Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Stars - New composite images of optical, radio, infrared, ultraviolet and X-ray wavelengths are giving astronomers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign a clearer picture of the birth, life and death of massive stars, and their effect on the gas and dust of the interstellar medium surrounding them. See article.
g Abodes - Glacial deposits near the equator on Mars are remnants of snow on the red planet long ago, scientists said. See article. For related story, see “Frozen sea on Mars linked to elevated methane”.
g Life - Dumb or brainy, fair or hideous, extraterrestrial life forms are often pictured by scientists and writers of science fiction as inhabiting worlds just the right distance from stars - neither too hot nor too cold. Rays of starlight in such temperate zones are seen as warming planetary surfaces and alien races, providing a ready source of energy and, most important, the right amount of heat to keep life-giving water from boiling away or turning into ice. But a quiet revolution is now challenging this view and shaking the foundations of exobiology, the study of the possibility of life elsewhere in the cosmos. See article. Note: This article is from 1997.
g Intelligence - Sleep deprivation impairs spatial learning, including remembering how to get to a new destination. And now scientists are beginning to understand how that happens: Learning spatial tasks increases the production of new cells in an area of the brain involved with spatial memory called the hippocampus. Sleep plays a part in helping those new brain cells survive. See article.
g Message - Here’s an article in which Dave DeBoer, project engineer for the Allen Telescope Array, discusses what the unique telescope will offer. The development of the Allen Telescope Array is marked by many innovations crafted with the express purpose of building a world-class state-of-the-art astronomical facility at a fraction of the price of existing radio telescopes. See article. Note: This article is from October 2003.
g Cosmicus - NASA’s newly issued budget has lowered a flagship mission of exploration to half-mast. Backed by scientists and study groups, a mission to Jupiter’s moon Europa is missing in action within the pages of NASA’s Fiscal Year 2007 budget unveiled this week. See article.
g Learning - Here’s a neat set of classroom activities: Life On Other Planets in the Solar System. It examines the possibility of life on other planets in our own solar system and what form that life might take. Designed as a curriculum resource for middle and high school students. See article.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read C.J. Cherryh’s novel “Foreigner,” published by DAW in 1994.
g Aftermath - The scientific search for extraterrestrial intelligence is accelerating its pace and adopting fresh strategies. This increases the likelihood of successful detection in the near future. Humanity's first contact with alien intelligence will trigger extraordinary attention from the media, from government authorities, and from the general public. By improving our readiness for contact, especially for security during the first 30 days, we can avoid the most negative scenarios — and also enhance humanity's benefits from this first contact with an alien intelligence. Six potential problem areas include communicating with the media and the public, communicating with scientific colleagues, government control, an assassin or saboteur, well-meaning officials and lawsuits. See article.
Read this blogger’s books
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
From interstellar gases to Earth, Mars Scout and wired for empathy
Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Stars - Where do elements, such as iron in our blood or calcium in our bones, come from? Astronomers say they come from thermonuclear reactions in hundreds of millions of stars that burn at high temperatures in our galaxy. Stars that are 10 or more times more massive than the sun eventually explode as supernovas, leaving traces of elements in the space between the stars of the Milky Way. When our solar system was created, astronomers say the trace elements were drawn from interstellar gases to form the Earth. See article.
g Abodes - A bold, new robotic mission to Mars proposes to make the first exploration of subsurface water ice in a potentially habitable zone. THOR, a low-cost mission designed for NASA's Mars Scout program, aims to send a projectile at high speed into the Martian surface while observing the impact and its aftermath. The mission is led by Arizona State University in Tempe, in partnership with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. See article.
g Life - Plants in some of the most diverse ecosystems on Earth don't have enough birds and bees to allow them to fruit to their full potential, a new study finds. It is not clear, however, whether the less-than-perfect pollination is new or if it's the sort of challenge some plants have always faced. See article.
g Intelligence - Researchers have provided the first biologic evidence supporting the idea that people empathize with likeable people in painful situations, and feel satisfaction when someone they dislike suffers. See article.
g Message - Can aliens find us? With a really nice pair of binoculars, the Great Wall of China (not to mention less romantic constructions, such as interstate highways) does become visible from orbit. Any curious aliens that made it to within a few hundred miles of Earth would have no trouble seeing the artifacts of our civilization. They would know, without doubt, that technologically competent beings roamed our world. But how visible are we to aliens that are farther away? See article. Here’s the follow-up to the article from 2003.
g Cosmicus - By sharply reducing the growth of space science and other NASA programs over the next five years, NASA managers hope to erase a projected multi-billion dollar shortfall in the shuttle budget, permitting up to 17 missions between now and the program's retirement in 2010, including a possible flight to service the Hubble Space Telescope. Only two flights are expected this year, one in May and the other late this summer, as NASA struggles to complete its recovery from the Columbia disaster and finish a major overhaul of the shuttle Endeavour. See article.
g Learning - Book alert: Sure, you’ve heard of Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. But do you really know what it means? And even if you do there’s a lot more to be learned about this eccentric genius. Did you know he worked to develop hearing aids? Or that a student actually spotted a mistake in one of his papers? And you’ll never guess what happed to Einstein’s brain after he died. Find out in “101 Things You Didn't Know About Einstein: Sex, Science, And the Secrets of the Universe,” by Cynthia Phillips and Shana Priwer. See article.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Jayge Carr’s "The Wonderous Works of His Hands," anthologized in “Alien Encounters” (edited by Jan Finder).
g Aftermath - What happens if we detect an extraterrestrial signal? Here’s text from congressional testimony outlining what would happen. See article. Note: This article is from 2001.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
g Stars - Where do elements, such as iron in our blood or calcium in our bones, come from? Astronomers say they come from thermonuclear reactions in hundreds of millions of stars that burn at high temperatures in our galaxy. Stars that are 10 or more times more massive than the sun eventually explode as supernovas, leaving traces of elements in the space between the stars of the Milky Way. When our solar system was created, astronomers say the trace elements were drawn from interstellar gases to form the Earth. See article.
g Abodes - A bold, new robotic mission to Mars proposes to make the first exploration of subsurface water ice in a potentially habitable zone. THOR, a low-cost mission designed for NASA's Mars Scout program, aims to send a projectile at high speed into the Martian surface while observing the impact and its aftermath. The mission is led by Arizona State University in Tempe, in partnership with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. See article.
g Life - Plants in some of the most diverse ecosystems on Earth don't have enough birds and bees to allow them to fruit to their full potential, a new study finds. It is not clear, however, whether the less-than-perfect pollination is new or if it's the sort of challenge some plants have always faced. See article.
g Intelligence - Researchers have provided the first biologic evidence supporting the idea that people empathize with likeable people in painful situations, and feel satisfaction when someone they dislike suffers. See article.
g Message - Can aliens find us? With a really nice pair of binoculars, the Great Wall of China (not to mention less romantic constructions, such as interstate highways) does become visible from orbit. Any curious aliens that made it to within a few hundred miles of Earth would have no trouble seeing the artifacts of our civilization. They would know, without doubt, that technologically competent beings roamed our world. But how visible are we to aliens that are farther away? See article. Here’s the follow-up to the article from 2003.
g Cosmicus - By sharply reducing the growth of space science and other NASA programs over the next five years, NASA managers hope to erase a projected multi-billion dollar shortfall in the shuttle budget, permitting up to 17 missions between now and the program's retirement in 2010, including a possible flight to service the Hubble Space Telescope. Only two flights are expected this year, one in May and the other late this summer, as NASA struggles to complete its recovery from the Columbia disaster and finish a major overhaul of the shuttle Endeavour. See article.
g Learning - Book alert: Sure, you’ve heard of Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. But do you really know what it means? And even if you do there’s a lot more to be learned about this eccentric genius. Did you know he worked to develop hearing aids? Or that a student actually spotted a mistake in one of his papers? And you’ll never guess what happed to Einstein’s brain after he died. Find out in “101 Things You Didn't Know About Einstein: Sex, Science, And the Secrets of the Universe,” by Cynthia Phillips and Shana Priwer. See article.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Jayge Carr’s "The Wonderous Works of His Hands," anthologized in “Alien Encounters” (edited by Jan Finder).
g Aftermath - What happens if we detect an extraterrestrial signal? Here’s text from congressional testimony outlining what would happen. See article. Note: This article is from 2001.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Monday, February 06, 2006
Search for dwarf galaxies, evolution of social behaviors, myth of de-evolution
Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Today’s news:
g Stars - A team of astronomers from the University of Pittsburgh and the Universitäts-Sternwarte München in Munich, Germany, announced in a paper presented at the meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Washington, D.C., that their search for dwarf galaxies in fast-moving clouds of gas has yielded no results, leading them to suggest alternative avenues of research to find the supposedly "missing" galaxies. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/
releases/2006/01/060115174614.htm.
g Abodes - Travel with Aaron Gronstal on a drilling expedition in Chesapeake Bay, the site of a 35 million-year-old impact crater. This portion of his journal is part 3 of a 4-part series. See http://www.
astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop=modload&name=News&file
=article&sid=1851mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
g Life - One of the puzzling questions in the evolution of bees is how some species developed social behaviors. Arizona State University Life Sciences associate professor Gro Amdam thinks part of the answer can be traced back to bee reproductive traits. See http://www.
astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop=modload&name=News&file=
article&sid=1827&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0. For related story, see “Scientists Finally Figure Out How Bees Fly“ at http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/060110_bee_fight.html.
g Intelligence - Our ability to hear relies on a structure that got its start as a gill opening in fish, a new study reveals. See http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/060119_breathing_ears.html.
g Message - Would anyone deliberately beam high-powered signals into space? Can we assume that extraterrestrial societies would broadcast in ways that would mark their location as plainly as a flag on a golf green? See http://www.
space.com/searchforlife/shostak_quantum_030522.html.
g Cosmicus - NASA is thinking about dropping methane-type propellants from its requirements for the Crew Exploration Vehicle program in favor of harder to handle, yet more dangerous hypergolic propellants like those used in the shuttle and other old-school systems. See http://space.com/adastra/adastra_tumlinson_060130.html.
g Learning - Americans love science in their movies and TV shows, yet recent reports indicate we are losing our scientific dominance to the rest of the world. Can science-themed entertainment get Americans off the couch and into the lab? See http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1032.
g Imagining - Some science fiction tales show aliens (and often humans) “de-evolving,” or undergoing some mutation that makes the lifeform the creature its species evolved from. This occurred in a “Star Trek: The next Generation” episode and a Theodore Sturgeon novella. By tracing the 30-million year history of variation in a gene found in plants such as tomatoes and tobacco, biologists at the University of California, San Diego have found new evidence to support an old idea - that some evolutionary changes are irreversible. Their study, published in an early online edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, offers new support for the idea that the loss of complex traits, like eyes, wings or in this case a reproductive mechanism, is often irreversible. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/01/060123172341.htm.
g Aftermath - Book alert: The authentic discovery of extraterrestrial life would usher in a scientific revolution on par with Copernicus or Darwin, says Paul Davies in “Are We Alone?: Philosophical Implications of the Discovery of Extraterrestrial Life.” Just as these ideas sparked religious and philosophical controversy when they were first offered, so would proof of life arising away from Earth. With this brief book (160 pages, including two appendices and an index), Davies tries to get ahead of the curve and begin to sort out the metaphysical mess before it happens. Many science fiction writers have preceded him, of course, but here the matter is plainly put. This is a very good introduction to a compelling subject.
