Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Stars – Astronomers have numerous technical terms and numbering systems for describing the universe, but one type of mysterious object has yet to be classified. For now, these oddities are named for their strange appearance. They are called blobs. See article.
g Abodes – If ecosystem and city seem like oxymorons, just go to Phoenix, Ariz., and look at all the lakes and canals, the year-round greenery, the multitude of birds, or listen to the coyotes howling at night. A cutting-edge seven-year study by more than 50 scientists from different fields has concluded that the profusion of bugs, birds and larger creatures roaming this one-time desert outpost represent a unique realm of nature. It is designed and built by humans but surprisingly green and prolifically populated by creatures that wouldn't last a week outside its confines. It is, the scientists say, a designer ecosystem. See article.
g Life – If you wish you could hibernate for the winter instead of facing minus-20 wind chills every day, blame our distant ancestors. Really distant. According to new research, our reptilian forebears, like reptiles today, would have been able to experience large fluctuations in their body temperatures, a key trait for a hibernating species. As humans evolved, however, we were selected for the ability to maintain our temperatures. See article.
g Intelligence – Scientists in Iceland have uncovered a genetic variation whose female carriers tend to have more children, a discovery that shows Charles Darwin's concept of natural selection at work in modern humans. See article.
g Message – In 1961 astronomer Frank Drake wrote the equation that put the search for alien civilizations on a scientific footing and launched the modern SETI movement. How do the equation's numbers look today? See this online article adapted from the December 1998 Sky & Telescope (It was updated and expanded by Sky and Telescope in May 1999.).
g Cosmicus – Just a year ago, the Vision for Space Exploration re-energized the nation's space program and charted long-term plans for sending humans and robot probes exploring beyond Earth orbit and into the Solar System. Interested in helping see that vision become a reality? Then consider joining the Coalition for Space Exploration. See article.
g Learning – Evolutionary change is a powerful framework for studying our world and our place therein. It is a recurring theme in every realm of science: over time, the universe, the planet Earth, life and human technologies all change, albeit on vastly different scales. This story is the basis of the new Voyages Through Time classroom materials. The SETI Institute, the California Academy of Sciences, NASA Ames Research Center and San Francisco State University have developed standards-based curriculum materials for a one-year high school integrated science course centered on the unifying theme of evolution and delivered on CD-ROM. Click here for more.
g Imagining – Could the Oankali of Octavia E. Butler’s “Xenogenesis” trilogy really use human genes to continue their species? For a biologist’s analysis, click here. The answers may surprise you.
g Aftermath – Visitors from other worlds – should any appear – would be enormously ahead of us from a technological viewpoint. The same is true for any aliens we might tune in with our SETI experiments. See article. Note: This article is a couple of years old.
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Monday, January 17, 2005
Sunday, January 16, 2005
Stellar graveyard and extraterrestrial machine intelligence
Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Stars – Astronomers announced the first results of a search for extrasolar planets and brown dwarfs in an unlikely place — a stellar graveyard. A team found two candidate planets in its survey of 20 dead stars, white dwarfs at distances between 24 and 220 light-years. The research is part of an intense race to take the first "photograph" of an extrasolar planet. See article.
g Life – Findings reported last week reveal how an evolutionary innovation involving the sharing of genes between two ant species has given rise to a deep-seated dependency between them for the survival of both species populations. The new work illustrates how genetic exchange through interbreeding between two species can give rise to a system of interdependence at a high level of biological organization — in this case, the production of worker ants for both species. See article.
g Intelligence – Any extraterrestrial intelligence we detect likely will be machine intelligence, not biological like us, some scientists say. See article. Note: This story is from 2000.
g Message – How will we decode any message from ET? For some speculation and a discussion of the inherent difficulties, see article; part II follows at here. Note: This story is from 2001.
g Cosmicus – A pair of physicists have successfully managed to levitate micron-sized fluids using magnets, which could lead to new advances in medicine, chemistry, chemical engineering and other related fields. What will the effect on space exploration? For starters, imagine an entire chemistry laboratory reduced to the size of a postage stamp. See article.
g Learning – TERC and NASA are developing an interdisciplinary year-long course for middle and high school students using astrobiology as its unifying, underlying structure. Through a series of inquiry-based activities centered on the search for life on other planets, students can explore diverse concepts in chemistry, biology, physics, Earth and space science and engineering. Astrobiology provides students opportunities to master fundamental science concepts in a relevant context and apply their skill and understanding directly in a variety of investigative modes. See article.
g Imagining – Would the universe be populated by aggressive intelligent species, such as science fiction’s Alien and Predator? SETI senior astronomer Seth Shostak offers some thoughts.
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 from 2003.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
g Stars – Astronomers announced the first results of a search for extrasolar planets and brown dwarfs in an unlikely place — a stellar graveyard. A team found two candidate planets in its survey of 20 dead stars, white dwarfs at distances between 24 and 220 light-years. The research is part of an intense race to take the first "photograph" of an extrasolar planet. See article.
g Life – Findings reported last week reveal how an evolutionary innovation involving the sharing of genes between two ant species has given rise to a deep-seated dependency between them for the survival of both species populations. The new work illustrates how genetic exchange through interbreeding between two species can give rise to a system of interdependence at a high level of biological organization — in this case, the production of worker ants for both species. See article.
g Intelligence – Any extraterrestrial intelligence we detect likely will be machine intelligence, not biological like us, some scientists say. See article. Note: This story is from 2000.
g Message – How will we decode any message from ET? For some speculation and a discussion of the inherent difficulties, see article; part II follows at here. Note: This story is from 2001.
g Cosmicus – A pair of physicists have successfully managed to levitate micron-sized fluids using magnets, which could lead to new advances in medicine, chemistry, chemical engineering and other related fields. What will the effect on space exploration? For starters, imagine an entire chemistry laboratory reduced to the size of a postage stamp. See article.
g Learning – TERC and NASA are developing an interdisciplinary year-long course for middle and high school students using astrobiology as its unifying, underlying structure. Through a series of inquiry-based activities centered on the search for life on other planets, students can explore diverse concepts in chemistry, biology, physics, Earth and space science and engineering. Astrobiology provides students opportunities to master fundamental science concepts in a relevant context and apply their skill and understanding directly in a variety of investigative modes. See article.
g Imagining – Would the universe be populated by aggressive intelligent species, such as science fiction’s Alien and Predator? SETI senior astronomer Seth Shostak offers some thoughts.
