Could galactic empires exist and how the first stars were born

Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Stars - Many details of how the universe’s first stars were born are not known, but a new experiment helps fill in some gaps. See article.
g Abodes - Recent results from the Cassini mission suggest that hydrogen and acetylene are depleted at the surface of Titan. Both results are still preliminary and the hydrogen loss in particular is the result of a computer calculation, and not a direct measurement. However the findings are interesting for astrobiology. See article.
g Message - Could galactic empires exist? In a previous article, we noted that there has been plenty of time for aliens keen on colonizing the Milky Way to pull it off. However, we see no signs of a galactic federation. Why does the cosmos look so untouched and unconquered? What is keeping advanced extraterrestrials from claiming every star system in sight? See article. This article is from 2001.
g Cosmicus - Astrobiology Magazine’s Henry Bortman is spending a week alongside members of the Pavilion Lake Research Project (PLRP). This second field report describes the glitches and problems researchers have had to overcome so that their “Gavia” robotic vehicles can explore the lake as planned. See article.
g Learning - It’s a familiar chestnut: “the dinosaurs would be around today if they only had a space program.” Of course there’s truth in this. See article. This article is from 2002.
g Aftermath - Here’s an intriguing article that is frequently referenced in astrobiology papers: "The Consequences of a Discovery: Different Scenarios", by astronomer Ivan Almar. This article is from 1995.

Get your SF book manuscript edited