g Stars - A team of astronomers from the University of Pittsburgh and the Universitäts-Sternwarte München in Munich, Germany, announced in a paper presented at the meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Washington, D.C., that their search for dwarf galaxies in fast-moving clouds of gas has yielded no results, leading them to suggest alternative avenues of research to find the supposedly "missing" galaxies. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/
releases/2006/01/060115174614.htm.
g Abodes - Travel with Aaron Gronstal on a drilling expedition in Chesapeake Bay, the site of a 35 million-year-old impact crater. This portion of his journal is part 3 of a 4-part series. See http://www.
astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop=modload&name=News&file
=article&sid=1851mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
g Life - One of the puzzling questions in the evolution of bees is how some species developed social behaviors. Arizona State University Life Sciences associate professor Gro Amdam thinks part of the answer can be traced back to bee reproductive traits. See http://www.
astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop=modload&name=News&file=
article&sid=1827&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0. For related story, see “Scientists Finally Figure Out How Bees Fly“ at http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/060110_bee_fight.html.
g Intelligence - Our ability to hear relies on a structure that got its start as a gill opening in fish, a new study reveals. See http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/060119_breathing_ears.html.
g Message - Would anyone deliberately beam high-powered signals into space? Can we assume that extraterrestrial societies would broadcast in ways that would mark their location as plainly as a flag on a golf green? See http://www.
space.com/searchforlife/shostak_quantum_030522.html.
g Cosmicus - NASA is thinking about dropping methane-type propellants from its requirements for the Crew Exploration Vehicle program in favor of harder to handle, yet more dangerous hypergolic propellants like those used in the shuttle and other old-school systems. See http://space.com/adastra/adastra_tumlinson_060130.html.
g Learning - Americans love science in their movies and TV shows, yet recent reports indicate we are losing our scientific dominance to the rest of the world. Can science-themed entertainment get Americans off the couch and into the lab? See http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1032.
g Imagining - Some science fiction tales show aliens (and often humans) “de-evolving,” or undergoing some mutation that makes the lifeform the creature its species evolved from. This occurred in a “Star Trek: The next Generation” episode and a Theodore Sturgeon novella. By tracing the 30-million year history of variation in a gene found in plants such as tomatoes and tobacco, biologists at the University of California, San Diego have found new evidence to support an old idea - that some evolutionary changes are irreversible. Their study, published in an early online edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, offers new support for the idea that the loss of complex traits, like eyes, wings or in this case a reproductive mechanism, is often irreversible. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/01/060123172341.htm.
g Aftermath - Book alert: The authentic discovery of extraterrestrial life would usher in a scientific revolution on par with Copernicus or Darwin, says Paul Davies in “Are We Alone?: Philosophical Implications of the Discovery of Extraterrestrial Life.” Just as these ideas sparked religious and philosophical controversy when they were first offered, so would proof of life arising away from Earth. With this brief book (160 pages, including two appendices and an index), Davies tries to get ahead of the curve and begin to sort out the metaphysical mess before it happens. Many science fiction writers have preceded him, of course, but here the matter is plainly put. This is a very good introduction to a compelling subject.
Sunday, February 05, 2006
Smallest ever exoplanet found, global census of Marine Life discoveries and advanced plasma rocket system
Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Stars - A flotilla of space-weather satellites – ESA’s Cluster and NASA’s ACE and Wind - observed for the first time steady large-scale jets of charged particles in the solar wind between the Sun and Earth. See article.
g Abodes - Using an armada of telescopes, an international team of astronomers has found the smallest planet ever detected around a normal star outside our solar system. See article.
g Life - Discoveries and news in 2005 from the global Census of Marine Life include: Major expansions of projects tracking animals in the Pacific, dubbed "fish with chips"; Tiny carnivorous sponges among new species in Southern Ocean abyss; Eerie dead zone at 2004 tsunami epicenter; Life recorded at first seafloor vents found south of Equator in Atlantic; and Giant marine life inventory growing to 8.4 million records, covering 40,000-plus species. See article. For related stories, see: “Conflicting Claims on Global Warming and Why It's All Moot”; “Irrigation Fuels Warmer Temps in California's Central Valley”; and “Pesticide Combinations Imperil Frogs, Probably Contribute To Amphibian Decline”.
g Intelligence - Researchers Harmit Malik and Michael Emerman and colleagues at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have found that a surprisingly large fraction of humans may be impaired in the function of a recently discovered arm of the body's defense against invading retroviruses such as HIV. See article.
g Message - A technique used to discover the small rocky world that was announced last week also could be used to detect a transmitter with the power of your local TV station at a distance of a hundred light-years, even if the alien broadcasters weren’t beaming our way. See article.
g Cosmicus - NASA has signed an agreement with Houston-based Ad Astra Rocket Co. that paves the way for commercialization of a promising advanced plasma rocket system that has evolved over the past 25 years. See article.
g Learning - The research scientists aren’t the only ones getting excited about astrobiology. This new discipline has tremendous potential for revolutionizing science education. It is rich with exciting content to engage those who generally don’t consider themselves scientifically oriented, and also for opening the ears and minds of adults who may want a new reason to visit their local science center. See article. Note: This article is from 2000.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Carol Car and Karen Haber’s short story "First Contact, Sort of" appearing in the anthology “The Ultimate Alien” (edited by Keith R. A. DeCandido, John Betancourt and Byron Preiss; published by Dell in 1995).
g Aftermath - Would dutiful American citizens trust the government to handle first contact with extraterrestrials and rush to get information to the public? See article. Note: This article is from 1999.
Read this blogger’s books
g Stars - A flotilla of space-weather satellites – ESA’s Cluster and NASA’s ACE and Wind - observed for the first time steady large-scale jets of charged particles in the solar wind between the Sun and Earth. See article.
g Abodes - Using an armada of telescopes, an international team of astronomers has found the smallest planet ever detected around a normal star outside our solar system. See article.
g Life - Discoveries and news in 2005 from the global Census of Marine Life include: Major expansions of projects tracking animals in the Pacific, dubbed "fish with chips"; Tiny carnivorous sponges among new species in Southern Ocean abyss; Eerie dead zone at 2004 tsunami epicenter; Life recorded at first seafloor vents found south of Equator in Atlantic; and Giant marine life inventory growing to 8.4 million records, covering 40,000-plus species. See article. For related stories, see: “Conflicting Claims on Global Warming and Why It's All Moot”; “Irrigation Fuels Warmer Temps in California's Central Valley”; and “Pesticide Combinations Imperil Frogs, Probably Contribute To Amphibian Decline”.
g Intelligence - Researchers Harmit Malik and Michael Emerman and colleagues at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have found that a surprisingly large fraction of humans may be impaired in the function of a recently discovered arm of the body's defense against invading retroviruses such as HIV. See article.
g Message - A technique used to discover the small rocky world that was announced last week also could be used to detect a transmitter with the power of your local TV station at a distance of a hundred light-years, even if the alien broadcasters weren’t beaming our way. See article.
g Cosmicus - NASA has signed an agreement with Houston-based Ad Astra Rocket Co. that paves the way for commercialization of a promising advanced plasma rocket system that has evolved over the past 25 years. See article.
g Learning - The research scientists aren’t the only ones getting excited about astrobiology. This new discipline has tremendous potential for revolutionizing science education. It is rich with exciting content to engage those who generally don’t consider themselves scientifically oriented, and also for opening the ears and minds of adults who may want a new reason to visit their local science center. See article. Note: This article is from 2000.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Carol Car and Karen Haber’s short story "First Contact, Sort of" appearing in the anthology “The Ultimate Alien” (edited by Keith R. A. DeCandido, John Betancourt and Byron Preiss; published by Dell in 1995).
g Aftermath - Would dutiful American citizens trust the government to handle first contact with extraterrestrials and rush to get information to the public? See article. Note: This article is from 1999.
Read this blogger’s books
Saturday, February 04, 2006
Encounter with globular clusters, water ice on comets and our brains’ scattered record keeping
Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Today’s news:
g Stars - Gamma-ray bursts are the most powerful explosions in the universe, emitting huge amounts of high-energy radiation. For decades their origin was a mystery. Scientists now believe they understand the processes that produce gamma-ray bursts. However, a new study suggests a previously overlooked source for some gamma-ray bursts: stellar encounters within globular clusters. See http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0601/31neutronstar/.
g Abodes - Scientists for Deep Impact, the University of Maryland-led NASA mission that made history when it smashed into a comet this past July 4, have added another first to their growing list: the first finding of water ice on the surface of a comet. See http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0602/02deepimpact/. For related story, see “Jupiter's Dos Equis” at http://www.astrobio.
net/news/modules.phpop=modload&name=News&file=article&
sid=1855mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
g Life - Scientists have sequenced and compared the genomes of planktonic microbes living throughout the water column in the Pacific Ocean. The pioneering study yielded insight into the specialization of microbial communities at each depth--ranging from 40 to more than 13,000 feet. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/
01/060126191002.htm.
g Intelligence - Scientists have long suspected that the brain stores the memory of an event in more than one place. A new study provides solid evidence for this scattered record keeping. See http://
www.livescience.com/humanbiology/060202_thoughts_scattered.
html.
g Message - Several big hunts are seeking radio and laser emissions from other civilizations. From Project Phoenix to SETI@home, here's a complete rundown of all the searches now under way or recently conducted. See article.
g Cosmicus - Space station commander Bill McArthur and flight engineer Valery Tokarev completed a five-hour, 43-minute spacewalk Friday night, but problems "safing" a protective cable cutter on a key station component will complicate already planned repair work by the crew of the next shuttle mission. And in a disappointment to amateur radio enthusiasts, an old Russian spacesuit that was dumped overboard as part of an amateur radio project stopped transmitting shortly after its release. See http://www.spaceflightnow.com/station/exp12/060203evawrap.html.
g Learning - As the bankruptcy of creation "science" becomes increasingly recognized, a new catch phrase, intelligent design, has been adopted by those who persist in their attempts to inject creationism into the science curriculum. See http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/cosmo.html.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Paul Dellinger’s short story "Absolution," anthologized in “First Contact” (edited by Martin H. Greenberg & Larry Segriff and published by DAW in 1997).
g Aftermath - What if we did contact another intelligent life form in the universe? Should we respond? What should we say? What traits best represent our humanity? Douglas Vakoch, the SETI Institute’s director of Interstellar Message Composition, is working with scientists, artists, linguists, composers, and others to imagine how to speak for our planet. Here’s a Web cast in which Vakoch describes his work: http://www.exploratorium.edu/origins/arecibo/live/index.html; scroll to “Talking with ET.”
g Stars - Gamma-ray bursts are the most powerful explosions in the universe, emitting huge amounts of high-energy radiation. For decades their origin was a mystery. Scientists now believe they understand the processes that produce gamma-ray bursts. However, a new study suggests a previously overlooked source for some gamma-ray bursts: stellar encounters within globular clusters. See http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0601/31neutronstar/.
g Abodes - Scientists for Deep Impact, the University of Maryland-led NASA mission that made history when it smashed into a comet this past July 4, have added another first to their growing list: the first finding of water ice on the surface of a comet. See http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0602/02deepimpact/. For related story, see “Jupiter's Dos Equis” at http://www.astrobio.
net/news/modules.phpop=modload&name=News&file=article&
sid=1855mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
g Life - Scientists have sequenced and compared the genomes of planktonic microbes living throughout the water column in the Pacific Ocean. The pioneering study yielded insight into the specialization of microbial communities at each depth--ranging from 40 to more than 13,000 feet. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/
01/060126191002.htm.
g Intelligence - Scientists have long suspected that the brain stores the memory of an event in more than one place. A new study provides solid evidence for this scattered record keeping. See http://
www.livescience.com/humanbiology/060202_thoughts_scattered.
html.
g Message - Several big hunts are seeking radio and laser emissions from other civilizations. From Project Phoenix to SETI@home, here's a complete rundown of all the searches now under way or recently conducted. See article.
g Cosmicus - Space station commander Bill McArthur and flight engineer Valery Tokarev completed a five-hour, 43-minute spacewalk Friday night, but problems "safing" a protective cable cutter on a key station component will complicate already planned repair work by the crew of the next shuttle mission. And in a disappointment to amateur radio enthusiasts, an old Russian spacesuit that was dumped overboard as part of an amateur radio project stopped transmitting shortly after its release. See http://www.spaceflightnow.com/station/exp12/060203evawrap.html.
g Learning - As the bankruptcy of creation "science" becomes increasingly recognized, a new catch phrase, intelligent design, has been adopted by those who persist in their attempts to inject creationism into the science curriculum. See http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/cosmo.html.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Paul Dellinger’s short story "Absolution," anthologized in “First Contact” (edited by Martin H. Greenberg & Larry Segriff and published by DAW in 1997).
g Aftermath - What if we did contact another intelligent life form in the universe? Should we respond? What should we say? What traits best represent our humanity? Douglas Vakoch, the SETI Institute’s director of Interstellar Message Composition, is working with scientists, artists, linguists, composers, and others to imagine how to speak for our planet. Here’s a Web cast in which Vakoch describes his work: http://www.exploratorium.edu/origins/arecibo/live/index.html; scroll to “Talking with ET.”
