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 – Looking at a star similar to our sun, the Spitzer Space Telescope has detected a dusty inner solar system. Violent collisions within a large asteroid belt may be generating all this dust. Such an asteroid belt also would present a danger to any habitable planets orbiting the star. See article.
g Abodes – What are the primary bioindicators for remote sensing of life on a far-away world? A report prepared for future space-borne telescopes that will seek to answer this question, also looks deeper into how to find and confirm these prospective water worlds. See article. Note: This article is from 2003.
g Life – Does the famous Martian meteorite, found in the Antarctic, really contain microscopic fossils as suggested by some scientists? Scientists are hard at work trying to answer that question – by looking for evidence that the conditions were suitable for life and for signs of biological activity in the ratios of the abundances of isotopes of carbon and other elements in the rock. They are also trying to answer other questions about life in the universe, for example, by designing a space telescope to look for evidence of life on Earth-like planets orbiting nearby stars. The science of searching for signs of extraterrestrial life – exobiology – is blossoming. Like many new disciplines, it draws together previously separated sciences, and recent progress in such diverse fields as biology, chemistry, paleontology, geology, atmospheric physics, meteorology, space exploration and astronomy has revolutionized the subject. See article.
g Intelligence – A little humor can brighten your outlook, a new study suggests. See article.
g Message – Whenever the director of SETI research presents a public lecture, she can almost guarantee that “What If everybody is listening and nobody is transmitting?” will be one of the questions the audience asks. See article.
g Cosmicus – As expected, NASA managers Wednesday announced a May 22 target date for shuttle Discovery's liftoff on the first post-Columbia mission, saying time needed to close out a handful of open issues precluded an attempt at the May 15 opening of the actual launch period. See article.
g Learning – A dictionary like no other in the world, the Oxford English Dictionary has been described as "among the wonders of the world of scholarship." Last year, the OED announced the term, astrobiology, among its latest new entries. Defining a field that spans traditional disciplines may be as complicated as defining what is "life" itself. For semantic purposes, astrobiology is now officially about "the discovery or study of life on other planets and in space." See article. Note: This article is from 2004.
g Imagining – Would life forms on other worlds have to possess eyes, ears and limbs like higher organisms on Earth? Would they have to have a similar genetic code? Or can life exist not as we know it? These questions may be unanswerable now, but astrobiologists are anxious to answer the underlying question: How do you define life? See article. Note: This article from 2004.
g Aftermath – What changes can we expect in our culture if there is a prevalence of the living state throughout the cosmos? See article. Note: This article is from 2001.
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Ever-changing Mars, abiotic geochemical processes and determining a frequency for 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 Stars – Of the 500 scientifically interesting stars within 30 light-years, how many habitable zones will astronomers be able to image? If there's a planet in those habitable zones, how detectable will that planet be? Carnegie's Maggie Turnbull presented a talk, "Remote Sensing of Life and Habitable Worlds: Habstars, Earthshine and TPF," at a NASA Forum for Astrobiology Research on March 14. This edited transcript of the lecture is part three of a four-part series. See article.
g Abodes – Since the time billions of years ago when Mars was formed, it has never been a spherically symmetric planet, nor is it composed of similar materials throughout, say scientists who have studied the planet. Since its formation, it has changed its shape and thus the stability of its polar axis. A Canadian researcher has calculated the location of Mars' ancient poles, based upon the location of five giant impact basins on the planet's surface. See article.
g Life – Scientific teams around the globe are on the trail of methane seeping out of Mars. And for good reason: The methane could be the result of biological processes. It could also be an "abiotic" geochemical process, however, or the result of volcanic or hydrothermal activity on the red planet. See article.
g Intelligence – Iowa Dr. Sue Savage-Rumbaugh sounds like a proud mother when she speaks about her brood of bonobos, eight ultra-intelligent apes that will take part in unique language research meant to shed light on their nature and maybe our own. See article.
g Message – Estimating the frequency for communicating with an extrasolar civilization is a multi-dimensional challenge. The answer, according to two scientists at the Hungarian Astronomical Association, is less like an equation, and more like a matrix. See article. Note: This article is from 2003.
g Cosmicus – Speaking before the House Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics today, SpaceShipOne designer Burt Rutan said the commercial space industry will thrive but the current regulatory system is need of repair and nearly destroyed his program. See article.
g Learning – Here’s a neat classroom activity courtesy of NASA: “Designer Genes for a Designer World.” In this series of guided inquiry activities, students explore how organisms adapt to their environments through changes in their genetic codes. See article.
g Imagining – 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.
g Aftermath – Could religions survive contact with extraterrestrials? The Medieval Church didn't think so, as the discovery would challenge mankind's central role in the cosmos. Today such ideas are considered old fashioned, and many theologians welcome the discovery of life — even intelligent life — among the stars. But if scientists were to find microscopic Martians or a signal from another world, would established religions really take it in stride? For a discussion, check out this past program of SETI’s “Are We Alone?” Note: An mp3 player is required to play the audio files; you can download one at the site for free.
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g Stars – Of the 500 scientifically interesting stars within 30 light-years, how many habitable zones will astronomers be able to image? If there's a planet in those habitable zones, how detectable will that planet be? Carnegie's Maggie Turnbull presented a talk, "Remote Sensing of Life and Habitable Worlds: Habstars, Earthshine and TPF," at a NASA Forum for Astrobiology Research on March 14. This edited transcript of the lecture is part three of a four-part series. See article.
g Abodes – Since the time billions of years ago when Mars was formed, it has never been a spherically symmetric planet, nor is it composed of similar materials throughout, say scientists who have studied the planet. Since its formation, it has changed its shape and thus the stability of its polar axis. A Canadian researcher has calculated the location of Mars' ancient poles, based upon the location of five giant impact basins on the planet's surface. See article.
g Life – Scientific teams around the globe are on the trail of methane seeping out of Mars. And for good reason: The methane could be the result of biological processes. It could also be an "abiotic" geochemical process, however, or the result of volcanic or hydrothermal activity on the red planet. See article.
g Intelligence – Iowa Dr. Sue Savage-Rumbaugh sounds like a proud mother when she speaks about her brood of bonobos, eight ultra-intelligent apes that will take part in unique language research meant to shed light on their nature and maybe our own. See article.
g Message – Estimating the frequency for communicating with an extrasolar civilization is a multi-dimensional challenge. The answer, according to two scientists at the Hungarian Astronomical Association, is less like an equation, and more like a matrix. See article. Note: This article is from 2003.
g Cosmicus – Speaking before the House Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics today, SpaceShipOne designer Burt Rutan said the commercial space industry will thrive but the current regulatory system is need of repair and nearly destroyed his program. See article.
g Learning – Here’s a neat classroom activity courtesy of NASA: “Designer Genes for a Designer World.” In this series of guided inquiry activities, students explore how organisms adapt to their environments through changes in their genetic codes. See article.
g Imagining – 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.
g Aftermath – Could religions survive contact with extraterrestrials? The Medieval Church didn't think so, as the discovery would challenge mankind's central role in the cosmos. Today such ideas are considered old fashioned, and many theologians welcome the discovery of life — even intelligent life — among the stars. But if scientists were to find microscopic Martians or a signal from another world, would established religions really take it in stride? For a discussion, check out this past program of SETI’s “Are We Alone?” Note: An mp3 player is required to play the audio files; you can download one at the site for free.
Read this blogger’s books
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Searching for habstars, waiting for another Einstein and identifying lunar outpost sites
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 – Maggie Turnbull, an astronomer with the Carnegie Institution, has spent many years thinking about what kind of stars could harbor Earth-like planets. Her database of potentially habitable star systems could be used as a target list for NASA's forthcoming Terrestrial Planet Finder mission. Turnbull presented a talk, "Remote Sensing of Life and Habitable Worlds: Habstars, Earthshine and TPF," at a NASA Forum for Astrobiology Research on March 14. This edited transcript of the lecture is part two of a four-part series. See article.
g Life – University of Colorado scientists have found bacteria that live in the rocks of a hot, acidic environment in Yellowstone National Park. Such extremophiles – organisms that can tough it out at sub-zero temperatures or with little water – are the cat’s meow to astrobiologists, who want to determine the origin of life here on Earth, as well as estimate good spots to look for life elsewhere. See article.
g Intelligence – Will there ever be another Einstein? This is the undercurrent of conversation at Einstein memorial meetings throughout the year. A new Einstein will emerge, scientists say. But it may take a long time. After all, more than 200 years separated Einstein from his nearest rival, Isaac Newton. See article.
g Message – Is it even ethical for us to contact alien life? See article. Note: This article is a few years old.
g Cosmicus – An illuminated part of a lunar crater rim may be very close to the Moon's North pole and is a candidate for a peak of eternal sunlight. Such places could be key locations for future lunar outposts. The European Space Agency's SMART missions — Small Missions for Advanced Research and Technology — are designed to test new spacecraft technology and propulsion while visiting various places in the solar system. See article.
g Learning – Here’s a neat classroom activity courtesy of NASA: “Mountain Quest.” Students divide into five research teams to make recommendations for building a new observatory for NASA. See article.
g Imagining – Speculation about aliens has typically been left to science fiction authors, science fiction readers and Hollywood writers and directors. But what if we apply what we have learned about life on Earth to speculate about what alien life forms might be like? Here’s a primer.
g Aftermath – Here’s an intriguing read: the final report of “The Workshop on the Societal Implications of Astrobiology". Note: The workshop was held in 1999.
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g Stars – Maggie Turnbull, an astronomer with the Carnegie Institution, has spent many years thinking about what kind of stars could harbor Earth-like planets. Her database of potentially habitable star systems could be used as a target list for NASA's forthcoming Terrestrial Planet Finder mission. Turnbull presented a talk, "Remote Sensing of Life and Habitable Worlds: Habstars, Earthshine and TPF," at a NASA Forum for Astrobiology Research on March 14. This edited transcript of the lecture is part two of a four-part series. See article.
g Life – University of Colorado scientists have found bacteria that live in the rocks of a hot, acidic environment in Yellowstone National Park. Such extremophiles – organisms that can tough it out at sub-zero temperatures or with little water – are the cat’s meow to astrobiologists, who want to determine the origin of life here on Earth, as well as estimate good spots to look for life elsewhere. See article.
g Intelligence – Will there ever be another Einstein? This is the undercurrent of conversation at Einstein memorial meetings throughout the year. A new Einstein will emerge, scientists say. But it may take a long time. After all, more than 200 years separated Einstein from his nearest rival, Isaac Newton. See article.
g Message – Is it even ethical for us to contact alien life? See article. Note: This article is a few years old.
g Cosmicus – An illuminated part of a lunar crater rim may be very close to the Moon's North pole and is a candidate for a peak of eternal sunlight. Such places could be key locations for future lunar outposts. The European Space Agency's SMART missions — Small Missions for Advanced Research and Technology — are designed to test new spacecraft technology and propulsion while visiting various places in the solar system. See article.
g Learning – Here’s a neat classroom activity courtesy of NASA: “Mountain Quest.” Students divide into five research teams to make recommendations for building a new observatory for NASA. See article.
g Imagining – Speculation about aliens has typically been left to science fiction authors, science fiction readers and Hollywood writers and directors. But what if we apply what we have learned about life on Earth to speculate about what alien life forms might be like? Here’s a primer.
g Aftermath – Here’s an intriguing read: the final report of “The Workshop on the Societal Implications of Astrobiology". Note: The workshop was held in 1999.
