Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Abodes - The great search for extraterrestrial life has focused on water at the expense of a crucial element, say geobiologists. See article. This article is from 2006.
g Intelligence - Does your language shape how you think? 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 - Plans for sending humans to visit an asteroid are heating up, with at least one company already scoping out the technological essentials for a deep space expedition within a decade, given the go-ahead. See article.
g Learning - Here’s a neat Website: NASA Quest Challenges. It is a set of free Web-based, interactive explorations designed to engage students in authentic scientific and engineering processes. The solutions relate to issues encountered daily by NASA personnel.
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Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
Three more planets discovered and how ancient terror birds fought
Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Abodes - Astronomers have discovered two Saturn-sized planets and one likely Earth-sized planet transiting the star 'Kepler 9'. It is the first confirmed system with more than one planet transiting the same star. The researchers believe that system may be one of the best locations for studying how planets form and how planetary systems evolve. See article.
g Life - Ancient giant predators known as "terror birds" may have fought like boxer Muhammad Ali, scientists now suggest. See article.
g Message - The modern Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) is based on the premise that a systematic search of the cosmos may reveal artificial signals, transmitted either intentionally or, somewhat like the leakage of TV and radio signals from Earth today, as electromagnetic noise. But will these signals, if we ever detect them, be more than simple beacons telling us that we are not alone? What if the signals bear messages from an alien civilization, attempting to describe the universe from the perspective of an intelligent species evolved completely independently of humankind? See article. This article is from 2001.
g Cosmicus - A new contraption that artificially induces the dizzying effects of spaceflight in human brains without the pesky need to actually leave Earth is gaining ground as a tool to train new pilots and astronauts. See article.
g Learning - Here’s a neat Web site that explains the history of the universe to kids. They can click onto a piece of a puzzle that visually shows the major steps from the Big Bang to people.
g Aftermath - Though an older Web posting, “After Contact, Then What?” shows how little we’ve thought about this question.
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g Abodes - Astronomers have discovered two Saturn-sized planets and one likely Earth-sized planet transiting the star 'Kepler 9'. It is the first confirmed system with more than one planet transiting the same star. The researchers believe that system may be one of the best locations for studying how planets form and how planetary systems evolve. See article.
g Life - Ancient giant predators known as "terror birds" may have fought like boxer Muhammad Ali, scientists now suggest. See article.
g Message - The modern Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) is based on the premise that a systematic search of the cosmos may reveal artificial signals, transmitted either intentionally or, somewhat like the leakage of TV and radio signals from Earth today, as electromagnetic noise. But will these signals, if we ever detect them, be more than simple beacons telling us that we are not alone? What if the signals bear messages from an alien civilization, attempting to describe the universe from the perspective of an intelligent species evolved completely independently of humankind? See article. This article is from 2001.
g Cosmicus - A new contraption that artificially induces the dizzying effects of spaceflight in human brains without the pesky need to actually leave Earth is gaining ground as a tool to train new pilots and astronauts. See article.
g Learning - Here’s a neat Web site that explains the history of the universe to kids. They can click onto a piece of a puzzle that visually shows the major steps from the Big Bang to people.
g Aftermath - Though an older Web posting, “After Contact, Then What?” shows how little we’ve thought about this question.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Seven-planet solar system discovered and ‘Wonders of the Solar System’
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 - When researchers found an unusual linkage between solar flares and the inner life of radioactive elements on Earth, it touched off a scientific detective investigation that could end up protecting the lives of space-walking astronauts and maybe rewriting some of the assumptions of physics. See article.
g Abodes - Astronomers have discovered a distant solar system containing up to seven planets orbiting a Sun-like star. One of the planets may have the lowest mass of any extrasolar planet discovered thus far. The discovery is a further step toward identifying habitable worlds around distant stars. See article.
g Message - Virtually all SETI experiments probe the skies looking for broadcasts from afar: radio or light signals that would tell us that someone as sharp-witted as ourselves is out there. But could it be that while we use binoculars to scan the cosmic sea, bottled messages have washed up unnoticed at our feet? See article. This article is from 2004.
g Cosmicus - The construction of a new rocket launch site in Russia's Far East will begin next year, the country's top space official said in a scientific council meeting. See article.
g Learning - A new five-part documentary series, “Wonders of the Solar System,” takes you on an exotic travelogue through the solar system. See review.
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g Stars - When researchers found an unusual linkage between solar flares and the inner life of radioactive elements on Earth, it touched off a scientific detective investigation that could end up protecting the lives of space-walking astronauts and maybe rewriting some of the assumptions of physics. See article.
g Abodes - Astronomers have discovered a distant solar system containing up to seven planets orbiting a Sun-like star. One of the planets may have the lowest mass of any extrasolar planet discovered thus far. The discovery is a further step toward identifying habitable worlds around distant stars. See article.
g Message - Virtually all SETI experiments probe the skies looking for broadcasts from afar: radio or light signals that would tell us that someone as sharp-witted as ourselves is out there. But could it be that while we use binoculars to scan the cosmic sea, bottled messages have washed up unnoticed at our feet? See article. This article is from 2004.
g Cosmicus - The construction of a new rocket launch site in Russia's Far East will begin next year, the country's top space official said in a scientific council meeting. See article.
g Learning - A new five-part documentary series, “Wonders of the Solar System,” takes you on an exotic travelogue through the solar system. See review.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Detecting ETI radio leakage and solar system older than we thought
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 - As the sun's energy rises and falls, so goes the Earth's atmosphere, a new study suggests. See article.
g Abodes - Timescales of early Solar System processes rely on precise, accurate and consistent ages obtained with radiometric dating. However, recent advances in instrumentation now allow scientists to make more precise measurements, some of which are revealing inconsistencies in the ages of samples. Seeking better constraints on the age of the Solar System, Arizona State University researchers analyzed meteorite Northwest Africa (NWA) 2364 and found that the age of the Solar System predates previous estimates by up to 1.9 million years. See article.
g Message - A low-frequency search could be a good first step in exploring the lower frequencies for leakage or non-intentional signals from ETI. See article.
g Cosmicus - NEI Corporation and the University of California, San Diego won a Phase II Small Business Technology Transfer contract from NASA to develop and implement high energy density cathode materials for lithium batteries. These lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries could be used in a variety of NASA projects - and in a wide range of transportation and consumer applications. See article.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read David Bischoff’s "The Xaxrling of J. Arnold Boysenberry," anthologized in “First Contact,” edited by Martin H. Greenberg & Larry Segriff (published by DAW, 1997). See article.
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g Stars - As the sun's energy rises and falls, so goes the Earth's atmosphere, a new study suggests. See article.
g Abodes - Timescales of early Solar System processes rely on precise, accurate and consistent ages obtained with radiometric dating. However, recent advances in instrumentation now allow scientists to make more precise measurements, some of which are revealing inconsistencies in the ages of samples. Seeking better constraints on the age of the Solar System, Arizona State University researchers analyzed meteorite Northwest Africa (NWA) 2364 and found that the age of the Solar System predates previous estimates by up to 1.9 million years. See article.
g Message - A low-frequency search could be a good first step in exploring the lower frequencies for leakage or non-intentional signals from ETI. See article.
g Cosmicus - NEI Corporation and the University of California, San Diego won a Phase II Small Business Technology Transfer contract from NASA to develop and implement high energy density cathode materials for lithium batteries. These lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries could be used in a variety of NASA projects - and in a wide range of transportation and consumer applications. See article.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read David Bischoff’s "The Xaxrling of J. Arnold Boysenberry," anthologized in “First Contact,” edited by Martin H. Greenberg & Larry Segriff (published by DAW, 1997). See article.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Friday, August 27, 2010
Binary stars bad for life and 30 days after first contact
Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Abodes - A new study using data from the Spitzer Space Telescope has shown that double-star systems may not be good places to search for life. A large amount of dust in three systems with close-orbiting stars could be the result of tremendous planetary collisions, indicating such systems may be too unstable for habitable planets. See article.
g Message - Modern SETI searches are looking for technically sophisticated aliens around other star systems. Do the research teams that run these experiments also have cryptologists standing by? See article. This article is from 2000.
g Cosmicus - Seasoned skywatchers in North American may have several chances to spot the U.S. Air Force's secretive X-37B space plane fly overhead with the help of a smart phone app that helps track satellites. See article.
g Imagining - Could galactic empires exist? There has been plenty of time for aliens keen on colonizing the Milky Way to pull it off. However, we see no signs of galactic federation ("Star Trek" aside). 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 Aftermath - The scientific search for extraterrestrial intelligence is accelerating its pace and adopting fresh strategies. This increases the likelihood of successful detection in the near future. Humanity's first contact with alien intelligence will trigger extraordinary attention from the media, from government authorities, and from the general public. By improving our readiness for contact, especially for security during the first 30 days, we can avoid the most negative scenarios — and also enhance humanity's benefits from this first contact with an alien intelligence. Six potential problem areas include communicating with the media and the public, communicating with scientific colleagues, government control, an assassin or saboteur, well-meaning officials and lawsuits. See article.
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g Abodes - A new study using data from the Spitzer Space Telescope has shown that double-star systems may not be good places to search for life. A large amount of dust in three systems with close-orbiting stars could be the result of tremendous planetary collisions, indicating such systems may be too unstable for habitable planets. See article.
g Message - Modern SETI searches are looking for technically sophisticated aliens around other star systems. Do the research teams that run these experiments also have cryptologists standing by? See article. This article is from 2000.
g Cosmicus - Seasoned skywatchers in North American may have several chances to spot the U.S. Air Force's secretive X-37B space plane fly overhead with the help of a smart phone app that helps track satellites. See article.
g Imagining - Could galactic empires exist? There has been plenty of time for aliens keen on colonizing the Milky Way to pull it off. However, we see no signs of galactic federation ("Star Trek" aside). 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 Aftermath - The scientific search for extraterrestrial intelligence is accelerating its pace and adopting fresh strategies. This increases the likelihood of successful detection in the near future. Humanity's first contact with alien intelligence will trigger extraordinary attention from the media, from government authorities, and from the general public. By improving our readiness for contact, especially for security during the first 30 days, we can avoid the most negative scenarios — and also enhance humanity's benefits from this first contact with an alien intelligence. Six potential problem areas include communicating with the media and the public, communicating with scientific colleagues, government control, an assassin or saboteur, well-meaning officials and lawsuits. See article.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Weighing planets and why aliens can hear us
Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Abodes - Researchers have come up with a new way to weigh the planets in our solar system using radio signals from pulsars. A better understanding of the conditions present in our solar system will ultimately aid astrobiologists in the search for habitable worlds around distant stars. See article.
g Message - When someone tells you the aliens couldn't possibly hear us, you can just smile politely. The truth is, they could. And what about us hearing them? We've only had radio for a century. Some extraterrestrials have surely had it for a hundred or thousand times longer. If our signals are detectable, theirs might be far more so. See article. This article is from 2008.
g Imagining - A complaint lodged again and again against science fiction aliens is that they look too much like us. Is that complaint valid? Is it so unlikely that extraterrestrials would look at least similar (though not identical) to humans? If so, then what would beings, intelligent or not so intelligent, who evolved on another world look like? That's what Cliff Pickover explores in “The Science of Aliens”. Though the book is a few years old, it’s still worth reading.
