Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. You may notice that this and future entries are shorter than usual; Career, family and book deal commitments have forced me to cut back some of my projects. Now, here’s today’s news:
g Stars - For years, scientists have observed unstructured silicate particles in space, but could not pinpoint the origin of recent observation of wide presence of crystalline silicates or their role in the Milky Way Galaxy. But several scientists have successfully created nanoclusters of silicates. They were also able to predict that these particles have absorption features from the red and blue lights found throughout the galaxy, and could be the original building blocks of Earth and other planets in our solar system. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/08/060802101243.htm.
g Abodes - The planet-wide dust storms that periodically cloak Mars in a mantle of red may be generating a snow of corrosive chemicals, including hydrogen peroxide, that would be toxic to life, according to two new studies. See http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0607/31marssnow/.
g Life - Hundreds of dead or dying purple sea urchins have washed up into tide pools at a Southern California marine refuge center in recent days, but no one is certain what is killing them. See http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/060804_ap_sea_urchins.html.
g Intelligence - A new study by a McGill University professor of psychology shows that the capacity for empathy, previously suspected but unproven even among higher primates, is also evident in lower mammals. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/06/060630100140.htm.
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 http://www.astrobio.net/news/article512.html. Note: This article is from 2003.
g Cosmicus - Last-minute objections from the U.S. Government Accountability Office are not expected to derail NASA’s long-awaited selection of a Crew Exploration Vehicle prime contractor. See http://www.space.com/news/060728_cev_gao.html. For related story, see “NASA Considers U.S. Science Suspension Aboard ISS” at http://www.space.com/news/0650728_iss_science_cuts.html.
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 http://btc.montana.edu/ceres/html/Habitat/habitablezone.htm.
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: http://science.howstuffworks.com/alien-physiology.htm.
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?” at http://www.seti.org/site/apps/nl/newsletter2.asp?c=ktJ2J9MMIsE&b=289154. Note: An mp3 player is required to play the audio files; you can download one at the site for free.
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Saturday, August 05, 2006
Star swallowed whole, space signals at Pi GHz and unfounded skepticism about SETI
Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. You may notice that this and future entries are shorter than usual; Career, family and book deal commitments have forced me to cut back some of my projects. Now, here’s today’s news:
g Stars - Long before the Bible's tale of Jonah being swallowed by a whale, a small wannabe star emerged intact after being engulfed by a neighboring giant star, scientists say. See http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/060802_swallow_dwarf.html.
g Abodes - For the first time, scientists have found regions of the earth's crust which are stretching apart to form new sea floor; their findings are published in Nature (27 July). Most new ocean floor is made when undersea volcanic activity splits the crust and molten rock fills the gaps. However some new ocean floor develops when rock stretches along gently inclined tectonic faults called detachment faults. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060727180622.htm.
g Life - For male nightingales, the key to scoring with the ladies is to cut their opponents off. Male songbirds often compete for mates through singing contests. The dominant ones usually start singing before an opponent finishes his song, signaling aggression that female birds sometimes find attractive. See http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/060804_song_overlap.html.
g Intelligence - Giving up your regular late-night snack may be hard, and not just because it’s a routine. The habit may genetically change an area of the brain to expect the food at that time, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/08/060801053315.htm.
g Message - Is there any good reason to look for intelligently generated extraterrestrial emissions in the spectrum at Pi GHz or 3.141...GHz. See http://seti1.setileague.org/askdr/pi.htm.
g Cosmicus - Six aquanauts will rise from the deep today after nearly a week stationed on the ocean floor testing spacesuit concepts for future Moon and Mars missions. See http://www.space.com/mis
sionlaunches/060728_neemo10_surface.html.
g Learning - Here’s a neat classroom resource courtesy of NASA: “Life on Earth … and Elsewhere?” This booklet contains 5 classroom activities for grades 5-10 spanning topics from "Defining Life," to "Determining the Chances of Extraterrestrial Life." See http://www.erg.pdf/.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Arthur C, Clarke’s “The Sentinel,” in which a man’s discovery leads to the signalling of an extraterrestrial civilization.
g Aftermath - Here’s an intriguing essay that discusses what might happen if we do too little to contact extraterrestrials; as the authors argue, “…skepticism regarding SETI is at best unfounded and at worst can seriously damage the long-term prospects of humanity. If ETIs exist, no matter whether friendly or adversarial (or even beyond such simple distinctions), they are relevant for our future. To neglect this is contraryy to the basic tenets of transhumanism. To appreciate this, it is only sufficient to imagine the consequences of SETI success for any aspect of transhumanist interests, and then to affirm that such a success can only be achieved without trying if they come to us, which would obviously mean that we are hopelessly lagging in the race for galactic colonization.” See http://www.jetpress.org/volume13/cirkovic.html.
g Stars - Long before the Bible's tale of Jonah being swallowed by a whale, a small wannabe star emerged intact after being engulfed by a neighboring giant star, scientists say. See http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/060802_swallow_dwarf.html.
g Abodes - For the first time, scientists have found regions of the earth's crust which are stretching apart to form new sea floor; their findings are published in Nature (27 July). Most new ocean floor is made when undersea volcanic activity splits the crust and molten rock fills the gaps. However some new ocean floor develops when rock stretches along gently inclined tectonic faults called detachment faults. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060727180622.htm.
g Life - For male nightingales, the key to scoring with the ladies is to cut their opponents off. Male songbirds often compete for mates through singing contests. The dominant ones usually start singing before an opponent finishes his song, signaling aggression that female birds sometimes find attractive. See http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/060804_song_overlap.html.
g Intelligence - Giving up your regular late-night snack may be hard, and not just because it’s a routine. The habit may genetically change an area of the brain to expect the food at that time, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/08/060801053315.htm.
g Message - Is there any good reason to look for intelligently generated extraterrestrial emissions in the spectrum at Pi GHz or 3.141...GHz. See http://seti1.setileague.org/askdr/pi.htm.
g Cosmicus - Six aquanauts will rise from the deep today after nearly a week stationed on the ocean floor testing spacesuit concepts for future Moon and Mars missions. See http://www.space.com/mis
sionlaunches/060728_neemo10_surface.html.
g Learning - Here’s a neat classroom resource courtesy of NASA: “Life on Earth … and Elsewhere?” This booklet contains 5 classroom activities for grades 5-10 spanning topics from "Defining Life," to "Determining the Chances of Extraterrestrial Life." See http://www.erg.pdf/.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Arthur C, Clarke’s “The Sentinel,” in which a man’s discovery leads to the signalling of an extraterrestrial civilization.
g Aftermath - Here’s an intriguing essay that discusses what might happen if we do too little to contact extraterrestrials; as the authors argue, “…skepticism regarding SETI is at best unfounded and at worst can seriously damage the long-term prospects of humanity. If ETIs exist, no matter whether friendly or adversarial (or even beyond such simple distinctions), they are relevant for our future. To neglect this is contraryy to the basic tenets of transhumanism. To appreciate this, it is only sufficient to imagine the consequences of SETI success for any aspect of transhumanist interests, and then to affirm that such a success can only be achieved without trying if they come to us, which would obviously mean that we are hopelessly lagging in the race for galactic colonization.” See http://www.jetpress.org/volume13/cirkovic.html.
Friday, August 04, 2006
Mysterious dark energy, Brave New Biosphere and ‘Voyagers’
Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. You may notice that this and future entries are shorter than usual; Career, family and book deal commitments have forced me to cut back some of my projects. Now, here’s today’s news:
g Stars - A new NASA mission aims to determine the properties of the mysterious dark energy that is causing the expansion rate of the universe to speed up. Called the Advanced Dark Energy Physics Telescope, the mission promises to determine the location of 100 million galaxies. It would be the most comprehensive survey of the universe ever undertaken. See http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0608/01adept/.
g Abodes - An international team of scientists is exploring the seafloor near Papua New Guinea in the western Pacific Ocean this month with remotely operated and autonomous underwater vehicles, investigating active and inactive hydrothermal vents and the formation of mineral deposits containing copper, gold, and other minerals. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop
=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=2030mode=thread&order
=0&thold=0. For related story, see “The Real Reason Louisiana is Sinking” at http://www.livescience.com/environment/060721_la_wetlands.html.
g Life - When deciding which flower to land on, bumblebees look for warmth. And they use flower color as an indicator of temperature, a new study finds. See http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/060802_bees_flower.html.
g Intelligence - The older we get, the more we regret choosing virtue over vice, new research shows. See http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/060801_work_regret.html.
g Message - Humankind has been unintentionally transmitting signals into space - primarily high-frequency radio, television, and radar - for more than 50 years. Our earliest TV broadcasts have reached several thousand nearby stars, although any alien viewers would have to build a very large antenna (thousands of acres in size) to detect them. See http://www.seti.org/site/pp.aspc=ktJ2J9MMIsE&b=179534.
g Cosmicus - The orbiting of the privately-bankrolled Genesis-1 expandable spacecraft by Bigelow Aerospace is a step forward in the company’s vision to provide a low-cost, low Earth orbit human-rated space complex that is accessible to the commercial sector. See http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/o60726_itar_genesis-1.html.
g Learning - Here’s a neat primer (for kids) to understanding extremophiles and how an understanding of them affects astrobiology: “Brave New Biosphere.” See http://whyfiles.org/022critters/index.html.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Ben Bova’s novel “Voyagers,” published by Tor in 1981.
g Aftermath - Alien encounters and science fiction permeate pop culture, but what would it really mean if scientists found life beyond Earth? If even a single-celled organism on another planet was discovered, for many, this would be the last thread of evidence proving that life is simply chemistry. See http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2003/0402doser.shtml. Note: This article is from 2003.
g Stars - A new NASA mission aims to determine the properties of the mysterious dark energy that is causing the expansion rate of the universe to speed up. Called the Advanced Dark Energy Physics Telescope, the mission promises to determine the location of 100 million galaxies. It would be the most comprehensive survey of the universe ever undertaken. See http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0608/01adept/.
g Abodes - An international team of scientists is exploring the seafloor near Papua New Guinea in the western Pacific Ocean this month with remotely operated and autonomous underwater vehicles, investigating active and inactive hydrothermal vents and the formation of mineral deposits containing copper, gold, and other minerals. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop
=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=2030mode=thread&order
=0&thold=0. For related story, see “The Real Reason Louisiana is Sinking” at http://www.livescience.com/environment/060721_la_wetlands.html.
g Life - When deciding which flower to land on, bumblebees look for warmth. And they use flower color as an indicator of temperature, a new study finds. See http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/060802_bees_flower.html.
g Intelligence - The older we get, the more we regret choosing virtue over vice, new research shows. See http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/060801_work_regret.html.
g Message - Humankind has been unintentionally transmitting signals into space - primarily high-frequency radio, television, and radar - for more than 50 years. Our earliest TV broadcasts have reached several thousand nearby stars, although any alien viewers would have to build a very large antenna (thousands of acres in size) to detect them. See http://www.seti.org/site/pp.aspc=ktJ2J9MMIsE&b=179534.
g Cosmicus - The orbiting of the privately-bankrolled Genesis-1 expandable spacecraft by Bigelow Aerospace is a step forward in the company’s vision to provide a low-cost, low Earth orbit human-rated space complex that is accessible to the commercial sector. See http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/o60726_itar_genesis-1.html.
g Learning - Here’s a neat primer (for kids) to understanding extremophiles and how an understanding of them affects astrobiology: “Brave New Biosphere.” See http://whyfiles.org/022critters/index.html.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Ben Bova’s novel “Voyagers,” published by Tor in 1981.
g Aftermath - Alien encounters and science fiction permeate pop culture, but what would it really mean if scientists found life beyond Earth? If even a single-celled organism on another planet was discovered, for many, this would be the last thread of evidence proving that life is simply chemistry. See http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2003/0402doser.shtml. Note: This article is from 2003.