Read this blogger’s books
Monday, April 18, 2005
Wired planet and Martian biology
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 – Consider it nothing short of the cosmic quest for all time: Understanding the origin, evolution, distribution and fate of life on Earth and in the universe. There has been a salvo of new findings, just within the last few years alone. See article.
g Abodes – Imagine the planet wired for a nearly continuous readout on its vital signs, shared by all. That's the essence of a White House plan announced today. See article.
g Life – Berkeley biophysicist Richard Mathies talked with Astrobiology Magazine about plans for a 2009 experiment to test for Martian biology. By making a portable test for protein detection and classification, his contribution to future forensics may yield the most comprehensive tests yet for detecting life elsewhere. Can heating soil samples with amino acids reveal biological origin — or not? See article. Note: This article is from 2004.
g Intelligence – Here’s a neat primer to human prehistory, divided into three sections: 1. Overview of Human Evolution; 2. Hominid Species Timeline; and based on evolution, 3. Human Physical Characteristics. See article.
g Message – What are our friends south of the equator doing in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence? After all, the Northern Hemisphere only covers half of the galaxy. See article.
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g Stars – Consider it nothing short of the cosmic quest for all time: Understanding the origin, evolution, distribution and fate of life on Earth and in the universe. There has been a salvo of new findings, just within the last few years alone. See article.
g Abodes – Imagine the planet wired for a nearly continuous readout on its vital signs, shared by all. That's the essence of a White House plan announced today. See article.
g Life – Berkeley biophysicist Richard Mathies talked with Astrobiology Magazine about plans for a 2009 experiment to test for Martian biology. By making a portable test for protein detection and classification, his contribution to future forensics may yield the most comprehensive tests yet for detecting life elsewhere. Can heating soil samples with amino acids reveal biological origin — or not? See article. Note: This article is from 2004.
g Intelligence – Here’s a neat primer to human prehistory, divided into three sections: 1. Overview of Human Evolution; 2. Hominid Species Timeline; and based on evolution, 3. Human Physical Characteristics. See article.
g Message – What are our friends south of the equator doing in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence? After all, the Northern Hemisphere only covers half of the galaxy. See article.
Read this blogger’s books
Sunday, April 17, 2005
Black holes got it started, populating Earth and Beta III’s Landru
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 – New studies of the very distant universe confirm the idea that black holes and galaxies helped each other grow through massive mergers. See article.
g Abodes – Oceanographers have probed the ancient sediments beneath Lake Malawi in East Africa and recovered sediment samples that provide up to 1.5 million years of information about how climate in Africa has changed. See article.
g Life – The rare discovery of eggs inside a dinosaur has given scientists new clues about the reproductive biology of the creatures and more support for the theory that birds came from dinosaurs. See article.
g Intelligence – Researchers are aiming to learn more about how the Earth was populated by collecting and analyzing genetic samples from 100,000 people around the globe. See article.
g Message – You probably saw “The Search for Other Earths” cover of the December National Geographic. Here’s the article online.
g Cosmicus – NASA's $110 million high-risk, high-tech demonstration of a space autopilot for future human spaceships and robotic cargo craft closed within 300 feet of its target Friday night, then inexplicably ran out of fuel to the dismay of helpless engineers on the ground. See article.
g Learning – The challenge to communicate both the breadth and depth of astrobiology is discussed by Carol Oliver, of the Australian Centre for Astrobiology. As a researcher in communicating science, she considers how best to tell a busy public what it means to explore other worlds for signs of life elsewhere. See article.
g Imagining – Can life be ”artificial,” as appears to be the case with many of Star Trek’s computer gone awry, such as Beta III’s Landru? See article.
g Aftermath – How might we characterize the political significance of any announcement of discovering extraterrestrial intelligence? How about using the Torino Scale, which characterizes asteroid impacts, as a model to assist the discussion and interpretation of any claimed discovery of ETI? See article.
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g Stars – New studies of the very distant universe confirm the idea that black holes and galaxies helped each other grow through massive mergers. See article.
g Abodes – Oceanographers have probed the ancient sediments beneath Lake Malawi in East Africa and recovered sediment samples that provide up to 1.5 million years of information about how climate in Africa has changed. See article.
g Life – The rare discovery of eggs inside a dinosaur has given scientists new clues about the reproductive biology of the creatures and more support for the theory that birds came from dinosaurs. See article.
g Intelligence – Researchers are aiming to learn more about how the Earth was populated by collecting and analyzing genetic samples from 100,000 people around the globe. See article.
g Message – You probably saw “The Search for Other Earths” cover of the December National Geographic. Here’s the article online.
g Cosmicus – NASA's $110 million high-risk, high-tech demonstration of a space autopilot for future human spaceships and robotic cargo craft closed within 300 feet of its target Friday night, then inexplicably ran out of fuel to the dismay of helpless engineers on the ground. See article.
g Learning – The challenge to communicate both the breadth and depth of astrobiology is discussed by Carol Oliver, of the Australian Centre for Astrobiology. As a researcher in communicating science, she considers how best to tell a busy public what it means to explore other worlds for signs of life elsewhere. See article.
g Imagining – Can life be ”artificial,” as appears to be the case with many of Star Trek’s computer gone awry, such as Beta III’s Landru? See article.
g Aftermath – How might we characterize the political significance of any announcement of discovering extraterrestrial intelligence? How about using the Torino Scale, which characterizes asteroid impacts, as a model to assist the discussion and interpretation of any claimed discovery of ETI? See article.
Read this blogger’s books
Saturday, April 16, 2005
Domino solar eruptions, moon base and life in extreme gravity
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 detailed study of a huge solar eruption reveals that a series of smaller explosions combined in a domino effect to fuel the blast. See article.
g Abodes – When astronomers discovered that the planets around Upsilon Andromedae had very strange orbits, they weren't sure what could have caused it. Researchers from Berkeley and Northwestern have developed a simulation that shows how an additional planet could have given the other planets the orbital kick they needed to explain their current eccentricities. If a similar planet had passed through our own Solar System early on, all our planets could be in wildly different orbits around the Sun. See article.
g Life – One million years ago, elephants and their cousins roamed the five major continents of the earth. Then humans came along. Today elephants can be found only in portions of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. There is a long-running debate over what drove elephants to extinction in some parts of the world and completely wiped other two other proboscideans, mammoths and mastodons. The two most argued hypotheses for their decline are climatic changes and over-hunting by humans. A recent archaeological expedition dug up information that may support the latter. See article.
g Intelligence – Hold the rose-colored glasses: Toddlers understand much more about false beliefs than parents and scientists previously suspected. A Canada-U.S. research team has discovered that very young children absolutely comprehend that other people believe things that aren't true. See article.
g Message – Does ETI use snail mail? See article. Note: This article is from 2004.
g Cosmicus – Researchers have identified what may be the perfect place for a Moon base, a crater rim near the lunar north pole that's in near-constant sunlight yet not far from suspected stores of water ice. See article.
g Learning – Here’s a neat classroom activity courtesy of NASA: Sun’s Impact on Earth Temperature. In this lesson, students manipulate graphical computer models to determine the effect of distance, albedo and greenhouse effectiveness on planet temperature. See article.
g Imagining – Could extraterrestrials exist in conditions of extreme gravity, as they do in Hal Celement’s “A Mission of Gravity”?
g Aftermath – How will major world religions be affected by the reception ofradio transmissions from an extraterrestrial intelligence? Here’s an interesting project that posits some possible scenarios.
Read this blogger’s books
g Stars – A detailed study of a huge solar eruption reveals that a series of smaller explosions combined in a domino effect to fuel the blast. See article.
g Abodes – When astronomers discovered that the planets around Upsilon Andromedae had very strange orbits, they weren't sure what could have caused it. Researchers from Berkeley and Northwestern have developed a simulation that shows how an additional planet could have given the other planets the orbital kick they needed to explain their current eccentricities. If a similar planet had passed through our own Solar System early on, all our planets could be in wildly different orbits around the Sun. See article.
g Life – One million years ago, elephants and their cousins roamed the five major continents of the earth. Then humans came along. Today elephants can be found only in portions of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. There is a long-running debate over what drove elephants to extinction in some parts of the world and completely wiped other two other proboscideans, mammoths and mastodons. The two most argued hypotheses for their decline are climatic changes and over-hunting by humans. A recent archaeological expedition dug up information that may support the latter. See article.
g Intelligence – Hold the rose-colored glasses: Toddlers understand much more about false beliefs than parents and scientists previously suspected. A Canada-U.S. research team has discovered that very young children absolutely comprehend that other people believe things that aren't true. See article.
g Message – Does ETI use snail mail? See article. Note: This article is from 2004.
g Cosmicus – Researchers have identified what may be the perfect place for a Moon base, a crater rim near the lunar north pole that's in near-constant sunlight yet not far from suspected stores of water ice. See article.
g Learning – Here’s a neat classroom activity courtesy of NASA: Sun’s Impact on Earth Temperature. In this lesson, students manipulate graphical computer models to determine the effect of distance, albedo and greenhouse effectiveness on planet temperature. See article.
g Imagining – Could extraterrestrials exist in conditions of extreme gravity, as they do in Hal Celement’s “A Mission of Gravity”?
g Aftermath – How will major world religions be affected by the reception ofradio transmissions from an extraterrestrial intelligence? Here’s an interesting project that posits some possible scenarios.
Read this blogger’s books
Friday, April 15, 2005
Star wind, desert crocs and problems in ‘Star Trek’ exobiology
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 tracked the motion of a violent region where the powerful winds of two giant stars slam into each other. The collision region moves as the stars, part of a binary pair, orbit each other, and the precise measurement of its motion was the key to unlocking vital new information about the stars and their winds. See article.
g Abodes – Scientists from NAI's Virtual Planetary Laboratory recently visited the exotic lakes of Cuatro Ciengas in Mexico's Chihuahuan desert. What's being studied there may provide clues what life on other, distant worlds may be like, and help scientists understand and interpret the data coming back from extrasolar planets? See article.
g Life – Two newfound species of crocodile-like amphibians that lived more than 250 million years ago in desert conditions suggest the animal world was more diverse back then than thought. See article.
g Intelligence – A leading expert in artificial intelligence and neural networks argues that cognition in humans and many animals occurs in a very different, non-algorithmic and less complex way than has been widely assumed until now. See article.
g Message – Here’s a neat Web site about Arecibo Observatory, the large radio telescope located in Puerto Rico that was featured in the film "Contact”.
g Cosmicus – Scientists recently unveiled the tiniest electric motor ever built. You could stuff hundreds of them into the period at the end of this sentence. What effect might this have on space exploration? See article.
g Learning – Here’s a neat classroom activity courtesy of NASA: “Interstellar Real Estate.” The lesson examines what makes Earth the perfect home for life as we know it as students explore the orbital characteristics a planetary home needs to support Earth-like life forms. See article.
g Imagining – Here’s a neat list of exobiology problems in “Star Trek”, courtesy of the Ex Astra Web site. The list includes "Strong Aliens", Shapeshifters, Pon Farr and Reading Ferengi Minds.
g Aftermath – Book alert: As many Earthlings already know —including more than 2 million computer users with firsthand experience — our best hope for finding extraterrestrial intelligence might just lie with an ingenious little screensaver. So it's not surprising that Brian McConnell’s “Beyond Contact: A Guide to SETI and Communicating with Alien Civilizations”, an introduction to searching for and communicating with intelligent life, begins with some of the details behind the University of California-Berkeley's groundbreaking, massively distributed SETI@home project, which processes intergalactic noise for pennies on the teraflop. But that's just the start of the story. Inventor and software developer McConnell continues with an overview of whether and why we might find something out there, who's doing what to look for it (including the folks at Berkeley), and — once some ET picks up on the other end — what we might say and how we might say it.