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g Abodes - Researchers have come up with a new way to weigh the planets in our solar system using radio signals from pulsars. A better understanding of the conditions present in our solar system will ultimately aid astrobiologists in the search for habitable worlds around distant stars. See article.
g Message - When someone tells you the aliens couldn't possibly hear us, you can just smile politely. The truth is, they could. And what about us hearing them? We've only had radio for a century. Some extraterrestrials have surely had it for a hundred or thousand times longer. If our signals are detectable, theirs might be far more so. See article. This article is from 2008.
g Imagining - A complaint lodged again and again against science fiction aliens is that they look too much like us. Is that complaint valid? Is it so unlikely that extraterrestrials would look at least similar (though not identical) to humans? If so, then what would beings, intelligent or not so intelligent, who evolved on another world look like? That's what Cliff Pickover explores in “The Science of Aliens”. Though the book is a few years old, it’s still worth reading.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Solar system similar to our own discovered and how to find a complex message from ETI
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 - Astronomers have discovered a group of at least five planets – with hints of two more – circling around a star in an arrangement similar to our own solar system. Confirmation of the extra planets would make this the highest tally of alien worlds ever spotted around a single star. See article.
g Abodes - If we could make one change to stave off climate change, what would it be? One scientist believes that getting rid of black soot is the answer. Other research shows that fighting climate change with geo-engineering tricks, such as pumping out aerosols to reflect sunlight, may not be a solution. See article.
g Message - The investigation of new transmission modes hints that if we do find a signal from ET, we may wish to reconfigure our radio telescopes to look for encoding of the message via such subtle effects as orbital angular momentum. A simple signal may only be a cipher for a more complex message. See article. This article is from 2008.
g Aftermath - Alien encounters and science fiction permeate pop culture, but what would it really mean if scientists found life beyond Earth? If even a single-celled organism on another planet was discovered, for many, this would be the last thread of evidence proving that life is simply chemistry. See article. This article is from 2003.
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g Stars - Astronomers have discovered a group of at least five planets – with hints of two more – circling around a star in an arrangement similar to our own solar system. Confirmation of the extra planets would make this the highest tally of alien worlds ever spotted around a single star. See article.
g Abodes - If we could make one change to stave off climate change, what would it be? One scientist believes that getting rid of black soot is the answer. Other research shows that fighting climate change with geo-engineering tricks, such as pumping out aerosols to reflect sunlight, may not be a solution. See article.
g Message - The investigation of new transmission modes hints that if we do find a signal from ET, we may wish to reconfigure our radio telescopes to look for encoding of the message via such subtle effects as orbital angular momentum. A simple signal may only be a cipher for a more complex message. See article. This article is from 2008.
g Aftermath - Alien encounters and science fiction permeate pop culture, but what would it really mean if scientists found life beyond Earth? If even a single-celled organism on another planet was discovered, for many, this would be the last thread of evidence proving that life is simply chemistry. See article. This article is from 2003.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
How microbes did away with ocean deserts and ETI eavesdropping on our broadcasts
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 - Want to make a planet that can sustain carbon-based life? Don’t park it in orbit around a sun-like star. See article. This article is from 2009.
g Abodes - Could planets made of diamond or iron exist? While hundreds of exoplanets have already been discovered, it could just be a matter of time before we find some truly bizarre ones. See article. This article is from 2009.
g Life - More than two and a half billion years ago, Earth differed greatly from our modern environment, specifically in respect to the composition of gases in the atmosphere and the nature of the life forms inhabiting its surface. While today's atmosphere consists of about 21 percent oxygen, the ancient atmosphere contained almost no oxygen. Life was limited to unicellular organisms. The complex eukaryotic life we are familiar with – animals, including humans – was not possible in an environment devoid of oxygen. See article.
g Message - If the best of our SETI setups were suddenly transported lock, stock, and spectrum analyzer to some star system a few tens of light-years away and turned our way by snoopy aliens, would it be sensitive enough to detect any of our terrestrial transmissions? Could it successfully eavesdrop on our television, radio, radar, or cell phones? See article. This article is from 2008.
g Cosmicus - Book alert: A new book from author Mary Roach is always a welcome sight, even more so when it delves into the human side of spaceflight. In Packing for Mars, Roach explores what should be familiar ground to “spaceniks” and comes up with all kinds of fresh, surprising material, delivered with her trademark wit. See review.
g Learning - Here’s a neat new set of classroom activities, courtesy of NASA: “Microbial Life”. It’s a freely accessible digital library dedicated to the diversity, ecology, and evolution of the microbial world. Engage students with hands-on activities and other curriculum-based resources that cover topics such as astrobiology, bioinformatics, extremophiles, and the microbes of marine environments.
g Aftermath - Within the scientific community, the question is no longer whether extraterrestrial life exists, but if ET is smart enough to do long division — and the United States and other world governments already have detailed secret plans for first contact. My apologies in advanced for Popular Mechanic’s lurid title, but the reporting is sound. See article. This article is from 2004.
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g Stars - Want to make a planet that can sustain carbon-based life? Don’t park it in orbit around a sun-like star. See article. This article is from 2009.
g Abodes - Could planets made of diamond or iron exist? While hundreds of exoplanets have already been discovered, it could just be a matter of time before we find some truly bizarre ones. See article. This article is from 2009.
g Life - More than two and a half billion years ago, Earth differed greatly from our modern environment, specifically in respect to the composition of gases in the atmosphere and the nature of the life forms inhabiting its surface. While today's atmosphere consists of about 21 percent oxygen, the ancient atmosphere contained almost no oxygen. Life was limited to unicellular organisms. The complex eukaryotic life we are familiar with – animals, including humans – was not possible in an environment devoid of oxygen. See article.
g Message - If the best of our SETI setups were suddenly transported lock, stock, and spectrum analyzer to some star system a few tens of light-years away and turned our way by snoopy aliens, would it be sensitive enough to detect any of our terrestrial transmissions? Could it successfully eavesdrop on our television, radio, radar, or cell phones? See article. This article is from 2008.
g Cosmicus - Book alert: A new book from author Mary Roach is always a welcome sight, even more so when it delves into the human side of spaceflight. In Packing for Mars, Roach explores what should be familiar ground to “spaceniks” and comes up with all kinds of fresh, surprising material, delivered with her trademark wit. See review.
g Learning - Here’s a neat new set of classroom activities, courtesy of NASA: “Microbial Life”. It’s a freely accessible digital library dedicated to the diversity, ecology, and evolution of the microbial world. Engage students with hands-on activities and other curriculum-based resources that cover topics such as astrobiology, bioinformatics, extremophiles, and the microbes of marine environments.
g Aftermath - Within the scientific community, the question is no longer whether extraterrestrial life exists, but if ET is smart enough to do long division — and the United States and other world governments already have detailed secret plans for first contact. My apologies in advanced for Popular Mechanic’s lurid title, but the reporting is sound. See article. This article is from 2004.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Monday, August 23, 2010
Proposed planet hunting space observatory and ‘denser sampling’ of Earth’s geological record
Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Abodes - Geologists studying the environment of the early Earth face many difficulties in interpreting the data they gather. One scientist believes “denser sampling” and “more judicious reading of rock samples” may help the community solve some of the biggest questions about our planet's history. See article.
g Message - A news story from an Oakland television station that appeared on the internet in 2008 has falsely led some to believe that a credible radio signal from space may have been recently detected - a signal that might be ascribable to extraterrestrial intelligence.. See article. This article is from 2008.
g Cosmicus - A new European space observatory could join the hunt for life-bearing planets beyond our solar system if it is selected for full development next year. See article.
g Aftermath - If some day we detect a radio signal from a distant civilization, well have to make some adjustments in the way we view ourselves. After millennia knowing of no other intelligence in the universe than humankind, we could face a considerable challenge to our terrestrial egotism. See article. This article is from 2000.