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 from 2003.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Saturday, January 15, 2005
Triple alpha reaction, Titan landing and the Kaylar
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 – All the carbon in the universe, including that needed for carbon-based life forms such as us, has been made in the hearts of stars through what is known as the “triple alpha reaction.” See article.
g Abodes – With the latest Titan images showing channels and fluid-like branching, scientists have begun the debate anew whether fluid might have shaped the Earth-like moon. Imaging science team leader for Cassini, Carolyn Porco, describes the initial surprise and excitement of seeing Titan up close. See article. Titan is of particular interest to astrobiologists. Because titan is the only known moon in the Solar System with a thick atmosphere, studying its organic chemistry may help scientists understand the origin of life on our planet. Understanding how life emerges from cosmic and planetary precursors is a primary goal of astrobiology. There’s also a great set of videos and audio feeds here.
g Life – For the first time, scientists have found that bacteria can use a sonar-like system to spot other cells (either normal body cells or other bacteria) and target them for destruction. Reported in Science’s Dec. 24 issue, this finding explains how some bacteria know when to produce a toxin that makes infection more severe. It may lead to the design of new toxin inhibitors. See article.
g Intelligence – To understand how intelligence might develop on alien worlds, we have only one example to study: The evolution of human intelligence on Earth. Since intelligent life took a long time to arrive on Earth, some believe it will take just as long on other worlds. The appearance of evolution seems aimed towards the development of intelligence, but what kinds and with what frequencies? See article. This site also has a neat feature where you can change the variables in the Drake Equation yourself. Note: This article is from 2003.
g Message – A team of American scientists note that recent astrophysical discoveries suggest that we should find ourselves in the midst of one or more extraterrestrial civilizations. Moreover, they argue it is a mistake to reject all UFO reports since some evidence for the theoretically predicted extraterrestrial visitors might just be found there. See article.
g Cosmicus – A new material designed for producing bendable transistors is practically invisible and simple to produce. It could lead to a new class of throwaway electronic devices, its inventors say. What will be the effect on space exploration? See article.
g Learning – There’s a nice beginner’s guide to astronomy at Astrocentral. It also has a section on the search for alien life.
g Imagining – Could the Kaylar (click here and then on “Kaylar on Rigel VII”), a Star Trek alien from “The Original Series’ pilot episode, “The Cage,” exist? Like the Gorn, this alien appears to be drawn from our nightmares and hence serves a more dramatic effect than offering any speculation on exobiology. A tall humanoid with intriguing jaw features, skinny legs and broad shoulders, the Kaylar on Rigel VII is reminiscent of a barbarian warrior or an ogre. Brushing aside the nearly impossible parallel evolution between Earth and the Kaylar’s home world for such a creature to come about, there are a couple of possible ways that it could have gained its great height and skinny legs. Its planet might have lighter gravity, which means an indigent alien wouldn’t fall as hard as we do on Earth; hence the supporting legs would not need to be as strong to hold up a little more weight than the typical human. In addition, we might speculate that as a humanoid, the Kaylar shared a similar primate evolution as humans, so possibly the savannah grass of its continental cradle simply was taller than on the African plain during the past few million years; that would have given taller proto-Kaylar an evolutionary advantage. Still, the Kaylar appears to be an unlikely alien.
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?” here. Note: An .mp3 player is required to play the audio files; you can download one at the site for free.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
g Stars – All the carbon in the universe, including that needed for carbon-based life forms such as us, has been made in the hearts of stars through what is known as the “triple alpha reaction.” See article.
g Abodes – With the latest Titan images showing channels and fluid-like branching, scientists have begun the debate anew whether fluid might have shaped the Earth-like moon. Imaging science team leader for Cassini, Carolyn Porco, describes the initial surprise and excitement of seeing Titan up close. See article. Titan is of particular interest to astrobiologists. Because titan is the only known moon in the Solar System with a thick atmosphere, studying its organic chemistry may help scientists understand the origin of life on our planet. Understanding how life emerges from cosmic and planetary precursors is a primary goal of astrobiology. There’s also a great set of videos and audio feeds here.
g Life – For the first time, scientists have found that bacteria can use a sonar-like system to spot other cells (either normal body cells or other bacteria) and target them for destruction. Reported in Science’s Dec. 24 issue, this finding explains how some bacteria know when to produce a toxin that makes infection more severe. It may lead to the design of new toxin inhibitors. See article.
g Intelligence – To understand how intelligence might develop on alien worlds, we have only one example to study: The evolution of human intelligence on Earth. Since intelligent life took a long time to arrive on Earth, some believe it will take just as long on other worlds. The appearance of evolution seems aimed towards the development of intelligence, but what kinds and with what frequencies? See article. This site also has a neat feature where you can change the variables in the Drake Equation yourself. Note: This article is from 2003.
g Message – A team of American scientists note that recent astrophysical discoveries suggest that we should find ourselves in the midst of one or more extraterrestrial civilizations. Moreover, they argue it is a mistake to reject all UFO reports since some evidence for the theoretically predicted extraterrestrial visitors might just be found there. See article.
g Cosmicus – A new material designed for producing bendable transistors is practically invisible and simple to produce. It could lead to a new class of throwaway electronic devices, its inventors say. What will be the effect on space exploration? See article.
g Learning – There’s a nice beginner’s guide to astronomy at Astrocentral. It also has a section on the search for alien life.
g Imagining – Could the Kaylar (click here and then on “Kaylar on Rigel VII”), a Star Trek alien from “The Original Series’ pilot episode, “The Cage,” exist? Like the Gorn, this alien appears to be drawn from our nightmares and hence serves a more dramatic effect than offering any speculation on exobiology. A tall humanoid with intriguing jaw features, skinny legs and broad shoulders, the Kaylar on Rigel VII is reminiscent of a barbarian warrior or an ogre. Brushing aside the nearly impossible parallel evolution between Earth and the Kaylar’s home world for such a creature to come about, there are a couple of possible ways that it could have gained its great height and skinny legs. Its planet might have lighter gravity, which means an indigent alien wouldn’t fall as hard as we do on Earth; hence the supporting legs would not need to be as strong to hold up a little more weight than the typical human. In addition, we might speculate that as a humanoid, the Kaylar shared a similar primate evolution as humans, so possibly the savannah grass of its continental cradle simply was taller than on the African plain during the past few million years; that would have given taller proto-Kaylar an evolutionary advantage. Still, the Kaylar appears to be an unlikely alien.
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?” here. Note: An .mp3 player is required to play the audio files; you can download one at the site for free.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Friday, January 14, 2005
Star hatchery, Project BAMBI and Pierson’s Puppeteer
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 – NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has uncovered a hatchery for massive stars. A new striking image from the infrared telescope shows a vibrant cloud called the Trifid Nebula dotted with glowing stellar "incubators." Deep inside these incubators are rapidly growing embryonic stars, whose warmth Spitzer was able to see for the first time with its powerful heat-seeking eyes. See article.
g Abodes – NASA scientists using data from the Indonesian earthquake calculated it affected the Earth's rotation, decreased the length of day, slightly changed the planet's shape and shifted the North Pole by centimeters. See article.
g Life – Scientists working off the Yucatan Peninsula are preparing to use sound waves to search for information about an asteroid that may have wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. But environmental activists are trying to shut the project down, saying the technology could harm whales, sea turtles and several varieties of fish that provide a livelihood for thousands of Mexicans along the gulf coast. See article.
g Intelligence – Researchers are rewriting the rules for human genetics, and their findings have medical implications for conditions ranging from diabetes to cancer to heart disease. Going out the window is the untouchable "one gene-one protein" rule, which said that a single gene makes only one protein. It's gone because of the discovery of a process called alternative splicing, in which a single gene can make many different proteins. See article.