Friday, February 03, 2006
Fill ‘er up for star formation, falling albedo and skiing on the moon and
Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Stars - New findings from a large survey of galaxies suggest that star formation is largely driven by the supply of raw materials, rather than by galactic mergers that trigger sudden bursts of star formation. Stars form when clouds of gas and dust collapse under the force of gravity, and the study supports a scenario in which exhaustion of a galaxy's gas supply leads to a gradual decline in the star-formation rate. See article.
g Abodes - After dropping for about 15 years, the amount of sunlight Earth reflects back into space, called albedo, has increased since 2000, a new study concludes. See article.
g Life - A butterfly's wing is a uniquely visual exhibition, not only of the aesthetics of nature, but of the machinery of evolution. See article. Note: This article is from 2004. For related story, see “Butterflies 'follow flightpaths'".
g Intelligence - Research published in the recent issue of Ethology has discovered that men are able to potentially use smell as a mechanism to establish when their current or prospective sexual partners are at their most fertile. See article.
g Message - You don’t have to leave Earth to find intelligent life on other worlds. All you have to do is tune in ... at the right time ... on the right frequency ... in the right direction ... with the right spectrometer ... using the most powerful supercomputer on this planet. See article. Note: this article is from 2004.
g Cosmicus - In the past year, the United States, India, China, Japan and the European Space Agency have all made plans to head to the moon sometime in the next two decades. An recent NASA article has valuable tips from Apollo astronauts on an alternative means of lunar travel first suggested by science fiction writer Robert Heinlein - namely, skiing. See article.
g Learning - High school courses have traditionally been compartmentalized into biology, chemistry, physical or earth science, and perhaps physics or an elective such as astronomy or oceanography. This may, in the best of cases, prepare students for the "almighty test," but does it really prepare students for scientific literacy and logical decision-making? See article.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Orson Scott Card’s novel “Ender's Game,” published by Tor in 1985.
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 article.
Read this blogger’s books
g Stars - New findings from a large survey of galaxies suggest that star formation is largely driven by the supply of raw materials, rather than by galactic mergers that trigger sudden bursts of star formation. Stars form when clouds of gas and dust collapse under the force of gravity, and the study supports a scenario in which exhaustion of a galaxy's gas supply leads to a gradual decline in the star-formation rate. See article.
g Abodes - After dropping for about 15 years, the amount of sunlight Earth reflects back into space, called albedo, has increased since 2000, a new study concludes. See article.
g Life - A butterfly's wing is a uniquely visual exhibition, not only of the aesthetics of nature, but of the machinery of evolution. See article. Note: This article is from 2004. For related story, see “Butterflies 'follow flightpaths'".
g Intelligence - Research published in the recent issue of Ethology has discovered that men are able to potentially use smell as a mechanism to establish when their current or prospective sexual partners are at their most fertile. See article.
g Message - You don’t have to leave Earth to find intelligent life on other worlds. All you have to do is tune in ... at the right time ... on the right frequency ... in the right direction ... with the right spectrometer ... using the most powerful supercomputer on this planet. See article. Note: this article is from 2004.
g Cosmicus - In the past year, the United States, India, China, Japan and the European Space Agency have all made plans to head to the moon sometime in the next two decades. An recent NASA article has valuable tips from Apollo astronauts on an alternative means of lunar travel first suggested by science fiction writer Robert Heinlein - namely, skiing. See article.
g Learning - High school courses have traditionally been compartmentalized into biology, chemistry, physical or earth science, and perhaps physics or an elective such as astronomy or oceanography. This may, in the best of cases, prepare students for the "almighty test," but does it really prepare students for scientific literacy and logical decision-making? See article.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Orson Scott Card’s novel “Ender's Game,” published by Tor in 1985.
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 article.
Read this blogger’s books
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Exiled stars, Martian terriers and designer genes
Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Today’s news:
g Stars - TV reality show contestants aren't the only ones under threat of exile. Astronomers using the MMT Observatory in Arizona have discovered two stars exiled from the Milky Way galaxy. Those stars are racing out of the galaxy at speeds of more than 1 million miles per hour - so fast that they will never return. See article.
g Abodes - Travel with Aaron Gronstal on a drilling expedition in Chesapeake Bay, the site of a 35 million-year-old impact crater. This portion of his journal is part 2 of a 4-part series. See http://www.
astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop=modload&name=News&file
=article&sid=1844mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
g Life - A single unifying physics theory can essentially describe how animals of every ilk, from flying insects to fish, get around, researchers at Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering and Pennsylvania State University have found. The team reports that all animals bear the same stamp of physics in their design. See http://
www.astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop=modload&name=News&file
=article&sid=1820mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
g Intelligence - Certain species of ant use a technique known as “tandem running” to lead another ant from the nest to a food source. This is believed to be the first time a demonstration of “formal” teaching that has been recognized in any non-human animal. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/01/060113120042.htm.
g Message - The Earth's radio emission is now comparable to or stronger than the Sun's. So for aliens looking in the radio frequency, we should be the brightest spot in the solar system. See http://
www.redorbit.com/news/space/124218/limitations_of_radio_
searches_for_extraterrestrials/. Note: This article is from 2005.
g Cosmicus - Imagine strolling between vineyard rows thriving in the rusty red soils of Mars, or sipping that maiden Martian vintage. Since humans have advanced from rudimentary cave dwellers to explorers of space, Leonie Joubert considers whether the next fashionable terrier might, quite literally, be out of this world. See http://www.
wine.co.za/News/news.aspxNEWSID=7274&Source=News. Note: This article is from 2005.
g Learning - Here’s a neat classroom activity: “Designer Genes for a Designer World.” In this series of guided inquiry activities, students explore how organisms adapt to their environments through changes in their genetic codes. See http://btc.montana.edu/ceres/astro
biology/LabActivities/DesignerDNA.doc.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read John W. Campbell’s (writing as Don A. Stuart) short story, "Who Goes There?" it first appeared in August 1938’s Astounding magazine.
g Aftermath - How would humans react the day after ET landed? A nationwide survey by the Roper Organization in 1999 found that the following: “...one out of four Americans think most people would “totally freak out and panic” if such evidence were confirmed. See http://www.nidsci.org/news/roper/roperpressrelease.html.
g Stars - TV reality show contestants aren't the only ones under threat of exile. Astronomers using the MMT Observatory in Arizona have discovered two stars exiled from the Milky Way galaxy. Those stars are racing out of the galaxy at speeds of more than 1 million miles per hour - so fast that they will never return. See article.
g Abodes - Travel with Aaron Gronstal on a drilling expedition in Chesapeake Bay, the site of a 35 million-year-old impact crater. This portion of his journal is part 2 of a 4-part series. See http://www.
astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop=modload&name=News&file
=article&sid=1844mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
g Life - A single unifying physics theory can essentially describe how animals of every ilk, from flying insects to fish, get around, researchers at Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering and Pennsylvania State University have found. The team reports that all animals bear the same stamp of physics in their design. See http://
www.astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop=modload&name=News&file
=article&sid=1820mode=thread&order=0&thold=0.
g Intelligence - Certain species of ant use a technique known as “tandem running” to lead another ant from the nest to a food source. This is believed to be the first time a demonstration of “formal” teaching that has been recognized in any non-human animal. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/01/060113120042.htm.
g Message - The Earth's radio emission is now comparable to or stronger than the Sun's. So for aliens looking in the radio frequency, we should be the brightest spot in the solar system. See http://
www.redorbit.com/news/space/124218/limitations_of_radio_
searches_for_extraterrestrials/. Note: This article is from 2005.
g Cosmicus - Imagine strolling between vineyard rows thriving in the rusty red soils of Mars, or sipping that maiden Martian vintage. Since humans have advanced from rudimentary cave dwellers to explorers of space, Leonie Joubert considers whether the next fashionable terrier might, quite literally, be out of this world. See http://www.
wine.co.za/News/news.aspxNEWSID=7274&Source=News. Note: This article is from 2005.
g Learning - Here’s a neat classroom activity: “Designer Genes for a Designer World.” In this series of guided inquiry activities, students explore how organisms adapt to their environments through changes in their genetic codes. See http://btc.montana.edu/ceres/astro
biology/LabActivities/DesignerDNA.doc.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read John W. Campbell’s (writing as Don A. Stuart) short story, "Who Goes There?" it first appeared in August 1938’s Astounding magazine.
g Aftermath - How would humans react the day after ET landed? A nationwide survey by the Roper Organization in 1999 found that the following: “...one out of four Americans think most people would “totally freak out and panic” if such evidence were confirmed. See http://www.nidsci.org/news/roper/roperpressrelease.html.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Galaxy-sized tunnel, Titan’s clouds and ‘Dawn’
Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Today’s news:
g Stars - A team of astronomers is announcing today that they have discovered a giant Milky Way-sized tunnel filled with high energy particles in a distant galaxy cluster. These new findings are of special interest to astronomers as they may provide the missing evolutionary link necessary to understand the cycle of birth and death, as well as the environmental impact, of radio jets which result from ravenous supermassive black holes within giant galaxies. See article.
g Abodes - Using recent Cassini, Huygens and Earth-based observations, scientists have been able to create a computer model which explains the formation of several types of ethane and methane clouds on Titan. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/01/060123164538.htm. For related story, see “Moons in perspective” at http://www.spaceflightnow.com/cassini/060123moons.html.
g Life - On board the Space Shuttle Columbia mission STS-107, researchers were studying the growth and reproductive behavior of the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans, but the mission ended in tragedy in 2003 when the shuttle broke up during reentry. Remarkably, the worms, housed in specially designed canisters, survived the virtually unprotected reentry into the Earth's atmosphere and were recovered alive during the extensive recovery effort following the crash. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop
=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1821mode=thread&
order=0&thold=0.
g Intelligence - Newborn adult brain cells travel along a neural highway from their place of birth to their final destination. Now scientists have shown that tiny, beating, hair-like structures called cilia play an important role in helping the new cells merge onto the highway's on-ramp. See http://www.livescience.com/humanbio
logy/060112_brain_fluid.html.
