Ground cracks conduit for Martian water and consequences of discovering 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 - The seas and lakes thought to have filled the basins of ancient Mars could have emerged from cracks in the ground, scientists now suggest. See article.
g Life - The giant dragonflies of ancient Earth with wingspans of up to 70 centimeters (28 inches) are generally attributed to higher oxygen atmospheric levels in the atmosphere in the past. New experiments in raising modern insects in various oxygen-enriched atmospheres have confirmed that dragonflies grow bigger with more oxygen, or hyperoxia. See article.
g Intelligence - Empathy is unusual in the animal kingdom. So empathy must have had some major survival benefits for it to have evolved. What might those benefits have been? Empathy seems to have evolved in three major steps. See article.
g Cosmicus - A new private spaceship designed to carry tourists to space touched down for the first time Oct. 22 on the runway of Spaceport America, soon to become its home base. See article.
g Aftermath - Here’s an intriguing article that is frequently referenced in astrobiology papers: "The Consequences of a Discovery: Different Scenarios" by astronomer Ivan Almar. Note: This article is from 1995.

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One in four stars may host Earth-sized planets and ‘power stations’ for developing complex alien life

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 - Nearly one in four stars similar to the sun may host planets as small as Earth, according to a new study funded by NASA and the University of California. See article.
g Abodes - A huge alien planet discovered in a system with two suns akin to the fictional "Star Wars" world of Tatooine is forcing astronomers to rethink their theories about how gas giant planets form. See article.
g Life - A team of scientists have determined that the evolution of mitochondria - not the cell nucleus - was fundamental to the development of complex life on Earth. The team believes that the energy provided by these cellular “power stations” could even be required for complex life to evolve on alien worlds. See article.
g Cosmicus - Space shuttle Discovery will bring NASA scientists one step closer to helping astronauts and the public discover ways to battle and prevent serious illness and infection. See article.
g Learning - Book alert: “The Story of Science: Aristotle Leads the Way”, by Joy Hakim, is the first in a six-volume series aimed at getting young adults interested in science. See review.

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Initiative 300 and what makes a planet habitable

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 are re-thinking the requirements that need to be met for an exoplanet to be considered “habitable.” A new simulation of the Gliese 581 system is helping astrobiologists refine their search for Earth-like worlds in the universe. Gleise 581 recently made news because a planet could be orbiting within the system's habitable zone. See article.
g Life - A vast new amber deposit in India has yielded 100 fossil spiders, bees, and flies that date to the Early Eocene, or 52-50 million years ago. These arthropods are not unique - as would be expected on an island (which India was at that time) - but have close evolutionary relationships with fossils from the Americas, Europe, and Asia. The amber is also the oldest evidence of a tropical broadleaf rainforest in Asia. See article.
g Message - New Scientist magazine has named SETI’s detection of mysterious radio signals from a source light years away as its top science story of 2004. See article.
g Cosmicus - NASA today officially cleared the space shuttle Discovery for its final mission, setting the stage for a Nov. 1 blastoff to cap the orbiter's spaceflying career. See article.
g Aftermath - On Tuesday, Denver residents will vote on Initiative 300, a ballot referendum to create an Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission to "ensure the health, safety, and cultural awareness of Denver residents and visitors in relation to potential encounters or interactions with extraterrestrial intelligent beings or their vehicles." See column.

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Soaking up the Red Planet’s essence and starquakes

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 cadre of scientists that used data from NASA's Kepler spacecraft announced the detection of stellar oscillations, or "starquakes," that yield new insights about the size, age and evolution of stars. See article.
g Abodes - Astronomers have observed a distant planet with a warm spot in the wrong place. The study brings to question current theories about the behavior of extrasolar gas giants and can help astrobiologists understand how distant solar systems form and evolve. See article.
g Life - In a short, violent battle that could have happened somewhere this afternoon, the lizard made a fast lunge at the dragonfly, bit its head off and turned to run away. Lunch was served. See article.
g Message - What if we examined how to communicate with extraterrestrials from a telecommunication engineer’s point of view? That’s the approach of Brian McConnell’s book, “Beyond Contact: A Guide to SETI and Communicating with Alien Civilizations.” Though the book has been out a few years now, it’s still worth a read if you haven’t already delved into it. For more about the book and an interview with McConnell, see article.
g Cosmicus - Setting foot on Mars isn't in the cards for most of us, but starting this week you can soak up the Red Planet's essence for just $45. See article.

