon dioxide absorbed by a new system being developed for future space vehicles. See article.
g Aftermath - If we do make contact with extraterrestrials, they'll probably be a Type II or III Kardashev civilization. What's a Kardashev civilization? See article.
g Stars - What is the habitable zone for the nearby star Wolf 359?
g Abodes - A new study finds that prolonged heating of a planet's atmosphere can shut down plate tectonics. The study could have important implications for our understanding of climates on terrestrial planets like Earth and Venus. See article.
g Life - New research reveals that songbirds add style to their songs using the same mechanism as humans. See article.
g Intelligence - A uniform neural net of brain cells — a brain chip — has been created by a team of scientists lead by Yael Hanein of Tel Aviv University in Israel. See article.
g Message - To contact an alien civilization, humanity might want to consider a Bracewell probe — a hypothetical concept for an autonomous interstellar space probe dispatched for the express purpose of communication with (an) alien civilization(s). It was proposed by Ronald N. Bracewell in a 1960 paper, as an alternative to interstellar radio communication between widely separated civilizations. See article.
g Cosmicus - Imagine yourself hip-to-hip, shoulder-to-shoulder, inside a room the size of a walk-in closet for eight hours with five people you just met. Does that make you sweat? Or maybe make your breathing a little more animated? For three weeks, 23 volunteers dedicated time to do just that -- sweat and breathe -- inside a test chamber so NASA scientists at Johnson Space Center in Houston could measure the amount of moisture and carbon dioxide absorbed by a new system being developed for future space vehicles. See article.
g Aftermath - If we do make contact with extraterrestrials, they'll probably be a Type II or III Kardashev civilization. What's a Kardashev civilization? See article.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Phoenix lands and data from Galileo mission
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 - What is the habitable zone for the nearby star Barnard’s Star?
g Abodes - Yogi Berra supposedly suggested that when you come to a fork in the road, you are supposed to take it. That's just what planetary scientists studying the rich data set from the Galileo mission to the outer solar system are doing now. They're taking the fork. See article.
g Intelligence - Scientists may have revealed the origin of the battle of the sexes—in our genes. See article.
g Message - Quote of the Day: “It’s the most important scientific question we can ask: Are we alone? Are we unique?” – Peter Doran
g Cosmicus - NASA’s Phoenix lander has touched down safely on Mars and sent back the first close-up pictures of the planet’s northern arctic plains. Over the next three months, it will look for evidence of liquid water in Mars’s recent past. See article.
g Aftermath - The more anthropocentric a person is, the less likely he is to believe that life exists beyond Earth. See article.
g Stars - What is the habitable zone for the nearby star Barnard’s Star?
g Abodes - Yogi Berra supposedly suggested that when you come to a fork in the road, you are supposed to take it. That's just what planetary scientists studying the rich data set from the Galileo mission to the outer solar system are doing now. They're taking the fork. See article.
g Intelligence - Scientists may have revealed the origin of the battle of the sexes—in our genes. See article.
g Message - Quote of the Day: “It’s the most important scientific question we can ask: Are we alone? Are we unique?” – Peter Doran
g Cosmicus - NASA’s Phoenix lander has touched down safely on Mars and sent back the first close-up pictures of the planet’s northern arctic plains. Over the next three months, it will look for evidence of liquid water in Mars’s recent past. See article.
g Aftermath - The more anthropocentric a person is, the less likely he is to believe that life exists beyond Earth. See article.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Europa's drifting polar regions and societal, philosophical and religious fallout from first contact
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 - What is the habitable zone for the red dwarf binary Gliese 257 AB?
g Abodes - The icy outer shell of Jupiter's moon Europa may have slipped about 80° within the last 60 million years, carrying the moon's polar regions towards its equator, a new study reports. The research bolsters the idea that a global ocean – which just might harbour life – lies hidden beneath the moon's icy surface. See article.
g Life - It's the basement apartment like no other. Life has been found 1.6 kilometers beneath the sea floor, at temperatures reaching 100 °C. The discovery marks the deepest living cells ever to be found beneath the sea floor. Bacteria have been found deeper underneath the continents, but there they are rare. In comparison, the rocks beneath the sea appear to be teeming with life. See article.
g Intelligence - Quote of the Day: “It must seem absolutely nonsensical indeed, that in the infinity of the cosmos our Earth should have remained the only supporter of intelligent beings. The rational order of the universe demands that there should necessarily even be infinite gradations of intelligent beings inhabiting such worlds.” – Kurd Lasswitz
g Message - Astrobiology has been the flavor of the last decade, particularly in the Bay Area where UC Berkeley, San Francisco State, and NASA Ames Research Center have led the field in trying to answer the kinds of mind-boggling questions prompted by the search for life in space. Is our planet an aberration, a warm spot in a cold universe — or is life practically inevitable if you throw the right chemicals together? If there's other life, what's it like? Where does it live? Is it related to us? Why doesn't it ever call or write? See Part I and Part II.
g Cosmicus - Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. has been selected to support seven NASA astrophysics strategic mission concept studies for its next generation of major space observatories. See article.
g Aftermath - High-tech telescopes on the ground and in space that perform daunting astronomical peep shows in a search for Earth-like worlds aim to answer one of humankind's most monumental questions: "Are we alone?" There is on-going deliberation relating to the societal, philosophical and religious fallout that stems from resolving such a stellar inquiry. See article.
g Stars - What is the habitable zone for the red dwarf binary Gliese 257 AB?
g Abodes - The icy outer shell of Jupiter's moon Europa may have slipped about 80° within the last 60 million years, carrying the moon's polar regions towards its equator, a new study reports. The research bolsters the idea that a global ocean – which just might harbour life – lies hidden beneath the moon's icy surface. See article.
g Life - It's the basement apartment like no other. Life has been found 1.6 kilometers beneath the sea floor, at temperatures reaching 100 °C. The discovery marks the deepest living cells ever to be found beneath the sea floor. Bacteria have been found deeper underneath the continents, but there they are rare. In comparison, the rocks beneath the sea appear to be teeming with life. See article.
g Intelligence - Quote of the Day: “It must seem absolutely nonsensical indeed, that in the infinity of the cosmos our Earth should have remained the only supporter of intelligent beings. The rational order of the universe demands that there should necessarily even be infinite gradations of intelligent beings inhabiting such worlds.” – Kurd Lasswitz
g Message - Astrobiology has been the flavor of the last decade, particularly in the Bay Area where UC Berkeley, San Francisco State, and NASA Ames Research Center have led the field in trying to answer the kinds of mind-boggling questions prompted by the search for life in space. Is our planet an aberration, a warm spot in a cold universe — or is life practically inevitable if you throw the right chemicals together? If there's other life, what's it like? Where does it live? Is it related to us? Why doesn't it ever call or write? See Part I and Part II.
g Cosmicus - Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. has been selected to support seven NASA astrophysics strategic mission concept studies for its next generation of major space observatories. See article.
g Aftermath - High-tech telescopes on the ground and in space that perform daunting astronomical peep shows in a search for Earth-like worlds aim to answer one of humankind's most monumental questions: "Are we alone?" There is on-going deliberation relating to the societal, philosophical and religious fallout that stems from resolving such a stellar inquiry. See article.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Our commonplace sun and what makes Earth habitable
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 - The most comprehensive comparison of our sun with other stars has shown that there is nothing 'special' about the sun. The findings add weight to the idea that life could be common in the universe. See article.
g Abodes - What makes Earth habitable? This LiveScience original video explores the science of global warming and explains how, for now, conditions here are just right. See article.
g Life - New research conducted by the MARTE project team has shown that microbes can make barren areas suitable for life. This could have important implications for the search for life on Mars and other planets. See article. For related article, see “Life Found Where You Least Expect It”.
g Message - Quote of the Day: “The stars … blindly run;/A web is wov’n across the sky;/From out waste places comes a cry” – Lord Alfred Tennyson, “In Memoriam, A.H.H. III”
g Cosmicus - Technology that could someday provide 3D roadmaps of other planets and moons is now in development. The information the maps provide would help in designing future scientific missions to locations in the solar system. See article.
g Imagining - Are there any alternatives to DNA or RNA, as an "X-Files" episode said there was? See article.
g Stars - The most comprehensive comparison of our sun with other stars has shown that there is nothing 'special' about the sun. The findings add weight to the idea that life could be common in the universe. See article.