g Message – The search for extraterrestrial life need not be limited to the government or scientists. Don’t believe it? Then check out this Web site, “Amateur SETI: Project BAMBI (Bob and Mike’s Big Investment),” which describes the design and construction of a 4 GHz amateur radio telescope dedicated to SETI, at article.
g Cosmicus – A team of researchers is looking to the moon to develop the tools future astronauts may need to ward off potentially life-threatening levels of space radiation. Now mid-way through their NASA-funded study, the researchers are working to determine whether a set of electrically charged shield spheres atop 40-meter masts could deflect radiation from a populated moonbase. See article.
g Learning – It was another good day for science literacy. A federal judge on Thursday ordered the removal of stickers placed in high school biology textbooks that call evolution “a theory, not a fact,” saying they were an unconstitutional endorsement of religion. See article.
g Imagining – How might Pierson’s Puppeteer, the strange, three-legged creatures from Larry Niven’s “Ringworld” have evolved? While this site is a bit short on physical evolution, it does discuss how behavioral traits may have evolved. “Star Trek” fans will recall that Niven wrote one of The Animated Series’ episodes, which included the Kzinti and the Slaver stasis field.
g Aftermath – How would we go about deciphering a message sent by extraterrestrials? Two anthropologists suggest that we might gain clues to decoding more complex extraterrestrial messages by examining past attempts to decode languages right here on Earth. See article. Note: This article is from 2003.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
g Stars – NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has uncovered a hatchery for massive stars. A new striking image from the infrared telescope shows a vibrant cloud called the Trifid Nebula dotted with glowing stellar "incubators." Deep inside these incubators are rapidly growing embryonic stars, whose warmth Spitzer was able to see for the first time with its powerful heat-seeking eyes. See article.
g Abodes – NASA scientists using data from the Indonesian earthquake calculated it affected the Earth's rotation, decreased the length of day, slightly changed the planet's shape and shifted the North Pole by centimeters. See article.
g Life – Scientists working off the Yucatan Peninsula are preparing to use sound waves to search for information about an asteroid that may have wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. But environmental activists are trying to shut the project down, saying the technology could harm whales, sea turtles and several varieties of fish that provide a livelihood for thousands of Mexicans along the gulf coast. See article.
g Intelligence – Researchers are rewriting the rules for human genetics, and their findings have medical implications for conditions ranging from diabetes to cancer to heart disease. Going out the window is the untouchable "one gene-one protein" rule, which said that a single gene makes only one protein. It's gone because of the discovery of a process called alternative splicing, in which a single gene can make many different proteins. See article.
g Message – The search for extraterrestrial life need not be limited to the government or scientists. Don’t believe it? Then check out this Web site, “Amateur SETI: Project BAMBI (Bob and Mike’s Big Investment),” which describes the design and construction of a 4 GHz amateur radio telescope dedicated to SETI, at article.
g Cosmicus – A team of researchers is looking to the moon to develop the tools future astronauts may need to ward off potentially life-threatening levels of space radiation. Now mid-way through their NASA-funded study, the researchers are working to determine whether a set of electrically charged shield spheres atop 40-meter masts could deflect radiation from a populated moonbase. See article.
g Learning – It was another good day for science literacy. A federal judge on Thursday ordered the removal of stickers placed in high school biology textbooks that call evolution “a theory, not a fact,” saying they were an unconstitutional endorsement of religion. See article.
g Imagining – How might Pierson’s Puppeteer, the strange, three-legged creatures from Larry Niven’s “Ringworld” have evolved? While this site is a bit short on physical evolution, it does discuss how behavioral traits may have evolved. “Star Trek” fans will recall that Niven wrote one of The Animated Series’ episodes, which included the Kzinti and the Slaver stasis field.
g Aftermath – How would we go about deciphering a message sent by extraterrestrials? Two anthropologists suggest that we might gain clues to decoding more complex extraterrestrial messages by examining past attempts to decode languages right here on Earth. See article. Note: This article is from 2003.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Beyond Einstein and methane lakes
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 – Beyond Einstein: Astronomers have seen evidence of hot iron gas riding a ripple in space-time around a black hole. This space-time wave, if confirmed, would represent a new phenomenon that goes beyond Einstein's general relativity. See article.
g Abodes – Anthony Del Genio of the Cassini Imaging team takes a tour of the strange and perplexing world, Titan, where hurricane winds and supercold smog promise some of the most startling imagery in our solar system. The mission to descend towards Titan's surface will draw global attention in a few days, when a tiny space probe tests the limits of parachutes, cameras and communications and perhaps plunges into a methane lake. See article.
g Intelligence – Genes that control the size and complexity of the brain have undergone much more rapid evolution in humans than in non-human primates or other mammals, according to a new study. See article.
g Message – There’s a nice summary of various astrobiological authors on the Fermi Paradox, or the question of why, if there supposedly are so many aliens, we haven’t met any of them yet.
g Cosmicus – A NASA spacecraft with a Hollywood name — Deep Impact — blasted off Wednesday on a mission to smash a hole in a comet and give scientists a glimpse of the frozen primordial ingredients of the solar system. See article. There’s an informative video and interactive graphic at the site.
g Learning – Kudos to several University of Pennsylvania professors and the chairman of the physics department, who wrote an open letter to the Dover, Pa., Area School Board, condemning its incorporation of a religiously-loaded explanation for biodiversity into science classrooms. It’s too bad that at the dawn of the 21st century we must continue this fight against science ignorance. For details, see article. Note: This article is a few years old.
g Aftermath – Understanding the public’s current thoughts on what will happen once humanity discovers extraterrestrial intelligence is a vital part of any objective discussion in which we attempt to predict and prepare for the aftermath. Here’s one person’s view. Note the mix of popular mythology (UFOs) and an almost spiritual notion that the aliens will help us or make our lives better in some ways, as if they were angels descended from the sky. A thought: Is this an indication that if the aliens are technologically superior, we’ll readily accept their ways and let it supplant our own culture?