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Machines as universe’s predominant species and exoworld in habitable zone

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 detected close to 500 distant alien worlds so far — one of which is the right distance from its star to sustain liquid water and possibly even life — and new advances are yielding more planet discoveries faster than researchers can verify them. See article.
g Cosmicus - New data from NASA's LCROSS and LRO missions indicates that lunar soil within shadowy craters is rich in materials that could be useful for future human explorers. The findings also indicate that the Moon is chemically active and has a water cycle. See article.
g Learning - Carl Sagan, Cornell University faculty from 1971 to 1996, is considered one of greatest popularizers of science. See article.
g Imagining - As early as 2003, when he became NASA’s chief historian, Dr. Steven Dick was punching holes in fellow astronomers’ efforts to contact ET through radio technology. Writing for the International Journal of Astrobiology that year, he warned that SETI searches were failing to make allowances for any “cultural evolution” that could be shaping off-world societies, which “may have resulted in a postbiological universe in which machines are the predominant intelligence.” See article.
g Aftermath - Astronomer Royal, Sir Martin Rees describes how for the first time humans as a species may start to change in observable ways within single lifetimes and under some loose control of our own influence. If this future plays out, the future itself becomes more difficult to forecast. See article. This article is from 2005.

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Asteroid impact effect on Ediacarans and encouraging science careers

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 - Telescopes like Hubble and WISE are making observations of the comet Hartley 2 in preparation for its upcoming encounter with NASA's Deep Impact/EPOXI spacecraft. Studying comets like Hartley 2 can help astrobiologists determine if comets played a role in life's origins on Earth. See article.
g Life - Extreme cold and a giant asteroid impact in South Australia may have influenced the evolution of the Ediacarans, some of the earliest complex life on Earth, says new Australian research. See article.
g Message - Science fiction author David Brin offers a copy of his 1983 article “Xenology: The Science of Asking Who’s Out There”. While nearly three decades old, the information is still relevant and offers a good overview of fundamental astrobiological questions.
g Cosmicus - Will Russia again explore new worlds? See editorial.
g Learning - Middle and high school teachers and informal youth educators can receive up to 30 free copies of a new publication from Montana State University called "Is a career in extreme science for you?" See article.

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Continuing debate over Martian fossils and a one-way space colonization program

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 - Is the super lithium-rich red giant rapid rotator G0928+73.2600 a case for planet accretion? See article.
g Abodes - Comets and asteroids may have more in common than scientists once thought. Not only do they sometimes behave the same way, but a new study finds that water ice and organic material are important components of both. See article.
g Life - The fight continues over a meteorite that some say contains evidence of past life on Mars. Both sides claim to wield Occam's razor, believing that biology – or anything but – provides the simplest explanation of the Mars rock’s many strange features. See article.
g Message - Here’s an intriguing paper that is frequently referenced in astrobiology papers: "The Consequences of a Discovery: Different Scenarios" by astronomer Ivan Almar. This paper is from 1995.
g Cosmicus - When the Europeans came to colonize North America, most of them knew they would never see their homes again. Now, a Washington State professor thinks we should take that same approach to outer space. See article.
g Learning - Chris Impey, when he's not helping to run the department of astronomy at the University of Arizona, researches the origin and evolution of galaxies. See article.
g Imagining - Star Trek’s very first alien, the Talosians, pose quite an evolutionary challenge: Their heads are oversized because of large, powerful brains capable of telepathy and even mind control of others. First off, a brain of that size must demand a lot of energy. This is somewhat addressed through the large arteries and veins apparent on their bald heads; their frail bodies also indicate fewer cells below the neckline for oxygen-carrying blood to support. But they probably also need greater lung capacity to cycle more oxygen into their bodies as well as a larger heart for pumping that oxygen-laden blood to and through the brain. Their bodies don’t indicate larger lungs, however. Another problem with their head/brain size is giving birth. The enormity of the head is limited by the size and shape of the pelvis — and their human shape and gait indicates they couldn’t give birth to an infant with a head any larger than ours. A possibility is that their the brain primarily develops outside of the womb; perhaps they grow in their telepathic powers as they age. Another possibility: They are not born naturally but artificially created, indicating a separation from among the most basic instincts – mating. The Talosians, after all, are fairly unimaginative creatures, dependent upon probing the minds of others for new experiences! As for their telepathic and power of illusion capabilities, we’ll just have to presume that somehow their brain lobes have evolved sections capable of connecting and interacting across the medium of air with another creature’s neurons

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The SETI League and creating a miniature Big Bang