Read this blogger’s books
g Stars – Astronomers have tracked the motion of a violent region where the powerful winds of two giant stars slam into each other. The collision region moves as the stars, part of a binary pair, orbit each other, and the precise measurement of its motion was the key to unlocking vital new information about the stars and their winds. See article.
g Abodes – Scientists from NAI's Virtual Planetary Laboratory recently visited the exotic lakes of Cuatro Ciengas in Mexico's Chihuahuan desert. What's being studied there may provide clues what life on other, distant worlds may be like, and help scientists understand and interpret the data coming back from extrasolar planets? See article.
g Life – Two newfound species of crocodile-like amphibians that lived more than 250 million years ago in desert conditions suggest the animal world was more diverse back then than thought. See article.
g Intelligence – A leading expert in artificial intelligence and neural networks argues that cognition in humans and many animals occurs in a very different, non-algorithmic and less complex way than has been widely assumed until now. See article.
g Message – Here’s a neat Web site about Arecibo Observatory, the large radio telescope located in Puerto Rico that was featured in the film "Contact”.
g Cosmicus – Scientists recently unveiled the tiniest electric motor ever built. You could stuff hundreds of them into the period at the end of this sentence. What effect might this have on space exploration? See article.
g Learning – Here’s a neat classroom activity courtesy of NASA: “Interstellar Real Estate.” The lesson examines what makes Earth the perfect home for life as we know it as students explore the orbital characteristics a planetary home needs to support Earth-like life forms. See article.
g Imagining – Here’s a neat list of exobiology problems in “Star Trek”, courtesy of the Ex Astra Web site. The list includes "Strong Aliens", Shapeshifters, Pon Farr and Reading Ferengi Minds.
g Aftermath – Book alert: As many Earthlings already know —including more than 2 million computer users with firsthand experience — our best hope for finding extraterrestrial intelligence might just lie with an ingenious little screensaver. So it's not surprising that Brian McConnell’s “Beyond Contact: A Guide to SETI and Communicating with Alien Civilizations”, an introduction to searching for and communicating with intelligent life, begins with some of the details behind the University of California-Berkeley's groundbreaking, massively distributed SETI@home project, which processes intergalactic noise for pennies on the teraflop. But that's just the start of the story. Inventor and software developer McConnell continues with an overview of whether and why we might find something out there, who's doing what to look for it (including the folks at Berkeley), and — once some ET picks up on the other end — what we might say and how we might say it.
Read this blogger’s books
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Reviving mammoths, synesthesia and planets as lifeforms
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 – Located in the Lupus I (the Wolf) cloud, a region of star formation about 400-500 light-years away, a young T-Tauri star may be either a new planet or a failed star. Although the borderline between the two is still a matter of debate, one way to distinguish between them is by their mass. If a new observation of this object holds, GQ Lupi b would thus be the youngest and lightest exoplanet to have been imaged. See article.
g Abodes – If increased precipitation and sea surface heating from global warming disrupts the Atlantic Conveyer current — as some scientists predict — the effect on the ocean food chain in the Atlantic and other oceans could be severe, according to a new study just published in Nature. See article.
g Life – Scientists with the Mammoth Creation Project hope to find a frozen woolly mammoth specimen with sperm DNA. The sperm DNA would then be injected into a female elephant; by repeating the procedure with offspring, a creature 88 percent mammoth could be produced within 50 years. See article.
g Intelligence – To most people a "red-letter day" is merely a metaphor. But it's everyday reality to a synesthete who sees the alphabet in colors. Synesthesia, a condition characterized by one sensory experience generating another — so that shapes have tastes, for instance — is estimated to affect between 1 in 200 to 1 in 2,000 people. See article.
g Message – Book alert: In “Beyond Contact: A Guide to SETI and Communicating with Alien Civilizations,” author Brian McConnell examines the science and technology behind the search for intelligent life in space, from the physics of inter-stellar laser and radio communication to information theory and linguistics. If you've ever wondered whether it really would be possible to communicate with other civilizations, you'll want to read this book. See reviews and sample chapters.
g Cosmicus – After decades of sending probes across the void of interplanetary space, officials are now reshaping how solar system exploration is accomplished. The renovation is due in large measure to the visionary Moon, Mars and beyond directive given to NASA by President George W. Bush just more than a year ago. While money and mandate are in a state of near-rendezvous, the melding of space science objectives with human exploration goals is still to be fully played out, as is the prospect of broader international collaboration. See article.
g Learning – Here’s a quality Web introduction to the solar system: “The Nine Planets”. The site is an overview of the history, mythology and current scientific knowledge of each planet and the major moons in our solar system. Each page has text and NASA's images, some have sounds and movies, most provide references to additional related information.
g Imagining – Can planets themselves be lifeforms, as in Olaf Stapledon’s “Star Maker”? See article.
g Aftermath – Book alert: The authentic discovery of extraterrestrial life would usher in a scientific revolution on par with Copernicus or Darwin, says Paul Davies in “Are We Alone?: Philosophical Implications of the Discovery of Extraterrestrial Life.” Just as these ideas sparked religious and philosophical controversy when they were first offered, so would proof of life arising away from Earth. With this brief book (160 pages, including two appendices and an index), Davies tries to get ahead of the curve and begin to sort out the metaphysical mess before it happens. Many science fiction writers have preceded him, of course, but here the matter is plainly put. This is a very good introduction to a compelling subject. See reviews.
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g Stars – Located in the Lupus I (the Wolf) cloud, a region of star formation about 400-500 light-years away, a young T-Tauri star may be either a new planet or a failed star. Although the borderline between the two is still a matter of debate, one way to distinguish between them is by their mass. If a new observation of this object holds, GQ Lupi b would thus be the youngest and lightest exoplanet to have been imaged. See article.
g Abodes – If increased precipitation and sea surface heating from global warming disrupts the Atlantic Conveyer current — as some scientists predict — the effect on the ocean food chain in the Atlantic and other oceans could be severe, according to a new study just published in Nature. See article.
g Life – Scientists with the Mammoth Creation Project hope to find a frozen woolly mammoth specimen with sperm DNA. The sperm DNA would then be injected into a female elephant; by repeating the procedure with offspring, a creature 88 percent mammoth could be produced within 50 years. See article.
g Intelligence – To most people a "red-letter day" is merely a metaphor. But it's everyday reality to a synesthete who sees the alphabet in colors. Synesthesia, a condition characterized by one sensory experience generating another — so that shapes have tastes, for instance — is estimated to affect between 1 in 200 to 1 in 2,000 people. See article.
g Message – Book alert: In “Beyond Contact: A Guide to SETI and Communicating with Alien Civilizations,” author Brian McConnell examines the science and technology behind the search for intelligent life in space, from the physics of inter-stellar laser and radio communication to information theory and linguistics. If you've ever wondered whether it really would be possible to communicate with other civilizations, you'll want to read this book. See reviews and sample chapters.
g Cosmicus – After decades of sending probes across the void of interplanetary space, officials are now reshaping how solar system exploration is accomplished. The renovation is due in large measure to the visionary Moon, Mars and beyond directive given to NASA by President George W. Bush just more than a year ago. While money and mandate are in a state of near-rendezvous, the melding of space science objectives with human exploration goals is still to be fully played out, as is the prospect of broader international collaboration. See article.
g Learning – Here’s a quality Web introduction to the solar system: “The Nine Planets”. The site is an overview of the history, mythology and current scientific knowledge of each planet and the major moons in our solar system. Each page has text and NASA's images, some have sounds and movies, most provide references to additional related information.
g Imagining – Can planets themselves be lifeforms, as in Olaf Stapledon’s “Star Maker”? See article.
g Aftermath – Book alert: The authentic discovery of extraterrestrial life would usher in a scientific revolution on par with Copernicus or Darwin, says Paul Davies in “Are We Alone?: Philosophical Implications of the Discovery of Extraterrestrial Life.” Just as these ideas sparked religious and philosophical controversy when they were first offered, so would proof of life arising away from Earth. With this brief book (160 pages, including two appendices and an index), Davies tries to get ahead of the curve and begin to sort out the metaphysical mess before it happens. Many science fiction writers have preceded him, of course, but here the matter is plainly put. This is a very good introduction to a compelling subject. See reviews.
Read this blogger’s books
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
New type of star cluster and noncorporeal 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 – A British-led team of astronomers has discovered a completely new type of star cluster around a neighboring galaxy. The new found clusters contain hundreds of thousands of stars, a similar number to the so-called "globular" star clusters which have long been familiar to astronomers. See article.
g Abodes – Scientists may be able to identify habitable conditions and evidence of life on planets outside our solar system using spectroscopic analysis. See article. Note: This article is from 2002.
g Life – Finding life elsewhere in the universe depends on knowing when you see it, according to Colorado professor Carol Cleland. She gives a view of how life might not need a working definition as much as a theory of life — at least until scientists find a few more exceptions to prove the rules. See article.
g Intelligence – College seems to pay off well into retirement. A new study from the University of Toronto sheds light on why higher education seems to buffer people from cognitive declines as they age. See article.
g Message – Book alert: Despite an evidently open-minded attitude, Barry Parker delivers the hard line to ET enthusiasts in “Alien Life: The Search for Extraterrestrials and Beyond": "Strangely, we haven't found a single sign of life beyond our solar system." The emeritus Idaho State University professor of astronomy and physics summarizes recent scientific conjecture on extraterrestrial life without venturing much personal speculation. He considers the "architecture of life" and the mystery of DNA as related to its possible exploitation elsewhere; the possibility of non-carbon-based life forms; the history of Mars exploration (including the recent "meteorite from Mars" discovery); the results of NASA space probes; the discovery of distant planets through advanced telescopy; and the SETI program's search for alien radio signals. Parker acknowledges the contentions of UFO believers, but devotes few pages to claims of alien encounters such as the well-known Roswell incident. Steering clear of that controversy as "an argument not likely to be resolved in the near future," Parker's hopeful and energetic book ends up reinforcing the science establishment's lonely outlook for humanity, but still leaves room for the possibility that if they are out there, we will find them, or they, us. See reviews.