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Faintest object outside our solar system, Titan’s liquid methane drizzle and the public space travel business
Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. You may notice that this and future entries are shorter than usual; Career, family and book deal commitments have forced me to cut back some of my projects. Now, here’s today’s news:
g Stars - As part of an ongoing search for Earth's nearest stellar neighbors, astronomers have determined the distance to a stellar-like body known as DEN 0255-477 and discovered that it is the nearest-known L dwarf. This body is now also the faintest object outside our solar system for which its intrinsic visual brightness has been measured. See http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0608/01faintest/.
g Abodes - Liquid methane drizzles on the surface of Titan, a moon of Saturn, according to a paper by NASA and university scientists. "The rain on Titan is just a slight drizzle, but it rains all the time, day in, day out. It makes the ground wet and muddy with liquid methane." See http://www.spaceflightnow.com/cassini/060725titandrizzle.html.
g Life - Thirty fossils of two previously unknown species of carnivorous reptiles believed to be 115 million years old have been found in South Australia. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=UPI-1-20060728-21141800-bc-australia-fossils.xml.
g Intelligence - The phrase "medical miracle" is a newsroom cliche. It means a situation in which a person makes an unexpected recovery despite great odds or a pessimistic prognosis. Yet often the phrase is used much more broadly to describe a seemingly supernatural or paranormal healing or curing event such as faith healing. While to many people it may seem obvious that a miracle has occurred, in reality such miracles are rarely as impressive as they seem. See http://www.livescience.com/othernews/060729_medical_miracles.html.
g Message - Since the Department of Defense launched the first Global Positioning System satellite in 1978, GPS technology has matured into a highly valued, national resource used for a virtually limitless variety of applications involving location, navigation, tracking, mapping and timing. Despite the amazing variety of uses of the technology, there is one application that the creators of GPS surely never could have imagined: seeking to detect the existence of intelligent extraterrestrial life. See http://www.profsurv.
com/newpsm/archive.phpissue=70article=977. Note: This article is from 2002.
g Cosmicus - The public space travel business is picking up suborbital speed thanks to a variety of private rocket groups and their dream machines. See http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/060705_blue_origin.html.
g Learning - It's 110 degrees at the end of July here in the badlands around the border of North Dakota and Montana as the pickaxes swing down against the Hell Creek rock. The volunteers who have braved rattlesnakes and scorpions to work here in the swirling dust may look as if they are in prison, but they are in a time machine, traveling back 65 million years by excavating through rock.
And if these volunteers are lucky, they can keep bones they find. See http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/060802_hell_creek.html.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Ian Watson’s short story "Now! You Can Banish Embarrassing Foot Odor Forever! The Ultimate One-Word First contact Story," published in “Alien Encounters” (edited by Jan Finder).
g Aftermath - Here’s a fascinating idea: A group of serious scientists, writers, military leaders and others discussing how to establish a constructive dialogue between humanity and ETI, once contact is made: http://www.ieti.org/index.html.
g Stars - As part of an ongoing search for Earth's nearest stellar neighbors, astronomers have determined the distance to a stellar-like body known as DEN 0255-477 and discovered that it is the nearest-known L dwarf. This body is now also the faintest object outside our solar system for which its intrinsic visual brightness has been measured. See http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0608/01faintest/.
g Abodes - Liquid methane drizzles on the surface of Titan, a moon of Saturn, according to a paper by NASA and university scientists. "The rain on Titan is just a slight drizzle, but it rains all the time, day in, day out. It makes the ground wet and muddy with liquid methane." See http://www.spaceflightnow.com/cassini/060725titandrizzle.html.
g Life - Thirty fossils of two previously unknown species of carnivorous reptiles believed to be 115 million years old have been found in South Australia. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=UPI-1-20060728-21141800-bc-australia-fossils.xml.
g Intelligence - The phrase "medical miracle" is a newsroom cliche. It means a situation in which a person makes an unexpected recovery despite great odds or a pessimistic prognosis. Yet often the phrase is used much more broadly to describe a seemingly supernatural or paranormal healing or curing event such as faith healing. While to many people it may seem obvious that a miracle has occurred, in reality such miracles are rarely as impressive as they seem. See http://www.livescience.com/othernews/060729_medical_miracles.html.
g Message - Since the Department of Defense launched the first Global Positioning System satellite in 1978, GPS technology has matured into a highly valued, national resource used for a virtually limitless variety of applications involving location, navigation, tracking, mapping and timing. Despite the amazing variety of uses of the technology, there is one application that the creators of GPS surely never could have imagined: seeking to detect the existence of intelligent extraterrestrial life. See http://www.profsurv.
com/newpsm/archive.phpissue=70article=977. Note: This article is from 2002.
g Cosmicus - The public space travel business is picking up suborbital speed thanks to a variety of private rocket groups and their dream machines. See http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/060705_blue_origin.html.
g Learning - It's 110 degrees at the end of July here in the badlands around the border of North Dakota and Montana as the pickaxes swing down against the Hell Creek rock. The volunteers who have braved rattlesnakes and scorpions to work here in the swirling dust may look as if they are in prison, but they are in a time machine, traveling back 65 million years by excavating through rock.
And if these volunteers are lucky, they can keep bones they find. See http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/060802_hell_creek.html.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Ian Watson’s short story "Now! You Can Banish Embarrassing Foot Odor Forever! The Ultimate One-Word First contact Story," published in “Alien Encounters” (edited by Jan Finder).
g Aftermath - Here’s a fascinating idea: A group of serious scientists, writers, military leaders and others discussing how to establish a constructive dialogue between humanity and ETI, once contact is made: http://www.ieti.org/index.html.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Titan’s hydrocarbon lakes, men behaving like dogs and lessons from a Martian rock
Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. You may notice that this and future entries are shorter than usual; Career, family and book deal commitments have forced me to cut back some of my projects. Now, here’s today’s news:
g Stars - A survey of galaxies observed along the sightlines to quasars and gamma-ray bursts - both extremely luminous, distant objects - has revealed a puzzling inconsistency. Galaxies appear to be four times more common in the direction of gamma-ray bursts than in the direction of quasars. See http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0608/01conundrum/.
g Abodes - The Cassini spacecraft, using its radar system, has discovered very strong evidence for hydrocarbon lakes on Titan. Dark patches, which resemble terrestrial lakes, seem to be sprinkled all over the high latitudes surrounding Titan's north pole. See http://www.spaceflightnow.com/cassini/060725titanlakes.html. For related story, see “Titan's Methane Cycle” at http://www.astrobio.net/
news/modules.phpop=modload&name=News&file=article&sid
=2038mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
g Life - Cacti have can be found in rain forests and as far north as Canada. But it is their ability to thrive in the desert, where rain falls infrequently and unpredictably that is their most remarkable trait. How do they do it? See http://www.livescience.com/othernews/
060724_mm_cacti_survive.html.
g Intelligence - A male dog will whine and beg in deference to a stronger dog, but will lower its voice into a guttural growl if it thinks it has a fighting chance. Men unconsciously do a similar thing, scientists say. See http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/
060731_pitch_dominance.html.
g Message - When looking for ET, we may have to consider other strategies beyond radio waves. See http://www.zeitlin.net/OpenSETI/NewSearches.html. As a side note, one of those strategies might by looking for optical signals; see http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop=modload&name=News
&file=article&sid=174 for more.
g Cosmicus - The Genesis-1 module orbiting the Earth not only transmits its temperature, integrity, power levels and overall health—it also signals entrepreneurial zeal and private sector spunk. See http://www.space.com/news/060721_genesis-1_impact.html. For related stories, see “Lockheed finishes 5th modernized GPS satellite” at http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0607/18gps2rm/ and “Indian rocket launch ends in failure soon after liftoff” at http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0607/10gslvfailure/.
g Learning - Good news for the next generation: Opponents of evolution have lost in the Kansas primary. See http://www.live
science.com/humanbiology/060802_ap_kansas_evo.html.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Fritz Leiber’s “The Wanderer,” published by Ballantine in 1964.
g Aftermath - Reactions to the announcement that scientists had found evidence for primitive life in a meteorite from Mars have been intense. Some concerned the scientific evidence, some the implications of extraterrestrial life, especially if intelligent. Underlying these reactions are assumptions, or beliefs, which often have a religious grounding. The two divergent beliefs, for and against the plurality of life in the universe, are examined historically and through religious traditions, particularly the Judeo-Christian. This examination guides the formulation of the right relation between science and religion as one that respects the autonomy of each discipline, yet allows for each to be open to the discoveries of the other. Based on this relationship, perspectives from scientific exploration are developed that can help individuals to respect and cope with the new phenomena that science brings, whether these imply that we might be alone in the universe or co-creatures of God with the ancient Martians. See http://www.aaas.org/spp/dser/cos
mos/perspectives/corbally.shtml.
g Stars - A survey of galaxies observed along the sightlines to quasars and gamma-ray bursts - both extremely luminous, distant objects - has revealed a puzzling inconsistency. Galaxies appear to be four times more common in the direction of gamma-ray bursts than in the direction of quasars. See http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0608/01conundrum/.
g Abodes - The Cassini spacecraft, using its radar system, has discovered very strong evidence for hydrocarbon lakes on Titan. Dark patches, which resemble terrestrial lakes, seem to be sprinkled all over the high latitudes surrounding Titan's north pole. See http://www.spaceflightnow.com/cassini/060725titanlakes.html. For related story, see “Titan's Methane Cycle” at http://www.astrobio.net/
news/modules.phpop=modload&name=News&file=article&sid
=2038mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
g Life - Cacti have can be found in rain forests and as far north as Canada. But it is their ability to thrive in the desert, where rain falls infrequently and unpredictably that is their most remarkable trait. How do they do it? See http://www.livescience.com/othernews/
060724_mm_cacti_survive.html.
g Intelligence - A male dog will whine and beg in deference to a stronger dog, but will lower its voice into a guttural growl if it thinks it has a fighting chance. Men unconsciously do a similar thing, scientists say. See http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/
060731_pitch_dominance.html.
g Message - When looking for ET, we may have to consider other strategies beyond radio waves. See http://www.zeitlin.net/OpenSETI/NewSearches.html. As a side note, one of those strategies might by looking for optical signals; see http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop=modload&name=News
&file=article&sid=174 for more.
g Cosmicus - The Genesis-1 module orbiting the Earth not only transmits its temperature, integrity, power levels and overall health—it also signals entrepreneurial zeal and private sector spunk. See http://www.space.com/news/060721_genesis-1_impact.html. For related stories, see “Lockheed finishes 5th modernized GPS satellite” at http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0607/18gps2rm/ and “Indian rocket launch ends in failure soon after liftoff” at http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0607/10gslvfailure/.
g Learning - Good news for the next generation: Opponents of evolution have lost in the Kansas primary. See http://www.live
science.com/humanbiology/060802_ap_kansas_evo.html.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Fritz Leiber’s “The Wanderer,” published by Ballantine in 1964.
g Aftermath - Reactions to the announcement that scientists had found evidence for primitive life in a meteorite from Mars have been intense. Some concerned the scientific evidence, some the implications of extraterrestrial life, especially if intelligent. Underlying these reactions are assumptions, or beliefs, which often have a religious grounding. The two divergent beliefs, for and against the plurality of life in the universe, are examined historically and through religious traditions, particularly the Judeo-Christian. This examination guides the formulation of the right relation between science and religion as one that respects the autonomy of each discipline, yet allows for each to be open to the discoveries of the other. Based on this relationship, perspectives from scientific exploration are developed that can help individuals to respect and cope with the new phenomena that science brings, whether these imply that we might be alone in the universe or co-creatures of God with the ancient Martians. See http://www.aaas.org/spp/dser/cos
mos/perspectives/corbally.shtml.