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g Abodes - Geologists studying the environment of the early Earth face many difficulties in interpreting the data they gather. One scientist believes “denser sampling” and “more judicious reading of rock samples” may help the community solve some of the biggest questions about our planet's history. See article.
g Message - A news story from an Oakland television station that appeared on the internet in 2008 has falsely led some to believe that a credible radio signal from space may have been recently detected - a signal that might be ascribable to extraterrestrial intelligence.. See article. This article is from 2008.
g Cosmicus - A new European space observatory could join the hunt for life-bearing planets beyond our solar system if it is selected for full development next year. See article.
g Aftermath - If some day we detect a radio signal from a distant civilization, well have to make some adjustments in the way we view ourselves. After millennia knowing of no other intelligence in the universe than humankind, we could face a considerable challenge to our terrestrial egotism. See article. This article is from 2000.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Imagining life on Titan and our shrinking Moon
Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Abodes - Cliffs in the lunar crust indicate the Moon shrank globally in the geologically recent past and might still be shrinking today. Studying the Moon is important to astrobiologists because lunar history could yield clues about the history of our Solar System and, ultimately, the habitability of the Earth. See article.
g Message - Whether that first discovered signal is a radio tone or a light burst, there would be tremendous incentive to move beyond the detection and find whatever message accompanies it. For light flashes pinging our planet, that might not take very long. See article. This article is from 2003.
g Cosmicus - The Planetary Society, a non-profit organization involved in space advocacy, is deeply concerned about the future of U.S. space exploration and is urging Congress to reconsider NASA's current plans. See article.
g Imagining - If there is life on Titan, what might it look like? 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.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
g Abodes - Cliffs in the lunar crust indicate the Moon shrank globally in the geologically recent past and might still be shrinking today. Studying the Moon is important to astrobiologists because lunar history could yield clues about the history of our Solar System and, ultimately, the habitability of the Earth. See article.
g Message - Whether that first discovered signal is a radio tone or a light burst, there would be tremendous incentive to move beyond the detection and find whatever message accompanies it. For light flashes pinging our planet, that might not take very long. See article. This article is from 2003.
g Cosmicus - The Planetary Society, a non-profit organization involved in space advocacy, is deeply concerned about the future of U.S. space exploration and is urging Congress to reconsider NASA's current plans. See article.
g Imagining - If there is life on Titan, what might it look like? 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.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Making sense of cosmic gurgle and threats to astronauts on voyage to Mars
Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Abodes - About 4.5 billion years ago, when the solar system accreted out of a disk of gas and dust, the Earth was thoroughly reduced. Over the course of the first 1-2 billion years our planet became slowly, but inextricably ever more oxidized. See article. This article is from 2008.
g Message - How can we be sure we’ve picked up intelligence and not just the cosmic gurgle of a completely natural object? How can we know we’re not merely harkening to the ticking beat of a pulsar, the whoosh of a quasar, or perhaps the lasing bray of a molecular gas cloud? See article. This article is from 2004.
g Cosmicus - Astronauts on a mission to Mars could lose nearly half their muscle strength during the long trip, giving them the physiques of senior citizens by the time they arrived, according to a new study. See article.
g Aftermath - Clearly, if we are not alone in the universe, there are some unavoidable theological and philosophical consequences. 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 ftom the evidence that humans descend from microorganisms. See article.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
g Abodes - About 4.5 billion years ago, when the solar system accreted out of a disk of gas and dust, the Earth was thoroughly reduced. Over the course of the first 1-2 billion years our planet became slowly, but inextricably ever more oxidized. See article. This article is from 2008.
g Message - How can we be sure we’ve picked up intelligence and not just the cosmic gurgle of a completely natural object? How can we know we’re not merely harkening to the ticking beat of a pulsar, the whoosh of a quasar, or perhaps the lasing bray of a molecular gas cloud? See article. This article is from 2004.
g Cosmicus - Astronauts on a mission to Mars could lose nearly half their muscle strength during the long trip, giving them the physiques of senior citizens by the time they arrived, according to a new study. See article.
g Aftermath - Clearly, if we are not alone in the universe, there are some unavoidable theological and philosophical consequences. 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 ftom the evidence that humans descend from microorganisms. See article.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Friday, August 20, 2010
Mud volcanoes on Mars and understanding ETI’s pictures
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 - A ghost-like nebula billowing out from a nest of bright stars and dark dust takes center stage in an impressive new image from the Hubble Space Telescope. See article.
g Abodes - Spewing out material from deep underground, geological structures on Mars thought to be mud volcanoes could give scientists the clues they need to determine if life exists, or ever existed, on the Red Planet. See article.
g Message - Would pictures necessarily be understood at interstellar distances? See article. This article is from 2001.
g Cosmicus - NASA is pushing ahead with work on its new Orion space capsule and Ares rockets despite their ambiguous status as lawmakers discuss the agency's 2011 budget request. See article.
g Learning - Don’t quite know what a word you’ve come across in an astrobiology article means? Here’s a handy glossary.
g Imagining - In each artificial life creation story, there is always a cautionary line - questioning the right of humankind to create a consciousness that would otherwise not be present in our universe. Let us inspect that theme philosophically to gauge its true value to us today. See article. This article is from 2006.
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. This article is from 1999.
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g Stars - A ghost-like nebula billowing out from a nest of bright stars and dark dust takes center stage in an impressive new image from the Hubble Space Telescope. See article.
g Abodes - Spewing out material from deep underground, geological structures on Mars thought to be mud volcanoes could give scientists the clues they need to determine if life exists, or ever existed, on the Red Planet. See article.
g Message - Would pictures necessarily be understood at interstellar distances? See article. This article is from 2001.
g Cosmicus - NASA is pushing ahead with work on its new Orion space capsule and Ares rockets despite their ambiguous status as lawmakers discuss the agency's 2011 budget request. See article.
g Learning - Don’t quite know what a word you’ve come across in an astrobiology article means? Here’s a handy glossary.
g Imagining - In each artificial life creation story, there is always a cautionary line - questioning the right of humankind to create a consciousness that would otherwise not be present in our universe. Let us inspect that theme philosophically to gauge its true value to us today. See article. This article is from 2006.
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. This article is from 1999.
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Thursday, August 19, 2010
Pros and cons of reaching out to ETI and animal evolution pushed back 70 million years
Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Abodes - Before they can be sent out to explore planets or moons, rovers first need to be tested in the field. While there is no perfect analog for Jupiter’s icy moon Europa, there are various spots on Earth and elsewhere that are similar enough to conduct trial runs. See article.
g Life - Scientists may have discovered the oldest fossils of animal bodies, pushing back the clock on when animal life appeared on Earth. The finding could yield new clues about the evolution of life on our planet. See article.
g Message - Could galactic civilizations be pulsing our planet with high-powered lasers? The idea of communicating with flashes of light may sound archaic, conjuring up visions of cowboys signaling with hand-held mirrors or sailors wielding ship-to-ship telegraphs. And indeed, schemes for using bright lights to establish cosmic contact date back a while. In the mid-nineteenth century, both Karl F. Gauss, the famous German mathematician, and the French polymath, Charles Cros, suggested projects for getting the attention of Martians using lanterns and mirrors. See article.
g Cosmicus - To spread our descendants among the nearby worlds of our solar system is more than our destiny: it's an imperative for our future. See article.
g Aftermath - Even if humanity could reach out to an intelligent alien civilization, scientists are polarized over whether we should. See article.
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g Abodes - Before they can be sent out to explore planets or moons, rovers first need to be tested in the field. While there is no perfect analog for Jupiter’s icy moon Europa, there are various spots on Earth and elsewhere that are similar enough to conduct trial runs. See article.
g Life - Scientists may have discovered the oldest fossils of animal bodies, pushing back the clock on when animal life appeared on Earth. The finding could yield new clues about the evolution of life on our planet. See article.
g Message - Could galactic civilizations be pulsing our planet with high-powered lasers? The idea of communicating with flashes of light may sound archaic, conjuring up visions of cowboys signaling with hand-held mirrors or sailors wielding ship-to-ship telegraphs. And indeed, schemes for using bright lights to establish cosmic contact date back a while. In the mid-nineteenth century, both Karl F. Gauss, the famous German mathematician, and the French polymath, Charles Cros, suggested projects for getting the attention of Martians using lanterns and mirrors. See article.
g Cosmicus - To spread our descendants among the nearby worlds of our solar system is more than our destiny: it's an imperative for our future. See article.
g Aftermath - Even if humanity could reach out to an intelligent alien civilization, scientists are polarized over whether we should. See article.
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Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Mapping interstellar boundary at the edge of our solar system and primitive Earth mantle reservoir
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 - NASA's IBEX spacecraft has mapped the interstellar boundary at the edge of our solar system. IBEX has also provided measurements of the Earth's magnetosphere, which maintains our planet's habitability by protecting the biosphere from harmful radiation. See article.
g Abodes - Researchers have found a primitive Earth mantle reservoir on Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic. The discovery will help researchers understand the composition of the original, early Earth. See article.
g Life - Scientists plan to develop and operate airborne science platforms to carry biological sampling devices and retrieve organisms, such as microbes, algal spores, viruses, and fungi, and other evidence of life from lower atmosphere to the upper atmosphere, or more than 78 miles above the surface of Earth. See article.
g Message - Of the many "maybes" that SETI has turned up in its four-decade history, none is better known than the one that was discovered in August, 1977, in Columbus, Ohio. The famous Wow signal was found as part of a long-running sky survey conducted with Ohio State University’s "Big Ear" radio telescope. See article. This article is from 2002.
g Cosmicus - The U.S. Army's desire to deploy swarms of tiny satellites for various tactical missions is one of the reasons it began development two years ago of what would be the United States' smallest orbital launch vehicle, designed to put payloads of about 20 kilograms into space, government and industry officials said. See article.
g Aftermath - To create interstellar messages that have a realistic chance of being understood across interstellar distances, we need to identify some information shared by humans and extraterrestrials. We need to identify a foundation for establishing a universal language that will let us bridge the gap between our world and theirs, all without the convenience of face-to-face contact. See article. This article is from 2002.
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g Stars - NASA's IBEX spacecraft has mapped the interstellar boundary at the edge of our solar system. IBEX has also provided measurements of the Earth's magnetosphere, which maintains our planet's habitability by protecting the biosphere from harmful radiation. See article.
g Abodes - Researchers have found a primitive Earth mantle reservoir on Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic. The discovery will help researchers understand the composition of the original, early Earth. See article.
g Life - Scientists plan to develop and operate airborne science platforms to carry biological sampling devices and retrieve organisms, such as microbes, algal spores, viruses, and fungi, and other evidence of life from lower atmosphere to the upper atmosphere, or more than 78 miles above the surface of Earth. See article.
g Message - Of the many "maybes" that SETI has turned up in its four-decade history, none is better known than the one that was discovered in August, 1977, in Columbus, Ohio. The famous Wow signal was found as part of a long-running sky survey conducted with Ohio State University’s "Big Ear" radio telescope. See article. This article is from 2002.
g Cosmicus - The U.S. Army's desire to deploy swarms of tiny satellites for various tactical missions is one of the reasons it began development two years ago of what would be the United States' smallest orbital launch vehicle, designed to put payloads of about 20 kilograms into space, government and industry officials said. See article.
g Aftermath - To create interstellar messages that have a realistic chance of being understood across interstellar distances, we need to identify some information shared by humans and extraterrestrials. We need to identify a foundation for establishing a universal language that will let us bridge the gap between our world and theirs, all without the convenience of face-to-face contact. See article. This article is from 2002.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Proof of ET in 25 years and opening spaceflight to thousands
Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Abodes - Scientists have been trying to figure out how mountains form on Saturn's moon, Titan. The best explanation may be that Titan is shrinking as it cools, wrinkling the surface like a raisin. Understanding physical processes on Titan can help astrobiologists determine the potential for life on the unique, frigid moon. See article.
g Life - It seems like I ran this story just five years ago, but … Proof of extraterrestrial intelligence could come within 25 years, an astronomer who works on the search said Sunday. See article.
g Message - Some people mistakenly confuse a long search with a thorough one, and figure that the lack of a SETI detection indicates that we’re alone in the galaxy. This, however, is nonsense. See article. This article is from 2006.
g Cosmicus - Spaceflight could soon be opened up to hundreds or potentially thousands of researchers rather than just an elite few, said experts at a recent space-research conference. See article.
g Aftermath - Could humanity ever relate to an alien species? Consider the questioning context of these online speculations about why "Star Trek is human centered?" The latter is an interesting question, possibly creating a situation dealing with a prejudice on the behalf of the writers and producers. However, would a series completely dedicated to another species, such as the Romulans, be successful in a television market? Is it possible that the reasons it wouldn’t be might indicate humanity may care little about an alien species other than as a potential threat? See article. This article is from 1999.