g Cosmicus – Simulated moon dust has been used to make the substrate of a solar cell, according to University of Houston researchers. The fine gray powder is 50 percent silicon dioxide, along with a mixture of oxides of 12 different metals — including aluminum, magnesium and iron. What effect might this have on space exploration? 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. See activity.
g Imagining – Can life ever be noncorporeal, as are Star Trek’s Organians? See article.
g Aftermath – Communication with extraterrestrial intelligence depends as much upon social support for the project as upon appropriate engineering design and upon the actual existence of a nearby extrasolar civilization. The results of a sociological survey of 1,465 American college students provide the first detailed analysis of the social and ideological factors that influence support for CETI, thereby suggesting ways that support might be increased. Linked to the most idealistic goals of the space program, notably interplanetary colonization, enthusiasm for CETI is little affected by attitudes toward technology or militarism. Few sciences or scholarly fields encourage CETI, with the exceptions of anthropology and astronomy. Support is somewhat greater among men than among women, but the sex difference is far less than in attitudes toward space flight in general. Evangelical Protestantism, represented by the "Born Again" movement, strongly discourages support for CETI. Just as exobiology begins with an understanding of terrestrial biology, exosociology on the question of how interstellar contact can be achieved should begin with serious sociological study of factors operating on our own world. See article.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
g Stars – A British-led team of astronomers has discovered a completely new type of star cluster around a neighboring galaxy. The new found clusters contain hundreds of thousands of stars, a similar number to the so-called "globular" star clusters which have long been familiar to astronomers. See article.
g Abodes – Scientists may be able to identify habitable conditions and evidence of life on planets outside our solar system using spectroscopic analysis. See article. Note: This article is from 2002.
g Life – Finding life elsewhere in the universe depends on knowing when you see it, according to Colorado professor Carol Cleland. She gives a view of how life might not need a working definition as much as a theory of life — at least until scientists find a few more exceptions to prove the rules. See article.
g Intelligence – College seems to pay off well into retirement. A new study from the University of Toronto sheds light on why higher education seems to buffer people from cognitive declines as they age. See article.
g Message – Book alert: Despite an evidently open-minded attitude, Barry Parker delivers the hard line to ET enthusiasts in “Alien Life: The Search for Extraterrestrials and Beyond": "Strangely, we haven't found a single sign of life beyond our solar system." The emeritus Idaho State University professor of astronomy and physics summarizes recent scientific conjecture on extraterrestrial life without venturing much personal speculation. He considers the "architecture of life" and the mystery of DNA as related to its possible exploitation elsewhere; the possibility of non-carbon-based life forms; the history of Mars exploration (including the recent "meteorite from Mars" discovery); the results of NASA space probes; the discovery of distant planets through advanced telescopy; and the SETI program's search for alien radio signals. Parker acknowledges the contentions of UFO believers, but devotes few pages to claims of alien encounters such as the well-known Roswell incident. Steering clear of that controversy as "an argument not likely to be resolved in the near future," Parker's hopeful and energetic book ends up reinforcing the science establishment's lonely outlook for humanity, but still leaves room for the possibility that if they are out there, we will find them, or they, us. See reviews.
g Cosmicus – Simulated moon dust has been used to make the substrate of a solar cell, according to University of Houston researchers. The fine gray powder is 50 percent silicon dioxide, along with a mixture of oxides of 12 different metals — including aluminum, magnesium and iron. What effect might this have on space exploration? 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. See activity.
g Imagining – Can life ever be noncorporeal, as are Star Trek’s Organians? See article.
g Aftermath – Communication with extraterrestrial intelligence depends as much upon social support for the project as upon appropriate engineering design and upon the actual existence of a nearby extrasolar civilization. The results of a sociological survey of 1,465 American college students provide the first detailed analysis of the social and ideological factors that influence support for CETI, thereby suggesting ways that support might be increased. Linked to the most idealistic goals of the space program, notably interplanetary colonization, enthusiasm for CETI is little affected by attitudes toward technology or militarism. Few sciences or scholarly fields encourage CETI, with the exceptions of anthropology and astronomy. Support is somewhat greater among men than among women, but the sex difference is far less than in attitudes toward space flight in general. Evangelical Protestantism, represented by the "Born Again" movement, strongly discourages support for CETI. Just as exobiology begins with an understanding of terrestrial biology, exosociology on the question of how interstellar contact can be achieved should begin with serious sociological study of factors operating on our own world. See article.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Star target list, Prometheus program and the Black Cloud
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 – Scientists from the University of Durham may have solved a decades-old puzzle regarding the distribution of the 11 small satellite galaxies that surround the Milky Way. See article.
g Abodes – Maggie Turnbull, an astronomer with the Carnegie Institution, has spent many years thinking about what kind of stars could harbor Earth-like planets. Her database of potentially habitable star systems could be used as a target list for NASA's upcoming Terrestrial Planet Finder mission. See article.
g Life – Human activities such as hunting and logging have driven nearly a quarter of the world's primate species — man's closest living relatives — to the brink of extinction, according to a new report. See article.
g Intelligence – The nation's central bank says that if you're gorgeous, chances are better that you will get paid more than plain folks. See article.
g Cosmicus – NASA’s Prometheus program to employ nuclear reactors in space is a work in progress — viewed as a key building block of the space agency’s vision for space exploration. See article.
g Learning – Here’s a neat classroom activity courtesy of NASA: The First Manned Mission to Mars. In this lesson, students will plan such an endeavour. In small groups and as a class, they will consider and discuss the social and scientific aspects of such a mission. See article.
g Imagining – Is the Black Cloud, the famous alien in Fred Hoyle’s science fiction novel, plausible? See article.
g Aftermath – Here’s an interesting article that from the viewpoint of some Christian theologies considers the condition of potential intelligent creatures in places in the universe other than Earth and inquires into the possible relationships of extraterrestrials to what our tellurian race calls religion and revelation. See article.
Read this blogger’s books
g Stars – Scientists from the University of Durham may have solved a decades-old puzzle regarding the distribution of the 11 small satellite galaxies that surround the Milky Way. See article.
g Abodes – Maggie Turnbull, an astronomer with the Carnegie Institution, has spent many years thinking about what kind of stars could harbor Earth-like planets. Her database of potentially habitable star systems could be used as a target list for NASA's upcoming Terrestrial Planet Finder mission. See article.
g Life – Human activities such as hunting and logging have driven nearly a quarter of the world's primate species — man's closest living relatives — to the brink of extinction, according to a new report. See article.
g Intelligence – The nation's central bank says that if you're gorgeous, chances are better that you will get paid more than plain folks. See article.
g Cosmicus – NASA’s Prometheus program to employ nuclear reactors in space is a work in progress — viewed as a key building block of the space agency’s vision for space exploration. See article.
g Learning – Here’s a neat classroom activity courtesy of NASA: The First Manned Mission to Mars. In this lesson, students will plan such an endeavour. In small groups and as a class, they will consider and discuss the social and scientific aspects of such a mission. See article.
g Imagining – Is the Black Cloud, the famous alien in Fred Hoyle’s science fiction novel, plausible? See article.
g Aftermath – Here’s an interesting article that from the viewpoint of some Christian theologies considers the condition of potential intelligent creatures in places in the universe other than Earth and inquires into the possible relationships of extraterrestrials to what our tellurian race calls religion and revelation. See article.
Read this blogger’s books
Monday, April 11, 2005
Drilling to the enter of the Earth and scientific assault on the 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 Stars – Scientists have unveiled new research which shows how exploding stars may have helped to create the earth. The discovery was made during a unique research project examining how some dead stars reignite and come back to life. See article.
g Abodes – Scientist said last week they had drilled into the lower section of Earth's crust for the first time and were poised to break through to the mantle in coming years. See article.
g Life – Aiming to thwart persistent bacterial infections and better control group behaviors of certain microorganisms, scientists are creating artificial chemicals that infiltrate and sabotage bacterial "mobs." See article.
g Intelligence – A study published in the current issue of Journal of Personality studied adult male monozygotic and dizygotic twins to find that difference in religiousness are influenced by both genes and environment. But during the transition from adolescence to adulthood, genetic factors increase in importance while shared environmental factors decrease. See article.
g Message – Book alert: In “Are We Alone in the Cosmos? The Search for Alien Contact in the New Millenium,” edited by Byron Preiss and Ben Bova, major scientists involved in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, explain their work and reveal their thoughts. Joining them are some of the best speculative thinkers, from Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov to Gregory Benford, who address the major philosophical questions involved. See reviews.
g Cosmicus – Not only the United States, but European, Indian, Japanese and Chinese probes are being readied for a new scientific assault on the Moon, hoping to glean insight about lunar ice, the Moon’s cratering history, and even how that big, dusty ball of rock got there in the first place. See article.
g Learning – Here’s a neat classroom activity courtesy of NASA: MarsQuest. Students team up to create a travel brochure to Mars describing the Martian atmosphere, climate topography, and mythology.
g Imagining – Here’s an interesting piece published in an online science fiction fanzine that examines if aliens in our literature can be considered truly “evil.” See article.
g Aftermath – Here’s an interesting master’s thesis paper from a Catholic perspective. The thesis reads: “Scholars and intellectuals for thousands of years have speculated on the theological implications of intelligent life on other worlds. Are extraterrestrial intelligent beings like human beings creatures with souls made in the spiritual image of God? Have ET’s not fallen from grace or are they sinners in need of Redemption? Is the Incarnation of Jesus Christ a unique universal event affecting the whole of creation? Did Jesus Christ come to redeem and save ET’s as well as human beings by his grace via his life, death, and resurrection? Is the mission of the Catholic Church to spread the Gospel throughout the cosmos, baptizing all creatures, humans and ET’s alike, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit? Do the very existence of ET’s contradict or support certain interpretations of the Bible’s view of the special nature of humanity? Does the existence of ET’s imply or deny the intelligent design of the universe by an Intelligent Designer who Christians believe is the Logos? This thesis will explore these questions in order to determine whether the answers are consistent with Christian thought and theology as well as compatible with the concepts of universal redemption, justification, sanctification, and salvation as historically posited by the Catholic Church.” See article.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
g Stars – Scientists have unveiled new research which shows how exploding stars may have helped to create the earth. The discovery was made during a unique research project examining how some dead stars reignite and come back to life. See article.
g Abodes – Scientist said last week they had drilled into the lower section of Earth's crust for the first time and were poised to break through to the mantle in coming years. See article.
g Life – Aiming to thwart persistent bacterial infections and better control group behaviors of certain microorganisms, scientists are creating artificial chemicals that infiltrate and sabotage bacterial "mobs." See article.
g Intelligence – A study published in the current issue of Journal of Personality studied adult male monozygotic and dizygotic twins to find that difference in religiousness are influenced by both genes and environment. But during the transition from adolescence to adulthood, genetic factors increase in importance while shared environmental factors decrease. See article.
g Message – Book alert: In “Are We Alone in the Cosmos? The Search for Alien Contact in the New Millenium,” edited by Byron Preiss and Ben Bova, major scientists involved in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, explain their work and reveal their thoughts. Joining them are some of the best speculative thinkers, from Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov to Gregory Benford, who address the major philosophical questions involved. See reviews.