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 - Researchers used Einstein's famous E=mc2 equation and the Large Hadron Collider to recreate a miniature version of the event at the origins of our Universe, and the first findings from their work were published in the journal Physical Review Letters. See article.
g Abodes - A geophysicist has developed the first dynamic model to explain the mystery of the largest and most fascinating volcano in Europe, Mount Etna. See article.
g Life - Research by University of Leeds plant scientists has uncovered a snapshot of evolution in progress, by tracing how a gene mutation over 100 million years ago led flowers to make male and female parts in different ways. See article.
g Message - Looking for a club to join? Try The SETI League. The league’s site has a lot of great information for everyone from the beginner to accomplished technogeek.
g Cosmicus - A new collapsible "greenhouse" could be the key to growing fresh and healthy food to sustain future lunar or Martian colonies, a recent project found. See article.

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Most distant point in sky is 13.1 billion light years away and astrobiological oldie but goodie from National Geographic

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 ancient galaxy has broken the record for the most distant point in the sky known to date, with its light taking roughly 13.1 billion years to reach Earth. See article.
g Abodes - Water vapor and clouds are the major contributors to Earth's greenhouse effect, but a new atmosphere-ocean climate modeling study shows that the planet's temperature ultimately depends on the atmospheric level of carbon dioxide. See article.
g Life - Although ammonites have been extinct for 65 million years, newly published data based on 35 years of field work and analysis is providing invaluable insights into their paleobiology. Ammonites, shelled mollusks closely related to modern day nautilus and squids, inhabited the oceans for nearly 350 million years. Specimens found in the rock record of the ancient seaway that covered North America during the Cretaceous Period demonstrate that these animals thrived at cold methane seeps at the bottom of the sea, consumed small prey, and often survived predation attempts. See article.
g Message - It's great to see the reputable National Geographic take the search for extraterrestrial life seriously. See article. This article is from 2004.
g Cosmicus - Physicists at the University of California, Riverside have taken an important step forward in developing a "spin computer" by successfully achieving "tunneling spin injection" into graphene. See article.

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Speculating on ET by looking at Earth’s past and traveling to other worlds for astrobiological research

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 using the South Pole Telescope report that they have discovered the most massive galaxy cluster yet seen at a distance of seven billion light-years. See article.
g Abodes - Does the Earth's history provides us with examples of conditions that might be encountered on other planets? See article. This article is from 2002.
g Life - Scientists investigating in one of the world's deepest ocean trenches - previously thought to be void of fish - have discovered an entirely new species. See article.
g Message - What sort of signal would satisfactorily announce an extraterrestrial intelligence as detected by radio-emission or light reception? Here’s an opinion article on what sort of signal is a SETI hit.
g Cosmicus - By the beginning of the next century scientists will be planning on how to travel to other worlds to see alien life forms up close. This will at last provide incontrovertible evidence for astrobiology on a muticellular level. See article
g Aftermath - Book alert: For some provocative reading, pick up “Sharing the Universe”, by Seth Shostak, at your local bookstore. SETI scientist Shostak almost single-handedly is outlining social and political issues that will arise once we make contact with extraterrestrials.

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Evolution of hearing and how to blow up a neutron star

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 mind-bogglingly huge buildup of "vacuum energy," which would occur in just milliseconds, could lead the stellar remnants known as neutron stars to instantly collapse or explode, scientists now suggest. See article.
g Abodes - The oceans are critical to the survival of life on Earth, but climate change may be causing irreversible damage to these fragile systems. What role will acidification, ice melt and surface temperature increases play in the future habitability of our planet? See article.
g Life - The ordinary squid, best known until now as a kind of floating buffet for just about any fish in the sea, may be on the verge of becoming a scientific superstar, providing clues about the origin and evolution of the sense of hearing. See article.
g Message - The venerable Planetary Society hopes to take the search for extraterrestrial life to the stars with space-based platforms. See article. This column is from 2004.
g Cosmicus - NASA Administrator Charles Bolden went to Beijing earlier this month amid mixed congressional reaction to Bolden's plans to meet with Chinese officials to discuss the potential for cooperation in human spaceflight. See article.
g Imagining - Book alert: Browse the local used bookstores for this volume, which examined the scientific plausibility of many alien creatures in “Star Trek”: “To Seek Out New Life: The Biology of Star Trek.” Published about four years ago, Athena Andreadis' book makes a good read, boosted by her background as a molecular biologist and neurosurgeon. See review.