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Crashing into the lunar surface, detectable extraterrestrial civilizations and private trips to International Space Station
Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. You may notice that this and future entries are shorter than usual; Career, family and book deal commitments have forced me to cut back some of my projects. Now, here’s today’s news:
g Stars - New observations of galaxies reveal perplexing concentrations in certain directions, astronomers say. See http://
www.space.com/scienceastronomy/060731_cosmic_mystery.html.
g Abodes - A pioneering space probe has set a course for a dramatic end to its three-year mission in September, when it will collide with the Moon in a spectacular send-off for scientists to learn new information about the lunar surface. See http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0607/24smart1/.
g Life - Which came first, nucleic acids or proteins? This question is molecular biology's version of the "chicken-or-the-egg" riddle. Genes made of nucleic acids (DNA or RNA) contain the instructions for making proteins, but enzymes made of proteins are needed to replicate genes. For those who try to understand how life originated, this once seemed an intractable paradox. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060721201006.htm.
g Intelligence - Researchers have made a major leap forward in understanding how the brain programs innate behavior. The discovery could have future applications in engineering new behaviors in animals and intelligent robots. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060728103827.htm.
g Message - What technological manifestations would make an advanced extraterrestrial civilization detectable? See http://www.coseti.org/lemarch1.htm. Note: This paper was written in 1992.
g Cosmicus - It may be the pinnacle of travel perks, but the only firm arranging private trips to the International Space Station is now offering a bonus spacewalk for clients willing to pay for more than a standard $20 million trip. See http://www.space.com/includes/iab.html?url=/news/060721_spacetourist_eva.html.
g Learning - How are key concepts of astrobiology treated in science fiction? See http://www.ibiblio.org/astrobiology/index.phppage=lesson05. Note: This article is from 2001 and intended to be used as part of a classroom lesson.
g Imagining - In this interview, Chris McKay talks about the potential for other kinds of life in the universe, and how we could begin to look for those aliens. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop
=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=2034mode=thread&
order=0&thold=0.
g Aftermath - Astronomers are searching hard for that first interstellar phone-call from ET. But when it happens, how will we react? Will it be a major trauma for humankind, or a new beginning? See http://www.firstscience.com/site/articles/shostak.asp. Note: This article is a few years old.
g Stars - New observations of galaxies reveal perplexing concentrations in certain directions, astronomers say. See http://
www.space.com/scienceastronomy/060731_cosmic_mystery.html.
g Abodes - A pioneering space probe has set a course for a dramatic end to its three-year mission in September, when it will collide with the Moon in a spectacular send-off for scientists to learn new information about the lunar surface. See http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0607/24smart1/.
g Life - Which came first, nucleic acids or proteins? This question is molecular biology's version of the "chicken-or-the-egg" riddle. Genes made of nucleic acids (DNA or RNA) contain the instructions for making proteins, but enzymes made of proteins are needed to replicate genes. For those who try to understand how life originated, this once seemed an intractable paradox. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060721201006.htm.
g Intelligence - Researchers have made a major leap forward in understanding how the brain programs innate behavior. The discovery could have future applications in engineering new behaviors in animals and intelligent robots. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060728103827.htm.
g Message - What technological manifestations would make an advanced extraterrestrial civilization detectable? See http://www.coseti.org/lemarch1.htm. Note: This paper was written in 1992.
g Cosmicus - It may be the pinnacle of travel perks, but the only firm arranging private trips to the International Space Station is now offering a bonus spacewalk for clients willing to pay for more than a standard $20 million trip. See http://www.space.com/includes/iab.html?url=/news/060721_spacetourist_eva.html.
g Learning - How are key concepts of astrobiology treated in science fiction? See http://www.ibiblio.org/astrobiology/index.phppage=lesson05. Note: This article is from 2001 and intended to be used as part of a classroom lesson.
g Imagining - In this interview, Chris McKay talks about the potential for other kinds of life in the universe, and how we could begin to look for those aliens. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop
=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=2034mode=thread&
order=0&thold=0.
g Aftermath - Astronomers are searching hard for that first interstellar phone-call from ET. But when it happens, how will we react? Will it be a major trauma for humankind, or a new beginning? See http://www.firstscience.com/site/articles/shostak.asp. Note: This article is a few years old.
Monday, July 31, 2006
Baby triceratops skull, portrait of humanity and Project Orion
Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. You may notice that this and future entries are shorter than usual; Career, family and book deal commitments have forced me to cut back some of my projects. Now, here’s today’s news:
g Stars - Northeastern University researchers Pran Nath, Daniel Feldman and Zuowei Liu have shown that the discovery of a proposed particle, dubbed the Stueckelberg Z prime, is possible utilizing the data being collected in the CDF and DO experiments at the Fermilab Tevatron. The Stueckelberg Z prime particle is so narrow that questions had been raised as to whether or not it could be detected. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060730134836.htm.
g Abodes - The European Space Agency's spacecraft constellation Cluster has hit the magnetic bull's-eye. The four spacecraft surrounded a region within which the Earth’s magnetic field was spontaneously reconfiguring itself. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060719090129.htm.
g Life - A Montana State University student unearthed the skull of a baby Triceratops last week near Jordan. See http://www.livescience.
com/animalworld/060722_ap_baby_triceratops.html.
g Intelligence - Using a retina plucked from the eye of guinea pigs as a model, scientists estimate that our eyes transmit visual information to our brains at about the same rate as an Ethernet connection. See http://www.livescience.com/technology/060727_eye_ethernet.html.
g Message - A “portrait of humanity” recently was taken by Simon Bell, a photographer from Toronto. It is half of a stereo pair, two images that when properly focused together, reveal the scene’s third dimension. The photograph was envisioned as part of a message for the Cassini mission to Saturn and its moon Titan, launched in late 1997. It would have been an artifact in the tradition of the Voyager Record and the “Visions of Mars” CD ROM. Unlike the Voyager Record it was not intended to leave the solar system to be found by the crew of an advanced starship. Unlike Visions it was not for humans in the next few centuries. Its fate would have been to remain on the surface of Saturn’s moon Titan, waiting for eons of time against the slim chance that life might someday appear on that strange world, or that some other space traveler might visit Titan and find it. The image, inscribed on a diamond wafer about the size of a coin, was intended to show an intelligent alien on Titan viewer a little about our bodies, about our relationships with each other, and about our planet. See http://contactincontext.org/cic/v2i1/portrait.pdf. For related story, see “How the world watched Huygens probe descend” at http://www.spaceflightnow.com/cassini/060729huygens.html.
g Cosmicus - Thirty-seven years ago, Project Apollo put the first humans on the surface of the Moon. The next time the U.S. launches its astronauts to Earth's natural satellite, they will do so as part of Project Orion, collectSPACE.com has learned. See http://www.space.com/news/060720_cev_orion.html.
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 http://btc.montana.edu/ceres/html/ExtremeEnvironment/Extreme.
htm.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Hal Clement’s novel “Mission Of Gravity,” published by Doubleday in 1954.
g Aftermath - The scientific search for extraterrestrial intelligence is accelerating its pace and adopting fresh strategies. This increases the likelihood of successful detection in the near future. Humanity's first contact with alien intelligence will trigger extraordinary attention from the media, from government authorities, and from the general public. By improving our readiness for contact, especially for security during the first 30 days, we can avoid the most negative scenarios — and also enhance humanity's benefits from this first contact with an alien intelligence. Six potential problem areas include communicating with the media and the public, communicating with scientific colleagues, government control, an assassin or saboteur, well-meaning officials and lawsuits. See http://ieti.org/articles/security.htm.
g Stars - Northeastern University researchers Pran Nath, Daniel Feldman and Zuowei Liu have shown that the discovery of a proposed particle, dubbed the Stueckelberg Z prime, is possible utilizing the data being collected in the CDF and DO experiments at the Fermilab Tevatron. The Stueckelberg Z prime particle is so narrow that questions had been raised as to whether or not it could be detected. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060730134836.htm.
g Abodes - The European Space Agency's spacecraft constellation Cluster has hit the magnetic bull's-eye. The four spacecraft surrounded a region within which the Earth’s magnetic field was spontaneously reconfiguring itself. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060719090129.htm.
g Life - A Montana State University student unearthed the skull of a baby Triceratops last week near Jordan. See http://www.livescience.
com/animalworld/060722_ap_baby_triceratops.html.
g Intelligence - Using a retina plucked from the eye of guinea pigs as a model, scientists estimate that our eyes transmit visual information to our brains at about the same rate as an Ethernet connection. See http://www.livescience.com/technology/060727_eye_ethernet.html.
g Message - A “portrait of humanity” recently was taken by Simon Bell, a photographer from Toronto. It is half of a stereo pair, two images that when properly focused together, reveal the scene’s third dimension. The photograph was envisioned as part of a message for the Cassini mission to Saturn and its moon Titan, launched in late 1997. It would have been an artifact in the tradition of the Voyager Record and the “Visions of Mars” CD ROM. Unlike the Voyager Record it was not intended to leave the solar system to be found by the crew of an advanced starship. Unlike Visions it was not for humans in the next few centuries. Its fate would have been to remain on the surface of Saturn’s moon Titan, waiting for eons of time against the slim chance that life might someday appear on that strange world, or that some other space traveler might visit Titan and find it. The image, inscribed on a diamond wafer about the size of a coin, was intended to show an intelligent alien on Titan viewer a little about our bodies, about our relationships with each other, and about our planet. See http://contactincontext.org/cic/v2i1/portrait.pdf. For related story, see “How the world watched Huygens probe descend” at http://www.spaceflightnow.com/cassini/060729huygens.html.
g Cosmicus - Thirty-seven years ago, Project Apollo put the first humans on the surface of the Moon. The next time the U.S. launches its astronauts to Earth's natural satellite, they will do so as part of Project Orion, collectSPACE.com has learned. See http://www.space.com/news/060720_cev_orion.html.
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 http://btc.montana.edu/ceres/html/ExtremeEnvironment/Extreme.
htm.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Hal Clement’s novel “Mission Of Gravity,” published by Doubleday in 1954.
g Aftermath - The scientific search for extraterrestrial intelligence is accelerating its pace and adopting fresh strategies. This increases the likelihood of successful detection in the near future. Humanity's first contact with alien intelligence will trigger extraordinary attention from the media, from government authorities, and from the general public. By improving our readiness for contact, especially for security during the first 30 days, we can avoid the most negative scenarios — and also enhance humanity's benefits from this first contact with an alien intelligence. Six potential problem areas include communicating with the media and the public, communicating with scientific colleagues, government control, an assassin or saboteur, well-meaning officials and lawsuits. See http://ieti.org/articles/security.htm.
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Sahara Grasslands and life at 3.8 billion BCE
Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. You may notice that this and future entries are shorter than usual; Career, family and book deal commitments have forced me to cut back some of my projects. Now, here’s today’s news:
g Abodes - At the end of the last Ice Age, the Sahara Desert was just as dry and uninviting as it is today. But sandwiched between two periods of extreme dryness were a few millennia of plentiful rainfall and lush vegetation. See http://www.livescience.com/history/
060720_sahara_rains.html. For related story, see “History Suggests Major Wind Shift Could Again Bring Drought to Great Plains” at http://www.livescience.com/forcesofnature/060720_wind_great
plains.html.
g Life - Ten years ago, an international team of scientists reported evidence, in a controversial cover story in the journal Nature, that life on Earth began more than 3.8 billion years ago - 400 million years earlier than previously thought. A UCLA professor who was not part of that team and two of the original authors report that the evidence is stronger than ever. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060721090947.htm.
g Intelligence - Birds do it, bees do it, humans since the dawn of time have done it. But just how much has the act really changed through the millennia and even in past decades? Are humans doing it more? Are we doing it better? Sort of, say scientists. But it's how people fess up to the truth about their sex lives that has changed the most over the years. See http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/060727_sex_history.html.
g Cosmicus - As part of ESA's ambitious, long-term Aurora exploration program, ExoMars will search for traces of life on Mars. The mission requires entirely new technologies for self-controlled robots, built-in autonomy and cutting-edge visual terrain sensors. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/0607111
32007.htm.
g Learning - There’s a neat set of online activities, primarily for older teens or young adults, about communicating with extraterrestrial intelligence at http://ethel.as.arizona.edu/~collins/astro/subjects/ceti.html. It helps students learn about SETI while they send one another messages then decode them, as if they were alien civilizations on distant worlds.
g Imagining - Here’s a neat site that examines aliens in science fiction films: http://www.umich.edu/~umfandsf/film/promise/alien_life.html. While short on studying the evolution of those aliens, it does discuss how these villainous creatures are a manifestation of our own fears, a nice take on the anthropomorphic bias most people possess regarding alien life.
g Aftermath - Here’s an intriguing short story for you to look up: Frederick Pohl’s “The Day after the Day the Martians Came.” It examines racial prejudice and raises an interesting point about how we might react to one another following alien contact. Pohl’s story is anthologized in the classic “Dangerous Visions,” edited by Harlan Ellison.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
g Abodes - At the end of the last Ice Age, the Sahara Desert was just as dry and uninviting as it is today. But sandwiched between two periods of extreme dryness were a few millennia of plentiful rainfall and lush vegetation. See http://www.livescience.com/history/
060720_sahara_rains.html. For related story, see “History Suggests Major Wind Shift Could Again Bring Drought to Great Plains” at http://www.livescience.com/forcesofnature/060720_wind_great
plains.html.
g Life - Ten years ago, an international team of scientists reported evidence, in a controversial cover story in the journal Nature, that life on Earth began more than 3.8 billion years ago - 400 million years earlier than previously thought. A UCLA professor who was not part of that team and two of the original authors report that the evidence is stronger than ever. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060721090947.htm.