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g Stars – Beyond Einstein: Astronomers have seen evidence of hot iron gas riding a ripple in space-time around a black hole. This space-time wave, if confirmed, would represent a new phenomenon that goes beyond Einstein's general relativity. See article.
g Abodes – Anthony Del Genio of the Cassini Imaging team takes a tour of the strange and perplexing world, Titan, where hurricane winds and supercold smog promise some of the most startling imagery in our solar system. The mission to descend towards Titan's surface will draw global attention in a few days, when a tiny space probe tests the limits of parachutes, cameras and communications and perhaps plunges into a methane lake. See article.
g Intelligence – Genes that control the size and complexity of the brain have undergone much more rapid evolution in humans than in non-human primates or other mammals, according to a new study. See article.
g Message – There’s a nice summary of various astrobiological authors on the Fermi Paradox, or the question of why, if there supposedly are so many aliens, we haven’t met any of them yet.
g Cosmicus – A NASA spacecraft with a Hollywood name — Deep Impact — blasted off Wednesday on a mission to smash a hole in a comet and give scientists a glimpse of the frozen primordial ingredients of the solar system. See article. There’s an informative video and interactive graphic at the site.
g Learning – Kudos to several University of Pennsylvania professors and the chairman of the physics department, who wrote an open letter to the Dover, Pa., Area School Board, condemning its incorporation of a religiously-loaded explanation for biodiversity into science classrooms. It’s too bad that at the dawn of the 21st century we must continue this fight against science ignorance. For details, see article. Note: This article is a few years old.
g Aftermath – Understanding the public’s current thoughts on what will happen once humanity discovers extraterrestrial intelligence is a vital part of any objective discussion in which we attempt to predict and prepare for the aftermath. Here’s one person’s view. Note the mix of popular mythology (UFOs) and an almost spiritual notion that the aliens will help us or make our lives better in some ways, as if they were angels descended from the sky. A thought: Is this an indication that if the aliens are technologically superior, we’ll readily accept their ways and let it supplant our own culture?
Read this blogger’s books
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Deep Impact launch, cold ancient Earth and an alien appearance primer
Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Stars – Astronomers say a dusty disc swirling around the nearby star Vega is larger than earlier thought. It was probably caused by collisions of objects, perhaps as large as the planet Pluto, up to 2,000 kilometers in diameter. See article.
g Abodes – A new discovery suggests that ancient earth was much colder than previously thought — a discovery that has broad implications for those studying the earth's climate. See article.
g Life – Scientists have discovered a form of blue-green algae that lives independently in California's Salton Sea, using near-infrared light for photosynthesis, according to an article published in this week's online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. See article.
g Intelligence – Language has long been considered one of the defining characteristics for humans, but recent work with Tamarin monkeys and rats suggest that picking up speech cues has a rhythmic quality throughout the mammalian world. See article. Note: This article is a few years old.
g Cosmicus – A daring scientific mission to smash a washing machine-sized bullet into the heart of Comet Tempel 1, excavating a stadium-sized crater to reveal primitive materials left from the solar system's creation for spacecraft and Earth-based telescopes to observe, is poised for blastoff at 12:47 p.m. CST today aboard a Boeing Delta 2 rocket from Cape Canaveral. See article.
g Learning – Good news for our children: A committee revising Kansas’ science education standards and how evolution is taught has left creationism out of the curriculum. See article.
g Imagining – Speculation about aliens has typically been left to science fiction authors, science fiction readers and Hollywood writers and directors. But what if we apply what we have learned about life on Earth to speculate about what alien life forms might be like? Here’s a primer: article.
g Aftermath – Let’s presume we have detected an extraterrestrial intelligence. We cannot tell for sure if the message was intended for us, or what it means. What should we do? Click here for some speculations.
Read this blogger’s books
g Stars – Astronomers say a dusty disc swirling around the nearby star Vega is larger than earlier thought. It was probably caused by collisions of objects, perhaps as large as the planet Pluto, up to 2,000 kilometers in diameter. See article.
g Abodes – A new discovery suggests that ancient earth was much colder than previously thought — a discovery that has broad implications for those studying the earth's climate. See article.
g Life – Scientists have discovered a form of blue-green algae that lives independently in California's Salton Sea, using near-infrared light for photosynthesis, according to an article published in this week's online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. See article.
g Intelligence – Language has long been considered one of the defining characteristics for humans, but recent work with Tamarin monkeys and rats suggest that picking up speech cues has a rhythmic quality throughout the mammalian world. See article. Note: This article is a few years old.
g Cosmicus – A daring scientific mission to smash a washing machine-sized bullet into the heart of Comet Tempel 1, excavating a stadium-sized crater to reveal primitive materials left from the solar system's creation for spacecraft and Earth-based telescopes to observe, is poised for blastoff at 12:47 p.m. CST today aboard a Boeing Delta 2 rocket from Cape Canaveral. See article.
g Learning – Good news for our children: A committee revising Kansas’ science education standards and how evolution is taught has left creationism out of the curriculum. See article.
g Imagining – Speculation about aliens has typically been left to science fiction authors, science fiction readers and Hollywood writers and directors. But what if we apply what we have learned about life on Earth to speculate about what alien life forms might be like? Here’s a primer: article.
g Aftermath – Let’s presume we have detected an extraterrestrial intelligence. We cannot tell for sure if the message was intended for us, or what it means. What should we do? Click here for some speculations.
Read this blogger’s books
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
First photo of extrasolar planet, cosmic self-esteem and Vulcans
Welcome! First-time visitors may want to read the Jan. 1 entry to make sense of this blog's format.
g Stars – Astronomers are highly confident that they've taken the first photograph of a planet outside our solar system. See article.
g Abodes РResearchers at The University of Texas at Austin have found that significant changes in the shape of the Earth in the past 28 years may be linked to climate events such as the El Ni̱o weather pattern. See article.
g Life – As NASA charts a new course into the future, the space agency is briefly taking a step back in time to examine a dinosaur skull. NASA scientists are using equipment at the Marshall Space Flight Center to scan the skull of a Tyrannosaurus rex. Many scientists believe that the extinction of the dinosaurs was brought about by a large asteroid impact; understanding how events that originate in space can influence the evolution of life on Earth is an important goal of astrobiology. See article.
g Intelligence – The evolutionary precursors of modern apes and people diverged from ancient monkeys between 29 million and 34.5 million years ago, a new genetic analysis concludes. This evolutionary parting of the ways had previously been placed at between 23 million and 25 million years ago. See article.
g Message – What are our friends south of the equator doing in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence? After all, the Northern Hemisphere only covers half of the galaxy. See article.
g Cosmicus – NASA intends to forge ahead with its space exploration agenda despite direction from Congress to throttle back on a key part of it to make refurbishing the Hubble Space Telescope a top priority. See article.
g Learning – Evolution instruction is under attack across Wisconsin. See article. If you hail from the Badger State, keep a close on your school district to ensure they don’t take science instruction back to the 1800s.
g Imagining – As I research our next Star Trek alien, let me leave you with some interesting background information about that noblest of races, the Vulcans. Again, not much is said at these Web sites about their evolution, but understanding the culture of our extraterrestrial neighbors once contact is made also will be vital. Note the anthropomorphic elements, however, of these otherwise informative sites: one; two; and three. Once extraterrestrial contact does occur, we’re going to have to give up our parochial attitude toward life and intelligence.
g Aftermath – Speaking of cosmic self-esteem: Astronomer Royal, Sir Martin Rees describes how for the first time humans as a species may start to change in observable ways within single lifetimes and under some loose control of our own influence. If this future plays out, the future itself becomes more difficult to forecast. See article.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
g Stars – Astronomers are highly confident that they've taken the first photograph of a planet outside our solar system. See article.
g Abodes РResearchers at The University of Texas at Austin have found that significant changes in the shape of the Earth in the past 28 years may be linked to climate events such as the El Ni̱o weather pattern. See article.