g Abodes - What makes Earth habitable? This LiveScience original video explores the science of global warming and explains how, for now, conditions here are just right. See article.
g Life - New research conducted by the MARTE project team has shown that microbes can make barren areas suitable for life. This could have important implications for the search for life on Mars and other planets. See article. For related article, see “Life Found Where You Least Expect It”.
g Message - Quote of the Day: “The stars … blindly run;/A web is wov’n across the sky;/From out waste places comes a cry” – Lord Alfred Tennyson, “In Memoriam, A.H.H. III”
g Cosmicus - Technology that could someday provide 3D roadmaps of other planets and moons is now in development. The information the maps provide would help in designing future scientific missions to locations in the solar system. See article.
g Imagining - Are there any alternatives to DNA or RNA, as an "X-Files" episode said there was? See article.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Phoenix on track for Mars landing and if extraterrestrials are motivated to cooperate
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 - What is the habitable zone for the nearby Alpha Centauri star system?
g Abodes - A new computer model suggests that the Moon may not have been the only reminder of the big collision that created it. See article.
g Life - Nobody has yet seen an extraterrestrial, which may sound like a problem in establishing a science of astrobiology. But in the past 20 years or so, scientists have found clues that life may be quite common in the universe, and many are hopeful that they will soon find hard evidence of life beyond Earth. See article. Note: This article is from autumn 2006.
g Intelligence - Quote of the Day: Other words “…have men on them, and these have houses and canals just as we do.” – Anaxgoras
g Message - Here's an interesting interview of Jill Tarter, the director of the SETI Institute, by The Montreal Mirror from 2002. See article.
g Cosmicus - Phoenix, NASA’s latest mission to Mars, is a lander that will touch down in the planet’s northern polar region on Sunday. It will search for evidence that liquid water, and a habitable environment for life, have been present there in the recent past. But first the spacecraft has to land safely. See article.
g Learning - A computer program called Second Life provides educators with unique opportunities to connect with students in a virtual landscape – including astrobiology. See article.
g Aftermath - When we first meet extraterrestrials, will we and they be able to converse? An MIT professor argues that we will — provided they are motivated to cooperate — because we'll both think similar ways. Note: This article is from 1985. See article.
g Stars - What is the habitable zone for the nearby Alpha Centauri star system?
g Abodes - A new computer model suggests that the Moon may not have been the only reminder of the big collision that created it. See article.
g Life - Nobody has yet seen an extraterrestrial, which may sound like a problem in establishing a science of astrobiology. But in the past 20 years or so, scientists have found clues that life may be quite common in the universe, and many are hopeful that they will soon find hard evidence of life beyond Earth. See article. Note: This article is from autumn 2006.
g Intelligence - Quote of the Day: Other words “…have men on them, and these have houses and canals just as we do.” – Anaxgoras
g Message - Here's an interesting interview of Jill Tarter, the director of the SETI Institute, by The Montreal Mirror from 2002. See article.
g Cosmicus - Phoenix, NASA’s latest mission to Mars, is a lander that will touch down in the planet’s northern polar region on Sunday. It will search for evidence that liquid water, and a habitable environment for life, have been present there in the recent past. But first the spacecraft has to land safely. See article.
g Learning - A computer program called Second Life provides educators with unique opportunities to connect with students in a virtual landscape – including astrobiology. See article.
g Aftermath - When we first meet extraterrestrials, will we and they be able to converse? An MIT professor argues that we will — provided they are motivated to cooperate — because we'll both think similar ways. Note: This article is from 1985. See article.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Iron snow and relationship between humans and robots
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 - With the help of NASA’s Swift gamma-ray burst satellite, a scientist has observed a sudden burst of X-rays while studying the remnants of a supernova in a nearby galaxy. It is for the first time that astronomers manage to record a supernova, and not just the afterglow. See article.
g Abodes - Scientific evidence suggests that iron 'snow' may form deep inside of Mercury. The movement of this iron snow could be responsible for Mercury's magnetic field. The finding has implications in our understanding of the nature and evolution of planets. See article.
g Life - They may be tiny, but Argentine ants can kick some ant butt. This invasive species has nearly wiped out native ants in California. Now scientists have discovered a way to turn one of the ants' strongest weapons into a weakness. By altering the identifying chemicals coating the ants' bodies, researchers turned typical cooperative behavior into an ant-family feud. See article.
g Cosmicus - Washington Post Staff Writer Marc Kaufman was online Monday to discuss his Monday Science Page article about NASA's Phoenix spacecraft, which is scheduled to land next Sunday on Mars. See transcript.
g Learning - Exploration of space now and in the future depends on both human and robotic skills. However, according to a leading scientist, there is need to fortify and rebalance the funding between the two. See article. Note: This article is from 2006.
g Imagining - Here's an interesting Web site: FAQ about Star Trek aliens. Though light on evolutionary origin, its questions (and answers) often point toward the need for writers to consider that issue.
g Stars - With the help of NASA’s Swift gamma-ray burst satellite, a scientist has observed a sudden burst of X-rays while studying the remnants of a supernova in a nearby galaxy. It is for the first time that astronomers manage to record a supernova, and not just the afterglow. See article.
g Abodes - Scientific evidence suggests that iron 'snow' may form deep inside of Mercury. The movement of this iron snow could be responsible for Mercury's magnetic field. The finding has implications in our understanding of the nature and evolution of planets. See article.
g Life - They may be tiny, but Argentine ants can kick some ant butt. This invasive species has nearly wiped out native ants in California. Now scientists have discovered a way to turn one of the ants' strongest weapons into a weakness. By altering the identifying chemicals coating the ants' bodies, researchers turned typical cooperative behavior into an ant-family feud. See article.
g Cosmicus - Washington Post Staff Writer Marc Kaufman was online Monday to discuss his Monday Science Page article about NASA's Phoenix spacecraft, which is scheduled to land next Sunday on Mars. See transcript.
g Learning - Exploration of space now and in the future depends on both human and robotic skills. However, according to a leading scientist, there is need to fortify and rebalance the funding between the two. See article. Note: This article is from 2006.
g Imagining - Here's an interesting Web site: FAQ about Star Trek aliens. Though light on evolutionary origin, its questions (and answers) often point toward the need for writers to consider that issue.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Spotting Earth's weather from other solar systems and habitable zone of GJ 1224
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 - What is the habitable zone for the nearby red dwarf GJ 1224?
g Abodes - The weather and surface conditions of planets outside our solar system could be detected by constellations of telescopes sent to space, and then used to predict which are most Earthly and likely to harbor life. Note: This article is from 2001. See article.
g Intelligence - In an exciting study that provides new understanding of how animals learn - and learn from each other - researchers have demonstrated that bats that use frog acoustic cues to find quality prey can rapidly learn these cues by observing other bats. See article.
g Message - Since the beginning of astronomical observation, science has been viewing light on a curve. In a galaxy filled with thousands of eclipsing binary stars, we've refined our skills by measuring the brightness or intensity of so-called variable star as a function of time. The result is known as a "light curve." Through this type of study, we've discovered size, distance and orbital speed of stellar bodies and refined our ability to detect planetary bodies orbiting distant suns. Here on Earth, most of the time it's impossible for us to resolve such small objects even with the most powerful of telescopes, because their size is less than one pixel in the detector. But new research should let us determine the shape of an object... like a ringed planet, or an orbiting alien space station. See article.
g Cosmicus - Quote of the Day: "A species that remains limited to a seemingly small geographical range and a limited repertoire of behaviors, is one that is one a delicate plank towards extinction. A healthy civilization needs to continue to explore." – Robert Zubrin
g Stars - What is the habitable zone for the nearby red dwarf GJ 1224?
g Abodes - The weather and surface conditions of planets outside our solar system could be detected by constellations of telescopes sent to space, and then used to predict which are most Earthly and likely to harbor life. Note: This article is from 2001. See article.
g Intelligence - In an exciting study that provides new understanding of how animals learn - and learn from each other - researchers have demonstrated that bats that use frog acoustic cues to find quality prey can rapidly learn these cues by observing other bats. See article.