g Message - However, since the invention of the radio, humans have been broadcasting signals into outer space. Other civilizations in our galaxy might be doing the same. They might even be deliberately sending out signals to find other civilizations. Someone out there may even be beaming a signal directly at the Earth. See http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/seti.php.
g Cosmicus - NASA and its supporters in Congress have won a behind-the-scenes battle with White House budget writers who suggested retiring one or more of the shuttles early and canceling some remaining flights to save money. See http://space.com/news/ft_060201_nasabudget.html.
g Learning - "Teacher, why do I need to learn this?" "What’s it good for?" Students ask these questions when faced with content that seems unrelated to their lives. Motivating students is fundamental to promoting achievement in any classroom, even in science, which encompasses the entire natural world, the whole universe. Good questions and quality experiences support science learning for all students, not just those who are already science-friendly. The relatively new discipline of astrobiology asks great questions that intrigue students. See http://www.space.com/searchforlife/seti_devore_why_040408.html.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Octavia Butler’s novel “Dawn,” published by Warner in 1987.
g Aftermath - Among scientists involved in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, it’s quite common to be focused on the future, ever mindful that it could take years, or even decades, to find a signal from otherworldly intelligence. But if historian Steve Dick has his way, astronomers will also turn their attention toward the past as they search for life beyond Earth — to discover the aftereffects of contact between two intelligent cultures. See http:///. Note: This article is from 2003.
g Stars - A team of astronomers is announcing today that they have discovered a giant Milky Way-sized tunnel filled with high energy particles in a distant galaxy cluster. These new findings are of special interest to astronomers as they may provide the missing evolutionary link necessary to understand the cycle of birth and death, as well as the environmental impact, of radio jets which result from ravenous supermassive black holes within giant galaxies. See article.
g Abodes - Using recent Cassini, Huygens and Earth-based observations, scientists have been able to create a computer model which explains the formation of several types of ethane and methane clouds on Titan. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/01/060123164538.htm. For related story, see “Moons in perspective” at http://www.spaceflightnow.com/cassini/060123moons.html.
g Life - On board the Space Shuttle Columbia mission STS-107, researchers were studying the growth and reproductive behavior of the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans, but the mission ended in tragedy in 2003 when the shuttle broke up during reentry. Remarkably, the worms, housed in specially designed canisters, survived the virtually unprotected reentry into the Earth's atmosphere and were recovered alive during the extensive recovery effort following the crash. See http://www.astrobio.net/news/modules.phpop
=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1821mode=thread&
order=0&thold=0.
g Intelligence - Newborn adult brain cells travel along a neural highway from their place of birth to their final destination. Now scientists have shown that tiny, beating, hair-like structures called cilia play an important role in helping the new cells merge onto the highway's on-ramp. See http://www.livescience.com/humanbio
logy/060112_brain_fluid.html.
g Message - However, since the invention of the radio, humans have been broadcasting signals into outer space. Other civilizations in our galaxy might be doing the same. They might even be deliberately sending out signals to find other civilizations. Someone out there may even be beaming a signal directly at the Earth. See http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/seti.php.
g Cosmicus - NASA and its supporters in Congress have won a behind-the-scenes battle with White House budget writers who suggested retiring one or more of the shuttles early and canceling some remaining flights to save money. See http://space.com/news/ft_060201_nasabudget.html.
g Learning - "Teacher, why do I need to learn this?" "What’s it good for?" Students ask these questions when faced with content that seems unrelated to their lives. Motivating students is fundamental to promoting achievement in any classroom, even in science, which encompasses the entire natural world, the whole universe. Good questions and quality experiences support science learning for all students, not just those who are already science-friendly. The relatively new discipline of astrobiology asks great questions that intrigue students. See http://www.space.com/searchforlife/seti_devore_why_040408.html.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Octavia Butler’s novel “Dawn,” published by Warner in 1987.
g Aftermath - Among scientists involved in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, it’s quite common to be focused on the future, ever mindful that it could take years, or even decades, to find a signal from otherworldly intelligence. But if historian Steve Dick has his way, astronomers will also turn their attention toward the past as they search for life beyond Earth — to discover the aftereffects of contact between two intelligent cultures. See http:///. Note: This article is from 2003.
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Cartwheel Galaxy in neon, space debris and the ‘quiet crisis”
Welcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Today’s news:
g Stars - A new picture from NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer completes a multi-wavelength, neon-colored portrait of the enormous Cartwheel Galaxy after a smaller galaxy plunged through it, triggering ripples of sudden, brief star formation. See article.
g Abodes - NASA's Stardust spacecraft was placed into hibernation mode Sunday. Stardust successfully returned to Earth samples of a comet via its sample return capsule on January 15. The spacecraft has logged almost seven years of flight. See http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0601/30stardust/.
g Life - Somewhere between 3 million to 5 million years ago, a massive swarm of locusts took off from the west coast of Africa and made an unlikely voyage across the Atlantic Ocean to colonize the New World, says an international team of researchers. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/12/051226101953.htm.
g Intelligence - A South African anthropologist said his research into the death nearly 2 million years ago of an ape-man shows human ancestors were hunted by birds. See http://www.livescience.com/history/060112_ap_bird_hunt.html.
g Message - Perhaps nothing says SETI Today more than the Allen Telescope Array, which is being built in collaboration with the Radio Astronomy Lab of the University of California, Berkeley. While the array is often described as a "dual use instrument," it would be more correct to say that it is a multi-tasking instrument. The simple implication that the array will conduct "SETI" and "other astronomy" is misleading. See http://www.space.com/searchforlife/seti_astrobiology_030619.html. Note: this article is from 2003.
g Cosmicus - More than 9,000 pieces of space debris are orbiting the Earth, a hazard that can only be expected to get worse in the next few years. And currently there's no workable and economic way to clean up the mess. See http://space.com/news/ap_060120_space_junk.html.
g Learning -
The president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute wants U.S. President George Bush to urge a renewed national focus on science and technology. She calls it the “quiet crisis.” See http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=UPI-1-20060130-20212400-bc-us-bush-science.xml.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Fredric Brown’s short story "The Waveries." It first appeared in the January 1945 issue of Astounding magazine.
g Aftermath - The discovery that alien life exists would mean that we are not the center of the universe. While most religions now recognize that the Earth is just a lump of rock, they still believe that we human beings are the most important thing in creation, that we occupy a special place in God's plan. The existence of aliens would seem to make this implausible especially if they are more advanced than we are (on all levels, intellectually, spiritually) This would mean that God has acted in the development of the aliens in a way he did not act in ours, which in turn would mean that we do not occupy the paramount role in God's creation, which as I said is a fundamental idea in religions. See http://www.philosophos.com/knowledge_base/
archives_10/philosophy_questions_1041.html.
g Stars - A new picture from NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer completes a multi-wavelength, neon-colored portrait of the enormous Cartwheel Galaxy after a smaller galaxy plunged through it, triggering ripples of sudden, brief star formation. See article.
g Abodes - NASA's Stardust spacecraft was placed into hibernation mode Sunday. Stardust successfully returned to Earth samples of a comet via its sample return capsule on January 15. The spacecraft has logged almost seven years of flight. See http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0601/30stardust/.
g Life - Somewhere between 3 million to 5 million years ago, a massive swarm of locusts took off from the west coast of Africa and made an unlikely voyage across the Atlantic Ocean to colonize the New World, says an international team of researchers. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/12/051226101953.htm.
g Intelligence - A South African anthropologist said his research into the death nearly 2 million years ago of an ape-man shows human ancestors were hunted by birds. See http://www.livescience.com/history/060112_ap_bird_hunt.html.
g Message - Perhaps nothing says SETI Today more than the Allen Telescope Array, which is being built in collaboration with the Radio Astronomy Lab of the University of California, Berkeley. While the array is often described as a "dual use instrument," it would be more correct to say that it is a multi-tasking instrument. The simple implication that the array will conduct "SETI" and "other astronomy" is misleading. See http://www.space.com/searchforlife/seti_astrobiology_030619.html. Note: this article is from 2003.
g Cosmicus - More than 9,000 pieces of space debris are orbiting the Earth, a hazard that can only be expected to get worse in the next few years. And currently there's no workable and economic way to clean up the mess. See http://space.com/news/ap_060120_space_junk.html.
g Learning -
The president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute wants U.S. President George Bush to urge a renewed national focus on science and technology. She calls it the “quiet crisis.” See http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=UPI-1-20060130-20212400-bc-us-bush-science.xml.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Fredric Brown’s short story "The Waveries." It first appeared in the January 1945 issue of Astounding magazine.
g Aftermath - The discovery that alien life exists would mean that we are not the center of the universe. While most religions now recognize that the Earth is just a lump of rock, they still believe that we human beings are the most important thing in creation, that we occupy a special place in God's plan. The existence of aliens would seem to make this implausible especially if they are more advanced than we are (on all levels, intellectually, spiritually) This would mean that God has acted in the development of the aliens in a way he did not act in ours, which in turn would mean that we do not occupy the paramount role in God's creation, which as I said is a fundamental idea in religions. See http://www.philosophos.com/knowledge_base/
archives_10/philosophy_questions_1041.html.
Monday, January 30, 2006
Coiled magnetic field, Project Constellation and ‘Virtual Skies’
eWelcome! “Alien Life” tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Today’s news:
g Stars - Astronomers have discovered a giant magnetic field that is coiled like a snake around a rod-shaped gas cloud in the constellation Orion. See article.
g Abodes - Tantalizing signs of water have been found in the atmospheres of planets orbiting distant stars. If confirmed, the "astonishing" discovery will fuel speculation that the galaxy is teeming with life. http://www.newscientist.com/article.nsid=dn
2810&feedId=astrobiology_rss20. Note: This article is from 2002.
g Life - A research team led by David Reznick, a professor of biology at UC Riverside, has found that as some populations of an organism evolve a longer lifespan, they do so by increasing only that segment of the lifespan that contributes to "fitness" - the relative ability of an individual to contribute offspring to the next generation. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/12/051227110640.htm. For related story, see “Fish Mating Preferences Change with Age” at http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/051228_fish_mate.html.
g Intelligence - By borrowing mathematical tools from theoretical physics, scientists have recently developed a theory that explains why the brain tissue of humans and other vertebrates is segregated into the familiar "gray matter" and "white matter." See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/01/060112040012.htm.
g Message - Whenever the director of SETI research presents a public lecture, she can almost guarantee that “What If everybody is listening and nobody is transmitting?” will be one of the questions the audience asks. See http://space.com/searchforlife/seti_tarter_transmit_050421.html.
g Cosmicus - NASA’s Project Constellation program has been overhauled to include a slightly smaller Crew Exploration Vehicle and a new human-rated booster with an Apollo-era upper stage engine. See http://space.com/news/060120_cev_overhaul.html.
g Learning - Here’s a neat Web site, courtesy of NASA: “Virtual Skies.” For grades 9-12, in these activities students solve real-life air traffic management problems. See http://virtualskies.arc.nasa.gov/.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read David Brin’s short story "Fortitude." It appeared in the January 1996 issue of Science Fiction Age magazine.
