Titan as analog for early Earth and how Spore evolved

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 Groombridge 1618?
g Abodes -Reactions between organic compounds in Titan’s atmosphere and water on the surface may create complex molecules similar to those on the early Earth. See article.
g Message -What if we examined how to communicate with extraterrestrials from a telecommunication engineer’s point of view? That’s the approach of Brian McConnell’s book, “Beyond Contact: A Guide to SETI and Communicating with Alien Civilizations.” Though the book has been out a few years now, it’s still worth a read if you haven’t already delved into it. Read more about the book and an interview with McConnell.
g Learning -How did the concept for the evolution-sim game Spore come about? See article.
g Aftermath - Here’s an intriguing article: How SETI is using the social sciences to decipher our thoughts on alien life. See article. Note: This article is from 2002.