The Siljan ring and what an intelligent signal from another planet change about human destiny

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 -Thomas Hode, cofounder of the Swedish Astrobiology Network, speaks about his research in the largest impact structure in Western Europe, the Siljan ring. See article.
g Life - In this interview, Anthony Poole, a molecular biologist at Stockholm University in Sweden discusses early life. See article.
g Message -The sheer number of stars makes it virtually inevitable that there are other planets around other stars that are just like Earth - planets with atmospheres, oceans of liquid water and ambient conditions conducive to life. See article.
g Cosmicus -Life-searching instruments are being tested in Rio Tinto, ready to be used as part of an upcoming mission to Mars. See article.
g Learning -Questions such as "are we alone?" and "what does the future hold for life on Earth?" have been pondered for millennia. But only in recent decades have advances in science and technology allowed us to confront the universe with some hope of answers. This explains the emergence of scientific journals devoted to life in the solar system and beyond. One of the first is Astrobiology, a US-based journal launched in 2001. See article.
g Aftermath - What would an intelligent signal from another planet change about human destiny? This large question is the topic of the book “The SETI Factor,” by Frank White, who also analyzes how to announce such an historic finding and whether it would unite or divide nations. See article. Note: This article is from 2003.