Small, rocky exoworld discovered and time has come to study the societal consequences of extraterrestrial 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 - The surprising discovery of a supermassive black hole in a small nearby galaxy has given astronomers a tantalizing look at how black holes and galaxies may have grown in the early history of the universe. Finding a black hole a million times more massive than the Sun in a star-forming dwarf galaxy is a strong indication that supermassive black holes formed before the buildup of galaxies, the astronomers said. See article.
g Abodes - NASA has discovered the smallest planet ever seen beyond our solar system – a rocky world just 1.4 times larger than Earth – using its planet-hunting Kepler observatory. See article.
g Life - If you want to be surrounded by females on the prowl, it pays to be cool, at least if you are a male butterfly. See article.
g Message - Book alert: “Talking About Life” consists of a series of interviews conducted by Chris Impey with over three dozen people who have played a role, in one manner or another, in studying the potential for life to exist elsewhere in the universe. See review.
g Cosmicus - SPACE.com asked many scientists, astronauts and space leaders about the role our moon could play in future exploration. Here, then, is the case for the moon. See article.
g Aftermath - The proceedings of a scientific conference that studied the societal consequences of extraterrestrial life has just been released. Organized and hosted by the Royal Society in October 2010, the conference was titled, “The detection of extra-terrestrial life and the consequences for science and society.” In the published proceedings, conference participants believe that the time has come to study the societal consequences of extraterrestrial life. See article

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