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g Abodes - Scientists have been trying to figure out how mountains form on Saturn's moon, Titan. The best explanation may be that Titan is shrinking as it cools, wrinkling the surface like a raisin. Understanding physical processes on Titan can help astrobiologists determine the potential for life on the unique, frigid moon. See article.
g Life - It seems like I ran this story just five years ago, but … Proof of extraterrestrial intelligence could come within 25 years, an astronomer who works on the search said Sunday. See article.
g Message - Some people mistakenly confuse a long search with a thorough one, and figure that the lack of a SETI detection indicates that we’re alone in the galaxy. This, however, is nonsense. See article. This article is from 2006.
g Cosmicus - Spaceflight could soon be opened up to hundreds or potentially thousands of researchers rather than just an elite few, said experts at a recent space-research conference. See article.
g Aftermath - Could humanity ever relate to an alien species? Consider the questioning context of these online speculations about why "Star Trek is human centered?" The latter is an interesting question, possibly creating a situation dealing with a prejudice on the behalf of the writers and producers. However, would a series completely dedicated to another species, such as the Romulans, be successful in a television market? Is it possible that the reasons it wouldn’t be might indicate humanity may care little about an alien species other than as a potential threat? See article. This article is from 1999.
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Monday, August 16, 2010
Common fallacies about SETI and Frank Drake honored
Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Abodes - New data shows that the supercontinent, Gondwana, underwent a 60-degree rotation across Earth's surface during the Cambrian period. This continental movement may have had a profound effect on the evolution of Earth's biosphere and climate. See article.
g Life - Anyone who knows a trilobite from an ammonite can tell you that the history of early life is a book written in rock. According to SETI Institute scientist Friedemann Freund, chapter one and perhaps chapter two may have been written at least in part, by the rocks themselves. See article. This article is from 2003.
g Message - Many common ideas about SETI just aren’t true, but that doesn't prevent them from popping up in popular articles, blogs, books, and even movies. Here are three common fallacies about SETI. See article.
g Cosmicus - How many light-years is it to the nearest alien civilization? See article. This article is from 2006.
g Learning - Astronomer Frank Drake, the “father of SETI,” received top honors at a banquet gala Saturday at the SETIcon convention here about the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. It is not only the 50th anniversary of that first experiment, called Project Ozma, but also Drake's 80th birthday. See article.
g Aftermath - If we encountered an intelligent species on another planet, could we understand them? In turn, could extrasolar species decipher one of our 8,000 terrestrial languages in use today? See article. This article is from 2004.
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g Abodes - New data shows that the supercontinent, Gondwana, underwent a 60-degree rotation across Earth's surface during the Cambrian period. This continental movement may have had a profound effect on the evolution of Earth's biosphere and climate. See article.
g Life - Anyone who knows a trilobite from an ammonite can tell you that the history of early life is a book written in rock. According to SETI Institute scientist Friedemann Freund, chapter one and perhaps chapter two may have been written at least in part, by the rocks themselves. See article. This article is from 2003.
g Message - Many common ideas about SETI just aren’t true, but that doesn't prevent them from popping up in popular articles, blogs, books, and even movies. Here are three common fallacies about SETI. See article.
g Cosmicus - How many light-years is it to the nearest alien civilization? See article. This article is from 2006.
g Learning - Astronomer Frank Drake, the “father of SETI,” received top honors at a banquet gala Saturday at the SETIcon convention here about the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. It is not only the 50th anniversary of that first experiment, called Project Ozma, but also Drake's 80th birthday. See article.
g Aftermath - If we encountered an intelligent species on another planet, could we understand them? In turn, could extrasolar species decipher one of our 8,000 terrestrial languages in use today? See article. This article is from 2004.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Clues about alien life in Argentina for and gamma-ray novas
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 - An unexpected and powerful new kind of star explosion has been discovered in the heavens — a so-called gamma-ray nova that radiates the most energetic form of light in the universe. See article.
g Abodes - A lake in Argentina's remote, inhospitable northwest may offer clues on how life got started on Earth and how it could survive on other planets, scientists say. See article.
g Life - A bias in the way amino acids twist could be due to supernovae, researchers now suggest. If correct, this could be more evidence that the molecules of life came from elsewhere in the cosmos. See article.
g Message - Does life exist beyond our small planet, Earth? This fundamental question drives scientists to search near and far. Using astronomical tools, SETI (search for extraterrestrial intelligence) researchers seek the telltale sign of distant technological civilizations by listening for faint signals emitted by alien transmitters in planetary systems orbiting distant suns. See article. This article is from 2000.
g Cosmicus - Japan's solar sail – a sun-powered spacecraft launched in May – has successfully steered by using just the pressure of sunlight against its square polymer sail, Japan space officials said. See article.
g Learning - Kevin W. Plaxco and Michael Gross have written a book about astrobiology, “Life Beyond Earth,” that provides a general introduction to this new field. Plaxco is a member of the chemistry faculty at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Gross is a prolific science writer based in Oxford, England, whose other recent books include "Light and Life," "Travels to the Nanoworld," and "Life on the Edge." See review. This review is from 2006.
g Aftermath - Douglas Vakoch is one of a relatively small collection of scientists addressing the question of how to talk back to extraterrestrials. While most researchers involved in the Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence come from physics and engineering backgrounds, Vakoch draws on a background in linguistics, sociology and psychology to explore SETI-related issues. Here’s an interview with him from 2002 about communicating with ET.
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g Stars - An unexpected and powerful new kind of star explosion has been discovered in the heavens — a so-called gamma-ray nova that radiates the most energetic form of light in the universe. See article.
g Abodes - A lake in Argentina's remote, inhospitable northwest may offer clues on how life got started on Earth and how it could survive on other planets, scientists say. See article.
g Life - A bias in the way amino acids twist could be due to supernovae, researchers now suggest. If correct, this could be more evidence that the molecules of life came from elsewhere in the cosmos. See article.
g Message - Does life exist beyond our small planet, Earth? This fundamental question drives scientists to search near and far. Using astronomical tools, SETI (search for extraterrestrial intelligence) researchers seek the telltale sign of distant technological civilizations by listening for faint signals emitted by alien transmitters in planetary systems orbiting distant suns. See article. This article is from 2000.
g Cosmicus - Japan's solar sail – a sun-powered spacecraft launched in May – has successfully steered by using just the pressure of sunlight against its square polymer sail, Japan space officials said. See article.
g Learning - Kevin W. Plaxco and Michael Gross have written a book about astrobiology, “Life Beyond Earth,” that provides a general introduction to this new field. Plaxco is a member of the chemistry faculty at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Gross is a prolific science writer based in Oxford, England, whose other recent books include "Light and Life," "Travels to the Nanoworld," and "Life on the Edge." See review. This review is from 2006.
g Aftermath - Douglas Vakoch is one of a relatively small collection of scientists addressing the question of how to talk back to extraterrestrials. While most researchers involved in the Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence come from physics and engineering backgrounds, Vakoch draws on a background in linguistics, sociology and psychology to explore SETI-related issues. Here’s an interview with him from 2002 about communicating with ET.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Comparative planetology and Stephen Hawking warns: Go into space or go extinct
Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Abodes - Clouds play a major role in Earth's climate, and in supporting life on Earth. Scientists are using satellites to study clouds on Earth, and “comparative planetology” - comparing Earth to data from Mars and other worlds - to understand the role clouds play in making a planet habitable. See article.
g Life - Many of them are tiny, all of them are tough, and they could be your most distant ancestors. See article. This article is from 2005.
g Message - Given that stars in our galactic neighborhood are separated by about 4 light-years, it’s easy to figure that roughly 10 thousand star systems have been exposed to “I Love Lucy” in the past five decades. That may suggest a high Nielson rating, but the chance that extraterrestrials are now hooked on 1950s television is low. See article. This article is from 2006.
g Cosmicus - If humanity is to survive long-term, it must find a way to get off planet Earth — and fast, according to famed astrophysicist Stephen Hawking. See article.
g Learning - Every summer, the SETI Institute hosts 15-20 college students from around the country as part of its Astrobiology Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) internship program. See article.
g Aftermath - One of our natural tendencies when we make contact with strangers is to try to impress them. Sloppy dressers might polish their shoes for a job interview, hopeful suitors will wash their cars for a first date and prospective children-in-law will be on their best behavior in the presence of the parents of their intended. Wouldn’t we want to do the same in our first contact with ET? Lewis Thomas, in his book “Lives of a Cell,” suggests that if we want to impress an alien civilization, we should send "Bach, all of Bach, streamed out into space, over and over again." See article. This article is from 2005.