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Will first contact prediction come true in 14 years and mice that ‘smell’ light

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 - The Sculptor galaxy is shown in different infrared hues, in a new mosaic from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE. The main picture is a composite of infrared light captured with all four of the space telescope's infrared detectors. See article.
g Abodes - There are many factors influencing the Earth's greenhouse effect, but a new study indicates that global temperature ultimately depends on atmospheric level of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide may also hold secrets about the climate history of Mars. See article.
g Life - Harvard University neurobiologists have created mice that can "smell" light, providing a potent new tool that could help researchers better understand the neural basis of olfaction. See article.
g Message - we’re just 14 years away from seeing if this comes true: In 2004, SETI scientists predicted, “We'll detect an extraterrestrial transmission within 20 years.” See article.
g Cosmicus - The Intelsat satellite that has remained in switched-on mode while in an uncontrolled drift along an orbital highway, posing broadcast interference threats to other satellites, is now expected to continue to emit signals at least through late November and perhaps until late December, Intelsat officials said. See article.
g Aftermath - Would ET vote? What effect will ET’s political philosophy have on ours once contact is made? See article. This article is from 2002.

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Debate over Earth’s uniqueness and why we should send a probe to look for such planets

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 discovery of Gliese 581g, an alien planet orbiting in the habitable zone of its parent star, has added new fuel to the debate over the uniqueness of Earth and whether life exists elsewhere in our universe. See article.
g Message - Want to help SETI discover alien life? If you haven’t already done so, download the free SETI at Home software. Using Internet-connected computers, the program downloads and analyzes radio telescope data on your desktop when it is idle. The program has been so successful in plowing through data that other scientific researchers, especially in medicine, are adopting it to their fields. Click here for the program.
g Cosmicus - With the recent buzz about habitable planets, followed by the raining on the parade articles we’ve had about the not insignificant errors in the detections of planets around Gliese 581 as well as finding molecules in exoplanet atmospheres, it’s not been the best of times for finding life. But as Lawrence Crowell noted, “You can’t really know for sure whether a planet has life until you actually go there and look on the ground. This is not at all easy, and probably it is at best possible to send a probe within a 25 to 50 light year radius.” See article.

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‘The Eerie Science’ and images of an exoworld

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 giant star in a faraway galaxy has ended its life with a dust-shrouded whimper instead of the more typical bang, scientists say. See article.
g Abodes - Astronomers have obtained images of a planet with a much closer orbit around its parent star than any other known extrasolar planet. The planet was discovered using new technology that will help astronomers observe distant solar systems by reducing the risk of disturbances that can vibrate telescopes during observations. See article.
g Life - By examining the type of rock in which dinosaur fossils were embedded, an often unappreciated part of the remains, scientists have determined that different species of North American dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous period 65 million years ago occupied different environments separated by just a few miles. See article.
g Intelligence - It could happen to students cramming for exams, people working long hours or just about anyone burning the candle at both ends: Something tells you to take a break. Watch some TV. Have a candy bar. Goof off, tune out for a bit and come back to the task at hand when you're feeling better. After all, you're physically exhausted. But a new study from Stanford psychologists suggests the urge to refresh (or just procrastinate) is - well - all in your head. See article.
g Message - Book alert: “The Eerie Silence: Are We Alone In The Universe?” by Paul Davies takes a look at the approaches being taken by researchers in myriad fields such as physics, astronomy, cosmology, astrobiology to look for alien life. See article.
g Cosmicus - China's second lunar spacecraft reached the moon this week, but another Asian country has moon plans of its own: India. See article.
g Learning - Here’s a good Web site that gives an general overview of astrobiology for kids: Astrocentral.

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Habitable environments deep below Martian crust and what T. Rex ate

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 - Dramatic flares and bursts of energy - activity previously thought reserved for only the strongest magnetized pulsars - has been observed emanating from a weakly magnetised, slowly rotating pulsar. The international team of astrophysicists who made the discovery believe that the source of the pulsar's power may be hidden deep within its surface. See article.
g Abodes - A new discovery of carbonate-bearing rocks on Mars indicates that habitable environments may have existed deep below the Martian crust. The rock deposit, which was uplifted by an ancient meteor impact, also provides information about the potential existence of lakes and seas in Mars' past. See article.
g Life - It turns out that the undisputed king of the dinosaurs, Tyrannosaurus rex, didn't just eat other dinosaurs but also each other. Paleontologists from the United States and Canada have found bite marks on the giants' bones that were made by other T. rex, according to a new study published online Oct. 15 in the journal PLoS ONE. See article.
g Cosmicus - A team of space scientists based in Leicester, England, is leading the latest attempt to achieve an elusive prize: the discovery of life on Mars See article.
g Learning - Here’s a neat classroom activity courtesy of NASA: Who Can Live Here? Students explore the limits of life on Earth to extend their beliefs about life to include its possibility on other worlds.