g Intelligence - Birds do it, bees do it, humans since the dawn of time have done it. But just how much has the act really changed through the millennia and even in past decades? Are humans doing it more? Are we doing it better? Sort of, say scientists. But it's how people fess up to the truth about their sex lives that has changed the most over the years. See http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/060727_sex_history.html.
g Cosmicus - As part of ESA's ambitious, long-term Aurora exploration program, ExoMars will search for traces of life on Mars. The mission requires entirely new technologies for self-controlled robots, built-in autonomy and cutting-edge visual terrain sensors. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/0607111
32007.htm.
g Learning - There’s a neat set of online activities, primarily for older teens or young adults, about communicating with extraterrestrial intelligence at http://ethel.as.arizona.edu/~collins/astro/subjects/ceti.html. It helps students learn about SETI while they send one another messages then decode them, as if they were alien civilizations on distant worlds.
g Imagining - Here’s a neat site that examines aliens in science fiction films: http://www.umich.edu/~umfandsf/film/promise/alien_life.html. While short on studying the evolution of those aliens, it does discuss how these villainous creatures are a manifestation of our own fears, a nice take on the anthropomorphic bias most people possess regarding alien life.
g Aftermath - Here’s an intriguing short story for you to look up: Frederick Pohl’s “The Day after the Day the Martians Came.” It examines racial prejudice and raises an interesting point about how we might react to one another following alien contact. Pohl’s story is anthologized in the classic “Dangerous Visions,” edited by Harlan Ellison.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Black hole census, cosmic dust ruled out as suspect and nature’s delta-wing design
Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. You may notice that this and future entries are shorter than usual; Career, family and book deal commitments have forced me to cut back some of my projects. Now, here’s today’s news:
g Stars - Scientists on a quest to find hidden black holes in the local universe have found surprisingly few. The observation implies that if these hidden black holes exist they must be from the more distant, earlier universe, a concept that has interesting implications for galaxy evolution. See http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0607/27blackholes/.
g Abodes - About 40,000 tons of space dust showers down on Earth each year. And it's been coming down at a steady rate for the past 30,000 years, according to a new study that suggests cosmic dust couldn't have helped end the last glacial period as some scientists have argued. See http://www.livescience.com/environment
/060727_cosmic_dust.html.
g Life - The triangular delta-wing shape found on many modern fighter jets was used by a small reptile to glide between trees 225 million years ago, a new study suggests. See http://www.livescience
.com/animalworld/060718_delta_wing.html.
g Intelligence - When contemplating the coos and screams of a fellow member of its species, the rhesus monkey, or macaque, makes use of brain regions that correspond to the two principal language centers in the human brain, according to research. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060724003243.
htm.
g Message - Here’s a neat interactive Web game where you analyze a signal from space, jut as would a SETI astronomer: http://mystery.sonoma.edu/alien_bandstand/. See http://mystery.sonomaedu/alien_bandstand/.
g Cosmicus - Frenchman Michel Fournier is readying himself and equipment to attempt a record-setting free fall from the stratosphere. See http://www.space.com/news/060713_big_jump.html.
g Learning - Here’s an interesting classroom activity: “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 http://btc.montana.edu/ceres/astrobiology/LabActivities/Extreme
Environments.doc.
g Imagining - Here’s a cool Web site: The Exorarium. At the Exorarium, visitors get a chance to mix and match the same ingredients that brought about human life, shaping their own unique intelligent life forms. For example, you might start with a hot or cool star, a heavy or light planet, one with lots of water or a desert world, and so on – until a unique ecosystem takes shape before your eyes … a family tree leading to the ultimate outcome, a species of intelligent life. See http://crca.ucsd.edu/~sheldon/exorarium/detailed.html.
g Aftermath - The issue of stability of conditions prevailing on (at least potentially) habitable planets throughout the galaxy is the central question of the nascent science of astrobiology. We are lucky enough to live in an epoch of great astronomical discoveries, the most distinguished probably being the discovery of dozens of planets orbiting nearby stars. This particular discovery brings about a profound change in our thinking about the universe, and prompts further questions on thefrequency of Earth-like habitats elsewhere in the galaxy. In a sense, it answers a question posed since antiquity: are there other, potentially inhabited or inhabitable, worlds in the vastness of space? In asking that question, obviously, we take into account our properties as intelligent observers, as well as physical, chemical, and other pre-conditions necessary for our existence. The latter are the topic of the so-called anthropic principle(s), the subject of much debate and controversy in cosmology, fundamental physics, and philosophy of science. See http://66.102.7.104/searchq=cache:
XmrDGnkdyV0J:www.anthropicprinciple.com/preprints/MilanFirst
.pdf+astrobiology&hl=en.
g Stars - Scientists on a quest to find hidden black holes in the local universe have found surprisingly few. The observation implies that if these hidden black holes exist they must be from the more distant, earlier universe, a concept that has interesting implications for galaxy evolution. See http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0607/27blackholes/.
g Abodes - About 40,000 tons of space dust showers down on Earth each year. And it's been coming down at a steady rate for the past 30,000 years, according to a new study that suggests cosmic dust couldn't have helped end the last glacial period as some scientists have argued. See http://www.livescience.com/environment
/060727_cosmic_dust.html.
g Life - The triangular delta-wing shape found on many modern fighter jets was used by a small reptile to glide between trees 225 million years ago, a new study suggests. See http://www.livescience
.com/animalworld/060718_delta_wing.html.
g Intelligence - When contemplating the coos and screams of a fellow member of its species, the rhesus monkey, or macaque, makes use of brain regions that correspond to the two principal language centers in the human brain, according to research. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060724003243.
htm.
g Message - Here’s a neat interactive Web game where you analyze a signal from space, jut as would a SETI astronomer: http://mystery.sonoma.edu/alien_bandstand/. See http://mystery.sonomaedu/alien_bandstand/.
g Cosmicus - Frenchman Michel Fournier is readying himself and equipment to attempt a record-setting free fall from the stratosphere. See http://www.space.com/news/060713_big_jump.html.
g Learning - Here’s an interesting classroom activity: “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 http://btc.montana.edu/ceres/astrobiology/LabActivities/Extreme
Environments.doc.
g Imagining - Here’s a cool Web site: The Exorarium. At the Exorarium, visitors get a chance to mix and match the same ingredients that brought about human life, shaping their own unique intelligent life forms. For example, you might start with a hot or cool star, a heavy or light planet, one with lots of water or a desert world, and so on – until a unique ecosystem takes shape before your eyes … a family tree leading to the ultimate outcome, a species of intelligent life. See http://crca.ucsd.edu/~sheldon/exorarium/detailed.html.
g Aftermath - The issue of stability of conditions prevailing on (at least potentially) habitable planets throughout the galaxy is the central question of the nascent science of astrobiology. We are lucky enough to live in an epoch of great astronomical discoveries, the most distinguished probably being the discovery of dozens of planets orbiting nearby stars. This particular discovery brings about a profound change in our thinking about the universe, and prompts further questions on thefrequency of Earth-like habitats elsewhere in the galaxy. In a sense, it answers a question posed since antiquity: are there other, potentially inhabited or inhabitable, worlds in the vastness of space? In asking that question, obviously, we take into account our properties as intelligent observers, as well as physical, chemical, and other pre-conditions necessary for our existence. The latter are the topic of the so-called anthropic principle(s), the subject of much debate and controversy in cosmology, fundamental physics, and philosophy of science. See http://66.102.7.104/searchq=cache:
XmrDGnkdyV0J:www.anthropicprinciple.com/preprints/MilanFirst
.pdf+astrobiology&hl=en.
Friday, July 28, 2006
Spinning stellar corpses, Viking 30 years later and remote sensing
Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. You may notice that this and future entries are shorter than usual; Career, family and book deal commitments have forced me to cut back some of my projects. Now, here’s today’s news:
g Stars - The mechanism responsible for intense X-ray emissions from spinning stellar corpses may not be what astronomers have assumed. See http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/060727_dead_stars.html.
g Abodes - Thirty years after the first successful landing on Mars by NASA's Viking spacecraft, the ambitious mission continues to evoke pride and enthusiasm for future space exploration. See http://www.
astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop=modload&name=News&file=article
&sid=2029mode=thread&order=0&thold=0,
g Life - For the first time, scientists have established the age structure of a non-avian dinosaur population. Using this information, they inferred which factors led to survival or death of group members. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060713154238.htm.
g Intelligence - A protein once thought to be a principal player in linking nerve responses in the nose to those in the brain actually has a more specialized role, according to a Yale School of Medicine study published in Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060721182501.htm.
g Message - More than 30 years ago, humanity sent its first and only deliberate radio message to extraterrestrials. Nobody has called back yet, but that's OK - we weren't really expecting an answer. See http://www.spaceref.com:16080/news/viewpr.html?pid=109. Note: This article is from 1999.
g Cosmicus - British scientists are playing a key role in the drive to make electronic gadgets smaller, smarter and even more powerful. Researchers from five universities are designing a new generation of “nano-electronic” circuits (chips) that will power the computers and mobile phones of the future. The circuits may also make possible entirely new forms of electronic device that could benefit a range of sectors, including entertainment, communications and medicine. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060708082927.htm.
g Learning - Here’s a neat classroom activity: “Remote Sensing.” In this lesson, students discover how remote sensing is used to identify the signatures of life even when the particular life form is not directly observable. See http://btc.montana.edu/ceres/astrobio
logy/LabActivities/RemoteSensing.doc.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Vonda N. McIntyre’s “The Starfarers Series”: “Starfarers” (1989), “Transition” (1990), “Metaphase” (1992) and “Nautilus” (1994). In the series, a ship staffed by an international crew goes out to contact alien life. It eventually discovers dying squidmoth, which leads them into further contacts.
g Aftermath - The scientific search for extraterrestrial intelligence is accelerating its pace and adopting fresh strategies. This increases the likelihood of successful detection in the near future. Humanity's first contact with alien intelligence will trigger extraordinary attention from the media, from government authorities, and from the general public. By improving our readiness for contact, especially for security during the first 30 days, we can avoid the most negative scenarios — and also enhance humanity's benefits from this first contact with an alien intelligence. Six potential problem areas include communicating with the media and the public, communicating with scientific colleagues, government control, an assassin or saboteur, well-meaning officials and lawsuits. See http://ieti.org/articles/security.htm.
g Stars - The mechanism responsible for intense X-ray emissions from spinning stellar corpses may not be what astronomers have assumed. See http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/060727_dead_stars.html.
g Abodes - Thirty years after the first successful landing on Mars by NASA's Viking spacecraft, the ambitious mission continues to evoke pride and enthusiasm for future space exploration. See http://www.
astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop=modload&name=News&file=article
&sid=2029mode=thread&order=0&thold=0,
g Life - For the first time, scientists have established the age structure of a non-avian dinosaur population. Using this information, they inferred which factors led to survival or death of group members. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060713154238.htm.
g Intelligence - A protein once thought to be a principal player in linking nerve responses in the nose to those in the brain actually has a more specialized role, according to a Yale School of Medicine study published in Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060721182501.htm.
g Message - More than 30 years ago, humanity sent its first and only deliberate radio message to extraterrestrials. Nobody has called back yet, but that's OK - we weren't really expecting an answer. See http://www.spaceref.com:16080/news/viewpr.html?pid=109. Note: This article is from 1999.
g Cosmicus - British scientists are playing a key role in the drive to make electronic gadgets smaller, smarter and even more powerful. Researchers from five universities are designing a new generation of “nano-electronic” circuits (chips) that will power the computers and mobile phones of the future. The circuits may also make possible entirely new forms of electronic device that could benefit a range of sectors, including entertainment, communications and medicine. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060708082927.htm.
g Learning - Here’s a neat classroom activity: “Remote Sensing.” In this lesson, students discover how remote sensing is used to identify the signatures of life even when the particular life form is not directly observable. See http://btc.montana.edu/ceres/astrobio
logy/LabActivities/RemoteSensing.doc.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Vonda N. McIntyre’s “The Starfarers Series”: “Starfarers” (1989), “Transition” (1990), “Metaphase” (1992) and “Nautilus” (1994). In the series, a ship staffed by an international crew goes out to contact alien life. It eventually discovers dying squidmoth, which leads them into further contacts.