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/cosmos/perspectives/corbally.shtml.
g Stars - Astronomers have discovered a giant magnetic field that is coiled like a snake around a rod-shaped gas cloud in the constellation Orion. See article.
g Abodes - Tantalizing signs of water have been found in the atmospheres of planets orbiting distant stars. If confirmed, the "astonishing" discovery will fuel speculation that the galaxy is teeming with life. http://www.newscientist.com/article.nsid=dn
2810&feedId=astrobiology_rss20. Note: This article is from 2002.
g Life - A research team led by David Reznick, a professor of biology at UC Riverside, has found that as some populations of an organism evolve a longer lifespan, they do so by increasing only that segment of the lifespan that contributes to "fitness" - the relative ability of an individual to contribute offspring to the next generation. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/12/051227110640.htm. For related story, see “Fish Mating Preferences Change with Age” at http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/051228_fish_mate.html.
g Intelligence - By borrowing mathematical tools from theoretical physics, scientists have recently developed a theory that explains why the brain tissue of humans and other vertebrates is segregated into the familiar "gray matter" and "white matter." See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/01/060112040012.htm.
g Message - Whenever the director of SETI research presents a public lecture, she can almost guarantee that “What If everybody is listening and nobody is transmitting?” will be one of the questions the audience asks. See http://space.com/searchforlife/seti_tarter_transmit_050421.html.
g Cosmicus - NASA’s Project Constellation program has been overhauled to include a slightly smaller Crew Exploration Vehicle and a new human-rated booster with an Apollo-era upper stage engine. See http://space.com/news/060120_cev_overhaul.html.
g Learning - Here’s a neat Web site, courtesy of NASA: “Virtual Skies.” For grades 9-12, in these activities students solve real-life air traffic management problems. See http://virtualskies.arc.nasa.gov/.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read David Brin’s short story "Fortitude." It appeared in the January 1996 issue of Science Fiction Age magazine.
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/cosmos/perspectives/corbally.shtml.
Sunday, January 29, 2006
Space-time indentation, asteroid belt breakup and National Space Lottery
Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Stars - MIT scientists and colleagues have found a black hole that has chiseled a remarkably stable indentation in the fabric of space and time, like a dimple in one's favorite spot on the sofa. The finding may help scientists measure a black hole's mass and how it spins, two long-sought measurements, by virtue of the extent of this indentation. Using NASA's Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer, the team saw identical patterns in the X-ray light emitted near the black hole nine years apart, as captured in archived data from 1996 and in a new, unprecedented 550-hour observation from 2005. See article.
g Abodes - Scientists from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Southwest Research Institute, and Charles University in the Czech Republic have made the first positive link between a breakup event in the main asteroid belt and a large quantity of interplanetary dust particles deposited on Earth. See article.
g Life - Conifers suffer a severe plumbing problem. The "pipes" that carry water through firs, pines and other conifers are 10 times shorter than those in flowering trees. But a University of Utah study suggests why conifers not only survive but thrive: efficient microscopic valves let water flow through conifers about as easily as it flows through other trees. See article.
g Intelligence - Do you have second thoughts when ordering a strange-sounding dish at an exotic restaurant? Afraid you'll get fricasseed eye of newt, or something even worse? If you do, it's because certain neurons in the brain are saying that the potential reward for the risk is unknown. These regions of the brain have now been pinpointed by experimental economists at the California Institute of Technology and the University of Iowa College of Medicine. See article.
g Message - No single topic gets SETI folks more excited than their new pet project, the Allen Telescope Array. See article. Note: This article is from 2005.
g Cosmicus - Many have spoken of our goals in space, but few offer ways to pay for them. A National Space Lottery could be a new way of funding space flight systems, promoting space tourism and paying for the tickets of those who would fly. See article.
g Learning - Here’s a neat Web site for kids, courtesy of the Canadian Space Agency — Kidspace.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Gary A. Braunbeck’s short story "Kite People," anthologized in “First Contact,” edited by Martin H. Greenberg & Larry Segriff (published by DAW in 1997).
g Aftermath - Though an older Web posting, “After Contact, Then What?” shows how little we’ve thought about this question.
Read this blogger’s books
g Stars - MIT scientists and colleagues have found a black hole that has chiseled a remarkably stable indentation in the fabric of space and time, like a dimple in one's favorite spot on the sofa. The finding may help scientists measure a black hole's mass and how it spins, two long-sought measurements, by virtue of the extent of this indentation. Using NASA's Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer, the team saw identical patterns in the X-ray light emitted near the black hole nine years apart, as captured in archived data from 1996 and in a new, unprecedented 550-hour observation from 2005. See article.
g Abodes - Scientists from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Southwest Research Institute, and Charles University in the Czech Republic have made the first positive link between a breakup event in the main asteroid belt and a large quantity of interplanetary dust particles deposited on Earth. See article.
g Life - Conifers suffer a severe plumbing problem. The "pipes" that carry water through firs, pines and other conifers are 10 times shorter than those in flowering trees. But a University of Utah study suggests why conifers not only survive but thrive: efficient microscopic valves let water flow through conifers about as easily as it flows through other trees. See article.
g Intelligence - Do you have second thoughts when ordering a strange-sounding dish at an exotic restaurant? Afraid you'll get fricasseed eye of newt, or something even worse? If you do, it's because certain neurons in the brain are saying that the potential reward for the risk is unknown. These regions of the brain have now been pinpointed by experimental economists at the California Institute of Technology and the University of Iowa College of Medicine. See article.
g Message - No single topic gets SETI folks more excited than their new pet project, the Allen Telescope Array. See article. Note: This article is from 2005.
g Cosmicus - Many have spoken of our goals in space, but few offer ways to pay for them. A National Space Lottery could be a new way of funding space flight systems, promoting space tourism and paying for the tickets of those who would fly. See article.
g Learning - Here’s a neat Web site for kids, courtesy of the Canadian Space Agency — Kidspace.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Gary A. Braunbeck’s short story "Kite People," anthologized in “First Contact,” edited by Martin H. Greenberg & Larry Segriff (published by DAW in 1997).
g Aftermath - Though an older Web posting, “After Contact, Then What?” shows how little we’ve thought about this question.
Read this blogger’s books
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Space tornado, extrasolar transit and Rocket Racing League relocates
Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Stars - High-energy particles spewing out of a young star in a nearby stellar nursery are plowing through interstellar clouds and creating a giant spiral structure in space that looks like a glowing, rainbow-colored tornado, scientists say. See article.
g Abodes - The next transit of an Earth-sized planet likely will be observed in 2008 by the NASA Discovery Program’s Kepler Mission. This planet won’t be a member of our solar system – it will be an extrasolar planet. See article.
g Life - Our bodies contain proteins that are made of smaller molecules that can be either left- or right-handed, depending upon their structure. Regardless of which hand we use to write, however, all human beings are 'left-handed' at the molecular level. Life on Earth uses the left-handed variety and no one knows how this preference crept into living systems. In 2012, ESA's Rosetta lander will land on a comet to investigate, among other things, if the origin of this preference lies in the stars. See article. Note: This article is from 2002.
g Intelligence - Nursing home residents felt much less lonely after spending time alone with a dog than they did when they visited with a dog and other people, according to new research. See article.
g Message - Because of the ability to study many areas on the sky at once, with more channels and for 24 hours a day, the Allen Telescope Array will permit an expansion from SETI’s last stellar reconnaissance of 1,000 stars to 100 thousand or even 1 million nearby stars. See article.
g Cosmicus - The Rocket Racing League will establish a world headquarters in Las Cruces, N.M. See article.
g Learning - Here’s a neat Web site that explains the history of the universe to kids. They can click onto a piece of a puzzle that visually shows the major steps from the Big Bang to people. See article.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Ray Bradbury’s "Here There Be Tygers,” which appeared in the April-May 1953 issue of Amazing magazine.
g Aftermath - Clearly, if we are not alone in the universe, there are some unavoidable theological and philosophical consequences. We should reflect on the consequences of a positive result of either finding extraterrestrial microorganisms, or receiving a radio message form an extraterrestrial source: When such discovery occurs, the implications are likely to have an impact on our culture requiring adjustments possibly more radical than those arising form the evidence that humans descend from microorganisms. See article.
Read this blogger’s books
g Stars - High-energy particles spewing out of a young star in a nearby stellar nursery are plowing through interstellar clouds and creating a giant spiral structure in space that looks like a glowing, rainbow-colored tornado, scientists say. See article.
g Abodes - The next transit of an Earth-sized planet likely will be observed in 2008 by the NASA Discovery Program’s Kepler Mission. This planet won’t be a member of our solar system – it will be an extrasolar planet. See article.
g Life - Our bodies contain proteins that are made of smaller molecules that can be either left- or right-handed, depending upon their structure. Regardless of which hand we use to write, however, all human beings are 'left-handed' at the molecular level. Life on Earth uses the left-handed variety and no one knows how this preference crept into living systems. In 2012, ESA's Rosetta lander will land on a comet to investigate, among other things, if the origin of this preference lies in the stars. See article. Note: This article is from 2002.
g Intelligence - Nursing home residents felt much less lonely after spending time alone with a dog than they did when they visited with a dog and other people, according to new research. See article.
g Message - Because of the ability to study many areas on the sky at once, with more channels and for 24 hours a day, the Allen Telescope Array will permit an expansion from SETI’s last stellar reconnaissance of 1,000 stars to 100 thousand or even 1 million nearby stars. See article.
g Cosmicus - The Rocket Racing League will establish a world headquarters in Las Cruces, N.M. See article.
g Learning - Here’s a neat Web site that explains the history of the universe to kids. They can click onto a piece of a puzzle that visually shows the major steps from the Big Bang to people. See article.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Ray Bradbury’s "Here There Be Tygers,” which appeared in the April-May 1953 issue of Amazing magazine.
g Aftermath - Clearly, if we are not alone in the universe, there are some unavoidable theological and philosophical consequences. We should reflect on the consequences of a positive result of either finding extraterrestrial microorganisms, or receiving a radio message form an extraterrestrial source: When such discovery occurs, the implications are likely to have an impact on our culture requiring adjustments possibly more radical than those arising form the evidence that humans descend from microorganisms. See article.
Read this blogger’s books
Friday, January 27, 2006
Stellar jet, life’s traces upon the land and insights on chimp evolution
Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Stars - Using highly resolved images from the Hubble Space Telescope, a international team of astronomers at Rice University and four other institutions has created the first moving pictures of a stellar jet. These massive streams of plasma spew from the poles of newborn stars, playing a critical yet poorly understood role in star formation. The research appears in the Astronomical Journal. See article.
g Abodes - Two new studies by a University of Rochester researcher show that mountain ranges rise to their height in as little as 2 million years - several times faster than geologists have always thought. See article.
g Life - If life were suddenly eliminated from the Earth, would a visitor from another planet be able to tell what once was here? Can the landforms of Mars tell us whether it once had a biota? Two UC Berkeley scientists conclude that life leaves a detectable but very subtle signature, including more rounded than angular hills. This was a surprise, since life has a big impact on erosion, both directly and through its effects on climate. See article.
g Intelligence - Scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology have found genetic evidence that seems to support a controversial hypothesis that humans and chimpanzees may be more closely related to each other than chimps are to the other two species of great apes gorillas and orangutans. They also found that humans evolved at a slower rate than apes. See article.
g Message - Want to help SETI discover alien life? If you haven’t already done so, download the free SETI at Home software. Using Internet-connected computers, the program downloads and analyzes radio telescope data on your desktop when it is idle. The program has been so successful in plowing through data that other scientific researchers, especially in medicine, are adopting it to their fields. See program.
g Cosmicus - The success of NASA’s Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity has scored high points for the wheeled automatons, but another plan may one day have their robotic successors hopping. That plan, according to its research team, calls for a swarm of small, spherical robots the size of tennis balls to hop across another world exploring caves, nooks and other crannies that past mobile robots have been too large to study. See article.
g Learning - Here’s a neat primer (for kids) to understanding extremophiles and how an understanding of them affects astrobiology: “Brave New Biosphere”.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Hal Clement’s novel “Cycle Of Fire,” published by Ballantine in 1957.
g Aftermath - The scientific search for extraterrestrial intelligence is accelerating its pace and adopting fresh strategies. This increases the likelihood of successful detection in the near future. Humanity's first contact with alien intelligence will trigger extraordinary attention from the media, from government authorities, and from the general public. By improving our readiness for contact, especially for security during the first 30 days, we can avoid the most negative scenarios — and also enhance humanity's benefits from this first contact with an alien intelligence. Six potential problem areas include communicating with the media and the public, communicating with scientific colleagues, government control, an assassin or saboteur, well-meaning officials and lawsuits. See article.