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Prof says aliens too far away and walking bacteria

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 are finding many new planets circling distant stars, but they have yet to find one like Earth. Studying the changing climate of Earth is an essential step in helping scientists identify similarly habitable worlds beyond our solar system. See article.
g Life - Bacterial biofilms can be extremely resistant to environment stresses, including antibiotics. Scientists studying biofilms have found that during the initial stages of formation, the bacteria can actually stand upright and walk.” The discovery of a new mechanism for bacterial motility is providing new information about the evolutionary history of these durable organisms. See article.
g Message - Here’s a famous 1960 article from Freeman John Dyson: “Search for Artificial Stellar Sources of Infrared Radiation.” See article.
g Cosmicus - Embryonic stem cells behave differently outside the pull of Earth's gravity, researchers suggest. These findings indicate why the human body deteriorates during long space missions, and warn that procreation in space may be fraught with peril. See article.
g Imagining - Aliens either are gods or too far to be a threat, a Yale astronomy prof says. See article.

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Wobble allows for Enceladus ocean and new space exploration vision becomes law

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 - Violent galactic collisions have been invoked to explain surprisingly intense bouts of star formation occurring in ancient galaxies, but new evidence suggests a much gentler explanation. See article.
g Abodes - As Enceladus orbits Saturn, it wobbles slightly. This small but periodic shift might be enough to explain the liquid water ocean that scientists think may exist beneath the small moon's icy crust. See article.
g Cosmicus - President Obama signed a major NASA act on Oct. 11 that turns his vision for U.S. space exploration of asteroids and Mars into law. See article.
g Aftermath - Add one more worry to the computerized world of the 21st century. Could a signal from the stars broadcast by an alien intelligence also carry harmful information, in the spirit of a computer virus? Could star folk launch a "disinformation" campaign -- one that covers up aspects of their culture? Perhaps they might even mask the "real" intent of dispatching a message to other civilizations scattered throughout the Cosmos. See article. This article is from 2003.

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Doubt cast on Gliese 581 planet discovery and clues about origin of life in Titan’s atmosphere

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 - Physicists are hot on the trail of one of strangest theorized structures in the universe. A team of researchers have announced what they think are the first indirect observations of ancient cosmic strings, bizarre objects thought to have contributed to the arrangement of objects throughout the universe. See article.
g Abodes - Last month, astronomers announced the discovery of the first potentially habitable extrasolar planet. But this week at an International Astronomical Union meeting, doubts were raised about the existence of this exciting new planet said to be orbiting the star Gliese 581. See article.
g Life - A new simulation has demonstrated that complex organic molecules, such as amino acids and nucleotide bases, could be formed by chemical processes in the atmosphere of Titan. Studying these processes could yield clues about the origin of life. See article.
g Message - A lot of science fiction doesn’t offer a particularly accurate description of SETI. Here’s one piece that does: Carl Sagan’s “Contact”, published by Simon & Schuster in 1985. In this story, the discovery of radio signals from extraterrestrial intelligence leads humanity to re-evaluate its self-image. The heroine is loosely based on Jill Tarter, the scientist who leads one of the major scientific searches for signals today.
g Cosmicus - A private suborbital spaceship flew its first solo test flight on Oct. 10 from Mojave Air and Space Port in California. See article.

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Galaxies like our own common and ETI signal would change human destiny

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 - Galaxies like our own Milky Way formed easily and have also been the largest spiral galaxies in the universe for almost 4 billion years. See article.
g Abodes - A spacecraft using a bold new method to study Venus — flying directly through the planet's atmosphere — has found that the atmosphere at Venus' poles is thinner than expected. See article.
g Intelligence - Researchers presenting new fossil evidence of an exceptionally well-preserved 55-million-year-old North American mammal have found it shares a common ancestor with rodents and primates, including humans. See article.
g Cosmicus - The lunar South Pole – a land of craters, shadows, intrigue and science! Here's a wide-angle mosaic of the South Pole is one of the latest stunning images from the Lunar Reconnaissance Oribiter. See article.
g Aftermath - What would an intelligent signal from another planet change about human destiny? This large question is the topic of the book “The SETI Factor,” by Frank White, who also analyzes how to announce such an historic finding and whether it would unite or divide nations. See article. This article is from 2003.