g Life – As NASA charts a new course into the future, the space agency is briefly taking a step back in time to examine a dinosaur skull. NASA scientists are using equipment at the Marshall Space Flight Center to scan the skull of a Tyrannosaurus rex. Many scientists believe that the extinction of the dinosaurs was brought about by a large asteroid impact; understanding how events that originate in space can influence the evolution of life on Earth is an important goal of astrobiology. See article.
g Intelligence – The evolutionary precursors of modern apes and people diverged from ancient monkeys between 29 million and 34.5 million years ago, a new genetic analysis concludes. This evolutionary parting of the ways had previously been placed at between 23 million and 25 million years ago. See article.
g Message – What are our friends south of the equator doing in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence? After all, the Northern Hemisphere only covers half of the galaxy. See article.
g Cosmicus – NASA intends to forge ahead with its space exploration agenda despite direction from Congress to throttle back on a key part of it to make refurbishing the Hubble Space Telescope a top priority. See article.
g Learning – Evolution instruction is under attack across Wisconsin. See article. If you hail from the Badger State, keep a close on your school district to ensure they don’t take science instruction back to the 1800s.
g Imagining – As I research our next Star Trek alien, let me leave you with some interesting background information about that noblest of races, the Vulcans. Again, not much is said at these Web sites about their evolution, but understanding the culture of our extraterrestrial neighbors once contact is made also will be vital. Note the anthropomorphic elements, however, of these otherwise informative sites: one; two; and three. Once extraterrestrial contact does occur, we’re going to have to give up our parochial attitude toward life and intelligence.
g Aftermath – Speaking of cosmic self-esteem: Astronomer Royal, Sir Martin Rees describes how for the first time humans as a species may start to change in observable ways within single lifetimes and under some loose control of our own influence. If this future plays out, the future itself becomes more difficult to forecast. See article.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Monday, January 10, 2005
Visual cues, new space shuttle crew and Alverian dung beetles
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 – Plans for the world's largest solar optical telescope moved forward this weekend when recommendations were endorsed to build the 4-meter Advanced Technology Solar Telescope at Haleakala, Maui, Hawaii. The observatory will become the world's most powerful solar optical telescope when it starts operating around 2012. See article.
g Abodes – Florida’s biggest problem isn’t hurricanes but sinkholes. Here’s one town’s odyssey.
g Life – NASA and conservations are using remote sensing in an attempt to save mountain gorillas from extinction. See article.
g Intelligence – A new study suggests that the brain processes visual information about facial expressions by actively seeking out and fixate on the critical visual cues for fear — contradicting the commonly held notion that the brain passively receives information from the senses about the world. See article.
g Message – Science fiction author David Brin offers a copy of his 1983 article “Xenology: The Science of Asking Who’s Out There”. While two decades old, the information is still relevant and offers a good overview of fundamental astrobiological questions.
g Cosmicus – The seven astronauts who will return the space shuttle to flight in May say they’re eager to fly. See article.
g Learning – The Iowa City Press-Citizen ran an editorial last week about the need to encourage girls to excel at science and math. It offers some practical suggestions on how to accomplish this. See editorial. And yes, it’s my newspaper — and I wrote the editorial!
g Imagining – We’ve focused a lot on aliens from “Star Trek: The Original Series,” but let’s switch genres for a day and examine the Alverian dung beetle mentioned in the episode “Apocalypse Rising” of “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” fame. It’s very likely that such a creature would exist in even an alien ecosystem to remove other lifeforms’ waste, as “waste” almost certainly is a natural chemical byproduct of a biological system. But the beetle almost certainly wouldn’t be an insect in the classic sense of Earth’s three-segmented, six –legged creatures, as that would require a couple of billion years of parallel evolution between the two planets. Most likely, the creature is similar to a beetle in shape and size to merit its name. Or perhaps instead it possesses some of the same behavioral characteristics of the beetle’s behavior, such as rolling dung into tiny balls, even though physically it is quite different. Unfortunately, the creature is not shown but merely mentioned during some heated dialogue (see article).
g Aftermath – What role will extraterrestrials play in humanity’s future? Click here for a paper by University of Toronto Professor Allen Tough. Though written almost 20 years ago, the paper contains plenty of useful ideas that are fresh (and ignored) today, especially those about extraterrestrial behavior and help.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
g Stars – Plans for the world's largest solar optical telescope moved forward this weekend when recommendations were endorsed to build the 4-meter Advanced Technology Solar Telescope at Haleakala, Maui, Hawaii. The observatory will become the world's most powerful solar optical telescope when it starts operating around 2012. See article.
g Abodes – Florida’s biggest problem isn’t hurricanes but sinkholes. Here’s one town’s odyssey.
g Life – NASA and conservations are using remote sensing in an attempt to save mountain gorillas from extinction. See article.
g Intelligence – A new study suggests that the brain processes visual information about facial expressions by actively seeking out and fixate on the critical visual cues for fear — contradicting the commonly held notion that the brain passively receives information from the senses about the world. See article.
g Message – Science fiction author David Brin offers a copy of his 1983 article “Xenology: The Science of Asking Who’s Out There”. While two decades old, the information is still relevant and offers a good overview of fundamental astrobiological questions.
g Cosmicus – The seven astronauts who will return the space shuttle to flight in May say they’re eager to fly. See article.
g Learning – The Iowa City Press-Citizen ran an editorial last week about the need to encourage girls to excel at science and math. It offers some practical suggestions on how to accomplish this. See editorial. And yes, it’s my newspaper — and I wrote the editorial!
g Imagining – We’ve focused a lot on aliens from “Star Trek: The Original Series,” but let’s switch genres for a day and examine the Alverian dung beetle mentioned in the episode “Apocalypse Rising” of “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” fame. It’s very likely that such a creature would exist in even an alien ecosystem to remove other lifeforms’ waste, as “waste” almost certainly is a natural chemical byproduct of a biological system. But the beetle almost certainly wouldn’t be an insect in the classic sense of Earth’s three-segmented, six –legged creatures, as that would require a couple of billion years of parallel evolution between the two planets. Most likely, the creature is similar to a beetle in shape and size to merit its name. Or perhaps instead it possesses some of the same behavioral characteristics of the beetle’s behavior, such as rolling dung into tiny balls, even though physically it is quite different. Unfortunately, the creature is not shown but merely mentioned during some heated dialogue (see article).
g Aftermath – What role will extraterrestrials play in humanity’s future? Click here for a paper by University of Toronto Professor Allen Tough. Though written almost 20 years ago, the paper contains plenty of useful ideas that are fresh (and ignored) today, especially those about extraterrestrial behavior and help.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Sunday, January 09, 2005
Poor man's space probe, self-esteem and societal implications of astrobiology
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 – Poor man’s space probe: To see the world in a grain of sand has a resonant poetry when astronomers try to understand the rain of dust and meteors that blanket the Earth daily. Doing astronomy with a microscope has its benefits, though, particularly when the extraterrestrial samples arrive at our doorstep. See article.