g Aftermath - The scientific search for extraterrestrial intelligence is accelerating its pace and adopting fresh strategies. This increases the likelihood of successful detection in the near future. Humanity's first contact with alien intelligence will trigger extraordinary attention from the media, from government authorities, and from the general public. By improving our readiness for contact, especially for security during the first 30 days, we can avoid the most negative scenarios — and also enhance humanity's benefits from this first contact with an alien intelligence. Six potential problem areas include communicating with the media and the public, communicating with scientific colleagues, government control, an assassin or saboteur, well-meaning officials and lawsuits. See http://ieti.org/articles/security.htm.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Quasars defined, liquid water on planets and secretive commercial space venture
Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. You may notice that this and future entries are shorter than usual; Career, family and book deal commitments have forced me to cut back some of my projects. Now, here’s today’s news:
g Stars - In the distant, young universe, quasars shine with a brilliance unmatched by anything in the local cosmos. Although they appear star-like in optical telescopes, quasars are actually the bright centers of galaxies located billions of light-years from Earth. See http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0607/25quasar/.
g Abodes - One of the fundamental requirements for life as we know it is the presence of liquid water on (or below) a planet’s surface. See http://astrobiology.arc.nasa.gov/palebluedot/abstracts/kasting.html.
g Life - Once upon a time, a 2-ton wombat lumbered across the Australian Outback. Around the same time, mammoths and saber-toothed tigers had the California coastline all to themselves. Millions of years before any of these animals existed, Tyrannosaurus rex and other colossal dinosaurs ruled the world. These and some of the other largest and most fantastic creatures ever to walk the planet are long gone, victims of mass extinctions of large beasts. And for reasons poorly understood, often the animals to fill the voids were tiny by comparison. See http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/060718_big_animals.html.
g Intelligence - Researchers at Yale School of Medicine and the University of Oxford have identified the very first neurons in what develops into the cerebral cortex, the part of the brain that makes humans human. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060721182137.htm.
g Message - Dan Werthimer, director of the SERENDIP SETI program and chief scientist of SETI@home at the University of California Berkeley, predicts we’ll make first contact with an alien civilization in 50-100 years. See http://www.astroseti.org/danweng.php. Note: This article is from 2004.
g Cosmicus - Plans for a secretive commercial space venture backed by Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos were coming under public review Tuesday at a government hearing. See http://www.space.com/news/ap_060725_bezosplan_public.html.
g Learning - Here’s a neat classroom activity courtesy of DiscoverSchool.com: “Extraterrestrials.” In the activity, a digital radio message, intended to alert any intelligent life in space to the existence of intelligent life on Earth, has been electronically transmitted into space by the Arecibo radio dish in Puerto Rico. Students must ensure the message is effective by showing that the senders (humans from Earth) are capable of advanced thinking — but it must not depend on the ability of extraterrestrials to understand any Earth language. See http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/
programs/extraterrestrials.rtfprograms/extraterrestrials.rtf.
g Imagining - Britain's Manchester Evening News termed it a hoax that "fooled the world." Well, not exactly: Skeptical Inquirer magazine was on to the 1995 "Alien Autopsy" film from the outset. But now the reputed creator of the fake extraterrestrial corpse used for the "autopsy" has publicly confessed. See http://www.livescience.com/othernews/060507_alien_autopsy.html.
g Aftermath - Book alert: Science fiction writers have given us many fine novels contemplating humankind's first contact with intelligent extraterrestrials. But our nonfiction world has not thought much about what to do if we are actually faced with this situation. In “Extraterrestrial Intelligence,” Jean Heidmann, chief astronomer at the Paris Observatory (and self-styled bioastronomer), offers a book on the subject that is at once serious and fun. Heidmann's obvious joy in raw speculation - all of it grounded in real science - is contagious. If aliens send us a message from many light years away, for example, how should we respond? Heidmann reviews the protocols established in the SETI Declaration and then offers his own suggestion: send them the entire contents of the Encyclopedia Britannica. See http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0521585635/102-7953720-3747358?n=283155.
g Stars - In the distant, young universe, quasars shine with a brilliance unmatched by anything in the local cosmos. Although they appear star-like in optical telescopes, quasars are actually the bright centers of galaxies located billions of light-years from Earth. See http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0607/25quasar/.
g Abodes - One of the fundamental requirements for life as we know it is the presence of liquid water on (or below) a planet’s surface. See http://astrobiology.arc.nasa.gov/palebluedot/abstracts/kasting.html.
g Life - Once upon a time, a 2-ton wombat lumbered across the Australian Outback. Around the same time, mammoths and saber-toothed tigers had the California coastline all to themselves. Millions of years before any of these animals existed, Tyrannosaurus rex and other colossal dinosaurs ruled the world. These and some of the other largest and most fantastic creatures ever to walk the planet are long gone, victims of mass extinctions of large beasts. And for reasons poorly understood, often the animals to fill the voids were tiny by comparison. See http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/060718_big_animals.html.
g Intelligence - Researchers at Yale School of Medicine and the University of Oxford have identified the very first neurons in what develops into the cerebral cortex, the part of the brain that makes humans human. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060721182137.htm.
g Message - Dan Werthimer, director of the SERENDIP SETI program and chief scientist of SETI@home at the University of California Berkeley, predicts we’ll make first contact with an alien civilization in 50-100 years. See http://www.astroseti.org/danweng.php. Note: This article is from 2004.
g Cosmicus - Plans for a secretive commercial space venture backed by Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos were coming under public review Tuesday at a government hearing. See http://www.space.com/news/ap_060725_bezosplan_public.html.
g Learning - Here’s a neat classroom activity courtesy of DiscoverSchool.com: “Extraterrestrials.” In the activity, a digital radio message, intended to alert any intelligent life in space to the existence of intelligent life on Earth, has been electronically transmitted into space by the Arecibo radio dish in Puerto Rico. Students must ensure the message is effective by showing that the senders (humans from Earth) are capable of advanced thinking — but it must not depend on the ability of extraterrestrials to understand any Earth language. See http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/
programs/extraterrestrials.rtfprograms/extraterrestrials.rtf.
g Imagining - Britain's Manchester Evening News termed it a hoax that "fooled the world." Well, not exactly: Skeptical Inquirer magazine was on to the 1995 "Alien Autopsy" film from the outset. But now the reputed creator of the fake extraterrestrial corpse used for the "autopsy" has publicly confessed. See http://www.livescience.com/othernews/060507_alien_autopsy.html.
g Aftermath - Book alert: Science fiction writers have given us many fine novels contemplating humankind's first contact with intelligent extraterrestrials. But our nonfiction world has not thought much about what to do if we are actually faced with this situation. In “Extraterrestrial Intelligence,” Jean Heidmann, chief astronomer at the Paris Observatory (and self-styled bioastronomer), offers a book on the subject that is at once serious and fun. Heidmann's obvious joy in raw speculation - all of it grounded in real science - is contagious. If aliens send us a message from many light years away, for example, how should we respond? Heidmann reviews the protocols established in the SETI Declaration and then offers his own suggestion: send them the entire contents of the Encyclopedia Britannica. See http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0521585635/102-7953720-3747358?n=283155.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Protoworlds slowing infant star, computer simulations for Earth-like planets and ‘Star Trek’ biology
Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. You may notice that this and future entries are shorter than usual; Career, family and book deal commitments have forced me to cut back some of my projects. Now, here’s today’s news:
g Stars - Astronomers using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope have found evidence that dusty disks of planet-forming material tug on and slow down the young, whirling stars they surround. See http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0607/25spitzerdisks/.
g Abodes - The steady discovery of giant planets orbiting stars other than our sun has heightened speculation that there could be Earth-type worlds in nearby planetary systems capable of sustaining life. Now researchers running computer simulations for four nearby systems that contain giant planets about the size of Jupiter have found one that could have formed an Earth-like planet with the right conditions to support life. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/mod
ules.phpop=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=2033mode=thread&
order=0&thold=0.
g Life - A new study finds that invasive cane toads are using roads to hasten their spread across the continent. The toads take shelter overnight close to the open corridors, then hit the road each evening to continue on their destructive way. See http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/060717_toad_roads.html.
g Intelligence - An evolutionary arms race between early snakes and mammals triggered the development of improved vision and large brains in primates, a radical new theory suggests. See http://www.
livescience.com/animalworld/060721_snake_primate.html.
g Message - Interstellar transmissions via energy-markers (photons) or matter-markers (probes) appear to be energetically indistinguishable alternatives for advanced technical societies. Since only Type II and Type III civilizations realistically can afford beacons or star probe technology, alternative distinguishability criteria suggest the possible superiority of intelligent artifacts for contact and communication missions among extraterrestrial cultures. A balanced, more cost-effective Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence strategy is needed. See http://www.rfreitas.com/Astro/InterstellarProbesJBIS1980.htm.
g Cosmicus - With Discovery back on Earth, NASA is confident the orbiter can be turned around in time for a December 2006 launch, though ground crews have their work cut out for them to redress the orbiter for that STS-116 mission. See http://www.space.com/
missionlaunches/060719_shuttle_shuffle.html. For additional story, see “NASA Readies Space Station Trusses for Next Shuttle Launch” at http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/ft_060721_sts115_trusses.html.
g Learning - Girls steer away from careers in math, science and engineering because they view science as a solitary rather than a social occupation, according to a University of Michigan psychologist. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/05/050511134757.htm.
g Imagining - Book alert: Browse the local used bookstores for this volume, which examined the scientific plausibility of many alien creatures in “Star Trek”: “To Seek Out New Life: The Biology of Star Trek.” Published about four years ago, Athena Andreadis' book makes a good read, boosted by her background as a molecular biologist and neurosurgeon. There’s a review of the book at http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/sf_and_society/48298.
g Aftermath - How will an alien visit influence the world’s religions? Here’s one common man’s view at http://www.123infinity.com/extraterrestrial_life.html.
g Stars - Astronomers using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope have found evidence that dusty disks of planet-forming material tug on and slow down the young, whirling stars they surround. See http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0607/25spitzerdisks/.
g Abodes - The steady discovery of giant planets orbiting stars other than our sun has heightened speculation that there could be Earth-type worlds in nearby planetary systems capable of sustaining life. Now researchers running computer simulations for four nearby systems that contain giant planets about the size of Jupiter have found one that could have formed an Earth-like planet with the right conditions to support life. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/mod
ules.phpop=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=2033mode=thread&
order=0&thold=0.
g Life - A new study finds that invasive cane toads are using roads to hasten their spread across the continent. The toads take shelter overnight close to the open corridors, then hit the road each evening to continue on their destructive way. See http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/060717_toad_roads.html.
g Intelligence - An evolutionary arms race between early snakes and mammals triggered the development of improved vision and large brains in primates, a radical new theory suggests. See http://www.
livescience.com/animalworld/060721_snake_primate.html.
g Message - Interstellar transmissions via energy-markers (photons) or matter-markers (probes) appear to be energetically indistinguishable alternatives for advanced technical societies. Since only Type II and Type III civilizations realistically can afford beacons or star probe technology, alternative distinguishability criteria suggest the possible superiority of intelligent artifacts for contact and communication missions among extraterrestrial cultures. A balanced, more cost-effective Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence strategy is needed. See http://www.rfreitas.com/Astro/InterstellarProbesJBIS1980.htm.
g Cosmicus - With Discovery back on Earth, NASA is confident the orbiter can be turned around in time for a December 2006 launch, though ground crews have their work cut out for them to redress the orbiter for that STS-116 mission. See http://www.space.com/
missionlaunches/060719_shuttle_shuffle.html. For additional story, see “NASA Readies Space Station Trusses for Next Shuttle Launch” at http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/ft_060721_sts115_trusses.html.
g Learning - Girls steer away from careers in math, science and engineering because they view science as a solitary rather than a social occupation, according to a University of Michigan psychologist. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/05/050511134757.htm.
g Imagining - Book alert: Browse the local used bookstores for this volume, which examined the scientific plausibility of many alien creatures in “Star Trek”: “To Seek Out New Life: The Biology of Star Trek.” Published about four years ago, Athena Andreadis' book makes a good read, boosted by her background as a molecular biologist and neurosurgeon. There’s a review of the book at http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/sf_and_society/48298.
g Aftermath - How will an alien visit influence the world’s religions? Here’s one common man’s view at http://www.123infinity.com/extraterrestrial_life.html.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Planetary building blocks, METI and suborbital tourism
Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. You may notice that this and future entries are shorter than usual; Career, family and book deal commitments have forced me to cut back some of my projects. Now, here’s today’s news:
g Stars - By linking a trio of telescopes, astronomers have obtained unprecedented detail of old red giant stars. The stars had an unexplained patchy brightness that could be caused by orbiting planets. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop=
modload&name=News&file=article&sid=2032mode=thread
&order=0&thold=0.
g Abodes - Scientists are getting their best understanding yet of the makeup of comets - not only of the materials inside these planetary building blocks, but also of the way they could have formed around the Sun in the solar system's earliest years. See http://www.astrobio
.net/news/modules.phpop=modload&name=News&file=article&sid
=2024mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
g Life - The secret weapon of bacteria - the way they get a foothold in plants to launch an invasion - is less of a secret, according to research published by Michigan State University scientists. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060714103143.htm.
g Intelligence - Is it just coincidence that Bobby Bonds and his son Barry both made baseball history with their all-star power and speed? Or that Francis Ford Coppola and daughter Sofia rose to fame as award winning film directors? Questions like these have long plagued psychologists, geneticists and philosophers. Coined nature versus nurture, it is one of the great mysteries of the mind, and much research has focused on the relative role of genes and the environment in determining everything from athleticism to personality to a person's predisposition to obesity.