g Message - Since the beginning of astronomical observation, science has been viewing light on a curve. In a galaxy filled with thousands of eclipsing binary stars, we've refined our skills by measuring the brightness or intensity of so-called variable star as a function of time. The result is known as a "light curve." Through this type of study, we've discovered size, distance and orbital speed of stellar bodies and refined our ability to detect planetary bodies orbiting distant suns. Here on Earth, most of the time it's impossible for us to resolve such small objects even with the most powerful of telescopes, because their size is less than one pixel in the detector. But new research should let us determine the shape of an object... like a ringed planet, or an orbiting alien space station. See article.
g Cosmicus - Quote of the Day: "A species that remains limited to a seemingly small geographical range and a limited repertoire of behaviors, is one that is one a delicate plank towards extinction. A healthy civilization needs to continue to explore." – Robert Zubrin
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Habitability of Wolf 25 and how our brains prioritize information
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 - What is the habitable zone for the nearby K-type star Wolf 25?
g Abodes - A new ultrafast laser could increase the sensitivity of astronomical tools searching for Earth-like planets by as much as 100 fold. The new technology could be a major advancement in the search for habitable extrasolar worlds. See article.
g Life - Quote of the Day: “If it’s just us … seems like an awful waste of space.” – Ellie Arroway, “Contact”
g Intelligence - Just imagine listening to someone talk and also hearing the buzz of the overhead lights, the hum of your computer and the muffled conversation down the hallway. To focus on the person speaking to you, your brain clearly can't give equal weight to all incoming sensory information. It has to attend to what is important and ignore the rest. Two scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine have taken a big step toward sorting out how the brain accomplishes this task: A mechanism for prioritizing information - previously reported only in primates - is also used by birds. See article. Note: This article is from 2006.
g Message - Anyone with a computer and an Internet connection can join a worldwide search for intelligent life in space. Here's how Seti@home works.
g Cosmicus - The Phoenix Lander arrives at the red planet May 25. It will alight on soils near the north polar permanent ice cap on an Arctic plain where the Mars Odyssey, currently in orbit, detected high concentrations of ice just below the topsoil. See article.
g Learning - Schoolchildren across the United Kingdom have the chance to learn about the Sun and its effect on the Earth through a project led by a Cambridge academic. See article.
g Aftermath - Here's an intriguing essay that discusses what might happen if we do too little to contact extraterrestrials; as the authors argue, "…skepticism regarding SETI is at best unfounded and at worst can seriously damage the long-term prospects of humanity. If ETIs exist, no matter whether friendly or adversarial (or even beyond such simple distinctions), they are relevant for our future. To neglect this is contrary to the basic tenets of transhumanism. To appreciate this, it is only sufficient to imagine the consequences of SETI success for any aspect of transhumanist interests, and then to affirm that such a success can only be achieved without trying if they come to us, which would obviously mean that we are hopelessly lagging in the race for galactic colonization." See article.
g Stars - What is the habitable zone for the nearby K-type star Wolf 25?
g Abodes - A new ultrafast laser could increase the sensitivity of astronomical tools searching for Earth-like planets by as much as 100 fold. The new technology could be a major advancement in the search for habitable extrasolar worlds. See article.
g Life - Quote of the Day: “If it’s just us … seems like an awful waste of space.” – Ellie Arroway, “Contact”
g Intelligence - Just imagine listening to someone talk and also hearing the buzz of the overhead lights, the hum of your computer and the muffled conversation down the hallway. To focus on the person speaking to you, your brain clearly can't give equal weight to all incoming sensory information. It has to attend to what is important and ignore the rest. Two scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine have taken a big step toward sorting out how the brain accomplishes this task: A mechanism for prioritizing information - previously reported only in primates - is also used by birds. See article. Note: This article is from 2006.
g Message - Anyone with a computer and an Internet connection can join a worldwide search for intelligent life in space. Here's how Seti@home works.
g Cosmicus - The Phoenix Lander arrives at the red planet May 25. It will alight on soils near the north polar permanent ice cap on an Arctic plain where the Mars Odyssey, currently in orbit, detected high concentrations of ice just below the topsoil. See article.
g Learning - Schoolchildren across the United Kingdom have the chance to learn about the Sun and its effect on the Earth through a project led by a Cambridge academic. See article.
g Aftermath - Here's an intriguing essay that discusses what might happen if we do too little to contact extraterrestrials; as the authors argue, "…skepticism regarding SETI is at best unfounded and at worst can seriously damage the long-term prospects of humanity. If ETIs exist, no matter whether friendly or adversarial (or even beyond such simple distinctions), they are relevant for our future. To neglect this is contrary to the basic tenets of transhumanism. To appreciate this, it is only sufficient to imagine the consequences of SETI success for any aspect of transhumanist interests, and then to affirm that such a success can only be achieved without trying if they come to us, which would obviously mean that we are hopelessly lagging in the race for galactic colonization." See article.
Monday, May 19, 2008
'Habitable Planets for Man' and testing new space vehicles
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 - What is the habitable zone for the nearby star 82 Eridani?
g Abodes - Book alert: Here's a classic — "Habitable Planets for Man," by Stephen H. Dale. As one reviewer writes, "This book was written in 1970 as an analysis of what sort of planet would be inhabitable by humans on a permanent basis (colonization), and what are the chances of finding such planets around nearby stars. The book looks at human requirements, such as temperature, gravity, atmospheric composition, etc. Then other factors are reviewed, such as solar system organization, stellar properties, satellite relationships, special properties of binary star systems, etc. This book makes for some very interesting reading. It is rather dated, though, with the mass of Pluto being placed at equivalent to the Earths, and with water oceans being speculated about for Venus. Admittedly, this probably does mean that some of the conclusions are suspect. However, the depth of information in this book does make it an interesting resource for science-fiction authors, and other interested in speculating about extra-solar planets for man." See article.
g Cosmicus - For three weeks, volunteers have spent time breathing and sweating inside a NASA test chamber to help researchers design systems for future space vehicles. The systems will control carbon dioxide and humidity for crew capsules that will take human explorers to the moon and beyond. See article.
g Learning - "'Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.' – Carl Sagan." These are the words on the back of more than 200 T-shirts the SETI Institute donated to Cosmos Education – a grass-roots non-profit dedicated to science and technology education and the role of science and technology in health, the environment and sustainable development. The model is simple – seeking to engage, empower and inspire youth in developing countries through hands-on learning activities and experiments. Students learn about the molecular structure of water by pretending to be oxygen and hydrogen atoms; they learn about how soap works by doing experiments with soap, water and oil; they learn about the HIV virus by constructing a human chain model of DNA. These and our many other activities capture the curiosity of students and get them asking questions about the world in which they live. See article.
g Stars - What is the habitable zone for the nearby star 82 Eridani?
g Abodes - Book alert: Here's a classic — "Habitable Planets for Man," by Stephen H. Dale. As one reviewer writes, "This book was written in 1970 as an analysis of what sort of planet would be inhabitable by humans on a permanent basis (colonization), and what are the chances of finding such planets around nearby stars. The book looks at human requirements, such as temperature, gravity, atmospheric composition, etc. Then other factors are reviewed, such as solar system organization, stellar properties, satellite relationships, special properties of binary star systems, etc. This book makes for some very interesting reading. It is rather dated, though, with the mass of Pluto being placed at equivalent to the Earths, and with water oceans being speculated about for Venus. Admittedly, this probably does mean that some of the conclusions are suspect. However, the depth of information in this book does make it an interesting resource for science-fiction authors, and other interested in speculating about extra-solar planets for man." See article.
g Cosmicus - For three weeks, volunteers have spent time breathing and sweating inside a NASA test chamber to help researchers design systems for future space vehicles. The systems will control carbon dioxide and humidity for crew capsules that will take human explorers to the moon and beyond. See article.
g Learning - "'Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.' – Carl Sagan." These are the words on the back of more than 200 T-shirts the SETI Institute donated to Cosmos Education – a grass-roots non-profit dedicated to science and technology education and the role of science and technology in health, the environment and sustainable development. The model is simple – seeking to engage, empower and inspire youth in developing countries through hands-on learning activities and experiments. Students learn about the molecular structure of water by pretending to be oxygen and hydrogen atoms; they learn about how soap works by doing experiments with soap, water and oil; they learn about the HIV virus by constructing a human chain model of DNA. These and our many other activities capture the curiosity of students and get them asking questions about the world in which they live. See article.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
How asteroid impacts affect life and the assumption that we are alone in the universe
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 - What is the habitable zone for the nearby Sun-like star Delta Pavonis? See article.