g Cosmicus – Not only the United States, but European, Indian, Japanese and Chinese probes are being readied for a new scientific assault on the Moon, hoping to glean insight about lunar ice, the Moon’s cratering history, and even how that big, dusty ball of rock got there in the first place. See article.
g Learning – Here’s a neat classroom activity courtesy of NASA: MarsQuest. Students team up to create a travel brochure to Mars describing the Martian atmosphere, climate topography, and mythology.
g Imagining – Here’s an interesting piece published in an online science fiction fanzine that examines if aliens in our literature can be considered truly “evil.” See article.
g Aftermath – Here’s an interesting master’s thesis paper from a Catholic perspective. The thesis reads: “Scholars and intellectuals for thousands of years have speculated on the theological implications of intelligent life on other worlds. Are extraterrestrial intelligent beings like human beings creatures with souls made in the spiritual image of God? Have ET’s not fallen from grace or are they sinners in need of Redemption? Is the Incarnation of Jesus Christ a unique universal event affecting the whole of creation? Did Jesus Christ come to redeem and save ET’s as well as human beings by his grace via his life, death, and resurrection? Is the mission of the Catholic Church to spread the Gospel throughout the cosmos, baptizing all creatures, humans and ET’s alike, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit? Do the very existence of ET’s contradict or support certain interpretations of the Bible’s view of the special nature of humanity? Does the existence of ET’s imply or deny the intelligent design of the universe by an Intelligent Designer who Christians believe is the Logos? This thesis will explore these questions in order to determine whether the answers are consistent with Christian thought and theology as well as compatible with the concepts of universal redemption, justification, sanctification, and salvation as historically posited by the Catholic Church.” See article.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Sunday, April 10, 2005
Star reborn, controlling flies’ minds and gravitropism
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 old star that's been reborn has surprised researchers by flying through the process 100 times faster than predicted. See article.
g Abodes – Here’s an article, by extrasolar planet discoverers Geoffrey W. Marcy and R. Paul Butler, which appeared in the March 1998 issue of Scientific American. It provides an overview of the techniques used then (and currently) to detect extrasolar planets as well as future techniques now under development. See article.
g Life – Yale University School of Medicine researchers have found a way to exercise a little mind control over fruit flies, making the flies jump, beat their wings and fly on command by triggering genetic remote controls that the scientists designed and installed in the insects' central nervous systems. See article.
g Intelligence – Zinc may give teenagers a mental edge. Researchers found that adding the mineral to the diets of middle schoolers led to improvements in their memories and attention spans. See article.
g Message – Book alert: In response to Enrico Fermi's famous 1950 question concerning the existence of advanced civilizations elsewhere, physicist Stephen Webb in “If the Universe Is Teeming with Aliens... Where Is Everybody? Fifty Solutions to Fermi's Paradox and the Problem of Extraterrestrial Life” critically examines 50 resolutions to explain the total absence of empirical evidence for probes, starships, and communications from extraterrestrials. He focuses on our Milky Way Galaxy, which to date has yielded no objects or signals that indicate the existence of alien beings with intelligence and technology. His comprehensive analysis covers topics ranging from the Drake equation and Dyson spheres to the panspermia hypothesis and anthropic arguments. Of special interest are the discussions on the DNA molecule, the origin of life on Earth, and the threats to organic evolution on this planet (including mass extinctions). Webb himself concludes that the "great silence" in nature probably results from humankind's being the only civilization now in this galaxy, if not in the entire universe. This richly informative and very engaging book is recommended for most academic and public library science collections. See reviews.
g Cosmicus – A team of biologists from the University of California-Riverside has used chemical genomics to identify novel compounds that affect the ability of plants to alter their direction of growth in response to gravity, a phenomenon known as gravitropism. Combined with a plant's formidable genetic map, chemical genomics is becoming a powerful new tool in plant biology. See article.
g Learning – Here’s a neat classroom activity courtesy of NASA: "Measuring meteorological data from Mars". Students compare real-time Earth and Mars weather measurements for temperature, wind speed, humidity and atmospheric pressure by accessing Internet-data resources from NASA.
g Imagining – Our human culture and physiology arose from our planet of origin's ecology. Our basic survival instincts were formed according to the surroundings in which we were raised. And our speech patterns evolved according to the region we were born. Why then, would a writer assume that an alien being, who looks different to the humans around him, would still walk and talk and think the same way, if he was raised in extremely different circumstances? See article.
g Aftermath – In the absence of knowledge of physical and cultural clues, communication between two species can be almost impossible — almost. See article. Note: This article is from 1999.
Read this blogger’s books
g Stars – An old star that's been reborn has surprised researchers by flying through the process 100 times faster than predicted. See article.
g Abodes – Here’s an article, by extrasolar planet discoverers Geoffrey W. Marcy and R. Paul Butler, which appeared in the March 1998 issue of Scientific American. It provides an overview of the techniques used then (and currently) to detect extrasolar planets as well as future techniques now under development. See article.
g Life – Yale University School of Medicine researchers have found a way to exercise a little mind control over fruit flies, making the flies jump, beat their wings and fly on command by triggering genetic remote controls that the scientists designed and installed in the insects' central nervous systems. See article.
g Intelligence – Zinc may give teenagers a mental edge. Researchers found that adding the mineral to the diets of middle schoolers led to improvements in their memories and attention spans. See article.
g Message – Book alert: In response to Enrico Fermi's famous 1950 question concerning the existence of advanced civilizations elsewhere, physicist Stephen Webb in “If the Universe Is Teeming with Aliens... Where Is Everybody? Fifty Solutions to Fermi's Paradox and the Problem of Extraterrestrial Life” critically examines 50 resolutions to explain the total absence of empirical evidence for probes, starships, and communications from extraterrestrials. He focuses on our Milky Way Galaxy, which to date has yielded no objects or signals that indicate the existence of alien beings with intelligence and technology. His comprehensive analysis covers topics ranging from the Drake equation and Dyson spheres to the panspermia hypothesis and anthropic arguments. Of special interest are the discussions on the DNA molecule, the origin of life on Earth, and the threats to organic evolution on this planet (including mass extinctions). Webb himself concludes that the "great silence" in nature probably results from humankind's being the only civilization now in this galaxy, if not in the entire universe. This richly informative and very engaging book is recommended for most academic and public library science collections. See reviews.
g Cosmicus – A team of biologists from the University of California-Riverside has used chemical genomics to identify novel compounds that affect the ability of plants to alter their direction of growth in response to gravity, a phenomenon known as gravitropism. Combined with a plant's formidable genetic map, chemical genomics is becoming a powerful new tool in plant biology. See article.
g Learning – Here’s a neat classroom activity courtesy of NASA: "Measuring meteorological data from Mars". Students compare real-time Earth and Mars weather measurements for temperature, wind speed, humidity and atmospheric pressure by accessing Internet-data resources from NASA.
g Imagining – Our human culture and physiology arose from our planet of origin's ecology. Our basic survival instincts were formed according to the surroundings in which we were raised. And our speech patterns evolved according to the region we were born. Why then, would a writer assume that an alien being, who looks different to the humans around him, would still walk and talk and think the same way, if he was raised in extremely different circumstances? See article.
g Aftermath – In the absence of knowledge of physical and cultural clues, communication between two species can be almost impossible — almost. See article. Note: This article is from 1999.
Read this blogger’s books
Saturday, April 09, 2005
Helium-rich stars, oldest piece of Earth and extinct alien races
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 team of astronomers has made a surprising discovery about the stars in the giant southern globular cluster Omega Centauri: They’re helium-rich. See article.
g Abodes – A tiny speck of zircon crystal that is barely visible to the eye is believed to be the oldest known piece of Earth at about 4.4 billion years old. See article.
g Life – Scientists attempting to map the wild origins of the domesticated pig found that the wild boar was domesticated several times in different parts of Europe and Asia. See article.
g Intelligence – Laws and public policy often will miss their mark until they incorporate an understanding of why, biologically, humans behave as they do, scholars from Vanderbilt and Yale universities argue in the March issue of Columbia Law Review. See article.
g Message – Here’s a neat interactive Web game where you analyze a signal from space, just as would a SETI astronomer.
g Cosmicus – Japan's space agency mapped out a new, ambitious plan Wednesday for manned flights to the moon by 2025 as a first step to explore the solar system's far-flung planets, but said decisions about whether Japan will go it alone or collaborate with other nations won't be made for another decade. See article.
g Learning – Here’s a neat classroom activity courtesy of NASA: “Changing Faces”. Students examine images of the Sun and planets to determine their rotation rates.
g Imagining – Book alert: Those interested in how our imagined extraterrestrial societies should be based in science ought to read “Aliens and Alien Societies (Science Fiction Writing Series), by Stanley Schmidt. While designed for science fiction writers using science fiction examples, your strange races in fantasy will be more convincing if you absorb this valuable treatise on the analysis of where non-human creatures may go if they develop intelligence and culture. The book also covers the technology for space flight and provides "A Xenologist's Bookshelf" of reference for further study. See reviews.
g Aftermath – How might explorers determine what happened to an extinct alien race based on the clues they left behind on their home planet? See article.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
g Stars – A team of astronomers has made a surprising discovery about the stars in the giant southern globular cluster Omega Centauri: They’re helium-rich. See article.
g Abodes – A tiny speck of zircon crystal that is barely visible to the eye is believed to be the oldest known piece of Earth at about 4.4 billion years old. See article.
g Life – Scientists attempting to map the wild origins of the domesticated pig found that the wild boar was domesticated several times in different parts of Europe and Asia. See article.
g Intelligence – Laws and public policy often will miss their mark until they incorporate an understanding of why, biologically, humans behave as they do, scholars from Vanderbilt and Yale universities argue in the March issue of Columbia Law Review. See article.
g Message – Here’s a neat interactive Web game where you analyze a signal from space, just as would a SETI astronomer.
g Cosmicus – Japan's space agency mapped out a new, ambitious plan Wednesday for manned flights to the moon by 2025 as a first step to explore the solar system's far-flung planets, but said decisions about whether Japan will go it alone or collaborate with other nations won't be made for another decade. See article.
g Learning – Here’s a neat classroom activity courtesy of NASA: “Changing Faces”. Students examine images of the Sun and planets to determine their rotation rates.
g Imagining – Book alert: Those interested in how our imagined extraterrestrial societies should be based in science ought to read “Aliens and Alien Societies (Science Fiction Writing Series), by Stanley Schmidt. While designed for science fiction writers using science fiction examples, your strange races in fantasy will be more convincing if you absorb this valuable treatise on the analysis of where non-human creatures may go if they develop intelligence and culture. The book also covers the technology for space flight and provides "A Xenologist's Bookshelf" of reference for further study. See reviews.
g Aftermath – How might explorers determine what happened to an extinct alien race based on the clues they left behind on their home planet? See article.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Friday, April 08, 2005
Gamma-ray extinction, galactic probes and Star Trek biology
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 – For almost 100 years, scientists have been searching for direct evidence of the existence of gravity waves — faint ripples in the fabric of space-time predicted in Albert Einstein's theory of General Relativity. See article.