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Dubious alien signal from Gliese 581g and Europa’s potential for life

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 research could revamp current thinking about the chemistry and geology of Jupiter's moon, Europa. The study could have implications in understanding the potential for life in the frigid moon's presumed subsurface ocean. See article.
g Life - Despite its primitive structure, the North American comb jellyfish can sneak up on its prey like a high-tech stealth submarine, making it a successful predator. Researchers, including one from the University of Gothenburg, have now been able to show how the jellyfish makes itself hydrodynamically 'invisible'. See article.
g Message - The recent discovery of Gliese 581g, an alien planet in the habitable zone of another star, has been an exciting development for scientists probing the galaxy for signs of extraterrestrial life. At least one claim of a possible signal from the planet has already surfaced – and been met with harsh skepticism among the science community. See article.
g Cosmicus - The European Space Agency (ESA) will be seeking the approval of is member states late this year to extend its participation in the international space station to 2020, a decision that will bind participating nations to preset budget contributions an d could pave the way for a new spacecraft capable of returning cargo and experiments to Earth, ESA officials have announced. See article.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Murray Leinster’s novel “The Greks Bring Gifts,” published by MacFadden in 1964. See article.

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Broadening the search for exoworlds and lots of robot missions 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 - A new study could broaden the search for planets in other solar systems by changing the way we think about orbiting bodies. The findings could increase the opportunities for the discovery of new planets. See article.
g Message - What are the chances that an alien signal has been sent our way just at the right moment to splash upon our antennas during that brief interval? If the extraterrestrials beam their broadcasts to the whole galaxy (or at least a big chunk of it), the chances are 100 percent. See article. This article is from 2006.
g Cosmicus - The human space program may be adrift (see last week’s view), but the robots have their act together. Several spacecraft are working at Mars, a major mission is being readied for launch there next year, one more in the following opportunity, and a new phase of international planning for a series of missions is underway. Even the long-sought Mars sample return is looking more realistic. See article.
g Aftermath - As you probably know, a couple of weeks ago the Pope was in England smack-talking the atheists. What is generally less known is that, at the same moment that the Pope was having his say with the UK’s radical non-believers, Vatican astronomer Brother Guy Consolmagno, also in England, was busy talking about baptizing space aliens. See opinion column.

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Earth-sized planet found in habitable zone and using airplanes to explore 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 - A newfound Earth-sized planet discovered in the habitable zone of a nearby star looks very promising for the possibility of extraterrestrial life, but many unknowns remain. See article.
g Life - An international team of scientists has taken a major step toward unlocking the secrets of oxygenation of the Earth's oceans and atmosphere. See article.
g Intelligence - A wealthy young teenager buried near Britain's mysterious Stonehenge monument came from the Mediterranean hundreds of miles away, scientists said Wednesday, proof of the site's importance as a travel destination in prehistoric times. See article.
g Cosmicus - There are regions on Mars where the ground is much too rugged for a rover to explore. Instead, a robotic, rocket-powered airplane could be the ideal way to investigate some of these intriguing but as-yet inaccessible areas. See article.
g Aftermath - Recent discussions within the SETI community have thoroughly explored the issue of whether people with access to radio telescopes should send powerful signals to alien civilizations without some process of prior international consultation. In particular, those exchanges have focused on the question of "Active SETI." See article.


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Alien Bandstand and dinosaur galaxies

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 - Using Australian telescopes, Swinburne University astronomy student Andy Green has found 'living dinosaurs' in space: galaxies in today's universe that were thought to have existed only in the distant past. See article.
g Abodes - Evidence from a new investigation would appear to suggest that the Martian surface was once so frigid that it contained a primeval ocean, filled with glaciers and icebergs. See article.
g Life - A newly discovered species of dinosaur may show that dinosaurs spread throughout the world by taking advantage of a natural catastrophe that wiped out their competitors. The study provides an example of how extinction events have shaped the evolution of Earth's biosphere. See article.
g Intelligence - Women have to work harder than men in order to start sweating, while men are more effective sweaters during exercise, according to new research published in the journal Experimental Physiology. See article.
g Message - Here’s a neat interactive Web game where you analyze a signal from space, just as would a SETI astronomer See Alien Bandstand.
g Cosmicus - Twenty-two teams, each hoping to win a multimillion-dollar race to land a homemade robot on the moon, are gathering this week on the Isle of Man. See article.