g Abodes – Culminating more than four years of processing data, NASA and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency have completed Earth's most extensive global topographic map. The data, extensive enough to fill the U.S. Library of Congress, was gathered during the Space Shuttle Endeavor Radar Topography Mission in February 2000. See article.
g Life – Predatory insects do not have access to the barrage of diet advice thrust at people, but they still manage to vary what they eat to get balanced nutrition, research shows. See article.
g Intelligence – Self-esteem can be an empty value if it's not tempered with a sense of responsibility and social awareness, psychology experts say. See article. Note: This article is from 2003.
g Message – The idle processing power of millions of computers, turned to look for a stray signal from billions of stars, now has a target: 150 promising signals to be handled again in a new SETI@home project. See article. This article is from 2003.
g Cosmicus – Russia's space agency Roskosmos announced that it would stop giving free rides to US astronauts beginning in 2006. US space shuttles have been grounded since February 2003, when the shuttle Columbia burned up on re-entry; NASA has relied on the Russian workhorse spacecraft for transportation to the orbital outpost. See article.
g Aftermath – Here’s an intriguing read: the final report of “The Workshop on the Societal Implications of Astrobiology”. Note: Workshop was held in 1999.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
g Stars – Poor man’s space probe: To see the world in a grain of sand has a resonant poetry when astronomers try to understand the rain of dust and meteors that blanket the Earth daily. Doing astronomy with a microscope has its benefits, though, particularly when the extraterrestrial samples arrive at our doorstep. See article.
g Abodes – Culminating more than four years of processing data, NASA and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency have completed Earth's most extensive global topographic map. The data, extensive enough to fill the U.S. Library of Congress, was gathered during the Space Shuttle Endeavor Radar Topography Mission in February 2000. See article.
g Life – Predatory insects do not have access to the barrage of diet advice thrust at people, but they still manage to vary what they eat to get balanced nutrition, research shows. See article.
g Intelligence – Self-esteem can be an empty value if it's not tempered with a sense of responsibility and social awareness, psychology experts say. See article. Note: This article is from 2003.
g Message – The idle processing power of millions of computers, turned to look for a stray signal from billions of stars, now has a target: 150 promising signals to be handled again in a new SETI@home project. See article. This article is from 2003.
g Cosmicus – Russia's space agency Roskosmos announced that it would stop giving free rides to US astronauts beginning in 2006. US space shuttles have been grounded since February 2003, when the shuttle Columbia burned up on re-entry; NASA has relied on the Russian workhorse spacecraft for transportation to the orbital outpost. See article.
g Aftermath – Here’s an intriguing read: the final report of “The Workshop on the Societal Implications of Astrobiology”. Note: Workshop was held in 1999.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Saturday, January 08, 2005
Dark matter map, partial victory for children and Andorians
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 – Hubble Space Telescope data, analyzed by a Yale astronomer using gravitational lensing techniques, has generated a spatial map demonstrating the clumped substructure of dark matter inside clusters of galaxies. See article.
g Abodes – From the awesome power of the Earth files: The 9.0 earthquake that caused the devastating South Asia tsunami was felt around the world in the United States. See the story done by a Pennsylvania newspaper here.
g Life – Need a good online reference to dinosaurs? I recently stumbled across this site, Dinosauria On-Line, which is intended to give the reader a broader exposure to dinosaur science. It’s meant for the serious enthusiast and rank amateur alike. Discussions are both technical and at a level at which those without formal education in paleontology can understand and enjoy. See dinosauria.com.
g Intelligence – Are thinking beings like us merely bit players in the enormous drama of the cosmos? Or is intelligence destined to become something vastly more important: the architect of this universe and of other universes to come? Such questions are the topic of this week’s SETI radio show, “Are We Alone?” which airs at 5 p.m. CST each Sunday on Radio America. Click here for more about the program and on which stations you can catch it.
g Message – You probably saw “The Search for Other Earths” cover of the December National Geographic. Here’s the article online.
g Cosmicus – The Air Force weather team is predicting favorable conditions for Wednesday's blastoff of the Boeing Delta 2 rocket carrying NASA's Deep Impact comet probe. For more on the mission, see article.
g Learning – Our children's education won a partial victory in Harrisburg, Pa., Friday when the local school district that required science teachers to read a statement about alternatives to the theory of evolution decided that teachers can opt out of reading it — administrators instead will. My proposal for Harrisburg is to adopt a statement that is read whenever geography is taught in social studies: “Our knowledge of the Earth’s geography is incomplete and consists of many gaps. Students should be aware that there are many alternatives to our current body of geographical knowledge, including the flat Earth theory.” Read about the lunacy.
g Imagining – Though Star Trek’s Andorians were shown own briefly in a few episodes of The Original Series, they remained among the most popular aliens of the franchise. The history and hopefully clues about their evolution will be given in upcoming episodes of “Enterprise” this month. In the meantime, here are some cleverly done fan sites about the Andorian culture. As reading them, look at how the speculations lilt with anthropomorphic motifs: An indication that even when it comes to something “alien,” humans have a difficult time letting go of our perspectives. See article and followup.
g Aftermath – Here’s an intriguing article that is frequently referenced in astrobiology papers: "The Consequences of a Discovery: Different Scenarios" by astronomer Ivan Almar. Note: This article is from 1995.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
g Stars – Hubble Space Telescope data, analyzed by a Yale astronomer using gravitational lensing techniques, has generated a spatial map demonstrating the clumped substructure of dark matter inside clusters of galaxies. See article.
g Abodes – From the awesome power of the Earth files: The 9.0 earthquake that caused the devastating South Asia tsunami was felt around the world in the United States. See the story done by a Pennsylvania newspaper here.
g Life – Need a good online reference to dinosaurs? I recently stumbled across this site, Dinosauria On-Line, which is intended to give the reader a broader exposure to dinosaur science. It’s meant for the serious enthusiast and rank amateur alike. Discussions are both technical and at a level at which those without formal education in paleontology can understand and enjoy. See dinosauria.com.
g Intelligence – Are thinking beings like us merely bit players in the enormous drama of the cosmos? Or is intelligence destined to become something vastly more important: the architect of this universe and of other universes to come? Such questions are the topic of this week’s SETI radio show, “Are We Alone?” which airs at 5 p.m. CST each Sunday on Radio America. Click here for more about the program and on which stations you can catch it.
g Message – You probably saw “The Search for Other Earths” cover of the December National Geographic. Here’s the article online.
g Cosmicus – The Air Force weather team is predicting favorable conditions for Wednesday's blastoff of the Boeing Delta 2 rocket carrying NASA's Deep Impact comet probe. For more on the mission, see article.
g Learning – Our children's education won a partial victory in Harrisburg, Pa., Friday when the local school district that required science teachers to read a statement about alternatives to the theory of evolution decided that teachers can opt out of reading it — administrators instead will. My proposal for Harrisburg is to adopt a statement that is read whenever geography is taught in social studies: “Our knowledge of the Earth’s geography is incomplete and consists of many gaps. Students should be aware that there are many alternatives to our current body of geographical knowledge, including the flat Earth theory.” Read about the lunacy.