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g Abodes - Clouds play a major role in Earth's climate, and in supporting life on Earth. Scientists are using satellites to study clouds on Earth, and “comparative planetology” - comparing Earth to data from Mars and other worlds - to understand the role clouds play in making a planet habitable. See article.
g Life - Many of them are tiny, all of them are tough, and they could be your most distant ancestors. See article. This article is from 2005.
g Message - Given that stars in our galactic neighborhood are separated by about 4 light-years, it’s easy to figure that roughly 10 thousand star systems have been exposed to “I Love Lucy” in the past five decades. That may suggest a high Nielson rating, but the chance that extraterrestrials are now hooked on 1950s television is low. See article. This article is from 2006.
g Cosmicus - If humanity is to survive long-term, it must find a way to get off planet Earth — and fast, according to famed astrophysicist Stephen Hawking. See article.
g Learning - Every summer, the SETI Institute hosts 15-20 college students from around the country as part of its Astrobiology Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) internship program. See article.
g Aftermath - One of our natural tendencies when we make contact with strangers is to try to impress them. Sloppy dressers might polish their shoes for a job interview, hopeful suitors will wash their cars for a first date and prospective children-in-law will be on their best behavior in the presence of the parents of their intended. Wouldn’t we want to do the same in our first contact with ET? Lewis Thomas, in his book “Lives of a Cell,” suggests that if we want to impress an alien civilization, we should send "Bach, all of Bach, streamed out into space, over and over again." See article. This article is from 2005.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Friday, August 13, 2010
Finding Mars on Earth and simplifying SETI
Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Abodes - People interested in Mars exploration, like many of the scientists at the Carl Sagan Center, often start by exploring cold, dry, thin aired Mars-like “analogue” sites on Earth. See article.
g Life - Puzzling out how biology gained a foothold on Earth has obvious importance for gauging whether it's likely to be widespread in the universe. After all, if life required some really special circumstances to jump-start its existence on our planet, then you can safely figure that the bulk of the universe is as sterile as steam. See article. This article is from 2002.
g Message - Could SETI efforts be simpler? While today’s radio searches rely on highly sophisticated antennas and receivers, our fledgling optical search systems are far less intricate. Experiments to look for fleeting flashes of light from other star systems have been conducted using only a modest telescope and about 20 thousand dollars’ worth of electronics. Simple and cheap, like onion dip. See article. This article is from 2006.
g Cosmicus - In early 2007 New Horizons flew through the Jupiter system, getting a speed-boost from the giant planet's gravity while snapping stunning, close-up images of Jupiter and its largest moons. Three years later, New Horizons has given us another glimpse of Jupiter, this time from a vantage point more than 16 times the distance between Earth and the Sun, and nearly 1,000 times as far away as when the probe reconnoitered Jupiter. See article.
g Aftermath - We humans are familiar with the back-and-forth of face-to-face contact — something we likely will not have in an interstellar conversation. The timescale of a human life may well not be enough for a meaningful dialogue with another species. Interstellar dialogue may make sense only across generations. See article. This article is from 2003.
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g Abodes - People interested in Mars exploration, like many of the scientists at the Carl Sagan Center, often start by exploring cold, dry, thin aired Mars-like “analogue” sites on Earth. See article.
g Life - Puzzling out how biology gained a foothold on Earth has obvious importance for gauging whether it's likely to be widespread in the universe. After all, if life required some really special circumstances to jump-start its existence on our planet, then you can safely figure that the bulk of the universe is as sterile as steam. See article. This article is from 2002.
g Message - Could SETI efforts be simpler? While today’s radio searches rely on highly sophisticated antennas and receivers, our fledgling optical search systems are far less intricate. Experiments to look for fleeting flashes of light from other star systems have been conducted using only a modest telescope and about 20 thousand dollars’ worth of electronics. Simple and cheap, like onion dip. See article. This article is from 2006.
g Cosmicus - In early 2007 New Horizons flew through the Jupiter system, getting a speed-boost from the giant planet's gravity while snapping stunning, close-up images of Jupiter and its largest moons. Three years later, New Horizons has given us another glimpse of Jupiter, this time from a vantage point more than 16 times the distance between Earth and the Sun, and nearly 1,000 times as far away as when the probe reconnoitered Jupiter. See article.
g Aftermath - We humans are familiar with the back-and-forth of face-to-face contact — something we likely will not have in an interstellar conversation. The timescale of a human life may well not be enough for a meaningful dialogue with another species. Interstellar dialogue may make sense only across generations. See article. This article is from 2003.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Life arising between mica sheets and will ETI be altruistic or hostile?
Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Abodes - The Trojan horse of legend held in its belly the men and means to help sack ancient Troy. Now it appears another type of Trojan could endanger every life on Earth. So says a study of the Trojan asteroids that exist around the orbit of Neptune: material from these may go on to become comets that could strike our planet. See article.
g Life - Scientists may have a new answer to the question, "Where did life on Earth start?" Research shows that life could have originated between sheets of mica that were layers like the pages in a book. Understanding the origin of life is a key goal of astrobiology. See article.
g Intelligence - When it comes to extraterrestrial intelligent life – life that could invent science and technology – the bookmakers hesitate. After all, the road to Homo sapiens was snaky. There were myriad forks in the evolutionary road, and not a few biologists have suggested that if the history of this planet had been only slightly different, humans would never have made the scene. Intelligence was a highly improbable accident, they say. See article. This article is from 2004.
g Message - One example of communicating with ETI - proposed in 1920 - relies on a variation of telegraph code, using flashes of light to attempt communication with ETI. How would this work? See article. This article is from 2001.
g Cosmicus - Like Rodney Dangerfield, dust don’t get no respect. If you make a laundry list of the material contents of the cosmos, you’ll be sure to put stars, planets, gas clouds and dark matter on the ticket. But dust? Who cares about such tiny, sticky bits of carbon, silicon, and other boring stuff? See article.
g Learning - Science is a powerful tool for understanding the natural world, and has a dominant role in modern economics and culture. Scientific theories are at the heart of the enterprise. In the science classroom, children should learn about major scientific theories such as gravitation and evolution. See column. This column is from 2005.
g Aftermath - Will ET be altruistic or hostile? An Internet poll found a strong connection between people’s beliefs about extraterrestrials and their feelings about how meaningful life is. What makes the results even more compelling is that they match the findings of an earlier study conducted under more stringent testing conditions. See article. This article is from 2002.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
g Abodes - The Trojan horse of legend held in its belly the men and means to help sack ancient Troy. Now it appears another type of Trojan could endanger every life on Earth. So says a study of the Trojan asteroids that exist around the orbit of Neptune: material from these may go on to become comets that could strike our planet. See article.
g Life - Scientists may have a new answer to the question, "Where did life on Earth start?" Research shows that life could have originated between sheets of mica that were layers like the pages in a book. Understanding the origin of life is a key goal of astrobiology. See article.
g Intelligence - When it comes to extraterrestrial intelligent life – life that could invent science and technology – the bookmakers hesitate. After all, the road to Homo sapiens was snaky. There were myriad forks in the evolutionary road, and not a few biologists have suggested that if the history of this planet had been only slightly different, humans would never have made the scene. Intelligence was a highly improbable accident, they say. See article. This article is from 2004.
g Message - One example of communicating with ETI - proposed in 1920 - relies on a variation of telegraph code, using flashes of light to attempt communication with ETI. How would this work? See article. This article is from 2001.
g Cosmicus - Like Rodney Dangerfield, dust don’t get no respect. If you make a laundry list of the material contents of the cosmos, you’ll be sure to put stars, planets, gas clouds and dark matter on the ticket. But dust? Who cares about such tiny, sticky bits of carbon, silicon, and other boring stuff? See article.
g Learning - Science is a powerful tool for understanding the natural world, and has a dominant role in modern economics and culture. Scientific theories are at the heart of the enterprise. In the science classroom, children should learn about major scientific theories such as gravitation and evolution. See column. This column is from 2005.
g Aftermath - Will ET be altruistic or hostile? An Internet poll found a strong connection between people’s beliefs about extraterrestrials and their feelings about how meaningful life is. What makes the results even more compelling is that they match the findings of an earlier study conducted under more stringent testing conditions. See article. This article is from 2002.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Looking for life in the coolest places and expect most ET to score lower on SATs than you
Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Abodes - By studying life in the coldest places on Earth, scientists are learning about the potential for life on other planets in our solar system. Researchers are returning this year to the arctic island of Svalbard where they will test equipment for future missions to Mars. See article.
g Life - A simple sponge is revealing mysteries about the evolution of life on Earth. Scientists have sequenced the genome of a sponge from Australia. The information is now helping biologists search for DNA sequences shared by multicellular animals. See article.
g Intelligence - There may be a lot of life in the universe. If so, it’s a safe bet that most of it will score lower on the SATs than you. See article. This article is from 2002.
g Message - A message from a hypothetical ET was designed in 1962 by astronomer Frank Drake after an early SETI conference in Green Bank, West Virginia. The message started out as a string of binary digits1s and 0s. Can you decode it? See article. This article is from 2001.
g Cosmicus - Scientists at NASA and the European Space Agency have picked the all-important instruments for their joint Mars mission set to blast off in 2016. See article.
g Learning - Book alert: One thing can be said about astronomy and its related sciences: the questions they try to answer are literally as big as the universe they study. Some of the most fundamental questions of our existence fall into their realm: How was the universe created? How did our solar system form? Is there life out there beyond the Earth, intelligent or otherwise? And what is the ultimate fate of the universe? Those are among the questions that British astronomer Stuart Clark examines—but can’t always answer—in the aptly named book “The Big Questions: The Universe.” See review.
g Aftermath - Should we really expect extraterrestrials to be sympathetic to our pleas to be altruistic because of the symbolic kinship we might share with them? See article. This article is from 2003.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
g Abodes - By studying life in the coldest places on Earth, scientists are learning about the potential for life on other planets in our solar system. Researchers are returning this year to the arctic island of Svalbard where they will test equipment for future missions to Mars. See article.
g Life - A simple sponge is revealing mysteries about the evolution of life on Earth. Scientists have sequenced the genome of a sponge from Australia. The information is now helping biologists search for DNA sequences shared by multicellular animals. See article.
g Intelligence - There may be a lot of life in the universe. If so, it’s a safe bet that most of it will score lower on the SATs than you. See article. This article is from 2002.
g Message - A message from a hypothetical ET was designed in 1962 by astronomer Frank Drake after an early SETI conference in Green Bank, West Virginia. The message started out as a string of binary digits1s and 0s. Can you decode it? See article. This article is from 2001.