g Abodes - Researchers confirm that asteroid impacts can strike with enough force to liquefy carbon deep in the Earth's crust and eject it skyward to form beads that then blanket the planet. The finding is helping scientists interpret how past impacts effected life on Earth. See article.
g Message - The drive to place humanity at the center of the universe has led to a stream of assumptions that, as facts have been collected, are shown to be ill founded. The Ptolemaic Earth centered view was replaced by Copernican Sun centered view, which in its time was also replaced. The assumption that we are alone in the universe is also under threat of replacement. One of the more interesting aspects of our apparent aloneness was pointed out by Enrico Fermi and is know as Fermi's Paradox. See article.
g Cosmicus - Many space missions use robots to explore. The rovers Spirit and Opportunity are still travelling around Mars, taking pictures and digging in the dirt. But could a robot identify alien life? How would a machine know the difference, for instance, between a rock and bacteria? See article.
g Learning - Here's a neat classroom activity courtesy of NASA: "Planets in a Bottle." The lesson plan involves yeast experiments intended for 2nd through 4th grade students. See article.
g Aftermath - The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence cannot guarantee success in a trivial, superficial sense (that is in the form of the discovery of an alien civilization). But at its deeper levels SETI certainly stimulates and influences our thoughts and transforms our society in profound ways. See article.
g Stars - What is the habitable zone for the nearby Sun-like star Delta Pavonis? See article.
g Abodes - Researchers confirm that asteroid impacts can strike with enough force to liquefy carbon deep in the Earth's crust and eject it skyward to form beads that then blanket the planet. The finding is helping scientists interpret how past impacts effected life on Earth. See article.
g Message - The drive to place humanity at the center of the universe has led to a stream of assumptions that, as facts have been collected, are shown to be ill founded. The Ptolemaic Earth centered view was replaced by Copernican Sun centered view, which in its time was also replaced. The assumption that we are alone in the universe is also under threat of replacement. One of the more interesting aspects of our apparent aloneness was pointed out by Enrico Fermi and is know as Fermi's Paradox. See article.
g Cosmicus - Many space missions use robots to explore. The rovers Spirit and Opportunity are still travelling around Mars, taking pictures and digging in the dirt. But could a robot identify alien life? How would a machine know the difference, for instance, between a rock and bacteria? See article.
g Learning - Here's a neat classroom activity courtesy of NASA: "Planets in a Bottle." The lesson plan involves yeast experiments intended for 2nd through 4th grade students. See article.
g Aftermath - The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence cannot guarantee success in a trivial, superficial sense (that is in the form of the discovery of an alien civilization). But at its deeper levels SETI certainly stimulates and influences our thoughts and transforms our society in profound ways. See article.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Internal structure of gas giants and 500 million-year-old embryos
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 - What is the habitable zone for the nearby binary Wolf 922 AB?
g Abodes - Using a high-energy laser, scientists are learning about the evolution and internal structure of gas giant planets. The research will yield information about planets like Jupiter and Saturn as well as distant extrasolar worlds. See article.
g Life - Images of the developmental stages of embryos more than half a billion years old recently were reported by the University of Bristol's Department of Earth Sciences, in the journal Nature. See article.
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. Note: This article is from March 2003. See article.
g Cosmicus - International planning is under way to reinvigorate plans for a Mars sample return mission, with researchers assessing science priorities and strategies to maximize the scientific output from such an undertaking. See article.
g Learning - The soon-to-be-released Astrobiology-based game Spore by Electronic Arts (EA) is described as "an epic journey that takes you from the origin and evolution of life through the development of civilization and technology, and eventually all the way into the deepest reaches of outer space." See article.
g Imagining - Here's a neat site that draws upon the history of science fiction for examples: "Let's Build an Extraterrestrial". See article.
g Stars - What is the habitable zone for the nearby binary Wolf 922 AB?
g Abodes - Using a high-energy laser, scientists are learning about the evolution and internal structure of gas giant planets. The research will yield information about planets like Jupiter and Saturn as well as distant extrasolar worlds. See article.
g Life - Images of the developmental stages of embryos more than half a billion years old recently were reported by the University of Bristol's Department of Earth Sciences, in the journal Nature. See article.
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. Note: This article is from March 2003. See article.
g Cosmicus - International planning is under way to reinvigorate plans for a Mars sample return mission, with researchers assessing science priorities and strategies to maximize the scientific output from such an undertaking. See article.
g Learning - The soon-to-be-released Astrobiology-based game Spore by Electronic Arts (EA) is described as "an epic journey that takes you from the origin and evolution of life through the development of civilization and technology, and eventually all the way into the deepest reaches of outer space." See article.
g Imagining - Here's a neat site that draws upon the history of science fiction for examples: "Let's Build an Extraterrestrial". See article.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Habitable zone for Altair and space colony visions
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 - What is the habitable zone for the famous nearby star Altair?
g Abodes - New research questions the idea that water and other elements were added to the Earth late in its formation by impacts with icy comets and meteorites. The finding may cause scientists to rethink theories about the origin of life on our planet. See article.
g Message - Here's a transcript of a famous address Philip Morrison gave in 1960 examining "what sort of communication channel is open" between Earth and extraterrestrials. See article.
g Cosmicus - Here's a site contains a number of space colony images inspired by Gerard O'Neill's work in the 1970s. It also contains links to a number of Web resources concerned with space colonies and the utilization of space resources. See article.
g Learning - A research team has discovered a part of the brain crucial for counting and performing arithmetic. The new finding could lead to a better understanding of dyscalculia, a psychological disorder that makes it nearly impossible to deal with numbers, much less complicated math. See article.
g Imagining - Science fiction authors produce a lot of very strange critters. In the desperate dash to be different, many go way overboard to invent fantastic, outlandish species unlike anything anyone has ever seen. It's an admirable expression of their artistic abilities, but there's an inherent problem: They almost always lose the reader along the way. Sure, it sounds ultra-cool to have a whole herd of 80-foot quasi-limbed orb-stasis beings, but unless you draw me a picture of these things, the reader often has no idea what you're talking about. However, if you write that your alien has four wings, 10 eyes and looks a little like a kangaroo, the reader is right there with you. Most readers need at least something familiar to draw on for their imagination, or they get lost. See article.
g Aftermath - In the last quarter of the 20th century, an international social movement — Communication with Extraterrestrial Intelligence — has emerged which advocates an attempt to achieve communication with extraterrestrial intelligence, and many of its most active members have been leading scientists. Modest efforts to detect radio signals from intelligent extraterrestrials already have been made, both under government aegis and privately funded, and the technical means for a more vigorous search have been developed. If a CETI project were successful, linguists would suddenly have one or more utterly alien languages to study, and some consideration of linguistic issues is a necessary preparation for it. See article.
g Stars - What is the habitable zone for the famous nearby star Altair?
g Abodes - New research questions the idea that water and other elements were added to the Earth late in its formation by impacts with icy comets and meteorites. The finding may cause scientists to rethink theories about the origin of life on our planet. See article.
g Message - Here's a transcript of a famous address Philip Morrison gave in 1960 examining "what sort of communication channel is open" between Earth and extraterrestrials. See article.
g Cosmicus - Here's a site contains a number of space colony images inspired by Gerard O'Neill's work in the 1970s. It also contains links to a number of Web resources concerned with space colonies and the utilization of space resources. See article.
g Learning - A research team has discovered a part of the brain crucial for counting and performing arithmetic. The new finding could lead to a better understanding of dyscalculia, a psychological disorder that makes it nearly impossible to deal with numbers, much less complicated math. See article.
g Imagining - Science fiction authors produce a lot of very strange critters. In the desperate dash to be different, many go way overboard to invent fantastic, outlandish species unlike anything anyone has ever seen. It's an admirable expression of their artistic abilities, but there's an inherent problem: They almost always lose the reader along the way. Sure, it sounds ultra-cool to have a whole herd of 80-foot quasi-limbed orb-stasis beings, but unless you draw me a picture of these things, the reader often has no idea what you're talking about. However, if you write that your alien has four wings, 10 eyes and looks a little like a kangaroo, the reader is right there with you. Most readers need at least something familiar to draw on for their imagination, or they get lost. See article.