Read this blogger’s books
g Stars - Using highly resolved images from the Hubble Space Telescope, a international team of astronomers at Rice University and four other institutions has created the first moving pictures of a stellar jet. These massive streams of plasma spew from the poles of newborn stars, playing a critical yet poorly understood role in star formation. The research appears in the Astronomical Journal. See article.
g Abodes - Two new studies by a University of Rochester researcher show that mountain ranges rise to their height in as little as 2 million years - several times faster than geologists have always thought. See article.
g Life - If life were suddenly eliminated from the Earth, would a visitor from another planet be able to tell what once was here? Can the landforms of Mars tell us whether it once had a biota? Two UC Berkeley scientists conclude that life leaves a detectable but very subtle signature, including more rounded than angular hills. This was a surprise, since life has a big impact on erosion, both directly and through its effects on climate. See article.
g Intelligence - Scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology have found genetic evidence that seems to support a controversial hypothesis that humans and chimpanzees may be more closely related to each other than chimps are to the other two species of great apes gorillas and orangutans. They also found that humans evolved at a slower rate than apes. See article.
g Message - Want to help SETI discover alien life? If you haven’t already done so, download the free SETI at Home software. Using Internet-connected computers, the program downloads and analyzes radio telescope data on your desktop when it is idle. The program has been so successful in plowing through data that other scientific researchers, especially in medicine, are adopting it to their fields. See program.
g Cosmicus - The success of NASA’s Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity has scored high points for the wheeled automatons, but another plan may one day have their robotic successors hopping. That plan, according to its research team, calls for a swarm of small, spherical robots the size of tennis balls to hop across another world exploring caves, nooks and other crannies that past mobile robots have been too large to study. See article.
g Learning - Here’s a neat primer (for kids) to understanding extremophiles and how an understanding of them affects astrobiology: “Brave New Biosphere”.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Hal Clement’s novel “Cycle Of Fire,” published by Ballantine in 1957.
g Aftermath - The scientific search for extraterrestrial intelligence is accelerating its pace and adopting fresh strategies. This increases the likelihood of successful detection in the near future. Humanity's first contact with alien intelligence will trigger extraordinary attention from the media, from government authorities, and from the general public. By improving our readiness for contact, especially for security during the first 30 days, we can avoid the most negative scenarios — and also enhance humanity's benefits from this first contact with an alien intelligence. Six potential problem areas include communicating with the media and the public, communicating with scientific colleagues, government control, an assassin or saboteur, well-meaning officials and lawsuits. See article.
Read this blogger’s books
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Embryonic planets, Russian moon base and ‘Voyagers’
Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Stars - Two new studies suggest that planet formation around multiple star systems may be more common than previously thought. See article.
g Abodes - Hit-and-run collisions between embryonic planets during a critical period in the early history of the Solar System may account for some previously unexplained properties of planets, asteroids, and meteorites, according to researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz. See article. For related story, see “Mercury a Possible Hit-and-Run Planet”.
g Life - Learning as much as possible about the earliest life on Earth is probably the best starting point for trying to find life somewhere else, said Roger Buick, a paleontologist who became the first faculty member hired specifically for the University of Washington’s pioneering graduate program in astrobiology, the search for life away from Earth. See article. Note: This article is from 2003.
g Intelligence - Many computers are already able to see and hear. However, they have no way of telling whether their users are happy or angry. At CeBIT 2006, researchers will be presenting techniques that could one day enable the digital servant to respond to the mood of its human master. See article.
g Message - The Allen Telescope Array, currently under construction about 200 miles northeast of San Francisco, is the first professional radio telescope designed from the get-go to speedily search for extraterrestrial signals. When completed, it will comprise 350 antennas, spread over roughly 150 acres of lava-riven real estate. See article.
g Cosmicus - The head of a leading Russian space company said it was considering plans to set up a permanent moon base by 2015, a statement that appeared to be an effort to win government funds rather than a specific action plan, news reports said Thursday. See article.
g Learning - Here’s a cool introduction to astrobiology: A concept map of the field’s fundamental questions with links to each one.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Ben Bova’s novel “Voyagers,” published by Tor in 1981.
g Aftermath - In a cross-cultural study conducted several years ago, to scientists looked at the attitudes of college students towards the possibility that extraterrestrial life might exist, and if it does, what it might be like for people to learn that it exists. See article. Note: This article is from 2002.
Read this blogger’s books
g Stars - Two new studies suggest that planet formation around multiple star systems may be more common than previously thought. See article.
g Abodes - Hit-and-run collisions between embryonic planets during a critical period in the early history of the Solar System may account for some previously unexplained properties of planets, asteroids, and meteorites, according to researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz. See article. For related story, see “Mercury a Possible Hit-and-Run Planet”.
g Life - Learning as much as possible about the earliest life on Earth is probably the best starting point for trying to find life somewhere else, said Roger Buick, a paleontologist who became the first faculty member hired specifically for the University of Washington’s pioneering graduate program in astrobiology, the search for life away from Earth. See article. Note: This article is from 2003.
g Intelligence - Many computers are already able to see and hear. However, they have no way of telling whether their users are happy or angry. At CeBIT 2006, researchers will be presenting techniques that could one day enable the digital servant to respond to the mood of its human master. See article.
g Message - The Allen Telescope Array, currently under construction about 200 miles northeast of San Francisco, is the first professional radio telescope designed from the get-go to speedily search for extraterrestrial signals. When completed, it will comprise 350 antennas, spread over roughly 150 acres of lava-riven real estate. See article.
g Cosmicus - The head of a leading Russian space company said it was considering plans to set up a permanent moon base by 2015, a statement that appeared to be an effort to win government funds rather than a specific action plan, news reports said Thursday. See article.
g Learning - Here’s a cool introduction to astrobiology: A concept map of the field’s fundamental questions with links to each one.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Ben Bova’s novel “Voyagers,” published by Tor in 1981.
g Aftermath - In a cross-cultural study conducted several years ago, to scientists looked at the attitudes of college students towards the possibility that extraterrestrial life might exist, and if it does, what it might be like for people to learn that it exists. See article. Note: This article is from 2002.
Read this blogger’s books
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Orion Nebula, Ice Age clues and designing New Mexico’s spaceport
Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Stars - In one of the most detailed astronomical images ever produced, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope is offering an unprecedented look at the Orion Nebula. This turbulent star-formation region is one of astronomy's most dramatic and photogenic celestial objects. See article.
g Abodes - Long before the finishing touches are made to UW-Madison's Microbial Sciences Building, a small but significant bit of science has emerged from the hole where the $120 million, 330,000 square-foot structure is emerging. See article. For related story, see “Rewriting Glacial History In Pacific North America”.
g Life - Imagine going back 250 years. The United States has not been born, and no one travels faster than 30 miles an hour. Now jump 10 times further back, to 2,500 years ago. Greece is entering its golden age, and Rome is a cantankerous village. Multiply by 10 again, 25,000 years back, and our caveman ancestors are battling the Ice Age while Neanderthals are dying out. Ten again, and ape-related hominids have not yet evolved into our own species, homo sapiens. Another 10, and the saber-tooth tiger first appears on Earth. Ten again, to 25 million years ago, and India is still an island while South America has only recently split from Africa. Ten times again and we leapfrog the entire history of dinosaurs and find ourselves an almost incomprehensible 250 million years back, in a world of giant ferns and primitive conifers. We're at the dawn of both mammals and dinosaurs, and many creatures look like a weird cross between the two. Welcome to Peter Ward country. See article.
g Intelligence - A protein that seems to be pivotal in lifting depression has been discovered by a Nobel Laureate researcher funded by the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Mental Health. See article.
g Message - Does ET use snail mail? See article. Note: This article is from 2004.
g Cosmicus - With a projected $225 million being spent to create a "purpose-built" spaceport near Upham, N.M. — expected to be completed by 2009-2010—for many of the principals involved there remains but one question: what is a 21st century spaceport supposed to look like? See article.
g Learning - Here is a very thorough list of astrobiology-related journals, magazines and newsletters.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read David Bischoff’s "The Xaxrling of J. Arnold Boysenberry," anthologized in “First Contact,” edited by Martin H. Greenberg & Larry Segriff (published by DAW, 1997).
g Aftermath - While formal principles have been adopted for the eventuality of detecting intelligent life in our galaxy, no such guidelines exist for the discovery of non-intelligent extraterrestrial life within the solar system. Current scientifically based planetary protection policies for solar system exploration address how to undertake exploration, but do not provide clear guidance on what to do if and when life is detected. Considering that Martian life could be detected under several different robotic and human exploration scenarios in the coming decades, it is appropriate to anticipate how detection of non-intelligent, microbial life could impact future exploration missions and activities, especially on Mars. See article.
Read this blogger’s books
g Stars - In one of the most detailed astronomical images ever produced, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope is offering an unprecedented look at the Orion Nebula. This turbulent star-formation region is one of astronomy's most dramatic and photogenic celestial objects. See article.
g Abodes - Long before the finishing touches are made to UW-Madison's Microbial Sciences Building, a small but significant bit of science has emerged from the hole where the $120 million, 330,000 square-foot structure is emerging. See article. For related story, see “Rewriting Glacial History In Pacific North America”.
g Life - Imagine going back 250 years. The United States has not been born, and no one travels faster than 30 miles an hour. Now jump 10 times further back, to 2,500 years ago. Greece is entering its golden age, and Rome is a cantankerous village. Multiply by 10 again, 25,000 years back, and our caveman ancestors are battling the Ice Age while Neanderthals are dying out. Ten again, and ape-related hominids have not yet evolved into our own species, homo sapiens. Another 10, and the saber-tooth tiger first appears on Earth. Ten again, to 25 million years ago, and India is still an island while South America has only recently split from Africa. Ten times again and we leapfrog the entire history of dinosaurs and find ourselves an almost incomprehensible 250 million years back, in a world of giant ferns and primitive conifers. We're at the dawn of both mammals and dinosaurs, and many creatures look like a weird cross between the two. Welcome to Peter Ward country. See article.
g Intelligence - A protein that seems to be pivotal in lifting depression has been discovered by a Nobel Laureate researcher funded by the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Mental Health. See article.
g Message - Does ET use snail mail? See article. Note: This article is from 2004.
g Cosmicus - With a projected $225 million being spent to create a "purpose-built" spaceport near Upham, N.M. — expected to be completed by 2009-2010—for many of the principals involved there remains but one question: what is a 21st century spaceport supposed to look like? See article.
g Learning - Here is a very thorough list of astrobiology-related journals, magazines and newsletters.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read David Bischoff’s "The Xaxrling of J. Arnold Boysenberry," anthologized in “First Contact,” edited by Martin H. Greenberg & Larry Segriff (published by DAW, 1997).
g Aftermath - While formal principles have been adopted for the eventuality of detecting intelligent life in our galaxy, no such guidelines exist for the discovery of non-intelligent extraterrestrial life within the solar system. Current scientifically based planetary protection policies for solar system exploration address how to undertake exploration, but do not provide clear guidance on what to do if and when life is detected. Considering that Martian life could be detected under several different robotic and human exploration scenarios in the coming decades, it is appropriate to anticipate how detection of non-intelligent, microbial life could impact future exploration missions and activities, especially on Mars. See article.