g Cosmicus - Scientists at NASA and the European Space Agency have picked the all-important instruments for their joint Mars mission set to blast off in 2016. See article.
g Learning - Book alert: One thing can be said about astronomy and its related sciences: the questions they try to answer are literally as big as the universe they study. Some of the most fundamental questions of our existence fall into their realm: How was the universe created? How did our solar system form? Is there life out there beyond the Earth, intelligent or otherwise? And what is the ultimate fate of the universe? Those are among the questions that British astronomer Stuart Clark examines—but can’t always answer—in the aptly named book “The Big Questions: The Universe.” See review.
g Aftermath - Should we really expect extraterrestrials to be sympathetic to our pleas to be altruistic because of the symbolic kinship we might share with them? See article. This article is from 2003.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Are we too young of a civilization to matter to ETI and Santa Fe crater
Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Abodes - A large meteorite impact can have a profound effect on life. The explosive force is often compared to a nuclear detonation, and the debris tossed high into the atmosphere can alter our planet’s climate. In the mountains of New Mexico, scientists have found evidence for an ancient meteorite strike - even though the impact crater is long gone. See article.
g Life - Life flourishes in many environments, including some in which human beings could not possibly survive. To discover extraterrestrial life, it will be useful to know the physical and chemical limits for life on Earth and the underlying biophysical laws. See article. This article is from 2005.
g Intelligence - Freeman Dyson is betting that alien life doesn’t live on a world like yours. More specifically, if you check out the tentative wager this celebrated physicist has logged at the Web site www.longbets.org, you’ll see that Dyson’s hunch is that the first discovery of extraterrestrial life will be made someplace other than on a planet or on a satellite of a planet. See article. This article is from 2002.
g Message - Suppose we do find a pattern in the radio or optical signals from ETI. How will we be able to understand ET when we don’t share a common natural language, like English, Spanish or Swahili? See article. This article is from 2001.
g Cosmicus - Ever want to discover a new world? That’s what we are a planning to have folks do with PlanetQuest, a distributed computing screen saver that will allow anyone to find extrasolar planets on their own computer. See article.
g Learning - Here’s a neat video courtesy of NASA: "What is a Planet?”. The video drives along the “Kuiper Belt highway” at 100 mph to explore the far reaches of our solar system and discover how vast our corner of the galaxy really is.
g Aftermath - What could a young civilization like ours possibly have to offer in an intellectual exchange across interstellar space? Surely advanced aliens would have little to gain from our understanding of astronomy or physics, chemistry or mathematics. What then might we say to hold up our end of an interstellar conversation? See article. This article is from 2008.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
g Abodes - A large meteorite impact can have a profound effect on life. The explosive force is often compared to a nuclear detonation, and the debris tossed high into the atmosphere can alter our planet’s climate. In the mountains of New Mexico, scientists have found evidence for an ancient meteorite strike - even though the impact crater is long gone. See article.
g Life - Life flourishes in many environments, including some in which human beings could not possibly survive. To discover extraterrestrial life, it will be useful to know the physical and chemical limits for life on Earth and the underlying biophysical laws. See article. This article is from 2005.
g Intelligence - Freeman Dyson is betting that alien life doesn’t live on a world like yours. More specifically, if you check out the tentative wager this celebrated physicist has logged at the Web site www.longbets.org, you’ll see that Dyson’s hunch is that the first discovery of extraterrestrial life will be made someplace other than on a planet or on a satellite of a planet. See article. This article is from 2002.
g Message - Suppose we do find a pattern in the radio or optical signals from ETI. How will we be able to understand ET when we don’t share a common natural language, like English, Spanish or Swahili? See article. This article is from 2001.
g Cosmicus - Ever want to discover a new world? That’s what we are a planning to have folks do with PlanetQuest, a distributed computing screen saver that will allow anyone to find extrasolar planets on their own computer. See article.
g Learning - Here’s a neat video courtesy of NASA: "What is a Planet?”. The video drives along the “Kuiper Belt highway” at 100 mph to explore the far reaches of our solar system and discover how vast our corner of the galaxy really is.
g Aftermath - What could a young civilization like ours possibly have to offer in an intellectual exchange across interstellar space? Surely advanced aliens would have little to gain from our understanding of astronomy or physics, chemistry or mathematics. What then might we say to hold up our end of an interstellar conversation? See article. This article is from 2008.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Monday, August 09, 2010
Earth’s blob-like denizen and pre-SETI efforts to contact aliens
Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Abodes - Recent studies have found vast amounts of water ice at or near the lunar surface. But the inside of the moon is bone dry, a new study finds. See article.
g Life - Scientists have used a 3D computer model to reveal a unique, blob-like creature that lived in the oceans approximately 425 million years ago. The previously unknown, primitive creature provides insight into the evolution of life on Earth. See article.
g Message - The first modern Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence was conducted over 50 years ago. In 1960, Frank Drakes Project Ozma sought signs of intelligent life around two nearby stars by listening for radio signals. But there were attempts to communicate with aliens long before then. See article. This article is from 2001.
g Cosmicus - Future manned missions to the moon or Mars could use plants as bio-harvesters to extract valuable elements from the alien soils, researchers say. See article.
g Learning - Could astronomy help us figure out the meaning of it all? Well, it can’t actually answer the question, but it can supply a context, much the way surrounding seas give context to the history of Britain. See article. This article is from 2004.
g Aftermath - If some day we decide to transmit intentional messages to the stars, rather than solely listen as current SETI programs do, what would we say? What sort of first impression would we want to give our celestial correspondents? See article. This article is from 2002.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
g Abodes - Recent studies have found vast amounts of water ice at or near the lunar surface. But the inside of the moon is bone dry, a new study finds. See article.
g Life - Scientists have used a 3D computer model to reveal a unique, blob-like creature that lived in the oceans approximately 425 million years ago. The previously unknown, primitive creature provides insight into the evolution of life on Earth. See article.
g Message - The first modern Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence was conducted over 50 years ago. In 1960, Frank Drakes Project Ozma sought signs of intelligent life around two nearby stars by listening for radio signals. But there were attempts to communicate with aliens long before then. See article. This article is from 2001.
g Cosmicus - Future manned missions to the moon or Mars could use plants as bio-harvesters to extract valuable elements from the alien soils, researchers say. See article.
g Learning - Could astronomy help us figure out the meaning of it all? Well, it can’t actually answer the question, but it can supply a context, much the way surrounding seas give context to the history of Britain. See article. This article is from 2004.
g Aftermath - If some day we decide to transmit intentional messages to the stars, rather than solely listen as current SETI programs do, what would we say? What sort of first impression would we want to give our celestial correspondents? See article. This article is from 2002.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Sunday, August 08, 2010
Maps of exoworlds and what clues evolution provides us for communicating with life beyond Earth
Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Abodes - Jonathan Fortney, a planetary scientist and astrobiologists from the Carl Sagan Center may well have something in common with Claudius Ptolemy. They are both pioneers in the world of map making, despite lacking more data than they actually possess. Ptolemy, working a couple of millennia ago, created some of the earliest known maps of planet earth based on rudimentary knowledge of less than one quarter of the globe. Jonathan and his team have modeled a rudimentary temperature map of an alien world, the first of its kind, with an even more limited data set. Still, this new map represents our first real insight into an extra-solar planet, any extra-solar planet, beyond knowing that it exists or doesn’t. See article.
g Life - What exactly is a sign of life? Or more precisely, an unmistakable sign of life? This sounds like a tedious, trivial question, but a quick dip into your high school biology text will show that it’s not. Defining life in a way that’s both complete and exclusive is not only hard, it hasn’t been done. See article. This article is from 2002.
g Intelligence - Unlike the humpbacks in Alaska’s Fredrick Sound, which generally eat krill (which they just guide into their open mouths), the humpbacks in nearby Chatham Strait go after herring, which can swim faster than the humpbacks can. But the humpbacks have a trick — that must certainly qualify for bona fide tool-making. They coordinate with sounds. See article. This article is from 2005.
g Message - When SETI observes a star system, at any particular frequency, for only a few seconds or minutes, can we reasonably expect that during that brief scrutiny the extraterrestrial transmitters are “looking” at us? See article. This article is from 2008.
g Cosmicus - Future manned missions to the moon or Mars could use plants as bio-harvesters to extract valuable elements from the alien soils, researchers say. See article.
g Learning - Frank Drake, the famed astronomer who started looking for signals of intelligent beings in distant space 50 years ago, has inspired generations of starstruck seekers to join the hunt, and many of them will gather in the Bay Area this week to let the public in on what they're up to. See article.
g Aftermath - In our everyday lives, we sometimes emulate computers, though typically without their full precision. When we do a favor for someone, more often than we’d like to admit, we keep an informal tally of who owes us, and how much. According to sociobiologists, who attempt to explain behavior in terms of its value for survival, such calculations might have a biological basis. And as we will see, they may also provide some clues to communicating with life beyond Earth. See article. This article is from 2002.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
g Abodes - Jonathan Fortney, a planetary scientist and astrobiologists from the Carl Sagan Center may well have something in common with Claudius Ptolemy. They are both pioneers in the world of map making, despite lacking more data than they actually possess. Ptolemy, working a couple of millennia ago, created some of the earliest known maps of planet earth based on rudimentary knowledge of less than one quarter of the globe. Jonathan and his team have modeled a rudimentary temperature map of an alien world, the first of its kind, with an even more limited data set. Still, this new map represents our first real insight into an extra-solar planet, any extra-solar planet, beyond knowing that it exists or doesn’t. See article.
g Life - What exactly is a sign of life? Or more precisely, an unmistakable sign of life? This sounds like a tedious, trivial question, but a quick dip into your high school biology text will show that it’s not. Defining life in a way that’s both complete and exclusive is not only hard, it hasn’t been done. See article. This article is from 2002.
g Intelligence - Unlike the humpbacks in Alaska’s Fredrick Sound, which generally eat krill (which they just guide into their open mouths), the humpbacks in nearby Chatham Strait go after herring, which can swim faster than the humpbacks can. But the humpbacks have a trick — that must certainly qualify for bona fide tool-making. They coordinate with sounds. See article. This article is from 2005.