g Aftermath - In the last quarter of the 20th century, an international social movement — Communication with Extraterrestrial Intelligence — has emerged which advocates an attempt to achieve communication with extraterrestrial intelligence, and many of its most active members have been leading scientists. Modest efforts to detect radio signals from intelligent extraterrestrials already have been made, both under government aegis and privately funded, and the technical means for a more vigorous search have been developed. If a CETI project were successful, linguists would suddenly have one or more utterly alien languages to study, and some consideration of linguistic issues is a necessary preparation for it. See article.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Searching for magnetite to find life and the boundary between biology and astronomy
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 - Magnetite, a type of iron oxide, is common on both Earth and Mars, and appears in many forms. On Earth, some of those forms are produced only by bacteria and have unique magnetic signatures. Soon Sam Kim has developed a means of detecting this biologically-produced magnetite that could help in the search for life on Mars. See article.
g Life - New research shows that organisms living inside rocks ejected from planets by asteroid impacts may be able to survive their trip into orbit – and back. See article.
g Message - When does asking the right questions tell more than necessarily knowing the right answers? Perhaps when crossing the fertile boundary between biology and astronomy. See article.
g Cosmicus - Book alert: Paul Hardersen has written a rare and important book about the exploration of space in “The Case for Space: Who Benefits from Explorations of the Last Frontier (Frontiers in Astronomy and Earth Science, Vol. 3)”. While there is plenty of grand vision and high technology here, his book also shows how space technology makes very personal contributions to the quality of life of people around the world. This book shows how individuals can be a part of advancing the space frontier no matter where they are, as Paul invites you to join the great adventure. See article.
g Learning - Here’s a cool set of classroom lessons courtesy of NASA: Astroventure, in which students search for and design a habitable planet. See article.
g Abodes - Magnetite, a type of iron oxide, is common on both Earth and Mars, and appears in many forms. On Earth, some of those forms are produced only by bacteria and have unique magnetic signatures. Soon Sam Kim has developed a means of detecting this biologically-produced magnetite that could help in the search for life on Mars. See article.
g Life - New research shows that organisms living inside rocks ejected from planets by asteroid impacts may be able to survive their trip into orbit – and back. See article.
g Message - When does asking the right questions tell more than necessarily knowing the right answers? Perhaps when crossing the fertile boundary between biology and astronomy. See article.
g Cosmicus - Book alert: Paul Hardersen has written a rare and important book about the exploration of space in “The Case for Space: Who Benefits from Explorations of the Last Frontier (Frontiers in Astronomy and Earth Science, Vol. 3)”. While there is plenty of grand vision and high technology here, his book also shows how space technology makes very personal contributions to the quality of life of people around the world. This book shows how individuals can be a part of advancing the space frontier no matter where they are, as Paul invites you to join the great adventure. See article.
g Learning - Here’s a cool set of classroom lessons courtesy of NASA: Astroventure, in which students search for and design a habitable planet. See article.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
New online map of Mars and an educational guide to astrobiology
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 - High-resolution data from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter’s CRISM instrument has been used to create a new online map of Mars. The map allows visitors to see Mars' progression through wet, volcanic and dry eras. See article.
g Life - When Charles Darwin published “On the Origin of Species” in 1859, he gave a convincing account of how life has evolved over billions of years from simple microbes to the complexity of the Earth's biosphere today. But he pointedly left out how life got started. One might as well speculate about the origin of matter, he quipped. Today scientists have a good idea of how matter originated in the Big Bang, but the origin of life remains shrouded in mystery. See article.
g Cosmicus - NASA Ames was nearly shut down two years ago, but is now poised for major growth, according to a presentation made last month by Director Pete Worden to NASA Ames employees. See article.
g Learning - Here’s the ultimate Web site for an introduction to astrobiology. “Astrobiology: The Living Universe” is a comprehensive and educational guide to life on Earth and beyond. This site features sections on the chemical origin of life, evolution, planetary biology, the search for extraterrestrial life, supporting humans in space and exobiology. See article.
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 article.
g Abodes - High-resolution data from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter’s CRISM instrument has been used to create a new online map of Mars. The map allows visitors to see Mars' progression through wet, volcanic and dry eras. See article.
g Life - When Charles Darwin published “On the Origin of Species” in 1859, he gave a convincing account of how life has evolved over billions of years from simple microbes to the complexity of the Earth's biosphere today. But he pointedly left out how life got started. One might as well speculate about the origin of matter, he quipped. Today scientists have a good idea of how matter originated in the Big Bang, but the origin of life remains shrouded in mystery. See article.
g Cosmicus - NASA Ames was nearly shut down two years ago, but is now poised for major growth, according to a presentation made last month by Director Pete Worden to NASA Ames employees. See article.
g Learning - Here’s the ultimate Web site for an introduction to astrobiology. “Astrobiology: The Living Universe” is a comprehensive and educational guide to life on Earth and beyond. This site features sections on the chemical origin of life, evolution, planetary biology, the search for extraterrestrial life, supporting humans in space and exobiology. See article.
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 article.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
If everybody is listening and nobody transmitting and the Mars Phoenix Lander prepares to land
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 - Arctic ice formed about 45 million years ago – roughly 14 million years ahead of previous predictions – according to new research published in Nature. An international team of scientists, including Brown geologist Steven Clemens, says this startling evidence shows that glaciers formed in tandem at Earth’s poles, providing important insights into global climate change. See article.
g Message - Whenever the director of SETI research presents a public lecture, she can almost guarantee that “What If everybody is listening and nobody is transmitting?” will be one of the questions the audience asks. See article.
g Cosmicus - In less than two weeks, the Mars Phoenix Lander could realize scientists' long-delayed dream of directly finding Martian ice for the first time. To date, the evidence for water on Mars has been indirect. See article.
g Learning - Biddeford Middle School students were rocketed into orbit Friday during Space Day, a day-long event featuring guest speakers from various space and aviation fields and activities designed to encourage students to think about the effort it takes to send a rocket into space. See article.
g Abodes - Arctic ice formed about 45 million years ago – roughly 14 million years ahead of previous predictions – according to new research published in Nature. An international team of scientists, including Brown geologist Steven Clemens, says this startling evidence shows that glaciers formed in tandem at Earth’s poles, providing important insights into global climate change. See article.
g Message - Whenever the director of SETI research presents a public lecture, she can almost guarantee that “What If everybody is listening and nobody is transmitting?” will be one of the questions the audience asks. See article.
g Cosmicus - In less than two weeks, the Mars Phoenix Lander could realize scientists' long-delayed dream of directly finding Martian ice for the first time. To date, the evidence for water on Mars has been indirect. See article.
g Learning - Biddeford Middle School students were rocketed into orbit Friday during Space Day, a day-long event featuring guest speakers from various space and aviation fields and activities designed to encourage students to think about the effort it takes to send a rocket into space. See article.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Water that flowed on Mars and Jurassic global warming
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 - A provocative new study of photographs taken from orbit suggests that liquid water flowed on the surface of Mars as recently as several years ago, raising the possibility that the Red Planet could harbor an environment favorable to life. See article.
g Life - During the Jurassic, global warming and severe environmental change led to the extinction of many species. One of the most intriguing effects was that the oceans became starved of oxygen. See article.
g Learning - How common are other civilizations in the universe? This question has fascinated humanity for centuries, and although we still have no definitive answer, a number of recent developments have brought it once again to the fore. Chief among these is the confirmation - after a long wait and several false starts - that planets exist outside our solar system. See article. My apologies in advance for the Web site that I found this otherwise credible article on.
g Aftermath - Clearly, if we are not alone in the universe, there are some unavoidable theological and philosophical consequences. We feel that the problem of extraterrestrial life is one of the most important questions raised in science to the present. We should reflect on the consequences of a positive result of either finding extraterrestrial microorganisms, or receiving a radio message form an extraterrestrial source: When such discovery occurs, the implications are likely to have an impact on our culture requiring adjustments possibly more radical than those arising form the evidence that humans descend from microorganisms. Note: This paper is from 1999. See article.
g Abodes - A provocative new study of photographs taken from orbit suggests that liquid water flowed on the surface of Mars as recently as several years ago, raising the possibility that the Red Planet could harbor an environment favorable to life. See article.
