Thousands of alien civilizations and how an astrobiology class led to a great idea

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 large ice cap found at Mars' northern pole is "of a very high degree of purity," according to an international study reported by French researchers. See article.
g Life - Our earliest animal ancestors, it appears, were sponges -- multicellular animals that feed by passing seawater though a complex system of internal channels. See article.
g Intelligence - Intelligent civilizations are out there and there could be thousands of them, according to an Edinburgh scientist. See article.
g Learning - Here’s the story of a teenager who got a great idea while attending an astrobiology class. See article.

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