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Verifying potential ETI signals and volcanoes destroyed Neanderthals

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 - Cassini has been monitoring clouds on Saturn's moon Titan since the spacecraft entered orbit. Now, scientists have released the first long-term study of Titan's weather. Studying Titan is of interest to astrobiologists because some scientists have theorized about the potential for unique life on the dynamic moon. See article.
g Life - Researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, have found that a species of lizard in the Mojave Desert lives in family groups and shows patterns of social behavior more commonly associated with mammals and birds. Their investigation of the formation and stability of family groups in desert night lizards (Xantusia vigilis) provides new insights into the evolution of cooperative behavior. See article.
g Intelligence - New research suggests that climate change following massive volcanic eruptions drove Neanderthals to extinction and cleared the way for modern humans to thrive in Europe and Asia. See article.
g Message - Most SETI programs scan the sky looking for strong radio signals. Any signals that are deemed interesting are put on a list for follow-up observations weeks, months — even years later. Long delays in verification of potential ET signals sometimes generate tantalizing, but ultimately frustrating, stories. See article. This article is from 2003.
g Cosmicus - China has successfully launched their second robotic mission, named Chang'E-2. The satellite is scheduled to reach the Moon in five days, where it will collect high-resolution imagery of future landing sites for China's Chang'E-3 lunar rover. See article.

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Quantum communication between the stars and could Jupiter support life?

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 - Can there be life in the environment of Jupiter? See article.
g Life - By reconstructing an ancient protein and tracing how it subtly changed over vast periods of time to produce scores of modern-day descendants, scientists have shown how evolution tinkers with early forms and leaves the impression that complexity evolved many times. See article.
g Intelligence - The biochemical language of the nerve cells is the subject of intensive research right down at the molecular level, and for the first time researchers, some from the University of Copenhagen, have described just how nerve cells are capable of transmitting signals practically simultaneously. See article.
g Message - Would anyone deliberately beam high-powered signals into space? Can we assume that extraterrestrial societies would broadcast in ways that would mark their location as plainly as a flag on a golf green? See article. This article is from 2003.
g Cosmicus - Quote of the day: “I have learned to use the word "impossible" with the greatest caution.” - Wernher von Braun
g Aftermath - Here’s an interesting book for some astrobiological reading: “After Contact: The Human Response to Extraterrestrial Life” by Albert A. Harrison. See review.


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Oasis of life in geothermal vent and first commercial space station

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 - The universe was in chaos after the Big Bang kick-started the cosmos, a new study suggests. See article.
g Abodes - Two satellites peering at the sun have snapped photos of Mercury's long, comet-like tail, but it took an amateur astronomer to bring the pictures to light. See article.
g Life - Montana State University researchers have discovered a rare oasis of life in the midst of hundreds of geothermal vents at the bottom of Yellowstone Lake. See article.
g Message - Book alert: The father-son team of David E. Fisher and Marshall Jon Fisher brings the study of extraterrestrial life down to earth in “Strangers in the Night: Brief History of Life on Other Worlds,” an informative and entertaining book. In the anecdotal style that is their hallmark, the Fishers trace humankind’s attempts to discover life on other worlds. This informative and entertaining book tells the story of humankind’s attempts throughout history to discover extraterrestrial life. See review.
g Cosmicus - Two Russian aerospace companies are teaming up to build what they say will be the "world's first commercial space station" – an orbiting outpost open to private citizens, professional astronauts and scientists. For a price. See article.
g Aftermath - For some provocative reading, pick up “Sharing the Universe,” by Seth Shostak, at your local bookstore. SETI scientist Shostak almost single-handedly is outlining social and political issues that will arise once we make contact with extraterrestrials. See reviews.

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Fungi figured out how to fly and how to become an astrobiologist

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 - In mid-October, an asteroid will pass within four million miles of Earth. The object is 150 feet in diameter and was detected when it was 20 million miles away. The discovery is a step forward in our ability to monitor the sky for objects that could strike the Earth with enough force to damage the climate and biosphere of our planet. See article.
g Life - Long before geese started flying in chevron formation or cyclists learned the value of drafting, fungi discovered an aerodynamic way to reduce drag on their spores so as to spread them as high and as far as possible. See article.
g Cosmicus - The seemingly barren moon may actually be a treasure-trove of priceless resources: a potentially bountiful, mineral-rich – yet untapped – cosmic quarry. Still, few see the moon as an alluring mining site, ripe for the picking of rare elements of strategic and national security importance. See article.
g Learning - What is an astrobiologist, and can you become one? See article.