g Life - During the Jurassic, global warming and severe environmental change led to the extinction of many species. One of the most intriguing effects was that the oceans became starved of oxygen. See article.
g Learning - How common are other civilizations in the universe? This question has fascinated humanity for centuries, and although we still have no definitive answer, a number of recent developments have brought it once again to the fore. Chief among these is the confirmation - after a long wait and several false starts - that planets exist outside our solar system. See article. My apologies in advance for the Web site that I found this otherwise credible article on.
g Aftermath - Clearly, if we are not alone in the universe, there are some unavoidable theological and philosophical consequences. We feel that the problem of extraterrestrial life is one of the most important questions raised in science to the present. We should reflect on the consequences of a positive result of either finding extraterrestrial microorganisms, or receiving a radio message form an extraterrestrial source: When such discovery occurs, the implications are likely to have an impact on our culture requiring adjustments possibly more radical than those arising form the evidence that humans descend from microorganisms. Note: This paper is from 1999. See article.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Natural selection’s variable speeds and simulating contact between two cultures in real time
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 - Washington Post science writer Marc Kaufman was online recently to discuss the discovery of what scientists believe may have been hot springs on the planet Mars, a place where primitive kinds of life could have thrived. Here’s a transcript.
g Life - Countering the widespread view of evolution as a process played out over the course of eons, evolutionary biologists have shown that natural selection can turn on a dime - within months - as a population's needs change. In a study of island lizards exposed to a new predator, the scientists found that natural selection dramatically changed direction over a very short time, within a single generation, favoring first longer and then shorter hind legs. See article. Note: This article is from 2007.
g Message - Since there is a general agreement that the laws of nature are the same everywhere in our universe, it follows that mathematics must be universal and therefore it must be the same for every intelligent being in the universe. So, a language for SETI communication based on mathematics can be constructed. But the fact that mathematics has turned out to be so strictly entangled with material reality also establishes very sharp limitations to its efficacy for our purposes and the need of an integration with (at least) a pictorial language. See article.
g Learning - Here’s a great educational tool for teaching astrobiology and various principles of science: COTI. COTI is an educational experiment in creation — students design an integrated world, alien life form and culture, and simulate contact with a future human society. One team constructs a solar system, a world and its ecology, an alien life form and its culture, basing each step on the previous one and utilizing the principles of science as a guide to imagination. The other team designs a future human colony, planetary or spacefaring, "creating and evolving" its culture as an exercise in cultural structure, dynamics and adaptation. Through a structured system of progressive revelation, the teams then simulate — and experience — contact between the two cultures in real time, exploring the problems and possibilities involved in inter-cultural encounters. See article.
g Abodes - Washington Post science writer Marc Kaufman was online recently to discuss the discovery of what scientists believe may have been hot springs on the planet Mars, a place where primitive kinds of life could have thrived. Here’s a transcript.
g Life - Countering the widespread view of evolution as a process played out over the course of eons, evolutionary biologists have shown that natural selection can turn on a dime - within months - as a population's needs change. In a study of island lizards exposed to a new predator, the scientists found that natural selection dramatically changed direction over a very short time, within a single generation, favoring first longer and then shorter hind legs. See article. Note: This article is from 2007.
g Message - Since there is a general agreement that the laws of nature are the same everywhere in our universe, it follows that mathematics must be universal and therefore it must be the same for every intelligent being in the universe. So, a language for SETI communication based on mathematics can be constructed. But the fact that mathematics has turned out to be so strictly entangled with material reality also establishes very sharp limitations to its efficacy for our purposes and the need of an integration with (at least) a pictorial language. See article.
g Learning - Here’s a great educational tool for teaching astrobiology and various principles of science: COTI. COTI is an educational experiment in creation — students design an integrated world, alien life form and culture, and simulate contact with a future human society. One team constructs a solar system, a world and its ecology, an alien life form and its culture, basing each step on the previous one and utilizing the principles of science as a guide to imagination. The other team designs a future human colony, planetary or spacefaring, "creating and evolving" its culture as an exercise in cultural structure, dynamics and adaptation. Through a structured system of progressive revelation, the teams then simulate — and experience — contact between the two cultures in real time, exploring the problems and possibilities involved in inter-cultural encounters. See article.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Clues about planetary formation and if your child a future SETI scientist
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 - Scientists may have solved a long-standing mystery about anomalies in Jupiter's rings. The finding provides new information about the Jovian system and may yield clues about planetary formation. See article.
g Message - Book alert: Scour your used bookstore shelves for "Life Beyond Earth," by Timothy Ferris. Rock-solid science writer Ferris has covered this ground before. In the two-hour PBS documentary that he wrote and narrated - which shares the title, text, and many of the images of this generously illustrated book - Ferris tackles two age-old questions about the potentially universal nature of life: Are we alone, and, if not, is anybody listening? See article.
g Learning - Are you a future SETI scientist? Note: This article is from Feb. 2001. See article.
g Aftermath - Book alert: The authentic discovery of extraterrestrial life would usher in a scientific revolution on par with Copernicus or Darwin, says Paul Davies in “Are We Alone?: Philosophical Implications of the Discovery of Extraterrestrial Life.” Just as these ideas sparked religious and philosophical controversy when they were first offered, so would proof of life arising away from Earth. With this brief book (160 pages, including two appendices and an index), Davies tries to get ahead of the curve and begin to sort out the metaphysical mess before it happens. Many science fiction writers have preceded him, of course, but here the matter is plainly put. This is a very good introduction to a compelling subject. See article.
g Abodes - Scientists may have solved a long-standing mystery about anomalies in Jupiter's rings. The finding provides new information about the Jovian system and may yield clues about planetary formation. See article.
g Message - Book alert: Scour your used bookstore shelves for "Life Beyond Earth," by Timothy Ferris. Rock-solid science writer Ferris has covered this ground before. In the two-hour PBS documentary that he wrote and narrated - which shares the title, text, and many of the images of this generously illustrated book - Ferris tackles two age-old questions about the potentially universal nature of life: Are we alone, and, if not, is anybody listening? See article.
g Learning - Are you a future SETI scientist? Note: This article is from Feb. 2001. See article.
g Aftermath - Book alert: The authentic discovery of extraterrestrial life would usher in a scientific revolution on par with Copernicus or Darwin, says Paul Davies in “Are We Alone?: Philosophical Implications of the Discovery of Extraterrestrial Life.” Just as these ideas sparked religious and philosophical controversy when they were first offered, so would proof of life arising away from Earth. With this brief book (160 pages, including two appendices and an index), Davies tries to get ahead of the curve and begin to sort out the metaphysical mess before it happens. Many science fiction writers have preceded him, of course, but here the matter is plainly put. This is a very good introduction to a compelling subject. See article.
Friday, May 09, 2008
Planets around red dwarfs and killer electrons
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 - The changing view of planets orbiting low mass stars, M stars, as potentially hospitable worlds for life and its remote detection was motivated by several factors, including the demonstration of viable atmospheres and oceans on tidally locked planets, normal incidence of dust disks, including debris disks, detection of planets with masses in the 5–20 M range, and predictions of unusually strong spectral biosignatures. See article.
g Abodes - A recent study brings new insight into how planets form around red dwarfs, the most populous stars in the Milky Way galaxy. Note: This article is from late 2006. See article.
g Message - What’s it like to be a SETI astronomer, listening for alien radio signals? Note: This article is from 2000. See article.
g Cosmicus - Weather that originates at the Sun, not here on Earth, is responsible for radio waves that cause an unusual shape of two belts of radiation that encircle Earth and contain "killer electrons" that can damage satellites and pose a risk to space travelers, scientists report. See article.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
g Stars - The changing view of planets orbiting low mass stars, M stars, as potentially hospitable worlds for life and its remote detection was motivated by several factors, including the demonstration of viable atmospheres and oceans on tidally locked planets, normal incidence of dust disks, including debris disks, detection of planets with masses in the 5–20 M range, and predictions of unusually strong spectral biosignatures. See article.
g Abodes - A recent study brings new insight into how planets form around red dwarfs, the most populous stars in the Milky Way galaxy. Note: This article is from late 2006. See article.
g Message - What’s it like to be a SETI astronomer, listening for alien radio signals? Note: This article is from 2000. See article.