g Message - When SETI observes a star system, at any particular frequency, for only a few seconds or minutes, can we reasonably expect that during that brief scrutiny the extraterrestrial transmitters are “looking” at us? See article. This article is from 2008.
g Cosmicus - Future manned missions to the moon or Mars could use plants as bio-harvesters to extract valuable elements from the alien soils, researchers say. See article.
g Learning - Frank Drake, the famed astronomer who started looking for signals of intelligent beings in distant space 50 years ago, has inspired generations of starstruck seekers to join the hunt, and many of them will gather in the Bay Area this week to let the public in on what they're up to. See article.
g Aftermath - In our everyday lives, we sometimes emulate computers, though typically without their full precision. When we do a favor for someone, more often than we’d like to admit, we keep an informal tally of who owes us, and how much. According to sociobiologists, who attempt to explain behavior in terms of its value for survival, such calculations might have a biological basis. And as we will see, they may also provide some clues to communicating with life beyond Earth. See article. This article is from 2002.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Saturday, August 07, 2010
Blood Falls and what it’s like to listen for ETI
Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Abodes - Water. It's essential for life as best we know it. Almost three-fourths of the Earth is covered with water. We live on the pale blue dot, and our lives depend fundamentally on water. Yet, just after Earth formed about 4.5 billion years ago, the surface was mostly dry. "So, where did the water come from?" asked a high school teacher during the recent Astrobiology Summer Science Institute for Teachers at San Francisco State University. It's a good question that his students are very likely to ask as they study the evolution of our planetary system. See article. This article is from 2007.
g Life - Blood Falls, so named for the slow trickle of blood-red water that cascades down a glacier in Antarctica is a sight to behold. The five-story waterfall pours very slowly out of the Taylor Glacier in Antarctica's McMurdo Dry Valleys. Geologists first believed the red color came from algae, when in fact its true nature turned out to be much more significant. See article.
g Message - What’s it like to sit in an observatory listening for signals from ETI? See article. This article is from 2002.
g Cosmicus - Far from being an absolute, time in quantum physics is not a solid background upon which particles in space change. In quantum physics time is not yet really, in a sense, even there until the “time particles” are measured. See article. This article is from 2004.
g Learning - “Solar System Math” is a series of four classroom lessons centered on pre-algebra topics such as measurement, unit conversion, ratio and proportion, scale, data analysis, and data representation. The downloadable software application, What’s the Difference, supports the lessons with engaging multimedia that accurately illustrates the size, distance, and composition of the bodies in our solar system as well as key concepts such as transfer orbit and synodic period. By exploring key attributes of our solar system’s planets and major moons, students decide where humans should next explore. These lessons were developed in response to a needs-assessment conducted for the NASA Explorer Schools and are aligned with national math standards for grades 5-8. The lessons and What’s the Difference software nicely blend science and math through quality hands-on investigations, multimedia, and paper-and-pencil activities. See lessons (scroll down the page to locate it).
g Imagining - Here’s a set of interesting musings about “characterization and aliens” in science fiction. The point made in the essay is apt: Too many alien species presented in sci-fi are monocultures and lack any individuality. We should presume that if not cultures then certainly individuals of extraterrestrial species will be as diverse as they are in humanity.
g Aftermath - While searches for radio signals will continue to be a mainstay of SETI, in the next decade there will be additional sophisticated searches for rapid laser pulses from other stars, as the traditional searches at radio frequencies are complemented by more searches in the optical spectrum. With advances like this on the horizon, scientists are becoming increasingly interested in what might happen in the wake of news that we have detected intelligent life near another star. See article. This article is from 2001.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
g Abodes - Water. It's essential for life as best we know it. Almost three-fourths of the Earth is covered with water. We live on the pale blue dot, and our lives depend fundamentally on water. Yet, just after Earth formed about 4.5 billion years ago, the surface was mostly dry. "So, where did the water come from?" asked a high school teacher during the recent Astrobiology Summer Science Institute for Teachers at San Francisco State University. It's a good question that his students are very likely to ask as they study the evolution of our planetary system. See article. This article is from 2007.
g Life - Blood Falls, so named for the slow trickle of blood-red water that cascades down a glacier in Antarctica is a sight to behold. The five-story waterfall pours very slowly out of the Taylor Glacier in Antarctica's McMurdo Dry Valleys. Geologists first believed the red color came from algae, when in fact its true nature turned out to be much more significant. See article.
g Message - What’s it like to sit in an observatory listening for signals from ETI? See article. This article is from 2002.
g Cosmicus - Far from being an absolute, time in quantum physics is not a solid background upon which particles in space change. In quantum physics time is not yet really, in a sense, even there until the “time particles” are measured. See article. This article is from 2004.
g Learning - “Solar System Math” is a series of four classroom lessons centered on pre-algebra topics such as measurement, unit conversion, ratio and proportion, scale, data analysis, and data representation. The downloadable software application, What’s the Difference, supports the lessons with engaging multimedia that accurately illustrates the size, distance, and composition of the bodies in our solar system as well as key concepts such as transfer orbit and synodic period. By exploring key attributes of our solar system’s planets and major moons, students decide where humans should next explore. These lessons were developed in response to a needs-assessment conducted for the NASA Explorer Schools and are aligned with national math standards for grades 5-8. The lessons and What’s the Difference software nicely blend science and math through quality hands-on investigations, multimedia, and paper-and-pencil activities. See lessons (scroll down the page to locate it).
g Imagining - Here’s a set of interesting musings about “characterization and aliens” in science fiction. The point made in the essay is apt: Too many alien species presented in sci-fi are monocultures and lack any individuality. We should presume that if not cultures then certainly individuals of extraterrestrial species will be as diverse as they are in humanity.
g Aftermath - While searches for radio signals will continue to be a mainstay of SETI, in the next decade there will be additional sophisticated searches for rapid laser pulses from other stars, as the traditional searches at radio frequencies are complemented by more searches in the optical spectrum. With advances like this on the horizon, scientists are becoming increasingly interested in what might happen in the wake of news that we have detected intelligent life near another star. See article. This article is from 2001.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Friday, August 06, 2010
Reproducing Venus’ environment and life in the world's deepest water-filled sinkhole
Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Abodes - Scientists are reproducing the environment of Venus so that they can interpret observations of the planet's surface and atmosphere. Studying environmental processes on Venus can help astrobiologists better understand the climate systems of Earth and the habitability of rocky planets. See article.
g Life - Scientists have found amazingly diverse microbial life in the world's deepest water-filled sinkhole, even down where sunlight can't reach. The discovery adds new insight into life’s ability to thrive in Earth’s most extreme environments. This research also could aid the search for life elsewhere in our solar system, such as on Jupiter’s moon Europa. See article.
g Message - Interstellar communication took a giant leap forward a few months ago when a Ukrainian space center sent several messages across the cosmos hoping to reach extraterrestrials 30-40 light years away. See article. This article is from 2003.
g Cosmicus - After more than 20 years of neglect, the planet Venus is once more drawing NASA's eye for ambitious new missions. See article.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
g Abodes - Scientists are reproducing the environment of Venus so that they can interpret observations of the planet's surface and atmosphere. Studying environmental processes on Venus can help astrobiologists better understand the climate systems of Earth and the habitability of rocky planets. See article.
g Life - Scientists have found amazingly diverse microbial life in the world's deepest water-filled sinkhole, even down where sunlight can't reach. The discovery adds new insight into life’s ability to thrive in Earth’s most extreme environments. This research also could aid the search for life elsewhere in our solar system, such as on Jupiter’s moon Europa. See article.
g Message - Interstellar communication took a giant leap forward a few months ago when a Ukrainian space center sent several messages across the cosmos hoping to reach extraterrestrials 30-40 light years away. See article. This article is from 2003.
g Cosmicus - After more than 20 years of neglect, the planet Venus is once more drawing NASA's eye for ambitious new missions. See article.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Thursday, August 05, 2010
Light in a stellar nursery and hundreds of billions of orphan worlds
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 - An international team of astronomers has conducted research on the properties of light in a massive star-forming region of the Orion Nebula and have investigated a process that may have played a role in the development of life on Earth. See article.
g Abodes - Orphan planets could be more numerous than stars! In our own galaxy alone, there would be hundreds of billions of these wandering worlds. See article. This article is from 2005.
g Message - Is SETI - the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence - a religion? See article. This article is from 2006.
g Cosmicus - In scientific circles we are perhaps used to thinking of the word “principle” as “order,” “certainty” or “a law of the universe.” So the term “uncertainty principle” may strike us as something akin to the terms “jumbo shrimp” or “guest host” in the sense of juxtaposing opposites. See article. This article is from 2004.
g Learning - A spectacular gathering of three of the brightest planets will be the chief celestial attraction in the evening sky during the next few days. Anyone with a clear and unobstructed view of the west-northwest horizon will be able to Venus, Mars and Saturn in a single glance. See article.
g Imagining - No longer can a science fiction writer create a goo-dripping alien just because a story line requires an adversary from another planet to drop in on our unsuspecting world. The average reader is not going to buy into the B-rated movies of old; it takes more than an actor in a rubber mask for them to suspend their disbelief and enjoy a story or novel. Bringing an alien species into a novel requires a bit of planning and thought on the part of the writer. See article.
g Aftermath - Book Alert: Science fiction writers have given us many fine novels contemplating humankind's first contact with intelligent extraterrestrials. But our nonfiction world has not thought much about what to do if we are actually faced with this situation. Jean Heidmann, Chief Astronomer at the Paris Observatory (and self-styled bioastronomer), offers a book, “Extraterrestrial Intelligence,” on the subject that is at once serious and fun. Heidmann's obvious joy in raw speculation — all of it grounded in real science — is contagious. If aliens send us a message from many light years away, for example, how should we respond? See reviews.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
g Stars - An international team of astronomers has conducted research on the properties of light in a massive star-forming region of the Orion Nebula and have investigated a process that may have played a role in the development of life on Earth. See article.
g Abodes - Orphan planets could be more numerous than stars! In our own galaxy alone, there would be hundreds of billions of these wandering worlds. See article. This article is from 2005.
g Message - Is SETI - the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence - a religion? See article. This article is from 2006.