See http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/060718_
nature_nurture.html.
g Message - We’ve all heard of SETI, bit what about METI — “Messaging to Extraterrestrial Intelligence,” or sending both scientific and artistic messages to the stars? See http://lnfm1.sai.msu.ru/SETI/koi/articles/METIArt.htm.
g Cosmicus - Virgin Galactic, a Virgin Group company, has sold some 200 tickets to passengers for suborbital flights, starting in 2008. See http://www.space.com/news/ap_060718_virgin_update.html.
g Learning - Here’s a good Web site that gives an general overview of astrobiology for kids: “Astrocentral.” See http://www.astrocentral.co.uk/lifeindex.html.
g Imagining - Book alert: "Extraterrestrials, Where Are They?" by Ben Zuckerman and Michael H. Hart (ed.) offers a critical analysis by leading experts in a range of sciences, of the plausibility that other intelligent life forms do exists. Exploration of the solar system, and observations with telescopes that probe deep space, have come up empty-handed in searches for evidence of extraterrestrial life. Many experts in the fields of astronomy, biology, chemistry and physics now argue that the evidence points to the conclusion that technological civilizations are rare. After 10 billion years and among hundreds of billions of stars, we may well possess the most advanced brains in the Milky Way. This second edition elucidates many new aspects of research on extraterrestrial intelligence life, specifically biological considerations of the question. For more reviews, see http://www.amazings.com/sbb/reviews/review0051.html.
g Aftermath - Scientists such as the SETI Institute’s John Billingham and Jill Tarter have taken the lead in planning for the day we might receive a signal from life beyond Earth. Working with diplomats and space lawyers, they have helped develop protocols that guide the activities of SETI scientists who think they may have detected extraterrestrial intelligence. See http://www.space.com/searchforlife/seti_protocols_010228.html. Note: This story is a couple of years old.
g Stars - By linking a trio of telescopes, astronomers have obtained unprecedented detail of old red giant stars. The stars had an unexplained patchy brightness that could be caused by orbiting planets. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop=
modload&name=News&file=article&sid=2032mode=thread
&order=0&thold=0.
g Abodes - Scientists are getting their best understanding yet of the makeup of comets - not only of the materials inside these planetary building blocks, but also of the way they could have formed around the Sun in the solar system's earliest years. See http://www.astrobio
.net/news/modules.phpop=modload&name=News&file=article&sid
=2024mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
g Life - The secret weapon of bacteria - the way they get a foothold in plants to launch an invasion - is less of a secret, according to research published by Michigan State University scientists. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060714103143.htm.
g Intelligence - Is it just coincidence that Bobby Bonds and his son Barry both made baseball history with their all-star power and speed? Or that Francis Ford Coppola and daughter Sofia rose to fame as award winning film directors? Questions like these have long plagued psychologists, geneticists and philosophers. Coined nature versus nurture, it is one of the great mysteries of the mind, and much research has focused on the relative role of genes and the environment in determining everything from athleticism to personality to a person's predisposition to obesity.
See http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/060718_
nature_nurture.html.
g Message - We’ve all heard of SETI, bit what about METI — “Messaging to Extraterrestrial Intelligence,” or sending both scientific and artistic messages to the stars? See http://lnfm1.sai.msu.ru/SETI/koi/articles/METIArt.htm.
g Cosmicus - Virgin Galactic, a Virgin Group company, has sold some 200 tickets to passengers for suborbital flights, starting in 2008. See http://www.space.com/news/ap_060718_virgin_update.html.
g Learning - Here’s a good Web site that gives an general overview of astrobiology for kids: “Astrocentral.” See http://www.astrocentral.co.uk/lifeindex.html.
g Imagining - Book alert: "Extraterrestrials, Where Are They?" by Ben Zuckerman and Michael H. Hart (ed.) offers a critical analysis by leading experts in a range of sciences, of the plausibility that other intelligent life forms do exists. Exploration of the solar system, and observations with telescopes that probe deep space, have come up empty-handed in searches for evidence of extraterrestrial life. Many experts in the fields of astronomy, biology, chemistry and physics now argue that the evidence points to the conclusion that technological civilizations are rare. After 10 billion years and among hundreds of billions of stars, we may well possess the most advanced brains in the Milky Way. This second edition elucidates many new aspects of research on extraterrestrial intelligence life, specifically biological considerations of the question. For more reviews, see http://www.amazings.com/sbb/reviews/review0051.html.
g Aftermath - Scientists such as the SETI Institute’s John Billingham and Jill Tarter have taken the lead in planning for the day we might receive a signal from life beyond Earth. Working with diplomats and space lawyers, they have helped develop protocols that guide the activities of SETI scientists who think they may have detected extraterrestrial intelligence. See http://www.space.com/searchforlife/seti_protocols_010228.html. Note: This story is a couple of years old.
Monday, July 24, 2006
Evolutionary drivers, exobiology in textbooks and political significance of announcing discovery of extraterrestrial intelligence
Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. You may notice that this and future entries are shorter than usual; Career, family and book deal commitments have forced me to cut back some of my projects. Now, here’s today’s news:
g Stars - Newly detected dust found around the burst remains of a dead star could help reveal how planets and stars formed and how life began. See http://www.space.com/includes/iab.html?url=/scienceastronomy/060724_1987a_dust.html.
g Abodes - Slow moving "silent" earthquakes that last on the order of weeks to months could be useful for predicting when more destructive temblors will strike, See http://www.livescience.com
/forcesofnature/060705_silent_quakes.html.
g Life - Could a predatory relationship between two ancient species reveal an early driving force of evolution? Absolutely, according to Mark Wilson, professor of geology at The College of Wooster, and Paul Taylor of The Natural History Museum in London. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060712232259.htm.
g Intelligence - In the second it takes you to read these words, tens of thousands of vesicles in your optic nerves are released in sequence, opening tiny surface pores to pass chemical signals to the next cell down the line, telling your brain what you're seeing and your eyes where to move. Thanks to two new studies – including one spearheaded by an undergraduate biochemistry student at Rice University and published online by Nature Structural and Molecular Biology – scientists have defined the function of a key protein that nerve cells use to pass information quickly. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060716215924.htm.
g Message - In 2001, California astronomers broadened the search for extraterrestrial intelligence with a new experiment to look for powerful light pulses beamed our way from other star systems. Scientists from the University of California's Lick Observatory, the SETI Institute, UC-Santa Cruz, and UC-Berkeley used the Lick Observatory's 40-inch Nickel Telescope with a new pulse-detection system capable of finding laser beacons from civilizations many light-years distant. Unlike other optical SETI searches, this new experiment is largely immune to false alarms that slow the reconnaissance of target stars. See article.
g Cosmicus - Astronauts who travel in space are at risk for bone loss in much the same way that cancer patients who receive radiation therapy are, and both groups are more likely to develop fractures than the general population. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/mod
ules.phpop=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=2025
mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
g Learning - Although exobiology is of widespread interest to high school science students, it is not generally dealt with comprehensively in most textbooks. In addition, teachers often have inadequate resources available to prepare classroom presentations on how life may have begun on Earth and whether these processes might take place elsewhere in the solar system and the universe. Here’s a classroom teaching module suitable for use in both general and advanced high school biology courses: See http://www.gecdsb.on.ca/d&g/astro/html/Exobiology.html.
g Imagining - Watch the film "Alien vs. Predator” (http://www.avp-movie.com/) and you might feel there was little left to lose in seeing "Exorcist: The Beginning" (http://exorcistthebeginning.warnerbros.com/). As it happens, both movies, although undeniably bad, are thought provoking. Humans have a longstanding fascination with powerful, malevolent entities, whether extraterrestrial or supernatural, and the existence of such entities, however farfetched in its cinematic presentation, is a fair topic for inquiry and speculation. See http://www.techcentralstation.com/082704F.html.
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 http://64.233.167.104/searchq=cache:
BuuaRaF64gUJ:www.konkoly.hu/staff/almar/almar_rio.doc+"Interpret
ing+and+Reporting+on+a+SETI+discovery"&hl=en.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
g Stars - Newly detected dust found around the burst remains of a dead star could help reveal how planets and stars formed and how life began. See http://www.space.com/includes/iab.html?url=/scienceastronomy/060724_1987a_dust.html.
g Abodes - Slow moving "silent" earthquakes that last on the order of weeks to months could be useful for predicting when more destructive temblors will strike, See http://www.livescience.com
/forcesofnature/060705_silent_quakes.html.
g Life - Could a predatory relationship between two ancient species reveal an early driving force of evolution? Absolutely, according to Mark Wilson, professor of geology at The College of Wooster, and Paul Taylor of The Natural History Museum in London. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060712232259.htm.
g Intelligence - In the second it takes you to read these words, tens of thousands of vesicles in your optic nerves are released in sequence, opening tiny surface pores to pass chemical signals to the next cell down the line, telling your brain what you're seeing and your eyes where to move. Thanks to two new studies – including one spearheaded by an undergraduate biochemistry student at Rice University and published online by Nature Structural and Molecular Biology – scientists have defined the function of a key protein that nerve cells use to pass information quickly. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060716215924.htm.
g Message - In 2001, California astronomers broadened the search for extraterrestrial intelligence with a new experiment to look for powerful light pulses beamed our way from other star systems. Scientists from the University of California's Lick Observatory, the SETI Institute, UC-Santa Cruz, and UC-Berkeley used the Lick Observatory's 40-inch Nickel Telescope with a new pulse-detection system capable of finding laser beacons from civilizations many light-years distant. Unlike other optical SETI searches, this new experiment is largely immune to false alarms that slow the reconnaissance of target stars. See article.
g Cosmicus - Astronauts who travel in space are at risk for bone loss in much the same way that cancer patients who receive radiation therapy are, and both groups are more likely to develop fractures than the general population. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/mod
ules.phpop=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=2025
mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
g Learning - Although exobiology is of widespread interest to high school science students, it is not generally dealt with comprehensively in most textbooks. In addition, teachers often have inadequate resources available to prepare classroom presentations on how life may have begun on Earth and whether these processes might take place elsewhere in the solar system and the universe. Here’s a classroom teaching module suitable for use in both general and advanced high school biology courses: See http://www.gecdsb.on.ca/d&g/astro/html/Exobiology.html.
g Imagining - Watch the film "Alien vs. Predator” (http://www.avp-movie.com/) and you might feel there was little left to lose in seeing "Exorcist: The Beginning" (http://exorcistthebeginning.warnerbros.com/). As it happens, both movies, although undeniably bad, are thought provoking. Humans have a longstanding fascination with powerful, malevolent entities, whether extraterrestrial or supernatural, and the existence of such entities, however farfetched in its cinematic presentation, is a fair topic for inquiry and speculation. See http://www.techcentralstation.com/082704F.html.