g Imagining – Though Star Trek’s Andorians were shown own briefly in a few episodes of The Original Series, they remained among the most popular aliens of the franchise. The history and hopefully clues about their evolution will be given in upcoming episodes of “Enterprise” this month. In the meantime, here are some cleverly done fan sites about the Andorian culture. As reading them, look at how the speculations lilt with anthropomorphic motifs: An indication that even when it comes to something “alien,” humans have a difficult time letting go of our perspectives. See article and followup.
g Aftermath – Here’s an intriguing article that is frequently referenced in astrobiology papers: "The Consequences of a Discovery: Different Scenarios" by astronomer Ivan Almar. Note: This article is from 1995.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Friday, January 07, 2005
The Saturn system, dinosaur close to sprawl and a gaggle of Romulan sites
Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Stars – Ringed Saturn and its moons provide a model of what the early solar system may have looked like — key knowledge in understanding how life came about. Now ultraviolet images of Saturn's rings indicates much of the system is filled with ice, as well as atoms derived from water. A cloud of oxygen extends millions of miles outward from Saturn, which may hint at collisions between unseen icy moons. See article.
g Abodes – The largest earthquake in 40 years and the devastating tsunami it unleashed have raised unwarranted concerns that in their wake further geological disasters might follow. Though earthquake zones and volcanoes are located close to one another, a volcanic eruption isn’t likely following an earthquake in this case. See article.
g Life – Near the sprawl of the Capital Beltway, an amateur paleontologist found what he says are the first footprints ever uncovered of a 6-foot-long plant-eating dinosaur that roamed the Earth about 100 million years ago. In addition to being the first tracks ever found of the dinosaur, the footprints are the first evidence that members of the Hypsilophodon family roamed what is now Maryland. See article.
g Intelligence – The human brain’s remarkable flexibility to understand a variety of signals as language extends to an unusual whistle language used by shepherds on one of the Canary Islands off the northwest coast of Africa. See article.
g Cosmicus – In 2007, NASA’s Kepler Mission will begin the space-based search for extrasolar planets. As a satellite, Kepler is the first observatory capable of finding Earth-size worlds in the habitable zone of distant Suns. In other words, Kepler may find "good places to live." See article.
g Learning – Now here’s a course that more schools ought to offer: article.
g Imagining – As I research the evolution of our next sci-fi extraterrestrial, let me leave you with a gaggle of sites dedicated to the first major Star Trek alien: the Romulan. The sites don’t say much about Romulans came to be (they’re Vulcans who many millennia ago settled another world), but it does give a lot of linguistic and cultural information about the race — which is just as important to know about intelligent species as their biology. See article.
g Aftermath – Here’s one common man’s musings on the consequences for society if extraterrestrial intelligence is discovered: "Inevitably society would change should extraterrestrial intelligence be discovered. The question is to what extent. We might react in the same way we did with the new millennium when it was imminent, but it proved to be much ado about almost nothing. The same may be true for the discovery of one or more extraterrestrial civilizations. On the other hand, the extreme opposite is a scenario where all of our worst fears are fulfilled." For more, see article.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
g Stars – Ringed Saturn and its moons provide a model of what the early solar system may have looked like — key knowledge in understanding how life came about. Now ultraviolet images of Saturn's rings indicates much of the system is filled with ice, as well as atoms derived from water. A cloud of oxygen extends millions of miles outward from Saturn, which may hint at collisions between unseen icy moons. See article.
g Abodes – The largest earthquake in 40 years and the devastating tsunami it unleashed have raised unwarranted concerns that in their wake further geological disasters might follow. Though earthquake zones and volcanoes are located close to one another, a volcanic eruption isn’t likely following an earthquake in this case. See article.
g Life – Near the sprawl of the Capital Beltway, an amateur paleontologist found what he says are the first footprints ever uncovered of a 6-foot-long plant-eating dinosaur that roamed the Earth about 100 million years ago. In addition to being the first tracks ever found of the dinosaur, the footprints are the first evidence that members of the Hypsilophodon family roamed what is now Maryland. See article.
g Intelligence – The human brain’s remarkable flexibility to understand a variety of signals as language extends to an unusual whistle language used by shepherds on one of the Canary Islands off the northwest coast of Africa. See article.
g Cosmicus – In 2007, NASA’s Kepler Mission will begin the space-based search for extrasolar planets. As a satellite, Kepler is the first observatory capable of finding Earth-size worlds in the habitable zone of distant Suns. In other words, Kepler may find "good places to live." See article.
g Learning – Now here’s a course that more schools ought to offer: article.
g Imagining – As I research the evolution of our next sci-fi extraterrestrial, let me leave you with a gaggle of sites dedicated to the first major Star Trek alien: the Romulan. The sites don’t say much about Romulans came to be (they’re Vulcans who many millennia ago settled another world), but it does give a lot of linguistic and cultural information about the race — which is just as important to know about intelligent species as their biology. See article.
g Aftermath – Here’s one common man’s musings on the consequences for society if extraterrestrial intelligence is discovered: "Inevitably society would change should extraterrestrial intelligence be discovered. The question is to what extent. We might react in the same way we did with the new millennium when it was imminent, but it proved to be much ado about almost nothing. The same may be true for the discovery of one or more extraterrestrial civilizations. On the other hand, the extreme opposite is a scenario where all of our worst fears are fulfilled." For more, see article.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Thursday, January 06, 2005
Most powerful explosion ever, a complex schnoz and the Caretaker
Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Stars – Astronomers have found the most powerful eruption in the universe. Lasting for more than 100 million years, the eruption has generated energy equivalent to hundreds of millions of gamma-ray bursts. See article.
g Abodes – What first appeared to be effervescent bubbles, like those in champagne, rising from a hydrothermal vent area in the northern Mariana Arc of the Pacific Ocean turned out to be liquid carbon dioxide. This is only the second location where the phenomenon has been identified. Scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and its partner institutions made the discovery during an April expedition. See article.
g Life – One of the great unknowns in the climate change debate is the effect of regional alterations on individual species. Connie Millar, a geneticist from the Pacific Southwest Research Station, discusses the importance of allowing a species to move, even as space becomes more precious and fenced off. See article.
g Intelligence – Your nose may not be as big as a jumbo jet (or maybe it is) but it is more complex in one sense: A new study of how air flows through your schnoz reveals the process to be more complicated than air coursing over a jet's wing. See article.
g Learning – There’s a new book out, “The Story of Science: Aristotle Leads the Way”, by Joy Hakim, that is the first in a six-volume series aimed at getting young adults interested in science.
g Imagining – Could Star Trek’s Caretaker of The Original Series’ “Shore Leave” fame actually evolve? Unfortunately, we know almost nothing about his race with the exception that it is very advanced technologically and quite disciplined mentally. We also know that it appears human, which virtually eliminates it from the realm of possibility, as the parallel evolution on another planet of homo sapiens is extremely unlikely. However, the Caretaker’s kind may not be humanoid at all. Indeed, his race employs machinery that can nearly instantaneously create items based on the readings of one’s thoughts. It’s similar to what the Squire of Gothos and The Next Generation’s Q can do. However, the squire and the Q can achieve this instantaneously, the squire through a machine and the Q through an omnipotent understanding of the universe. Both the squire and the Q also are energy beings. Might the caretaker as well be one (though of a different race than the squire or the Q) and merely took on human form for the landing party’s sake?