g Cosmicus - In scientific circles we are perhaps used to thinking of the word “principle” as “order,” “certainty” or “a law of the universe.” So the term “uncertainty principle” may strike us as something akin to the terms “jumbo shrimp” or “guest host” in the sense of juxtaposing opposites. See article. This article is from 2004.
g Learning - A spectacular gathering of three of the brightest planets will be the chief celestial attraction in the evening sky during the next few days. Anyone with a clear and unobstructed view of the west-northwest horizon will be able to Venus, Mars and Saturn in a single glance. See article.
g Imagining - No longer can a science fiction writer create a goo-dripping alien just because a story line requires an adversary from another planet to drop in on our unsuspecting world. The average reader is not going to buy into the B-rated movies of old; it takes more than an actor in a rubber mask for them to suspend their disbelief and enjoy a story or novel. Bringing an alien species into a novel requires a bit of planning and thought on the part of the writer. See article.
g Aftermath - Book Alert: Science fiction writers have given us many fine novels contemplating humankind's first contact with intelligent extraterrestrials. But our nonfiction world has not thought much about what to do if we are actually faced with this situation. Jean Heidmann, Chief Astronomer at the Paris Observatory (and self-styled bioastronomer), offers a book, “Extraterrestrial Intelligence,” on the subject that is at once serious and fun. Heidmann's obvious joy in raw speculation — all of it grounded in real science — is contagious. If aliens send us a message from many light years away, for example, how should we respond? See reviews.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Wednesday, August 04, 2010
Searching for Benford beacons and planetary oxygen levels
Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Abodes - Variations in the Earth's atmospheric oxygen levels are thought to be closely linked to the evolution of life, with strong feedbacks between uni- and multicellular life and oxygen. A new study has shown that coal can give a measure of how much oxygen there was in the past. See article.
g Message - Eternal curiosity might be considered a curse by some, but for Dr. James Benford, it's what drives him - be it at dinner, or while sending radio messages into the heavens. His theories are attracting attention. He hopes his messages are, too. See article.
g Cosmicus - NASA has issued a new grant that bolsters research into the cosmic building blocks of life by funding observations of young solar systems throughout the universe, including our own. See article.
g Learning - Here’s a neat video presentation introduction to astrobiology for a general audience.
g Aftermath - Here’s an intriguing entry from the “Interdisciplinary Encyclopeadia of Religion and Science”: “Extraterrestrial Life”. It discusses the consequences of alien contact from a Catholic perspective.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
g Abodes - Variations in the Earth's atmospheric oxygen levels are thought to be closely linked to the evolution of life, with strong feedbacks between uni- and multicellular life and oxygen. A new study has shown that coal can give a measure of how much oxygen there was in the past. See article.
g Message - Eternal curiosity might be considered a curse by some, but for Dr. James Benford, it's what drives him - be it at dinner, or while sending radio messages into the heavens. His theories are attracting attention. He hopes his messages are, too. See article.
g Cosmicus - NASA has issued a new grant that bolsters research into the cosmic building blocks of life by funding observations of young solar systems throughout the universe, including our own. See article.
g Learning - Here’s a neat video presentation introduction to astrobiology for a general audience.
g Aftermath - Here’s an intriguing entry from the “Interdisciplinary Encyclopeadia of Religion and Science”: “Extraterrestrial Life”. It discusses the consequences of alien contact from a Catholic perspective.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Tuesday, August 03, 2010
What would you say to ETI and life adapting to extreme conditions
Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Abodes - There are many ambiguities in forecasting climate change. New reports are attempting to get to the “nuts and bolts” of the problem, allowing people to clearly see the consequences of each degree of warming. Such information is important in understanding the future of life on Earth. See article.
g Life - Scientists studying deep-sea hydrothermal vents have found that larvae travel hundreds of miles to re-colonize these harsh locations after a volcanic eruption. The new study could challenge existing beliefs about how life adapts to extreme environments. See article.
g Cosmicus - News flash! Astronauts keep it professional in space! When veteran NASA spaceflier Alan Poindexter was asked during a visit to Tokyo what would happen if astronauts had sex in space, he emphasized that he and his colleagues were "a group of professionals." See article.
g Aftermath - If you could send a message to an extraterrestrial somewhere across the galaxy, what would you say? Read the submissions.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
g Abodes - There are many ambiguities in forecasting climate change. New reports are attempting to get to the “nuts and bolts” of the problem, allowing people to clearly see the consequences of each degree of warming. Such information is important in understanding the future of life on Earth. See article.
g Life - Scientists studying deep-sea hydrothermal vents have found that larvae travel hundreds of miles to re-colonize these harsh locations after a volcanic eruption. The new study could challenge existing beliefs about how life adapts to extreme environments. See article.
g Cosmicus - News flash! Astronauts keep it professional in space! When veteran NASA spaceflier Alan Poindexter was asked during a visit to Tokyo what would happen if astronauts had sex in space, he emphasized that he and his colleagues were "a group of professionals." See article.
g Aftermath - If you could send a message to an extraterrestrial somewhere across the galaxy, what would you say? Read the submissions.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Monday, August 02, 2010
Earth-like vs. Earth-sized and expedition to Darwin IV
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 - Recently there was news that washed over astrobiologists like high tide in the Bay of Fundy: the existence of a possibly habitable planet around the nearby star Gliese 581. See article. This article is from 2007.
g Abodes - In just 43 days of observations, NASA's Kepler mission found over 750 candidates for extrasolar planets; 706 of them are potentially from as small as Earth to around the size of Jupiter. Dimitar Sasselov, co-investigator for Kepler, recently spoke of the results at TED Global 2010. However, his talk caused a bit of controversy. See article.
g Cosmicus - With the success of recent movies such as “What the &$@# Do We Know?” and the ongoing -- and continuously surprising - revelations of the unexpected nature of underlying reality that have been unfolding in quantum physics for three-quarters of a century now, it may not be particularly surprising that the quantum nature of the universe may actually now be making in-roads into what has previously been considered classical observational astronomy. See article. This article is from 2004.
g Imagining - Book alert: An abundance of lavish full-color illustrations and detailed black-and-white sketches dominate Wayne Douglas Barlowe's “Expedition: Being and Account in Words and Artwork of the 2358 A.D. Voyage to Darwin IV,” a fictional account of a 21st-century exploratory space flight to the imaginary planet Darwin IV. Sent along as the mission's artist, Barlowe describes his "excursions" to survey Darwin IV and the unusual animals he encountered: creatures like the monopodalians, who pogo-stick across a barren, icy landscape, or the winged but flightless Stripewings that are in "evolutionary flux." Numerous "observed" details, such as the length of a Darwinian day (26.7 hours) and the feeding, hunting and mating behaviors of various creatures, help maintain the illusion of realism and immediacy such a first-person narrative demands. Get a sneak peak.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
g Stars - Recently there was news that washed over astrobiologists like high tide in the Bay of Fundy: the existence of a possibly habitable planet around the nearby star Gliese 581. See article. This article is from 2007.
g Abodes - In just 43 days of observations, NASA's Kepler mission found over 750 candidates for extrasolar planets; 706 of them are potentially from as small as Earth to around the size of Jupiter. Dimitar Sasselov, co-investigator for Kepler, recently spoke of the results at TED Global 2010. However, his talk caused a bit of controversy. See article.
g Cosmicus - With the success of recent movies such as “What the &$@# Do We Know?” and the ongoing -- and continuously surprising - revelations of the unexpected nature of underlying reality that have been unfolding in quantum physics for three-quarters of a century now, it may not be particularly surprising that the quantum nature of the universe may actually now be making in-roads into what has previously been considered classical observational astronomy. See article. This article is from 2004.
g Imagining - Book alert: An abundance of lavish full-color illustrations and detailed black-and-white sketches dominate Wayne Douglas Barlowe's “Expedition: Being and Account in Words and Artwork of the 2358 A.D. Voyage to Darwin IV,” a fictional account of a 21st-century exploratory space flight to the imaginary planet Darwin IV. Sent along as the mission's artist, Barlowe describes his "excursions" to survey Darwin IV and the unusual animals he encountered: creatures like the monopodalians, who pogo-stick across a barren, icy landscape, or the winged but flightless Stripewings that are in "evolutionary flux." Numerous "observed" details, such as the length of a Darwinian day (26.7 hours) and the feeding, hunting and mating behaviors of various creatures, help maintain the illusion of realism and immediacy such a first-person narrative demands. Get a sneak peak.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Sunday, August 01, 2010
First encounter with ETI and gas giants locked in orbital embrace
Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Abodes - Astronomers have discovered two planetary systems with gas giant planets locked in an 'orbital embrace.' If the planets weren't doing such a well synchronized dance, the closely spaced gas giants would be destroyed quickly. The finding provides new insight into the formation and evolution of planetary systems. See article.
g Cosmicus - Future missions to the Moon or Mars could use plants as bio-harvesters to extract valuable elements from the alien soils. See article.
g Learning - Geared toward the K-5 set, this NASA-produced video introduces the search for life on other planets, especially through the idea of life in ice as suggested by findings from NASA’s Phoenix mission.
g Aftermath - Book alert: You may have to really scour used book stores for this one: 1976’s “ETI: The First Encounter” considers the consequences to man's view of himself and his world of the first proven contact — when it comes — with beings from another planet. Edited by James L. Christian, this book led the way in reflecting on the next stage in man's gradual self-discovery.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
g Abodes - Astronomers have discovered two planetary systems with gas giant planets locked in an 'orbital embrace.' If the planets weren't doing such a well synchronized dance, the closely spaced gas giants would be destroyed quickly. The finding provides new insight into the formation and evolution of planetary systems. See article.
g Cosmicus - Future missions to the Moon or Mars could use plants as bio-harvesters to extract valuable elements from the alien soils. See article.
g Learning - Geared toward the K-5 set, this NASA-produced video introduces the search for life on other planets, especially through the idea of life in ice as suggested by findings from NASA’s Phoenix mission.
g Aftermath - Book alert: You may have to really scour used book stores for this one: 1976’s “ETI: The First Encounter” considers the consequences to man's view of himself and his world of the first proven contact — when it comes — with beings from another planet. Edited by James L. Christian, this book led the way in reflecting on the next stage in man's gradual self-discovery.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
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