g Cosmicus - Weather that originates at the Sun, not here on Earth, is responsible for radio waves that cause an unusual shape of two belts of radiation that encircle Earth and contain "killer electrons" that can damage satellites and pose a risk to space travelers, scientists report. See article.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Thursday, May 08, 2008
New technique for finding sister Earths and talking math with ETI
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 - What is the habitable zone for the home star system of Star Trek’s Gorgan: Epsilon Indi ABC? See article.
g Abodes - Using an optical space telescope and a mathematical method, astronomers are hoping to find Earth-like watery worlds around distant stars. Their technique may one day help astrobiologists discover another planet suitable for life as we know it. See article.
g Life - Do germs communicate? Many scientists think so and are betting the chatter may hold the key to developing the next generation of drugs to fight killer superbugs. See article.
g Message - How's your math? Well, you may want to brush up on it - that is, if you hope to be conversant with ET. Scientists say that any signal we receive from intelligent life is rather unlikely to be in English, but in the language of math. Find out why algebra truly may be an alien concept - just as you suspected in high school - and what a message from another planet might be. See podcast of this SETI Institute “Are We Alone?” program.
g Cosmicus - A team of scientists have been investigating how signs of life on Mars can be spotted. See article.
g Learning - Video games and virtual worlds are a great way to inspire kids' interest in science and technology. The President's Commission on Implementation of US Space Exploration Policy reports that "...video and simulation games are not only a multi-billion dollar industry, they are proving to be effective as learning devices for people of all ages" ... "The potential for converting hobbies and amusements to more educational pursuits is enormous." See article.
g Stars - What is the habitable zone for the home star system of Star Trek’s Gorgan: Epsilon Indi ABC? See article.
g Abodes - Using an optical space telescope and a mathematical method, astronomers are hoping to find Earth-like watery worlds around distant stars. Their technique may one day help astrobiologists discover another planet suitable for life as we know it. See article.
g Life - Do germs communicate? Many scientists think so and are betting the chatter may hold the key to developing the next generation of drugs to fight killer superbugs. See article.
g Message - How's your math? Well, you may want to brush up on it - that is, if you hope to be conversant with ET. Scientists say that any signal we receive from intelligent life is rather unlikely to be in English, but in the language of math. Find out why algebra truly may be an alien concept - just as you suspected in high school - and what a message from another planet might be. See podcast of this SETI Institute “Are We Alone?” program.
g Cosmicus - A team of scientists have been investigating how signs of life on Mars can be spotted. See article.
g Learning - Video games and virtual worlds are a great way to inspire kids' interest in science and technology. The President's Commission on Implementation of US Space Exploration Policy reports that "...video and simulation games are not only a multi-billion dollar industry, they are proving to be effective as learning devices for people of all ages" ... "The potential for converting hobbies and amusements to more educational pursuits is enormous." See article.
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Dynamic Martian climate and the man who started modern SETI
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 - Physicists predict that trillions of years into the future, the information that currently allows us to understand how the universe expands will have disappeared over the visible horizon. What remains will be "an island universe" made from the Milky Way and its nearby galactic Local Group neighbors in an overwhelmingly dark void. See article.
g Abodes - New evidence shows that Mars' climate may have been much more dynamic than previously thought. The research has implications in understanding whether or not Mars could have supported life in its past. See article.
g Life - When he started compiling an online database of seashells 15 years ago, Gary Rosenberg did not envision that his meticulous record-keeping would eventually shed light on a 40-year-old evolutionary debate. See article.
g Message - Here’s a neat piece: an interview with Frank Drake, the astronomer and pioneer who flipped the "on" switch for Project Ozma, the first modern “SETI” project. See article. Note: The interview is from 2000.
g Learning - Join NASA and the Girl Scouts for an exciting summer residential program June 22-28, 2008, at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. See article.
g Stars - Physicists predict that trillions of years into the future, the information that currently allows us to understand how the universe expands will have disappeared over the visible horizon. What remains will be "an island universe" made from the Milky Way and its nearby galactic Local Group neighbors in an overwhelmingly dark void. See article.
g Abodes - New evidence shows that Mars' climate may have been much more dynamic than previously thought. The research has implications in understanding whether or not Mars could have supported life in its past. See article.
g Life - When he started compiling an online database of seashells 15 years ago, Gary Rosenberg did not envision that his meticulous record-keeping would eventually shed light on a 40-year-old evolutionary debate. See article.
g Message - Here’s a neat piece: an interview with Frank Drake, the astronomer and pioneer who flipped the "on" switch for Project Ozma, the first modern “SETI” project. See article. Note: The interview is from 2000.
g Learning - Join NASA and the Girl Scouts for an exciting summer residential program June 22-28, 2008, at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. See article.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Habitable zone of 40 Eridani ABC and Allen Telescope Array
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 - What is the habitable zone for the home star system of Star Trek’s Vulcans: 40 Eridani ABC?
g Abodes - An initiative to provide researchers with access to the Biosphere 2 facility is set to help scientists tackle challenges facing science and society, including global climate change, the fate of water and how energy travels through Earth's ecosystems. See article. Note: This article is from 2007.
g Message - The Allen Telescope Array, formerly known as the One Hectare Telescope, is a joint effort by the SETI Institute and the Radio Astronomy Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley to construct a radio interferometer that will be dedicated to astronomical and simultaneous search for extra-terrestrial intelligence observations. It is being constructed at the Hat Creek Radio Observatory, 290 miles northeast of San Francisco and will be composed of 350 antennas at completion. See article.
g Stars - What is the habitable zone for the home star system of Star Trek’s Vulcans: 40 Eridani ABC?
g Abodes - An initiative to provide researchers with access to the Biosphere 2 facility is set to help scientists tackle challenges facing science and society, including global climate change, the fate of water and how energy travels through Earth's ecosystems. See article. Note: This article is from 2007.
g Message - The Allen Telescope Array, formerly known as the One Hectare Telescope, is a joint effort by the SETI Institute and the Radio Astronomy Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley to construct a radio interferometer that will be dedicated to astronomical and simultaneous search for extra-terrestrial intelligence observations. It is being constructed at the Hat Creek Radio Observatory, 290 miles northeast of San Francisco and will be composed of 350 antennas at completion. See article.
Monday, May 05, 2008
Habitable zone for Gliese 382 and how a warmer Earth will affect 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 Stars - What is the habitable zone for the nearby star Gliese 382?
g Abodes - The debate over climate change and its effects is often headline news. In the near future, scientists are concerned that the Earth will experience a continuing increase in global temperature. New research is showing that even if this increase is only a few degrees, it could have important repercussions for life on our planet. See article.
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 article.
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 article. Note: This article is from 2004.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
g Stars - What is the habitable zone for the nearby star Gliese 382?
g Abodes - The debate over climate change and its effects is often headline news. In the near future, scientists are concerned that the Earth will experience a continuing increase in global temperature. New research is showing that even if this increase is only a few degrees, it could have important repercussions for life on our planet. See article.
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 article.
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 article. Note: This article is from 2004.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Sunday, May 04, 2008
Multiple universes and Mars’ hydrothermal springs
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 - The opening speaker at the 2008 Astrobiology Science Conference, Lord Martin Rees of the University of Cambridge, said that our universe may just be one of many. Multiple universes could be stacked sideways like sheets of paper, separated by only a thin margin of space. We would never know they were there unless we could be awakened to the existence of that other dimension. See article.
g Abodes - There's a growing buzz in the astrobiology community that ancient hydrothermal springs may have been spotted on Mars. See article.
g Message - No matter how quiet we try to be now it's too late to prevent alien invaders. So says Alexander Zaitsev of the Institute of Radio Engineering and Electronics in Moscow, Russia, who points the finger at astronomers. See article.
g Imagining - Speculation about aliens has typically been left to science fiction authors, science fiction readers and Hollywood writers and directors. But what if we apply what we have learned about life on Earth to speculate about what alien life forms might be like? Here’s a primer.
g Stars - The opening speaker at the 2008 Astrobiology Science Conference, Lord Martin Rees of the University of Cambridge, said that our universe may just be one of many. Multiple universes could be stacked sideways like sheets of paper, separated by only a thin margin of space. We would never know they were there unless we could be awakened to the existence of that other dimension. See article.
g Abodes - There's a growing buzz in the astrobiology community that ancient hydrothermal springs may have been spotted on Mars. See article.
g Message - No matter how quiet we try to be now it's too late to prevent alien invaders. So says Alexander Zaitsev of the Institute of Radio Engineering and Electronics in Moscow, Russia, who points the finger at astronomers. See article.
g Imagining - Speculation about aliens has typically been left to science fiction authors, science fiction readers and Hollywood writers and directors. But what if we apply what we have learned about life on Earth to speculate about what alien life forms might be like? Here’s a primer.