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Martian moon origin and pushing around the Milky Way

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 - The Magellanic Stream is an arc of hydrogen gas spanning more than 100 degrees of the sky as it trails behind the Milky Way's neighbor galaxies, the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. Our home galaxy, the Milky Way, has long been thought to be the dominant gravitational force in forming the Stream by pulling gas from the Clouds. A new computer simulation shows, however, that the Magellanic Stream resulted from a past close encounter between these dwarf galaxies rather than effects of the Milky Way. See article.
g Abodes - One of the two moons of Mars most likely formed from rubble catapulted into space after a comet or meteorite slammed into the Red Planet, a new study finds. See article.
g Message - For more than 80 years, we’ve been sending radio (and eventually television) transmissions into space, allowing anyone in space to hear war reports from London, “I Love Lucy” reruns and our latest election results. So wouldn’t hearing aliens be as simple as turning on the radio? Here’s why not. This article is from 2004.
g Cosmicus - Congress passed a new NASA authorization bill last week, just in time for the space agency's birthday (Oct. 1). But the space agency's anniversary finds a NASA in the middle of shifting gears to embrace a new exploration regime. See article.

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At least 200 technological civilizations in galaxy and whiffs of oxygen on early 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 - Whiffs of oxygen may have been present on Earth before the Great Oxidation Event. This may have allowed for niche environments for oxygen-dependent organisms before the global atmosphere became oxygen rich. This isn't the only example of how climate change can first occur regionally rather than globally. See article.
g Life - Computational biologists at the University of Pennsylvania say that species are still accumulating on Earth but at a slower rate than in the past. See article.
g Intelligence - When it comes to intelligence, the whole can indeed be greater than the sum of its parts. A new study co-authored by MIT, Carnegie Mellon University, and Union College researchers documents the existence of collective intelligence among groups of people who cooperate well, showing that such intelligence extends beyond the cognitive abilities of the groups' individual members, and that the tendency to cooperate effectively is linked to the number of women in a group. See article.
g Message - The founder of the scientific search for extraterrestrial civilizations Frank Drake believed that a minimum of 200 highly developed civilizations were hiding somewhere in our galaxy. See article. This article is from 2006.
g Cosmicus - The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has taken some big steps to help push commercial spaceflight forward with two new programs to study and streamline the emerging industry. See article.

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Searching for life on newly discovered exoworld and knot at end of solar system unties

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 - The unusual "knot" in the bright, narrow ribbon of neutral atoms emanating in from the boundary between our solar system and interstellar space appears to have "untied," according to a paper published online in the Journal of Geophysical Research. See article.
g Abodes - After spending decades searching for alien planets capable of harboring life, astronomers may have found one. So how can they check to see if life actually exists on this alien world? See article.
g Life - It might seem obvious that a dinosaur's leg bone connects to the hip bone, but what came between the bones has been less obvious. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri and Ohio University have found that dinosaurs had thick layers of cartilage in their joints, which means they may have been considerably taller than previously thought. See article.
g Message - Here’s a neat National Geographic interview of Seth Shostak, a senior astronomer at the SETI Institute, about the search for extraterrestrial intelligences. See article. This article is from 2003.
g Cosmicus - A team led by a North Carolina State University researcher has shown that water-gel-based solar devices - "artificial leaves" - can act like solar cells to produce electricity. The findings prove the concept for making solar cells that more closely mimic nature. They also have the potential to be less expensive and more environmentally friendly than the current standard-bearer: silicon-based solar cells. See article.
g Learning - Here’s a neat interactive Web site for kids: “Are Humans All Alone in the Universe?” In the program, kids get to search for ET — and learn some principles of science along the way. See article.

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To find ETI, focus on his AI and superearth in star’s habitable zone

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 team of scientists has announced the discovery of a planet with three times the mass of Earth orbiting a nearby star at a distance that places it in the middle of the star’s “habitable zone.” This is the first Earth-like planet found in another solar system that could have the conditions necessary for life as we know it. See article
g Message - In his upcoming paper "What E.T. will look like and why should we care?" for the November-December issue of Acta Astronautica, Seth Shostak argues that SETI might be more successful if it shifts the search away from biology and focuses squarely on artificial intelligence. See article.
g Cosmicus - Scientists have determined that ESA's Rosetta mission needs to deliver its lander to a site in the southern hemisphere of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. A site in this region will be the safest and most scientifically interesting according to the recent study. See article.
g Learning - As a society, we're increasingly ignorant about science, and if that continues, it's going to cost us. See article. This article is from 2005.

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