Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Abodes - Scientists have discovered methane-eating bacteria that survive in a highly unique spring located on a remote island in northern Canada. In some ways, the spring could be similar to environments on past or present Mars. See article.
g Message - Here’s a classic essay by physicist Freeman J. Dyson: "Time Without End: Physics and Biology in an Open Universe," part of which examines "the problem of communication between two societies separated by a large distance in the open universe." Note: This is article is very technical. See article.
g Cosmicus - A new computer model could help researchers develop better wind-powered “tumbleweed” rovers for use on Mars. Such rovers could provide an energy-efficient way of exploring the Martian surface and gathering further data concerning the potential for past or present life on Mars. See article.
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The Drake Equation
This formula estimates the number of intelligent civilizations in our galaxy.N=(R*)(Ns)(Fp)(Ne)(Fl)(Fi)(Fc)(L)
Where:- N = Number of civilizations we can communicate with
- R* = Average star formation rate
- Ns = Percentage of stars capable of supporting earth-like planets
- Fp = Percentage of those stars with planets
- Ne = Average umber of planets in those stars' habitable zones
- Fl = Percentage of those planets where life begins
- Fi = Percentage of planets with life where an intelligent species evolves
- Fc = Percentage of those intelligent species that develop communication technology
- L = Average lifetime, in years, of a civilization that develops such technology
About Me
- Rob Bignell
- I'm the owner and chief editor at Inventing Reality Editing Service, which meets the editing and proofreading needs of writers both new and published. For more than two decades, I worked as an award-winning journalist, with half of those years spent as an editor. Several of my short stories in the literary and science fiction genres have been published, and I am the author of the nonfiction “Hikes with Tykes” series, a novel "Windmill", and a collection of poetry, "Love Letters to Sophie's Mom". For seven years I worked as an English teacher or a community college journalism instructor. I hold a master's degree in English and a bachelor's in journalism and English.