g Abodes – Scientists at NASA and the University of Kansas say that a mass extinction on Earth hundreds of millions of years ago could have been triggered by a star explosion called a gamma-ray burst. The scientists do not have direct evidence that such a burst activated the ancient extinction. The strength of their work is their atmospheric modeling — essentially a "what if" scenario. See article.
g Life – A new University of Colorado at Boulder study indicates Earth in its infancy probably had substantial quantities of hydrogen in its atmosphere, a surprising finding that may alter the way many scientists think about how life began on the planet. See article.
g Intelligence – New fossil finds and a computer reconstruction of a skull bolster the case that an ancient creature that grabbed headlines in 2002 really is the earliest known ancestor of modern humans, researchers say. See article.
g Message – Could extraterrestrials already have tried to contact us? On the basis of statistical calculations on galactic migration, here’s a paper that explores the possibility that exogenous vehicles and/or probes may have reached our solar system, including Earth. See article.
g Cosmicus – Like new and protective parents, engineers watched as the TETWalker robot successfully traveled across the floor recently at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Robots of this type will eventually be miniaturized and joined together to form "autonomous nanotechnology swarms" that alter their shape to flow over rocky terrain or to create useful structures like communications antennae and solar sails. See article.
g Learning – Some of the children in today's schools will grow up to be the first people to set foot on Mars. Preparing them for this experience is the objective of the Mars Project. The complete project is an educational simulation of the colonization of the Red Planet, and students get the opportunity to experience the trip and the settlement of Mars through virtual reality. Through the use of CD-ROM content, Internet communication and support teaching materials, individuals or classes will compete in simulations to reach and colonize the planet. They will have to make decisions that affect the success of their virtual explorers and colonists. Through this they will learn about science, math, economics, politics and social studies. See article.
g Imagining – A few weeks ago, I mentioned the book “The Biology of Star Trek”, which examined the plausibility of the more famous ”Star Trek” aliens.
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.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
g Stars – For almost 100 years, scientists have been searching for direct evidence of the existence of gravity waves — faint ripples in the fabric of space-time predicted in Albert Einstein's theory of General Relativity. See article.
g Abodes – Scientists at NASA and the University of Kansas say that a mass extinction on Earth hundreds of millions of years ago could have been triggered by a star explosion called a gamma-ray burst. The scientists do not have direct evidence that such a burst activated the ancient extinction. The strength of their work is their atmospheric modeling — essentially a "what if" scenario. See article.
g Life – A new University of Colorado at Boulder study indicates Earth in its infancy probably had substantial quantities of hydrogen in its atmosphere, a surprising finding that may alter the way many scientists think about how life began on the planet. See article.
g Intelligence – New fossil finds and a computer reconstruction of a skull bolster the case that an ancient creature that grabbed headlines in 2002 really is the earliest known ancestor of modern humans, researchers say. See article.
g Message – Could extraterrestrials already have tried to contact us? On the basis of statistical calculations on galactic migration, here’s a paper that explores the possibility that exogenous vehicles and/or probes may have reached our solar system, including Earth. See article.
g Cosmicus – Like new and protective parents, engineers watched as the TETWalker robot successfully traveled across the floor recently at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Robots of this type will eventually be miniaturized and joined together to form "autonomous nanotechnology swarms" that alter their shape to flow over rocky terrain or to create useful structures like communications antennae and solar sails. See article.
g Learning – Some of the children in today's schools will grow up to be the first people to set foot on Mars. Preparing them for this experience is the objective of the Mars Project. The complete project is an educational simulation of the colonization of the Red Planet, and students get the opportunity to experience the trip and the settlement of Mars through virtual reality. Through the use of CD-ROM content, Internet communication and support teaching materials, individuals or classes will compete in simulations to reach and colonize the planet. They will have to make decisions that affect the success of their virtual explorers and colonists. Through this they will learn about science, math, economics, politics and social studies. See article.
g Imagining – A few weeks ago, I mentioned the book “The Biology of Star Trek”, which examined the plausibility of the more famous ”Star Trek” aliens.
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.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Thursday, April 07, 2005
Starburst galaxies, organic relics and cloud creatures
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 team of European scientists has used Virtual Observatories to compare observations of distant "starburst" galaxies made at radio and X-ray wavelengths. This is the first study to combine the highest resolution and sensitivity radio and X-ray images that penetrate the dust hiding the centers of some of these distant galaxies. See article.
g Abodes – Injecting synthetic "super" greenhouse gases into the Martian atmosphere could raise the planet's temperature enough to melt its polar ice caps and create conditions suitable for sustaining biological life. In fact, a team of researchers suggests that introducing global warming on the Red Planet may be the best approach for warming the planet's frozen landscape and turning it into a habitable world in the future. See article.
g Life – At Astrobiology Magazine, planetary scientist Chris McKay asks one of the most interesting questions in astrobiology: How would one know an organic relic when it appears? See article.
g Intelligence – Researchers and volunteers around the world are taking early steps toward a complex but straightforward technological goal: to use electrical signals from the brain as instructions to computers and other machines, allowing paralyzed people to communicate, move around and control their environment literally without moving a muscle. See article.
g Message – I’ve finally found online the classic paper published in Nature that initiated in 1959 the age of Electromagnetic SETI: “Searching for Interstellar Communications,” by Giuseppe Cocconi and Philip Morrison. See article.
g Cosmicus – NASA has approved up to 18 more months of operations for Spirit and Opportunity, the twin Mars rovers that have already surprised engineers and scientists by continuing active exploration for more than 14 months. See article.
g Learning – Here’s a neat classroom activity courtesy of NASA: “Investigating the Dynamic Martian Polar Caps.” Students explore seasonal changes on Mars and Earth by analyzing images of the polar ice caps in summer and winter. See article.
g Imagining – Could “cloud creatures” exist on alien worlds? Here’s one writer’s speculations: article.
g Aftermath – If SETI is successful in detecting an extraterrestrial civilization, it will raise the question of whether and how humanity should attempt to communicate with the other civilization. How should that decision be made? What should be the content of such a message? Who should decide? The same questions would apply to proposals that signals be sent in the absence of detection, in the hope that they might be detected by an extraterrestrial civilization. See article. Note: This paper was presented in October 1995.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
g Stars – A team of European scientists has used Virtual Observatories to compare observations of distant "starburst" galaxies made at radio and X-ray wavelengths. This is the first study to combine the highest resolution and sensitivity radio and X-ray images that penetrate the dust hiding the centers of some of these distant galaxies. See article.
g Abodes – Injecting synthetic "super" greenhouse gases into the Martian atmosphere could raise the planet's temperature enough to melt its polar ice caps and create conditions suitable for sustaining biological life. In fact, a team of researchers suggests that introducing global warming on the Red Planet may be the best approach for warming the planet's frozen landscape and turning it into a habitable world in the future. See article.
g Life – At Astrobiology Magazine, planetary scientist Chris McKay asks one of the most interesting questions in astrobiology: How would one know an organic relic when it appears? See article.
g Intelligence – Researchers and volunteers around the world are taking early steps toward a complex but straightforward technological goal: to use electrical signals from the brain as instructions to computers and other machines, allowing paralyzed people to communicate, move around and control their environment literally without moving a muscle. See article.
g Message – I’ve finally found online the classic paper published in Nature that initiated in 1959 the age of Electromagnetic SETI: “Searching for Interstellar Communications,” by Giuseppe Cocconi and Philip Morrison. See article.
g Cosmicus – NASA has approved up to 18 more months of operations for Spirit and Opportunity, the twin Mars rovers that have already surprised engineers and scientists by continuing active exploration for more than 14 months. See article.
g Learning – Here’s a neat classroom activity courtesy of NASA: “Investigating the Dynamic Martian Polar Caps.” Students explore seasonal changes on Mars and Earth by analyzing images of the polar ice caps in summer and winter. See article.
g Imagining – Could “cloud creatures” exist on alien worlds? Here’s one writer’s speculations: article.
g Aftermath – If SETI is successful in detecting an extraterrestrial civilization, it will raise the question of whether and how humanity should attempt to communicate with the other civilization. How should that decision be made? What should be the content of such a message? Who should decide? The same questions would apply to proposals that signals be sent in the absence of detection, in the hope that they might be detected by an extraterrestrial civilization. See article. Note: This paper was presented in October 1995.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Supernova wind, solar systems with earths and artificial intelligence (part II)
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 – Scientists have detected a dusty wind emitted by a star that, at the end of its life, turned into a white dwarf and then exploded as a supernova. This is the first time that a wind from this type of supernova precursor has been observed and it is also the first time that associated dust has been detected. See article.
g Abodes – How many planets like the Earth are there among the 130 or so known planetary systems beyond our own? How many of these "Earths" could be habitable? Recent theoretical work indicates that as many as half of the known systems could be harboring habitable "Earths" today. See article.
g Life – Scientists at the University of Liverpool have discovered how fish have evolved during the last 400 million years to stay motionless at different water depths. See article.
g Intelligence – A gene and its growth-promoting protein may be used to develop therapies for renewing damaged or diseased brain tissue. 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 reviews.
g Cosmicus – Technicians have completed final adjustments to tiles on space shuttle Discovery's nose, setting the stage for the momentous move from the Vehicle Assembly Building to launch pad 39B at 11 a.m. CDT today. See article.
g Learning – Here’s a neat classroom activity courtesy of NASA: “Birthday Moon.” In the activity, students become familiar with lunar phases by locating and then graphing the moon phase of their birthdays. After listening and discussing lunar myths and legends they create their own Birthday Moon story. See article.
g Imagining – Artificial Intelligence, Part II: The difficulty in creating artificial intelligence lies in building computers that can think, rather than simply reply to preprogrammed stimuli with automated responses. Computers excel at simple, reflexive response, but how can they be built to consider, judge, and react to unexpected information, as human beings do every day? See article.
g Aftermath – What would be the affect on humanity following contact with alien life? Portions of a Brookings Institute report offer some insights. See article for either the entire report or the relevant excerpts.
Read this blogger’s books
g Stars – Scientists have detected a dusty wind emitted by a star that, at the end of its life, turned into a white dwarf and then exploded as a supernova. This is the first time that a wind from this type of supernova precursor has been observed and it is also the first time that associated dust has been detected. See article.
g Abodes – How many planets like the Earth are there among the 130 or so known planetary systems beyond our own? How many of these "Earths" could be habitable? Recent theoretical work indicates that as many as half of the known systems could be harboring habitable "Earths" today. See article.
g Life – Scientists at the University of Liverpool have discovered how fish have evolved during the last 400 million years to stay motionless at different water depths. See article.
g Intelligence – A gene and its growth-promoting protein may be used to develop therapies for renewing damaged or diseased brain tissue. 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 reviews.
g Cosmicus – Technicians have completed final adjustments to tiles on space shuttle Discovery's nose, setting the stage for the momentous move from the Vehicle Assembly Building to launch pad 39B at 11 a.m. CDT today. See article.
g Learning – Here’s a neat classroom activity courtesy of NASA: “Birthday Moon.” In the activity, students become familiar with lunar phases by locating and then graphing the moon phase of their birthdays. After listening and discussing lunar myths and legends they create their own Birthday Moon story. See article.
g Imagining – Artificial Intelligence, Part II: The difficulty in creating artificial intelligence lies in building computers that can think, rather than simply reply to preprogrammed stimuli with automated responses. Computers excel at simple, reflexive response, but how can they be built to consider, judge, and react to unexpected information, as human beings do every day? See article.
g Aftermath – What would be the affect on humanity following contact with alien life? Portions of a Brookings Institute report offer some insights. See article for either the entire report or the relevant excerpts.