Read this blogger’s books
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Galactic Bermuda Triangle, life in a barren desert and spacecraft propulsion breakthrough
Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Stars - Call it the Bermuda Triangle of our Milky Way Galaxy: a tiny patch of sky that has been known for years to be the source of the mysterious blasts of X-rays and gamma rays. Now, a team of astronomers, led by Don Figer of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Md., has solved the mystery by identifying one of the most massive star clusters in the galaxy. See article. For related story, see “Source of Space Fireworks Discovered”.
g Abodes - Its barren topography is often described as a moonscape. But kick the dirt and the stark, rocky terrain at Joshua Tree National Park is among the liveliest places on the planet. That's according to new research that says soil there teems with bacteria - even more than in dirt in the Amazon rain forest. See article.
g Life - When Charles Darwin published “On the Origin of Species” in 1859, he gave a convincing account of how life has evolved over billions of years from simple microbes to the complexity of the Earth's biosphere today. But he pointedly left out how life got started. One might as well speculate about the origin of matter, he quipped. Today scientists have a good idea of how matter originated in the Big Bang, but the origin of life remains shrouded in mystery. See article.
g Intelligence - A new study finds that a cell once believed to serve neurons instead may perform the crucial function of regulating blood flow in the brain. See article.
g Message - For more than 80 years, we’ve been sending radio (and eventually television) transmissions into space, allowing anyone in space to hear war reports from London, “I Love Lucy” reruns and our latest election results. So wouldn’t hearing aliens be as simple as turning on the radio? Here’s why not: article.
g Cosmicus - The European Space Agency and the Australian National University have successfully tested a new design of spacecraft ion engine that dramatically improves performance over present thrusters and marks a major step forward in space propulsion capability. See article.
g Learning - Every new stargazer thinks the first thing they need to get started in astronomy is a telescope, only to discover that they don't know how to find anything with it in the sky. The problem, of course, is that they don't know the bright stars and major constellations. Unfortunately, many never find the help they need and give up astronomy and stick their telescope in the closet. With proper advice and guidance, anyone can turn into a star-hopping skymaster. See article.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Marc Bilgrey’s "Random Acts," in the anthology “First Contact,” edited by Martin H. Greenberg & Larry Segriff (published by DAW in 1997).
g Aftermath - The scientific search for extraterrestrial intelligence is accelerating its pace and adopting fresh strategies. This increases the likelihood of successful detection in the near future. Humanity's first contact with alien intelligence will trigger extraordinary attention from the media, from government authorities, and from the general public. By improving our readiness for contact, especially for security during the first 30 days, we can avoid the most negative scenarios — and also enhance humanity's benefits from this first contact with an alien intelligence. Six potential problem areas include communicating with the media and the public, communicating with scientific colleagues, government control, an assassin or saboteur, well-meaning officials and lawsuits. See article.
Read this blogger’s books
g Stars - Call it the Bermuda Triangle of our Milky Way Galaxy: a tiny patch of sky that has been known for years to be the source of the mysterious blasts of X-rays and gamma rays. Now, a team of astronomers, led by Don Figer of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Md., has solved the mystery by identifying one of the most massive star clusters in the galaxy. See article. For related story, see “Source of Space Fireworks Discovered”.
g Abodes - Its barren topography is often described as a moonscape. But kick the dirt and the stark, rocky terrain at Joshua Tree National Park is among the liveliest places on the planet. That's according to new research that says soil there teems with bacteria - even more than in dirt in the Amazon rain forest. See article.
g Life - When Charles Darwin published “On the Origin of Species” in 1859, he gave a convincing account of how life has evolved over billions of years from simple microbes to the complexity of the Earth's biosphere today. But he pointedly left out how life got started. One might as well speculate about the origin of matter, he quipped. Today scientists have a good idea of how matter originated in the Big Bang, but the origin of life remains shrouded in mystery. See article.
g Intelligence - A new study finds that a cell once believed to serve neurons instead may perform the crucial function of regulating blood flow in the brain. See article.
g Message - For more than 80 years, we’ve been sending radio (and eventually television) transmissions into space, allowing anyone in space to hear war reports from London, “I Love Lucy” reruns and our latest election results. So wouldn’t hearing aliens be as simple as turning on the radio? Here’s why not: article.
g Cosmicus - The European Space Agency and the Australian National University have successfully tested a new design of spacecraft ion engine that dramatically improves performance over present thrusters and marks a major step forward in space propulsion capability. See article.
g Learning - Every new stargazer thinks the first thing they need to get started in astronomy is a telescope, only to discover that they don't know how to find anything with it in the sky. The problem, of course, is that they don't know the bright stars and major constellations. Unfortunately, many never find the help they need and give up astronomy and stick their telescope in the closet. With proper advice and guidance, anyone can turn into a star-hopping skymaster. See article.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Marc Bilgrey’s "Random Acts," in the anthology “First Contact,” edited by Martin H. Greenberg & Larry Segriff (published by DAW in 1997).
g Aftermath - The scientific search for extraterrestrial intelligence is accelerating its pace and adopting fresh strategies. This increases the likelihood of successful detection in the near future. Humanity's first contact with alien intelligence will trigger extraordinary attention from the media, from government authorities, and from the general public. By improving our readiness for contact, especially for security during the first 30 days, we can avoid the most negative scenarios — and also enhance humanity's benefits from this first contact with an alien intelligence. Six potential problem areas include communicating with the media and the public, communicating with scientific colleagues, government control, an assassin or saboteur, well-meaning officials and lawsuits. See article.
Read this blogger’s books
Monday, January 23, 2006
Mysterious super star clusters, sequencing wooly mammoth genome and ET detection protocols
Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Stars - An international team of astronomers reported evidence for the formation of mysterious "super star clusters" in a dozen nearby galaxies. These star clusters are the likely precursors to the familiar globular clusters of the Milky Way; however in our galaxy, globular clusters are believed to all be older than 10 billion years - close to the age of the universe itself, and none are forming. See article.
g Abodes - Astronomers have discovered a planet orbiting a very young star nearly 100 light years away using a relatively small, publicly accessible telescope turbocharged with a new planet-finding instrument. See article.
g Life - A team of experts in ancient DNA from McMaster University (Canada) and genome researchers from Penn State University have obtained the first genomic sequences from a woolly mammoth, a mammal that roamed grassy plains of the Northern Hemisphere until it became extinct about 10,000 years ago. The project also involved paleontologists from the American Museum of Natural History and researchers from Russia, the United Kingdom, France and Germany. See article.
g Intelligence - Two Neanderthal fossils excavated from Vindija Cave in Croatia in 1998, believed to be the last surviving Neanderthals, may be 3,000-4,000 years older than originally thought. See article.
g Message - A new study suggests it is more energy efficient to communicate across interstellar space by sending physical material — a sort of message in a bottle — than beams of electromagnetic radiation. Solid matter can hold more information and journey farther than radio waves, which disperse as they travel. See http://www.winlab.rutgers.edu/~crose/press/natgeog_lovgren.html.
g Cosmicus - There is a new breed of weaponry fast approaching—and at the speed of light no less. They are labeled "directed-energy weapons" and may well signal a revolution in military hardware—perhaps more so than the atomic bomb. See article.
g Learning - Want to see what things look like under the microscope? Then log onto the Internet and go to article.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Jeff Berkwits’ story "First Contact," which appeared in the August 1996 issue of “Keen!”
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 article. Note: This story is a couple of years old.
Read this blogger’s books
g Stars - An international team of astronomers reported evidence for the formation of mysterious "super star clusters" in a dozen nearby galaxies. These star clusters are the likely precursors to the familiar globular clusters of the Milky Way; however in our galaxy, globular clusters are believed to all be older than 10 billion years - close to the age of the universe itself, and none are forming. See article.
g Abodes - Astronomers have discovered a planet orbiting a very young star nearly 100 light years away using a relatively small, publicly accessible telescope turbocharged with a new planet-finding instrument. See article.
g Life - A team of experts in ancient DNA from McMaster University (Canada) and genome researchers from Penn State University have obtained the first genomic sequences from a woolly mammoth, a mammal that roamed grassy plains of the Northern Hemisphere until it became extinct about 10,000 years ago. The project also involved paleontologists from the American Museum of Natural History and researchers from Russia, the United Kingdom, France and Germany. See article.
g Intelligence - Two Neanderthal fossils excavated from Vindija Cave in Croatia in 1998, believed to be the last surviving Neanderthals, may be 3,000-4,000 years older than originally thought. See article.
g Message - A new study suggests it is more energy efficient to communicate across interstellar space by sending physical material — a sort of message in a bottle — than beams of electromagnetic radiation. Solid matter can hold more information and journey farther than radio waves, which disperse as they travel. See http://www.winlab.rutgers.edu/~crose/press/natgeog_lovgren.html.
g Cosmicus - There is a new breed of weaponry fast approaching—and at the speed of light no less. They are labeled "directed-energy weapons" and may well signal a revolution in military hardware—perhaps more so than the atomic bomb. See article.
g Learning - Want to see what things look like under the microscope? Then log onto the Internet and go to article.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Jeff Berkwits’ story "First Contact," which appeared in the August 1996 issue of “Keen!”
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 article. Note: This story is a couple of years old.
Read this blogger’s books
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Galaxy’s center, warming Mars and ‘Anvil of Stars’
Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Stars - A new infrared mosaic from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope offers a stunning view of the stellar hustle and bustle that takes place at our Milky Way galaxy's center. The picture shows throngs of mostly old stars, on the order of hundreds of thousands, amid fantastically detailed clouds of glowing dust lit up by younger, massive stars. See article.
g Abodes - Injecting synthetic "super" greenhouse gases into the Martian atmosphere could raise the planet's temperature enough to melt its polar ice caps and create conditions suitable for sustaining biological life. In fact, a team of researchers suggests that introducing global warming on the Red Planet may be the best approach for warming the planet's frozen landscape and turning it into a habitable world in the future. See article. Note: This article is from 2005.
g Life - Paleontologists from the University of Bonn report on an intriguing diagnosis in the Dec. 16 issue of the journal Science. A dinosaur that they have examined was apparently able to vary the speed of its growth according the conditions obtaining in its environment. Although tortoises and crocodiles also do this, plateosaurus engelhardti seems to be unique among dinosaurs, leading experts to puzzle over whether the family history of the dinosaurs will need to be rewritten. See article.
g Intelligence - Newly discovered hieroglyphs show that the Maya were writing at a complex level 150 years earlier than previously thought. See article.
g Message - Just how does SETI work? Here’s a good primer for those looking to get a basic overview.
g Cosmicus - The U.S. Air Force has just put out a request for proposal for a "Gaming and Training Environment for Counter Space Operations." In other words, they're ready for “Ender's Game.” Or maybe Space Wars. See article. For related story, see “America’s new ray guns”.
g Learning - Here’s a neat set of lesson plans for seventh and eighth graders: “Science Fiction and the Future.” See article.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Greg Bear’s “Anvil of Stars,” published by Tor in 1992.
g Aftermath - While formal principles have been adopted for the eventuality of detecting intelligent life in our galaxy, no such guidelines exist for the discovery of non-intelligent extraterrestrial life within the solar system. Current scientifically based planetary protection policies for solar system exploration address how to undertake exploration, but do not provide clear guidance on what to do if and when life is detected. Considering that Martian life could be detected under several different robotic and human exploration scenarios in the coming decades, it is appropriate to anticipate how detection of non-intelligent, microbial life could impact future exploration missions and activities, especially on Mars. See article.