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 http://64.233.167.104/searchq=cache:
BuuaRaF64gUJ:www.konkoly.hu/staff/almar/almar_rio.doc+"Interpret
ing+and+Reporting+on+a+SETI+discovery"&hl=en.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Sunday, July 23, 2006
How many extraterrestrial civilizations exist in our galaxy, suborbital rocket shots for sale and the Pak of “Ringworld”
Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. You may notice that this and future entries are shorter than usual; Career, family and book deal commitments have forced me to cut back some of my projects. Now, here’s today’s news:
g Abodes - NASA scientists have determined that the formation of clouds is affected by the lightness or darkness of air pollution particles. This also impacts Earth's climate. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060714082130.htm.
g Life - Like modern long-living birds and mammals, T. rex and other tyrannosaur species experienced high mortality rates as infants and young adults, with just a choice few surviving to maturity. See http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/060713_dino_lives.html.
g Intelligence - Consumer preferences for a brand can be increased over the competition by techniques used to manipulate memory. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060715104358.htm.
g Message - How many extraterrestrial civilizations exist in our galaxy? Frank Drake's now-famous equation makes an educated guess. Check out this video on the topic and make your own guess. See http://space.com/ and look for “Multimedia.”
g Cosmicus - Business is on the upswing for UP Aerospace—a firm that is offering suborbital rocket shots of experimental payloads out of the Southwest Regional Spaceport site in New Mexico. See http://www.space.com/news/060715_upaerospace_update.html.
g Learning - Here’s a neat classroom activity that examines if yeast, a common yet tenacious microbe, can survive boiling water, salt, UV radiation and citric acid? Students find out for themselves by creating "Planets in a Bottle" which illustrate extreme conditions on other worlds. See http://science.nasa.gov/newhome/headlines/msad16mar99_1a.htm.
g Imagining - Could the Pak of Larry Niven's Ringworld universe possibly evolve? They've got a homepage to discuss that and other questions about the intriguing fiction alien race. See http://www1.tip.nl/~t619162/pak.htm.
g Aftermath - Some of the best discussion of the consequences of alien contact occurs in science fiction. Here’s a novel that ranks among the most important in that dialogue: Arthur C. Clark’s “Songs of a Distant Earth.” Look for it at your library or local used book store.
g Abodes - NASA scientists have determined that the formation of clouds is affected by the lightness or darkness of air pollution particles. This also impacts Earth's climate. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060714082130.htm.
g Life - Like modern long-living birds and mammals, T. rex and other tyrannosaur species experienced high mortality rates as infants and young adults, with just a choice few surviving to maturity. See http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/060713_dino_lives.html.
g Intelligence - Consumer preferences for a brand can be increased over the competition by techniques used to manipulate memory. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060715104358.htm.
g Message - How many extraterrestrial civilizations exist in our galaxy? Frank Drake's now-famous equation makes an educated guess. Check out this video on the topic and make your own guess. See http://space.com/ and look for “Multimedia.”
g Cosmicus - Business is on the upswing for UP Aerospace—a firm that is offering suborbital rocket shots of experimental payloads out of the Southwest Regional Spaceport site in New Mexico. See http://www.space.com/news/060715_upaerospace_update.html.
g Learning - Here’s a neat classroom activity that examines if yeast, a common yet tenacious microbe, can survive boiling water, salt, UV radiation and citric acid? Students find out for themselves by creating "Planets in a Bottle" which illustrate extreme conditions on other worlds. See http://science.nasa.gov/newhome/headlines/msad16mar99_1a.htm.
g Imagining - Could the Pak of Larry Niven's Ringworld universe possibly evolve? They've got a homepage to discuss that and other questions about the intriguing fiction alien race. See http://www1.tip.nl/~t619162/pak.htm.
g Aftermath - Some of the best discussion of the consequences of alien contact occurs in science fiction. Here’s a novel that ranks among the most important in that dialogue: Arthur C. Clark’s “Songs of a Distant Earth.” Look for it at your library or local used book store.
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Stars in infrared, Mars’ soil and mistaken assumptions about SETI
Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. You may notice that this and future entries are shorter than usual; Career, family and book deal commitments have forced me to cut back some of my projects. Now, here’s today’s news:
g Stars - British astronomers are releasing the first data from the largest and most sensitive survey of the heavens in infrared light to scientists across Europe. The UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey has completed the first of seven years of data collection, studying objects that are too faint to see at visible wavelengths, such as very distant or very cool objects. New data on young galaxies is already challenging current thinking on galaxy formation, revealing galaxies that are massive at a much earlier stage of development than expected. These first science results already show how powerful the full survey will be at finding rare objects that hold vital clues to how stars and galaxies in our universe formed. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060721120535.htm.
g Abodes - The answer to the question about life on Mars may very well come from analyzing an unsuspecting source - the soil, specifically the icy layer of soil underneath the Red Planet's surface. By analyzing the properties of Mars' frozen layer of soil during NASA's next lander mission, scientists will be able to better understand and theorize about life on Mars. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060713090827.htm. For related story, see “Life on Mars? A Timeline of the Debate” at http://www.spacedaily.com/2004/040123173004.po61yma6.html
g Life - For the first time scientists have observed in real-time evolutionary changes in one species driven by competition for resources from another. See http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/060713_darwin_finch.html.
g Intelligence - Without realizing it, people will perceive things according to how they want to see them, a new study suggests. See http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/060714_see_believe.html.
g Message - Some people mistakenly confuse a long search with a thorough one, and figure that the lack of a SETI detection indicates that we’re alone in the galaxy. This, however, is nonsense. See http://www.space.com/searchforlife/seti_thursday_060720.html.
g Cosmicus - Space shuttle Atlantis will move closer to its first flight in almost four years when the orbiter is hauled into Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building at sunrise Monday. See http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts115/status.html.
g Learning - More than half a century of U.S. dominance in science and engineering may be slipping as America's share of graduates in these fields falls relative to Europe and developing nations such as China and India, a study says. See http://www./rednova.com/news/
science/168513/us_losing_lead_in_science_and_engineering/
index.html.
g Imagining - Could the legendary dragons of Pern from Anne McCaffrey’s famous science fiction novels actually exist? Welcome to the theoretical science of dracogenetics. See http://www.geocities.com/jenaith/DNA1.html.
g Aftermath - Scientists should pay greater attention to discussing the social implications of discovering extraterrestrial life - even though many researchers shy away from the subject because they don't consider it "hard" science. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/article163.html.
g Stars - British astronomers are releasing the first data from the largest and most sensitive survey of the heavens in infrared light to scientists across Europe. The UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey has completed the first of seven years of data collection, studying objects that are too faint to see at visible wavelengths, such as very distant or very cool objects. New data on young galaxies is already challenging current thinking on galaxy formation, revealing galaxies that are massive at a much earlier stage of development than expected. These first science results already show how powerful the full survey will be at finding rare objects that hold vital clues to how stars and galaxies in our universe formed. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060721120535.htm.
g Abodes - The answer to the question about life on Mars may very well come from analyzing an unsuspecting source - the soil, specifically the icy layer of soil underneath the Red Planet's surface. By analyzing the properties of Mars' frozen layer of soil during NASA's next lander mission, scientists will be able to better understand and theorize about life on Mars. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060713090827.htm. For related story, see “Life on Mars? A Timeline of the Debate” at http://www.spacedaily.com/2004/040123173004.po61yma6.html
g Life - For the first time scientists have observed in real-time evolutionary changes in one species driven by competition for resources from another. See http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/060713_darwin_finch.html.
g Intelligence - Without realizing it, people will perceive things according to how they want to see them, a new study suggests. See http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/060714_see_believe.html.
g Message - Some people mistakenly confuse a long search with a thorough one, and figure that the lack of a SETI detection indicates that we’re alone in the galaxy. This, however, is nonsense. See http://www.space.com/searchforlife/seti_thursday_060720.html.
g Cosmicus - Space shuttle Atlantis will move closer to its first flight in almost four years when the orbiter is hauled into Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building at sunrise Monday. See http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts115/status.html.
g Learning - More than half a century of U.S. dominance in science and engineering may be slipping as America's share of graduates in these fields falls relative to Europe and developing nations such as China and India, a study says. See http://www./rednova.com/news/
science/168513/us_losing_lead_in_science_and_engineering/
index.html.
g Imagining - Could the legendary dragons of Pern from Anne McCaffrey’s famous science fiction novels actually exist? Welcome to the theoretical science of dracogenetics. See http://www.geocities.com/jenaith/DNA1.html.
g Aftermath - Scientists should pay greater attention to discussing the social implications of discovering extraterrestrial life - even though many researchers shy away from the subject because they don't consider it "hard" science. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/article163.html.
Friday, July 21, 2006
Venus’ cool clouds, language emergence and Martian probe swarms
Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. You may notice that this and future entries are shorter than usual; Career, family and book deal commitments have forced me to cut back some of my projects. Now, here’s today’s news:
g Abodes - Earth's twin, Venus, offers life as we know it few safe places on its faint red-glowing surface, which is hot enough to melt lead. But higher in the clouds, small amounts of water and strange ultraviolet absorbers make for a balmy 107 F abode. The Principal Investigator for NASA's Planetary Atmospheres and Venus Data Analysis Program speculates about what might surprise Venusian explorers. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/article410.html.
g Life - Scientists have discovered that parasites are surprisingly important in food webs. According to a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, parasites may be the thread that holds the structure of ecological communities together. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop=modload&name=
News&file=article&sid=2021mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
g Intelligence - New research findings from the world's largest study predicting children's late language emergence has revealed that parents are not to blame for late talking toddlers. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060713090947.htm.
g Message - The 37th annual Mutual UFO Network symposium is being held this weekend in Denver, attracting throngs of believers, the downright curious—as well as upright skeptics and debunkers. See http://www.space.com/news/060714_ufo_conference.html.
g Cosmicus - MIT engineers and scientist colleagues have a new vision for the future of Mars exploration: a swarm of probes, each the size of a baseball, spreading out across the planet in every direction. See http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0607/18marsminiprobes/.
g Learning - Here’s a neat interactive Web site for kids: “Are Humans All Alone in the Universe?” In the program, kids get to search for ET — and learn some principles of science along the way. See http://jvsc.jst.go.jp/universe/et_e/index_e.htm.
g Imagining - Science fiction authors produce a lot of very strange critters. In the desperate dash to be different, many go way overboard to invent fantastic, outlandish species unlike anything anyone has ever seen. It’s an admirable expression of their artistic abilities, but there’s an inherent problem: they almost always lose the reader along the way. Sure, it sounds ultra-cool to have a whole herd of 80-foot quasi-limbed orb-stasis beings, but unless you draw me a picture of these things, the reader often has no idea what you’re talking about. However, if you write that your alien has four wings, 10 eyes and looks a little like a kangaroo, the reader is right there with you. Most readers need at least something familiar to draw on for their imagination, or they get lost. See http://fmwriters.com/Visionback/Issue10/themealiens.htm.
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 http://publish.seti.org/general/articles.php?id=54. Note: This article is from 2002.
g Abodes - Earth's twin, Venus, offers life as we know it few safe places on its faint red-glowing surface, which is hot enough to melt lead. But higher in the clouds, small amounts of water and strange ultraviolet absorbers make for a balmy 107 F abode. The Principal Investigator for NASA's Planetary Atmospheres and Venus Data Analysis Program speculates about what might surprise Venusian explorers. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/article410.html.
g Life - Scientists have discovered that parasites are surprisingly important in food webs. According to a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, parasites may be the thread that holds the structure of ecological communities together. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop=modload&name=
News&file=article&sid=2021mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
g Intelligence - New research findings from the world's largest study predicting children's late language emergence has revealed that parents are not to blame for late talking toddlers. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060713090947.htm.
g Message - The 37th annual Mutual UFO Network symposium is being held this weekend in Denver, attracting throngs of believers, the downright curious—as well as upright skeptics and debunkers. See http://www.space.com/news/060714_ufo_conference.html.
g Cosmicus - MIT engineers and scientist colleagues have a new vision for the future of Mars exploration: a swarm of probes, each the size of a baseball, spreading out across the planet in every direction. See http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0607/18marsminiprobes/.
g Learning - Here’s a neat interactive Web site for kids: “Are Humans All Alone in the Universe?” In the program, kids get to search for ET — and learn some principles of science along the way. See http://jvsc.jst.go.jp/universe/et_e/index_e.htm.
g Imagining - Science fiction authors produce a lot of very strange critters. In the desperate dash to be different, many go way overboard to invent fantastic, outlandish species unlike anything anyone has ever seen. It’s an admirable expression of their artistic abilities, but there’s an inherent problem: they almost always lose the reader along the way. Sure, it sounds ultra-cool to have a whole herd of 80-foot quasi-limbed orb-stasis beings, but unless you draw me a picture of these things, the reader often has no idea what you’re talking about. However, if you write that your alien has four wings, 10 eyes and looks a little like a kangaroo, the reader is right there with you. Most readers need at least something familiar to draw on for their imagination, or they get lost. See http://fmwriters.com/Visionback/Issue10/themealiens.htm.