Read this blogger’s books
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
Impact’s fireball, faithful Marmosets and artificial intelligence (part I)
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 – For a great examination of planetary habitability (and chock full of linkable references!), see SolStation’s “Stars and Habitable Planets”.
g Abodes – Scientists have explained how a globe-encircling residue formed in the aftermath of the asteroid impact that triggered the extinction of the dinosaurs. The study draws the most detailed picture yet of the complicated chemistry of the fireball produced in the impact. See article.
g Life – A squirrel-sized primate with white hair dancing out of its ears, the common marmoset finally may dispel tired stereotypes about promiscuous fathers in the animal kingdom. When psychologists exposed marmoset males to the scent of ovulating females, the researchers expected hormone levels to spike in every male as a result of heightened sexual arousal. See article.
g Intelligence – Children who watch a lot of television are more prone to push other kids around, according to the research. Conversely, four-year-olds whose parents tend to read to them, eat meals with them and go on outings together are significantly less likely to become bullies in grade school. See article.
g Message – Humanity might want to consider searching for extraterrestrial technologies within our solar system. See article.
g Cosmicus – Book alert: In 1973, Carl Sagan published “The Cosmic Connection,” a daring view of the universe, which rapidly became a classic work of popular science and inspired a generation of scientists and enthusiasts. In Sagan's typically lucid and lyrical style, he discusses many topics from astrophysics and solar system science, to colonization, terraforming and the search for extraterrestrials. Sagan conveys his own excitement and wonder, and relates the revelations of astronomy to the most profound human problems and concerns: issues that are just as valid today as they were thirty years ago. New to this edition are Freeman Dyson's comments on Sagan's vision and the importance of the work, Ann Druyan's assessment of Sagan's cultural significance as a champion of science, and David Morrison's discussion of the advances made since 1973 and what became of Sagan's predictions. Who knows what wonders this third millennium will reveal, but one thing is certain: Carl Sagan played a unique role in preparing us for them. See reviews.
g Learning – Here’s a neat Web site: “Introduction to Exobiology”. It explores the field of exobiology from a lay perspective including a self-test. Part of the Cruising Chemistry project at Duke.
g Imagining – Artificial Intelligence, Part I: You don't see artificial intelligence in science fiction the way you used to, and for a good reason. Back in the Golden Age of science fiction, when computers were new, the size of a small house and overwhelmingly powerful, it seemed obvious that pretty soon computers would be as smart as — no, smarter than — humans. They would be capable of dizzying virtue or terrifying vice. Any day now, experts predicted confidently, the breakthrough would come. Any day now we'd see true artificial intelligence. Any day now we'd have computers we could talk to. See article.
g Aftermath – Will we ever find a primer for decoding messages from extraterrestrials? Late last year, anthropologists who gathered for a major conference in Atlanta heard some news that will be sobering for SETI enthusiasts: It may be much more difficult to understand extraterrestrials than many scientists have thought before. See article.
Read this blogger’s books
g Stars – For a great examination of planetary habitability (and chock full of linkable references!), see SolStation’s “Stars and Habitable Planets”.
g Abodes – Scientists have explained how a globe-encircling residue formed in the aftermath of the asteroid impact that triggered the extinction of the dinosaurs. The study draws the most detailed picture yet of the complicated chemistry of the fireball produced in the impact. See article.
g Life – A squirrel-sized primate with white hair dancing out of its ears, the common marmoset finally may dispel tired stereotypes about promiscuous fathers in the animal kingdom. When psychologists exposed marmoset males to the scent of ovulating females, the researchers expected hormone levels to spike in every male as a result of heightened sexual arousal. See article.
g Intelligence – Children who watch a lot of television are more prone to push other kids around, according to the research. Conversely, four-year-olds whose parents tend to read to them, eat meals with them and go on outings together are significantly less likely to become bullies in grade school. See article.
g Message – Humanity might want to consider searching for extraterrestrial technologies within our solar system. See article.
g Cosmicus – Book alert: In 1973, Carl Sagan published “The Cosmic Connection,” a daring view of the universe, which rapidly became a classic work of popular science and inspired a generation of scientists and enthusiasts. In Sagan's typically lucid and lyrical style, he discusses many topics from astrophysics and solar system science, to colonization, terraforming and the search for extraterrestrials. Sagan conveys his own excitement and wonder, and relates the revelations of astronomy to the most profound human problems and concerns: issues that are just as valid today as they were thirty years ago. New to this edition are Freeman Dyson's comments on Sagan's vision and the importance of the work, Ann Druyan's assessment of Sagan's cultural significance as a champion of science, and David Morrison's discussion of the advances made since 1973 and what became of Sagan's predictions. Who knows what wonders this third millennium will reveal, but one thing is certain: Carl Sagan played a unique role in preparing us for them. See reviews.
g Learning – Here’s a neat Web site: “Introduction to Exobiology”. It explores the field of exobiology from a lay perspective including a self-test. Part of the Cruising Chemistry project at Duke.
g Imagining – Artificial Intelligence, Part I: You don't see artificial intelligence in science fiction the way you used to, and for a good reason. Back in the Golden Age of science fiction, when computers were new, the size of a small house and overwhelmingly powerful, it seemed obvious that pretty soon computers would be as smart as — no, smarter than — humans. They would be capable of dizzying virtue or terrifying vice. Any day now, experts predicted confidently, the breakthrough would come. Any day now we'd see true artificial intelligence. Any day now we'd have computers we could talk to. See article.
g Aftermath – Will we ever find a primer for decoding messages from extraterrestrials? Late last year, anthropologists who gathered for a major conference in Atlanta heard some news that will be sobering for SETI enthusiasts: It may be much more difficult to understand extraterrestrials than many scientists have thought before. See article.
Read this blogger’s books
Monday, April 04, 2005
Medusa Fossae, robotic snake and telepathic 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 Stars – The first two generations of stars did not create the proper environments for planet formation or the development of life, according to calculations that suggest the ingredients for life were not present until at least 500 million years after the Big Bang. See article. Note: This article is from 2004.
g Abodes – Spectacular new images, taken by the High Resolution Stereo Camera on board ESA's Mars Express spacecraft, show part of the Medusa Fossae formation and adjacent areas at the highland-lowland boundary on Mars. See article.
g Life – These have been exciting times for scientists striving to learn about the origin of life. The possible discovery of fossil microbes in a Martian meteorite has already grabbed the public's attention; another provocative recent study suggests that life may have arisen on Earth far earlier than previously thought. Such work has sharpened one of the most fascinating and least tractable debates in modern science: Is life a remarkable aberration, or is it a likely, perhaps even certain, outcome of the laws of nature? See article. Note: This article is from the 1990s.
g Intelligence – Did evolution shape your taste in a mate? Take this poll.
g Cosmicus – Among robot designers, there is a class of challenge problems. Is it easier to build a flyer, swimmer, walker or crawler? A new Michigan design highlights the advantages of being a robotic snake. What effect will this have on space exploration? See article.
g Learning – Here’s a neat classroom activity courtesy of NASA: Planet Paths. This activity is designed to help middle school students understand that planets travel in nearly circular orbits around the sun and that planetary motion obeys laws defined by Kepler and Newton.
g Imagining – Are telepathic species, such as Star Trek’s Talosians, plausible? See article.
g Aftermath – The more anthropocentric a person is, the less likely he is to believe that life exists beyond Earth. See article.
Read this blogger’s books
g Stars – The first two generations of stars did not create the proper environments for planet formation or the development of life, according to calculations that suggest the ingredients for life were not present until at least 500 million years after the Big Bang. See article. Note: This article is from 2004.
g Abodes – Spectacular new images, taken by the High Resolution Stereo Camera on board ESA's Mars Express spacecraft, show part of the Medusa Fossae formation and adjacent areas at the highland-lowland boundary on Mars. See article.
g Life – These have been exciting times for scientists striving to learn about the origin of life. The possible discovery of fossil microbes in a Martian meteorite has already grabbed the public's attention; another provocative recent study suggests that life may have arisen on Earth far earlier than previously thought. Such work has sharpened one of the most fascinating and least tractable debates in modern science: Is life a remarkable aberration, or is it a likely, perhaps even certain, outcome of the laws of nature? See article. Note: This article is from the 1990s.
g Intelligence – Did evolution shape your taste in a mate? Take this poll.
g Cosmicus – Among robot designers, there is a class of challenge problems. Is it easier to build a flyer, swimmer, walker or crawler? A new Michigan design highlights the advantages of being a robotic snake. What effect will this have on space exploration? See article.
g Learning – Here’s a neat classroom activity courtesy of NASA: Planet Paths. This activity is designed to help middle school students understand that planets travel in nearly circular orbits around the sun and that planetary motion obeys laws defined by Kepler and Newton.
g Imagining – Are telepathic species, such as Star Trek’s Talosians, plausible? See article.
g Aftermath – The more anthropocentric a person is, the less likely he is to believe that life exists beyond Earth. See article.
Read this blogger’s books
Sunday, April 03, 2005
Into Africa, brain trust and aliens from the studio prop room
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 – What is the universe’s topology? See article. Note: This article is from 1999.
g Abodes – A new study finds the climates in each half of the planet are linked by the oceans over the long run. Ocean circulation in the Southern Hemisphere has in the past adapted to sudden changes in the north, say researchers from Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona in Spain and the Cardiff University in the United Kingdom. See article.
g Life – "Into Africa" rather than "Out of Africa" could well be the better description of how certain mammals originated and spread across the world, according to a University of Florida scientist, who has found the first evidence for origins in North America of a mammal thought to be endemic to Africa. See article.
g Intelligence – In a springtime sort of story, researchers say they've used advanced scanning methods to pinpoint the region of the brain where feelings of trust arise. See article.
g Message – In August 1977, a sky survey conducted with Ohio State University's "Big Ear" radio telescope found what has become known as the “Wow” signal. Registering enormous signal strength, the shape of the signal had the characteristic rise and fall expected for its short 72-second lifetime. But a hitch remains: The signal has not been retrieved from other sky surveys, making it more anomaly than confirmable cosmic source. See article. Note: This article is from 2003.
g Cosmicus – “A few years ago I happened to overhear a conversation between two college students from Harvard, who were spending their spring break in Washington to lobby Congress for legislation to promote the growth of commercial space flight. To his companion’s question as to why he wanted to devote his career to space, one student responded simply, ‘What’s cooler?’” Read more of this insightful essay.
g Learning – With creationism and intelligent design continuing to battle evolution for supremacy in our schools, here’s a quality site that considers the science that supports the theory of evolution — from the National Academy of Sciences. See article.
g Imagining – Aliens should have a home planet. They should not be native to a studio prop room. The difficulty, of course, is in deciding how far to depart from intuitively credible Earthly life when depicting natives of other worlds. Too little, and the aliens might as well be humans with corrugated foreheads. Too much, and they become ridiculous. So what are some of these biological rules we're so familiar with but otherwise unaware of? See article.
g Aftermath – How will humans handle contact and its aftermath? These may be among the most profound questions that anyone can ask. See article. Note: This article is from 2002.