Saturday, May 03, 2008
Habitability of 61 Cygni and the illogic of Fermi’s Paradox
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 - What is the habitable zone for the home star system of Star Trek’s Tellarites: 61 Cygni AB?
g Abodes - Astronomers have constructed an image of material around the star AB Aurigae that appears to be coalescing into a celestial body. The finding will help scientists understand the early stages of planetary formation. See article.
g Life - "Humans have always thought that icy environments are 'harsh' and 'inhospitable'," says Jere Lipps, an astrobiologist at the University of California, Berkeley, who has done fieldwork in Antarctic sea ice and authored several scientific articles on possible life on Europa. In fact, he says, the diversity of the "sea-ice community" demonstrates that an icy environment can play host to a complete and complex ecosystem. See article.
g Message - The assertion that extraterrestrial intelligences (ETI) do not exist, based on the apparent contradictions inherent in the Fermi Paradox, rests upon an unproven and untenable presumption: That ETI are not now present in the Solar System. The current observational status of the Solar System is insufficient to support the assumption that ETI are not here. Most advanced civilizations also would be either invisible or unrecognizable using current human observational methods, so millions of advanced societies may exist and still not be directly detectable by us. Thus the Fermi Paradox cannot logically be raised as an objection to the existence of ETI until these major observational deficiencies have been corrected. See article.
g Aftermath - Scientists should pay greater attention to discussing the social implications of discovering extraterrestrial life - even though many researchers shy away from the subject because they don't consider it "hard" science. See article.
g Stars - What is the habitable zone for the home star system of Star Trek’s Tellarites: 61 Cygni AB?
g Abodes - Astronomers have constructed an image of material around the star AB Aurigae that appears to be coalescing into a celestial body. The finding will help scientists understand the early stages of planetary formation. See article.
g Life - "Humans have always thought that icy environments are 'harsh' and 'inhospitable'," says Jere Lipps, an astrobiologist at the University of California, Berkeley, who has done fieldwork in Antarctic sea ice and authored several scientific articles on possible life on Europa. In fact, he says, the diversity of the "sea-ice community" demonstrates that an icy environment can play host to a complete and complex ecosystem. See article.
g Message - The assertion that extraterrestrial intelligences (ETI) do not exist, based on the apparent contradictions inherent in the Fermi Paradox, rests upon an unproven and untenable presumption: That ETI are not now present in the Solar System. The current observational status of the Solar System is insufficient to support the assumption that ETI are not here. Most advanced civilizations also would be either invisible or unrecognizable using current human observational methods, so millions of advanced societies may exist and still not be directly detectable by us. Thus the Fermi Paradox cannot logically be raised as an objection to the existence of ETI until these major observational deficiencies have been corrected. See article.
g Aftermath - Scientists should pay greater attention to discussing the social implications of discovering extraterrestrial life - even though many researchers shy away from the subject because they don't consider it "hard" science. See article.
Friday, May 02, 2008
Sun’s movement through Milky way and fossil microbes on Mars
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 - The sun's movement through the Milky Way regularly sends comets hurtling into the inner solar system - coinciding with mass life extinctions on earth, a new study claims. The study suggests a link between comet bombardment and the movement through the galaxy. See article.
g Abodes - Materials blasted into space from the surface of early Earth may preserve a unique record of our planet's early surface environment. Armstrong et al. (2002) pointed out that such materials, in the form of terrestrial meteorites, may exist on the Moon and be of considerable astrobiological interest if biomarkers from early Earth are preserved within them. See article.
g Life - Fossil microbes found along an iron-rich river in Spain reveal how signs of life could be preserved in minerals found on Mars. The discovery may help to equip the next generation Mars rover with the tools it would need to find evidence of past life on the planet. See article.
g Intelligence - By examining marks on the teeth of ancient human ancestors, scientists have found that their diet was far different than previously believed. The research sheds light on the evolutionary history of complex organisms on Earth. See article.
g Message - The Fermi paradox is the apparent contradiction between high estimates of the probability of the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations and the lack of evidence for, or contact with, such civilizations. See article.
g Learning - The international astrobiology community recently gathered at AbSciCon 2008 to present new discoveries, to build collaborations, and to celebrate a decade of cross-disciplinary science. AbSciCon 2008 was hosted by the SETI Institute, and it attracted more than 675 scientists, students, educators, and journalists from 28 countries. See article.
g Aftermath - Would dutiful American citizens trust the government to handle first contact with extraterrestrials and rush to get information to the public? See article. Note: This article is from 1999.
g Stars - The sun's movement through the Milky Way regularly sends comets hurtling into the inner solar system - coinciding with mass life extinctions on earth, a new study claims. The study suggests a link between comet bombardment and the movement through the galaxy. See article.
g Abodes - Materials blasted into space from the surface of early Earth may preserve a unique record of our planet's early surface environment. Armstrong et al. (2002) pointed out that such materials, in the form of terrestrial meteorites, may exist on the Moon and be of considerable astrobiological interest if biomarkers from early Earth are preserved within them. See article.
g Life - Fossil microbes found along an iron-rich river in Spain reveal how signs of life could be preserved in minerals found on Mars. The discovery may help to equip the next generation Mars rover with the tools it would need to find evidence of past life on the planet. See article.
g Intelligence - By examining marks on the teeth of ancient human ancestors, scientists have found that their diet was far different than previously believed. The research sheds light on the evolutionary history of complex organisms on Earth. See article.
g Message - The Fermi paradox is the apparent contradiction between high estimates of the probability of the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations and the lack of evidence for, or contact with, such civilizations. See article.
g Learning - The international astrobiology community recently gathered at AbSciCon 2008 to present new discoveries, to build collaborations, and to celebrate a decade of cross-disciplinary science. AbSciCon 2008 was hosted by the SETI Institute, and it attracted more than 675 scientists, students, educators, and journalists from 28 countries. See article.
g Aftermath - Would dutiful American citizens trust the government to handle first contact with extraterrestrials and rush to get information to the public? See article. Note: This article is from 1999.
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Photosynthesis on other worlds and AI on Mars
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 - What is the habitable zone for the nearby brown dwarf LP 944-020?
g Abodes - The jarosite group minerals have received increasing attention since the discovery of jarosite on the martian surface by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. See article.
g Life - Scientists studying the potential for life on extrasolar planets are looking at the light spectrum to determine what kind of photosynthesis plants might use on other planets. Plants on distant worlds may look very different than our own depending on the light from their planet's parent star. See article.
g Message - When the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft were launched in 1977, they each included a gold-plated phonograph record (a "golden record") of natural sounds, greetings in human voices, and a variety of music. The record cover has symbolic instructions that show how to use and understand the record, though scientists still debate whether other civilizations will be able to decipher them. Click here for info on Voyager’s golden record and here for an explanation of the record cover diagram. See article.
g Cosmicus - Artificial intelligence is giving a boost to Mars Express as it searches for signs of past or present life on Mars. See article.
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 article.
g Stars - What is the habitable zone for the nearby brown dwarf LP 944-020?
g Abodes - The jarosite group minerals have received increasing attention since the discovery of jarosite on the martian surface by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. See article.
g Life - Scientists studying the potential for life on extrasolar planets are looking at the light spectrum to determine what kind of photosynthesis plants might use on other planets. Plants on distant worlds may look very different than our own depending on the light from their planet's parent star. See article.
g Message - When the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft were launched in 1977, they each included a gold-plated phonograph record (a "golden record") of natural sounds, greetings in human voices, and a variety of music. The record cover has symbolic instructions that show how to use and understand the record, though scientists still debate whether other civilizations will be able to decipher them. Click here for info on Voyager’s golden record and here for an explanation of the record cover diagram. See article.
g Cosmicus - Artificial intelligence is giving a boost to Mars Express as it searches for signs of past or present life on Mars. See article.
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 article.
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