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 http://publish.seti.org/general/articles.php?id=54. Note: This article is from 2002.
Thursday, July 20, 2006
White dwarf supernova, Earth-like features found on Titan and moon-landing anniversary
Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. You may notice that this and future entries are shorter than usual; Career, family and book deal commitments have forced me to cut back some of my projects. Now, here’s today’s news:
g Stars - On Feb. 12, skygazers spotted a nova that appeared when a faint star brightened dramatically, becoming visible to the unaided eye. The cause of the brightening was a thermonuclear explosion that blasted off a white dwarf star's outer layers while leaving the core unscathed. See http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0607/19nova/.
g Abodes - New radar images from NASA's Cassini spacecraft revealed geological features similar to Earth on Xanadu, an Australia-sized, bright region on Saturn's moon Titan. See http://www.astrobio.
net/news/modules.phpop=modload&name=News&file=article&sid
=2027mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
g Life - Biogeographers have long recognized that the spatial distribution of plant species, at a coarse resolution, mainly reflects each species’ climatic requirements. However, few studies have carefully matched maps of a species distribution with maps of climatic variables to see where climate may fail to predict a species distribution, thus suggesting other ecological factors, such as limited seed dispersal or competition with other species. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060712234922.htm.
g Intelligence - Scientists at The University of Manchester are to build a new type of computer which mimics the complex interactions within the human brain. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060713080012.htm.
g Message - The Earth is at the center of an expanding bubble of electromagnetic radiation. The bubble, expanding at the speed of light, contains all of the man-made electromagnetic transmissions of the earth - radio, TV, radar, and so on. In theory, an alien civilization could receive these signals, and form their opinion about the earth by analyzing them. To most people, it is quite discouraging to think that some alien civilization would form their opinion of Earth based upon our situation comedies. Upon a slightly deeper analysis, the conventional wisdom says, “Aliens might detect our TV signals, but at least they can't form their opinion of our civilization from our TV transmissions. Decoding the transmission is so much harder than detecting it that we don't need to worry about this.” But an editor of the book “SETI 2020” argues that this view considerably underestimates the technologies that aliens might employ. By looking at likely technical improvements - better receivers and feeds, bigger antenna, signal processing, and perhaps stellar focusing, any civilization that can detect our radiations might well be able to decode it as well. Thus aliens can form their impression of Earth from “I Love Lucy.” See http://contactincontext.org/cic/v2i1/lucy.pdf.
g Cosmicus - 37 Years ago, two Americans stepped on the Moon. Although alone when they planted our flag, they did not claim it for themselves or even this nation, instead, they proclaimed they were there on behalf of the entire human race. Although their mission was a symbolic gesture of dominance in a Cold War that was a battle for control of Earth, our emissaries to the small grey island next door in space made it clear their triumph was not of one nation, but of our entire species. See http://www.space.com/adastra/adastra_heroes_060720.html.
g Learning - Here’s a neat classroom activity: “Pin the Microbe on the Map.” In this variation of "Pin the Tail on the Donkey," students find locations on a world map that match the homes of extreme-loving microbes. Students will also give creative nicknames to real life extremophiles that summarize their characteristics and living environments. See http://www.thursdaysclassroom.com/09sep99/teach6.htmlteach6.html.
g Imagining - If alien lifeforms did arrive on Earth, what might they look like? Contemporary images of alien lifeforms differ significantly from previous ones. See http://www.nap.edu/books/030907309X/html/67.html.
g Aftermath - In the last quarter of the twentieth century, an international social movement — Communication with Extraterrestrial Intelligence — has emerged which advocates an attempt to achieve communication with extraterrestrial intelligence, and many of its most active members have been leading scientists. Modest efforts to detect radio signals from intelligent extraterrestrials already have been made, both under government aegis and privately funded, and the technical means for a more vigorous search have been developed. If a CETI project were successful, linguists would suddenly have one or more utterly alien languages to study, and some consideration of linguistic issues is a necessary preparation for it. See http://mysite.verizon.net/wsbainbridge/dl/ceti.htm.
g Stars - On Feb. 12, skygazers spotted a nova that appeared when a faint star brightened dramatically, becoming visible to the unaided eye. The cause of the brightening was a thermonuclear explosion that blasted off a white dwarf star's outer layers while leaving the core unscathed. See http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0607/19nova/.
g Abodes - New radar images from NASA's Cassini spacecraft revealed geological features similar to Earth on Xanadu, an Australia-sized, bright region on Saturn's moon Titan. See http://www.astrobio.
net/news/modules.phpop=modload&name=News&file=article&sid
=2027mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
g Life - Biogeographers have long recognized that the spatial distribution of plant species, at a coarse resolution, mainly reflects each species’ climatic requirements. However, few studies have carefully matched maps of a species distribution with maps of climatic variables to see where climate may fail to predict a species distribution, thus suggesting other ecological factors, such as limited seed dispersal or competition with other species. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060712234922.htm.
g Intelligence - Scientists at The University of Manchester are to build a new type of computer which mimics the complex interactions within the human brain. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060713080012.htm.
g Message - The Earth is at the center of an expanding bubble of electromagnetic radiation. The bubble, expanding at the speed of light, contains all of the man-made electromagnetic transmissions of the earth - radio, TV, radar, and so on. In theory, an alien civilization could receive these signals, and form their opinion about the earth by analyzing them. To most people, it is quite discouraging to think that some alien civilization would form their opinion of Earth based upon our situation comedies. Upon a slightly deeper analysis, the conventional wisdom says, “Aliens might detect our TV signals, but at least they can't form their opinion of our civilization from our TV transmissions. Decoding the transmission is so much harder than detecting it that we don't need to worry about this.” But an editor of the book “SETI 2020” argues that this view considerably underestimates the technologies that aliens might employ. By looking at likely technical improvements - better receivers and feeds, bigger antenna, signal processing, and perhaps stellar focusing, any civilization that can detect our radiations might well be able to decode it as well. Thus aliens can form their impression of Earth from “I Love Lucy.” See http://contactincontext.org/cic/v2i1/lucy.pdf.
g Cosmicus - 37 Years ago, two Americans stepped on the Moon. Although alone when they planted our flag, they did not claim it for themselves or even this nation, instead, they proclaimed they were there on behalf of the entire human race. Although their mission was a symbolic gesture of dominance in a Cold War that was a battle for control of Earth, our emissaries to the small grey island next door in space made it clear their triumph was not of one nation, but of our entire species. See http://www.space.com/adastra/adastra_heroes_060720.html.
g Learning - Here’s a neat classroom activity: “Pin the Microbe on the Map.” In this variation of "Pin the Tail on the Donkey," students find locations on a world map that match the homes of extreme-loving microbes. Students will also give creative nicknames to real life extremophiles that summarize their characteristics and living environments. See http://www.thursdaysclassroom.com/09sep99/teach6.htmlteach6.html.
g Imagining - If alien lifeforms did arrive on Earth, what might they look like? Contemporary images of alien lifeforms differ significantly from previous ones. See http://www.nap.edu/books/030907309X/html/67.html.
g Aftermath - In the last quarter of the twentieth century, an international social movement — Communication with Extraterrestrial Intelligence — has emerged which advocates an attempt to achieve communication with extraterrestrial intelligence, and many of its most active members have been leading scientists. Modest efforts to detect radio signals from intelligent extraterrestrials already have been made, both under government aegis and privately funded, and the technical means for a more vigorous search have been developed. If a CETI project were successful, linguists would suddenly have one or more utterly alien languages to study, and some consideration of linguistic issues is a necessary preparation for it. See http://mysite.verizon.net/wsbainbridge/dl/ceti.htm.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Life on extra-solar planets, silk threads on the wind and Gene Box
Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. You may notice that this and future entries are shorter than usual; Career, family and book deal commitments have forced me to cut back some of my projects. Now, here’s today’s news:
g Abodes - Could life exist on discovered extra-solar planets? See http://www.astro.rug.nl/~onderwys/sterIIproject97/kleefman/.
g Life - Researchers have developed a new model that explains how spiders are able to 'fly' or 'parachute' into new territory on single strands of silk – sometimes covering distances of hundreds of miles over open ocean. By casting a thread of silk into the breeze spiders are able to ride wind currents away from danger or to parachute into new areas. Often they travel a few meters but some spiders have been discovered hundreds of miles out to sea. Researchers have now found that in turbulent air the spiders' silk moulds to the eddies of the airflow to carry them further. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060712073430.htm.
g Intelligence - A multi-institutional team of researchers has found that people with long-standing, severe paralysis can generate signals in the area of the brain responsible for voluntary movement and these signals can be detected, recorded, routed out of the brain to a computer and converted into actions - enabling a paralyzed patient to perform basic tasks. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060713081901.htm.
g Message - Should we modify the Drake Equation to account for civilizations which actually engage in deliberate interstellar transmission? See http://lnfm1.sai.msu.ru/SETI/koi/articles/DrakeEquation.htm.
g Cosmicus - A NASA shoebox-size payload called “GeneBox” is now orbiting Earth as a passenger inside Bigelow Corporation's one-third scale, inflatable Genesis 1 test spacecraft. See http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0607/18genebox/.
g Learning - Studies have long shown that boys in the United States and around the world do not read or write as well as girls. A new study finds that the problem cuts across socioeconomic lines and pins part of the blame squarely on schools, whose techniques cater to the strengths of girls and leave boys utterly disinterested. See http://www.livescience.com/othernews/060718_illiterate_boys.html.
g Imagining - Are there any alternatives to DNA or RNA, as an “X-Files” episode said there was? See http://nai.nasa.gov/nai2005/abstracts/1018%20-%20NAI05AbstractAegis.doc.pdf.
g Aftermath - With humanity now on the verge of being capable to leave its home world, Earth, scientists have begun to wrestle with the consequences of this next great journey; of the social impact humanity will have upon discovering life elsewhere, be it fossil, bacterial or an intelligent civilization. See http://www.space.com/searchforlife/astro_biology_991119.html. Note: This article is from 1999.
g Abodes - Could life exist on discovered extra-solar planets? See http://www.astro.rug.nl/~onderwys/sterIIproject97/kleefman/.
g Life - Researchers have developed a new model that explains how spiders are able to 'fly' or 'parachute' into new territory on single strands of silk – sometimes covering distances of hundreds of miles over open ocean. By casting a thread of silk into the breeze spiders are able to ride wind currents away from danger or to parachute into new areas. Often they travel a few meters but some spiders have been discovered hundreds of miles out to sea. Researchers have now found that in turbulent air the spiders' silk moulds to the eddies of the airflow to carry them further. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060712073430.htm.
g Intelligence - A multi-institutional team of researchers has found that people with long-standing, severe paralysis can generate signals in the area of the brain responsible for voluntary movement and these signals can be detected, recorded, routed out of the brain to a computer and converted into actions - enabling a paralyzed patient to perform basic tasks. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060713081901.htm.
g Message - Should we modify the Drake Equation to account for civilizations which actually engage in deliberate interstellar transmission? See http://lnfm1.sai.msu.ru/SETI/koi/articles/DrakeEquation.htm.
g Cosmicus - A NASA shoebox-size payload called “GeneBox” is now orbiting Earth as a passenger inside Bigelow Corporation's one-third scale, inflatable Genesis 1 test spacecraft. See http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0607/18genebox/.
g Learning - Studies have long shown that boys in the United States and around the world do not read or write as well as girls. A new study finds that the problem cuts across socioeconomic lines and pins part of the blame squarely on schools, whose techniques cater to the strengths of girls and leave boys utterly disinterested. See http://www.livescience.com/othernews/060718_illiterate_boys.html.
g Imagining - Are there any alternatives to DNA or RNA, as an “X-Files” episode said there was? See http://nai.nasa.gov/nai2005/abstracts/1018%20-%20NAI05AbstractAegis.doc.pdf.
g Aftermath - With humanity now on the verge of being capable to leave its home world, Earth, scientists have begun to wrestle with the consequences of this next great journey; of the social impact humanity will have upon discovering life elsewhere, be it fossil, bacterial or an intelligent civilization. See http://www.space.com/searchforlife/astro_biology_991119.html. Note: This article is from 1999.
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