Read this blogger’s books
g Stars – What is the universe’s topology? See article. Note: This article is from 1999.
g Abodes – A new study finds the climates in each half of the planet are linked by the oceans over the long run. Ocean circulation in the Southern Hemisphere has in the past adapted to sudden changes in the north, say researchers from Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona in Spain and the Cardiff University in the United Kingdom. See article.
g Life – "Into Africa" rather than "Out of Africa" could well be the better description of how certain mammals originated and spread across the world, according to a University of Florida scientist, who has found the first evidence for origins in North America of a mammal thought to be endemic to Africa. See article.
g Intelligence – In a springtime sort of story, researchers say they've used advanced scanning methods to pinpoint the region of the brain where feelings of trust arise. See article.
g Message – In August 1977, a sky survey conducted with Ohio State University's "Big Ear" radio telescope found what has become known as the “Wow” signal. Registering enormous signal strength, the shape of the signal had the characteristic rise and fall expected for its short 72-second lifetime. But a hitch remains: The signal has not been retrieved from other sky surveys, making it more anomaly than confirmable cosmic source. See article. Note: This article is from 2003.
g Cosmicus – “A few years ago I happened to overhear a conversation between two college students from Harvard, who were spending their spring break in Washington to lobby Congress for legislation to promote the growth of commercial space flight. To his companion’s question as to why he wanted to devote his career to space, one student responded simply, ‘What’s cooler?’” Read more of this insightful essay.
g Learning – With creationism and intelligent design continuing to battle evolution for supremacy in our schools, here’s a quality site that considers the science that supports the theory of evolution — from the National Academy of Sciences. See article.
g Imagining – Aliens should have a home planet. They should not be native to a studio prop room. The difficulty, of course, is in deciding how far to depart from intuitively credible Earthly life when depicting natives of other worlds. Too little, and the aliens might as well be humans with corrugated foreheads. Too much, and they become ridiculous. So what are some of these biological rules we're so familiar with but otherwise unaware of? See article.
g Aftermath – How will humans handle contact and its aftermath? These may be among the most profound questions that anyone can ask. See article. Note: This article is from 2002.
Read this blogger’s books
Saturday, April 02, 2005
Cosmic dust bunnies, evolution of laughter and anthropomorphic animals
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 – Like dust bunnies that lurk in corners and under beds, surprisingly complex loops and blobs of cosmic dust lie hidden in the giant elliptical galaxy NGC 1316. An image made from data obtained with the NASA Hubble Space Telescope reveals the dust lanes and star clusters of this giant galaxy that give evidence that it was formed from a past merger of two gas-rich galaxies. See article.
g Abodes – Astronomers have long thought that the best place for life as we know it is a planet in the "habitable zone" — the range of orbits that leads to planets with liquid water — surrounding a main sequence star like our sun. Science fiction writers know better, and now astronomers are rethinking past work. See article.
g Life – Life can be funny, and not just for humans. Studies by various groups suggest monkeys, dogs and even rats love a good laugh. People, meanwhile, have been laughing since before they could talk. See article.
g Intelligence – Could a technologically oriented intelligence as likely arise from a predatory species as a non-predatory one? An anthropologist explores the possibilities.
g Message – Is there anybody out there? A famed astronomer and a renowned evolutionary biologist held different views. Read the classic debate between Ernst Mayr and Carl Sagan on extraterrestrial intelligence. See article.
g Cosmicus – In Sweden's far north, the freezing temperatures are so cold that some have likened it to the chill of outer space. Now, tourists seeking to experience that can go one step farther — and beyond — by duplicating weightlessness aboard chartered flights that hurl their occupants around an airplane cabin, floating in zero gravity conditions as if they were astronauts. Late this summer, a company called Xero AB begins offering the first zero-gravity flights from Kiruna, 200 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle. See article.
g Learning – Here’s a neat Web site with excellent graphics: “The Origin of Life and Evolution of the Cosmos”. It explores events that led to the origin of life on Earth.
g Imagining – When you immerse yourself in a fantasy world, chances are you’re going to come across a talking animal sooner or later. They’ve been running around fantasyland for a long time now. Anthropomorphic animals have been thoroughly sterilized, humanized and sanitized for the purposed of conveying allegory. It’s about time science fiction and fantasy let them return to their roots. See article.
g Aftermath – Once scientists are certain that we’ve received a signal from an extraterrestrial civilization, how would we decide to respond? Read the proposal “A Decision Process for Examining the Possibility of Sending Communications to Extraterrestrial Civilizations”, made at the International Academy of Astronautics meeting in Paris during 2000.
Read this blogger’s books
g Stars – Like dust bunnies that lurk in corners and under beds, surprisingly complex loops and blobs of cosmic dust lie hidden in the giant elliptical galaxy NGC 1316. An image made from data obtained with the NASA Hubble Space Telescope reveals the dust lanes and star clusters of this giant galaxy that give evidence that it was formed from a past merger of two gas-rich galaxies. See article.
g Abodes – Astronomers have long thought that the best place for life as we know it is a planet in the "habitable zone" — the range of orbits that leads to planets with liquid water — surrounding a main sequence star like our sun. Science fiction writers know better, and now astronomers are rethinking past work. See article.
g Life – Life can be funny, and not just for humans. Studies by various groups suggest monkeys, dogs and even rats love a good laugh. People, meanwhile, have been laughing since before they could talk. See article.
g Intelligence – Could a technologically oriented intelligence as likely arise from a predatory species as a non-predatory one? An anthropologist explores the possibilities.
g Message – Is there anybody out there? A famed astronomer and a renowned evolutionary biologist held different views. Read the classic debate between Ernst Mayr and Carl Sagan on extraterrestrial intelligence. See article.
g Cosmicus – In Sweden's far north, the freezing temperatures are so cold that some have likened it to the chill of outer space. Now, tourists seeking to experience that can go one step farther — and beyond — by duplicating weightlessness aboard chartered flights that hurl their occupants around an airplane cabin, floating in zero gravity conditions as if they were astronauts. Late this summer, a company called Xero AB begins offering the first zero-gravity flights from Kiruna, 200 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle. See article.
g Learning – Here’s a neat Web site with excellent graphics: “The Origin of Life and Evolution of the Cosmos”. It explores events that led to the origin of life on Earth.
g Imagining – When you immerse yourself in a fantasy world, chances are you’re going to come across a talking animal sooner or later. They’ve been running around fantasyland for a long time now. Anthropomorphic animals have been thoroughly sterilized, humanized and sanitized for the purposed of conveying allegory. It’s about time science fiction and fantasy let them return to their roots. See article.
g Aftermath – Once scientists are certain that we’ve received a signal from an extraterrestrial civilization, how would we decide to respond? Read the proposal “A Decision Process for Examining the Possibility of Sending Communications to Extraterrestrial Civilizations”, made at the International Academy of Astronautics meeting in Paris during 2000.
Read this blogger’s books
Friday, April 01, 2005
Ice Age tilt, evolving intelligence and cyborgs
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 – Members of an Astrobiology Institute team are using high-precision analysis of tiny grains in meteorites to probe the earliest history of the solar nebula. The age of the solar system is set at 4.567 billion years, and the new work traces some of the history of these small grains during about 300,000 years, before the formation of comets, asteroids or planets. See article.
g Abodes – In the past million years, the Earth experienced a major ice age about every 100,000 years. Scientists have several theories to explain this glacial cycle, but new research suggests the primary driving force is all in how the planet leans. See article.
g Life – Sex is an expensive and risky business. It steals time and drains precious nutrient resources. And each act of reproduction runs the risk of messing up carefully crafted genetic blueprints. So why do we do it? See article.
g Intelligence – What are the biological factors in the evolution of intelligence? See article.
g Message – Just how realistic was the penultimate astrobiology movie, “Contact”? See reviews and discussion.
g Cosmicus – Is your "right stuff" quotient up to snuff? Last December, the U.S. Congress passed the Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act of 2004. That legislation gave the Federal Aviation Administration, among other duties, the go-ahead to start shaping rules on medical requirements for a spaceship passenger — termed a "space flight participant" — an individual (who is not crew) carried within a launch vehicle or reentry vehicle. See article.
g Learning – Here’s a neat classroom activity courtesy of NASA: “Learning Planet Sizes.” In this activity, learners use the concepts of greater than, less than and equals to classify student height, object size and planet size. They will build scale models of the planets based on their discoveries of planet size. See article.
g Imagining – Are cyborgs, such as Star Trek’s Borg or Bynars, plausible? See article.
g Aftermath – In a cross-cultural study conducted several years ago, to scientists looked at the attitudes of college students towards the possibility that extraterrestrial life might exist, and if it does, what it might be like for people to learn that it exists. See article. Note: This article is from 2002.
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g Stars – Members of an Astrobiology Institute team are using high-precision analysis of tiny grains in meteorites to probe the earliest history of the solar nebula. The age of the solar system is set at 4.567 billion years, and the new work traces some of the history of these small grains during about 300,000 years, before the formation of comets, asteroids or planets. See article.
g Abodes – In the past million years, the Earth experienced a major ice age about every 100,000 years. Scientists have several theories to explain this glacial cycle, but new research suggests the primary driving force is all in how the planet leans. See article.
g Life – Sex is an expensive and risky business. It steals time and drains precious nutrient resources. And each act of reproduction runs the risk of messing up carefully crafted genetic blueprints. So why do we do it? See article.
g Intelligence – What are the biological factors in the evolution of intelligence? See article.
g Message – Just how realistic was the penultimate astrobiology movie, “Contact”? See reviews and discussion.
g Cosmicus – Is your "right stuff" quotient up to snuff? Last December, the U.S. Congress passed the Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act of 2004. That legislation gave the Federal Aviation Administration, among other duties, the go-ahead to start shaping rules on medical requirements for a spaceship passenger — termed a "space flight participant" — an individual (who is not crew) carried within a launch vehicle or reentry vehicle. See article.
g Learning – Here’s a neat classroom activity courtesy of NASA: “Learning Planet Sizes.” In this activity, learners use the concepts of greater than, less than and equals to classify student height, object size and planet size. They will build scale models of the planets based on their discoveries of planet size. See article.
g Imagining – Are cyborgs, such as Star Trek’s Borg or Bynars, plausible? See article.
g Aftermath – In a cross-cultural study conducted several years ago, to scientists looked at the attitudes of college students towards the possibility that extraterrestrial life might exist, and if it does, what it might be like for people to learn that it exists. See article. Note: This article is from 2002.
Read this blogger’s books
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