Read this blogger’s books
g Stars - A new infrared mosaic from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope offers a stunning view of the stellar hustle and bustle that takes place at our Milky Way galaxy's center. The picture shows throngs of mostly old stars, on the order of hundreds of thousands, amid fantastically detailed clouds of glowing dust lit up by younger, massive stars. See article.
g Abodes - Injecting synthetic "super" greenhouse gases into the Martian atmosphere could raise the planet's temperature enough to melt its polar ice caps and create conditions suitable for sustaining biological life. In fact, a team of researchers suggests that introducing global warming on the Red Planet may be the best approach for warming the planet's frozen landscape and turning it into a habitable world in the future. See article. Note: This article is from 2005.
g Life - Paleontologists from the University of Bonn report on an intriguing diagnosis in the Dec. 16 issue of the journal Science. A dinosaur that they have examined was apparently able to vary the speed of its growth according the conditions obtaining in its environment. Although tortoises and crocodiles also do this, plateosaurus engelhardti seems to be unique among dinosaurs, leading experts to puzzle over whether the family history of the dinosaurs will need to be rewritten. See article.
g Intelligence - Newly discovered hieroglyphs show that the Maya were writing at a complex level 150 years earlier than previously thought. See article.
g Message - Just how does SETI work? Here’s a good primer for those looking to get a basic overview.
g Cosmicus - The U.S. Air Force has just put out a request for proposal for a "Gaming and Training Environment for Counter Space Operations." In other words, they're ready for “Ender's Game.” Or maybe Space Wars. See article. For related story, see “America’s new ray guns”.
g Learning - Here’s a neat set of lesson plans for seventh and eighth graders: “Science Fiction and the Future.” See article.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Greg Bear’s “Anvil of Stars,” published by Tor in 1992.
g Aftermath - While formal principles have been adopted for the eventuality of detecting intelligent life in our galaxy, no such guidelines exist for the discovery of non-intelligent extraterrestrial life within the solar system. Current scientifically based planetary protection policies for solar system exploration address how to undertake exploration, but do not provide clear guidance on what to do if and when life is detected. Considering that Martian life could be detected under several different robotic and human exploration scenarios in the coming decades, it is appropriate to anticipate how detection of non-intelligent, microbial life could impact future exploration missions and activities, especially on Mars. See article.
Read this blogger’s books
Saturday, January 21, 2006
Getting to know Pluto, ‘Flies in Space’ and ‘The Allure of Bone and Ice’
Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Stars - Black holes are creating havoc in unsuspected places, according to a new study of images of elliptical galaxies made by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. The discovery of far-reaching explosive activity, due to giant central black holes in these old galaxies, was a surprise to astronomers. See article.
g Abodes - In the not-too-distant past, the planet Pluto was thought to be an odd bird in the outer reaches of the solar system because it has a moon, Charon, that was formed much like Earth's own moon was formed. But Pluto is getting a lot of company these days. Of the four largest objects in the Kuiper belt, three have one or more moons. See article. For related stories, see “Probe sets sail on voyage to the outer solar system” and “More pictures, video from New Horizons launch”.
g Life - Does life exist elsewhere in the universe? Here’s how scientists are looking for it. See article.
g Intelligence - A new retinal photoreceptor adjusts its sensitivity in different lighting conditions, according to scientists at Brown University, where the rare eye cells were discovered. The findings provide further evidence that the eye has complementary brain-signaling systems at work. See article.
g Message - The question of whether we are alone in the universe is one of the biggest of the Big Questions of Existence. One way to settle the matter is to find some cosmic company. A direct approach to this problem is to scan the skies with radio telescopes in the hope of stumbling across a message from an alien civilization. See article. Note: This article is from 2005.
g Cosmicus - NASA will pay the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roskosmos) $21.8 million per passenger for Soyuz rides to and from the International Space Station starting this spring. See article.
g Learning - Here’s a neat Web site, courtesy of NASA: “Flies in Space”. For grades 5-8, the activity has students step into a space biologist's shoes and predict experiment results.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Linda P. Baker’s short story "The Allure of Bone and Ice." It’s in the anthology “First Contact,” edited by Martin H. Greenberg & Larry Segriff (published by DAW in 1997).
g Aftermath - Could religions survive contact with extraterrestrials? The Medieval Church didn't think so, as the discovery would challenge mankind's central role in the cosmos. Today such ideas are considered old fashioned, and many theologians welcome the discovery of life — even intelligent life — among the stars. But if scientists were to find microscopic Martians or a signal from another world, would established religions really take it in stride? For a discussion, check out this past program of SETI’s “Are We Alone?” Note: An mp3 player is required to play the audio files; you can download one at the site for free.
Read this blogger’s books
g Stars - Black holes are creating havoc in unsuspected places, according to a new study of images of elliptical galaxies made by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. The discovery of far-reaching explosive activity, due to giant central black holes in these old galaxies, was a surprise to astronomers. See article.
g Abodes - In the not-too-distant past, the planet Pluto was thought to be an odd bird in the outer reaches of the solar system because it has a moon, Charon, that was formed much like Earth's own moon was formed. But Pluto is getting a lot of company these days. Of the four largest objects in the Kuiper belt, three have one or more moons. See article. For related stories, see “Probe sets sail on voyage to the outer solar system” and “More pictures, video from New Horizons launch”.
g Life - Does life exist elsewhere in the universe? Here’s how scientists are looking for it. See article.
g Intelligence - A new retinal photoreceptor adjusts its sensitivity in different lighting conditions, according to scientists at Brown University, where the rare eye cells were discovered. The findings provide further evidence that the eye has complementary brain-signaling systems at work. See article.
g Message - The question of whether we are alone in the universe is one of the biggest of the Big Questions of Existence. One way to settle the matter is to find some cosmic company. A direct approach to this problem is to scan the skies with radio telescopes in the hope of stumbling across a message from an alien civilization. See article. Note: This article is from 2005.
g Cosmicus - NASA will pay the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roskosmos) $21.8 million per passenger for Soyuz rides to and from the International Space Station starting this spring. See article.
g Learning - Here’s a neat Web site, courtesy of NASA: “Flies in Space”. For grades 5-8, the activity has students step into a space biologist's shoes and predict experiment results.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Linda P. Baker’s short story "The Allure of Bone and Ice." It’s in the anthology “First Contact,” edited by Martin H. Greenberg & Larry Segriff (published by DAW in 1997).
g Aftermath - Could religions survive contact with extraterrestrials? The Medieval Church didn't think so, as the discovery would challenge mankind's central role in the cosmos. Today such ideas are considered old fashioned, and many theologians welcome the discovery of life — even intelligent life — among the stars. But if scientists were to find microscopic Martians or a signal from another world, would established religions really take it in stride? For a discussion, check out this past program of SETI’s “Are We Alone?” Note: An mp3 player is required to play the audio files; you can download one at the site for free.
Read this blogger’s books
Friday, January 20, 2006
Monster black holes, Stardust’s return and Bracewell probes
Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Stars - An analysis of the Hubble Space Telescope's deepest view of the universe offers compelling evidence that monster black holes in the centers of galaxies were not born big but grew over time through repeated galactic mergers. See article.
g Abodes - When the Stardust sample return capsule returned safely home, mission scientists breathed a sigh of relief. When they opened the capsule, they gasped in delight. Now, they are whistling a happy tune as they examine the many microscopic bits of comet dust. See article.
g Life - Since we haven't found life elsewhere yet, we don't know if life can exist on other planetary bodies. So to understand how life begins we can only look at our own home. Unfortunately because the Earth is a dynamic planet, with plate tectonics and erosional processes continually distorting the rocks, the rock record of the early Earth is limited. Yet scientists have ingenious ways of understanding the early solar system, including our planet and its early life. See article.
g Intelligence - The scenario is familiar from Hollywood blockbusters like “Armageddon” and “Deep Impact.” A massive asteroid — perhaps 10 miles in diameter — is headed straight for Earth. An all-out effort to deflect it is mounted. If the mission succeeds, civilization as we know it will continue. But if natural human reactions to threats interfere, the ending could be far from uplifting. If fear and denial postpone an adequate response, dust and debris could make the daytime sky look like night, the Earth’s surface could be razed by a global firestorm, and tsunamis could obliterate coastal cities. See article.
g Message - To contact an alien civilization, humanity might want to consider a Bracewell probe — a hypothetical concept for an autonomous interstellar space probe dispatched for the express purpose of communication with (an) alien civilization(s). It was proposed by Ronald N. Bracewell in a 1960 paper, as an alternative to interstellar radio communication between widely separated civilizations. See article.
g Cosmicus - A new feat sets a new record for laser transmission in space, a process which may one day be used to communicate across interplanetary distances and provide scientists with a powerful tool to measure the movement of planets and test fundamental principles in physics. See article.
g Learning - The Astrobiology Science Conference (AbSciCon) 2006 will be held March 26-30 in Washington, D.C., at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. See article.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Isaac Asimov’s “The Gods Themselves” (published by Ballentine in 1972).
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 article.
Read this blogger’s books
g Stars - An analysis of the Hubble Space Telescope's deepest view of the universe offers compelling evidence that monster black holes in the centers of galaxies were not born big but grew over time through repeated galactic mergers. See article.
g Abodes - When the Stardust sample return capsule returned safely home, mission scientists breathed a sigh of relief. When they opened the capsule, they gasped in delight. Now, they are whistling a happy tune as they examine the many microscopic bits of comet dust. See article.
g Life - Since we haven't found life elsewhere yet, we don't know if life can exist on other planetary bodies. So to understand how life begins we can only look at our own home. Unfortunately because the Earth is a dynamic planet, with plate tectonics and erosional processes continually distorting the rocks, the rock record of the early Earth is limited. Yet scientists have ingenious ways of understanding the early solar system, including our planet and its early life. See article.
g Intelligence - The scenario is familiar from Hollywood blockbusters like “Armageddon” and “Deep Impact.” A massive asteroid — perhaps 10 miles in diameter — is headed straight for Earth. An all-out effort to deflect it is mounted. If the mission succeeds, civilization as we know it will continue. But if natural human reactions to threats interfere, the ending could be far from uplifting. If fear and denial postpone an adequate response, dust and debris could make the daytime sky look like night, the Earth’s surface could be razed by a global firestorm, and tsunamis could obliterate coastal cities. See article.
g Message - To contact an alien civilization, humanity might want to consider a Bracewell probe — a hypothetical concept for an autonomous interstellar space probe dispatched for the express purpose of communication with (an) alien civilization(s). It was proposed by Ronald N. Bracewell in a 1960 paper, as an alternative to interstellar radio communication between widely separated civilizations. See article.
g Cosmicus - A new feat sets a new record for laser transmission in space, a process which may one day be used to communicate across interplanetary distances and provide scientists with a powerful tool to measure the movement of planets and test fundamental principles in physics. See article.
g Learning - The Astrobiology Science Conference (AbSciCon) 2006 will be held March 26-30 in Washington, D.C., at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. See article.
g Imagining - Like first contact stories? Then be sure to read Isaac Asimov’s “The Gods Themselves” (published by Ballentine in 1972).
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 article.
Read this blogger’s books
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