Get your SF book manuscript edited
g Stars – Astronomers have found the most powerful eruption in the universe. Lasting for more than 100 million years, the eruption has generated energy equivalent to hundreds of millions of gamma-ray bursts. See article.
g Abodes – What first appeared to be effervescent bubbles, like those in champagne, rising from a hydrothermal vent area in the northern Mariana Arc of the Pacific Ocean turned out to be liquid carbon dioxide. This is only the second location where the phenomenon has been identified. Scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and its partner institutions made the discovery during an April expedition. See article.
g Life – One of the great unknowns in the climate change debate is the effect of regional alterations on individual species. Connie Millar, a geneticist from the Pacific Southwest Research Station, discusses the importance of allowing a species to move, even as space becomes more precious and fenced off. See article.
g Intelligence – Your nose may not be as big as a jumbo jet (or maybe it is) but it is more complex in one sense: A new study of how air flows through your schnoz reveals the process to be more complicated than air coursing over a jet's wing. See article.
g Learning – There’s a new book out, “The Story of Science: Aristotle Leads the Way”, by Joy Hakim, that is the first in a six-volume series aimed at getting young adults interested in science.
g Imagining – Could Star Trek’s Caretaker of The Original Series’ “Shore Leave” fame actually evolve? Unfortunately, we know almost nothing about his race with the exception that it is very advanced technologically and quite disciplined mentally. We also know that it appears human, which virtually eliminates it from the realm of possibility, as the parallel evolution on another planet of homo sapiens is extremely unlikely. However, the Caretaker’s kind may not be humanoid at all. Indeed, his race employs machinery that can nearly instantaneously create items based on the readings of one’s thoughts. It’s similar to what the Squire of Gothos and The Next Generation’s Q can do. However, the squire and the Q can achieve this instantaneously, the squire through a machine and the Q through an omnipotent understanding of the universe. Both the squire and the Q also are energy beings. Might the caretaker as well be one (though of a different race than the squire or the Q) and merely took on human form for the landing party’s sake?
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
Is our world unique, how we smell and mysterious signals
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 – Astronomer Royal, Sir Martin Rees talks to Astrobiology Magazine about the conditions for life. How unique is our world? Is the universe itself just the byproduct of many failed, sterile or stillborn universes that might have preceded it? See article. For Part II, click here.
g Abodes – Geophysical forces deep in a world’s interior play a significant role in affecting the thin layer of mantle and atmosphere that life may evolve. What’s at our planet’s core? Check out “Naked Science” at 9 p.m. CST Thursday. The hour-long program is on the National Geographic cable channel.
g Life – Marine researchers have discovered the deepest coral reef ever found in the United States in about 250 feet of water off the Florida coast. The finding will give scientists insights into the evolution and ecosystems of marine life. See article.
g Intelligence – Immersed as we are in a sea of smells, how is it we're not continually overwhelmed with fair or foul odors until we actively inhale a rose or sniff the milk for a hint of sourness? University of California, Berkeley, neuroscientists have scanned the brains of people sniffing odors and found an answer. See article.
g Message – New Scientist magazine has named SETI’s detection of mysterious radio signals from a source light years away as its top science story of 2004. Here’s a copy of the New Scientist’s report when the story broke in September.
g Cosmicus – The covered barge ferrying the redesigned space shuttle external fuel tank to the Kennedy Space Center arrived at the spaceport today, pulling into unloading port just before 1 p.m. CST. The tank will be used by Discovery for the shuttle return-to-flight launch in May. Workers plan to offload the tank Thursday and transport it into the Vehicle Assembly Building for eventual mating with the solid rocket boosters. See article.
g Learning – One great way to get kids to look toward the stars is getting them involved in model rocketry. Here’s a nice introduction to the hobby.
g Imagining – While I do some research on our next sci-fi alien (Star Trek’s caretaker from “Shore Leave” of “The Original Series”), let me indulge you with this cool Web site that offers brief summaries of “Star Trek: Voyager” alien races. The text doesn’t go much into each race’s evolution, but it does list some basic features and usually provides a picture.
g Aftermath – Here’s another “old” piece worth reading: “Consequences of Success in SETI: Lessons from the History of Science”, given during a Bioastronomy Symposium in 1993.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
g Stars – Astronomer Royal, Sir Martin Rees talks to Astrobiology Magazine about the conditions for life. How unique is our world? Is the universe itself just the byproduct of many failed, sterile or stillborn universes that might have preceded it? See article. For Part II, click here.
g Abodes – Geophysical forces deep in a world’s interior play a significant role in affecting the thin layer of mantle and atmosphere that life may evolve. What’s at our planet’s core? Check out “Naked Science” at 9 p.m. CST Thursday. The hour-long program is on the National Geographic cable channel.
g Life – Marine researchers have discovered the deepest coral reef ever found in the United States in about 250 feet of water off the Florida coast. The finding will give scientists insights into the evolution and ecosystems of marine life. See article.
g Intelligence – Immersed as we are in a sea of smells, how is it we're not continually overwhelmed with fair or foul odors until we actively inhale a rose or sniff the milk for a hint of sourness? University of California, Berkeley, neuroscientists have scanned the brains of people sniffing odors and found an answer. See article.
g Message – New Scientist magazine has named SETI’s detection of mysterious radio signals from a source light years away as its top science story of 2004. Here’s a copy of the New Scientist’s report when the story broke in September.
g Cosmicus – The covered barge ferrying the redesigned space shuttle external fuel tank to the Kennedy Space Center arrived at the spaceport today, pulling into unloading port just before 1 p.m. CST. The tank will be used by Discovery for the shuttle return-to-flight launch in May. Workers plan to offload the tank Thursday and transport it into the Vehicle Assembly Building for eventual mating with the solid rocket boosters. See article.
g Learning – One great way to get kids to look toward the stars is getting them involved in model rocketry. Here’s a nice introduction to the hobby.
g Imagining – While I do some research on our next sci-fi alien (Star Trek’s caretaker from “Shore Leave” of “The Original Series”), let me indulge you with this cool Web site that offers brief summaries of “Star Trek: Voyager” alien races. The text doesn’t go much into each race’s evolution, but it does list some basic features and usually provides a picture.
g Aftermath – Here’s another “old” piece worth reading: “Consequences of Success in SETI: Lessons from the History of Science”, given during a Bioastronomy Symposium in 1993.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
Magnetic fields, space station troubles and the Guardian of Forever
Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Stars – For the first time, a team of astronomers has detected the presence of magnetic fields in the central stars of four planetary nebulae. Theories suggest that magnetic fields play a role in shaping planetary nebulae, the cradle of new planets. See article.
g Abodes – Another example of what happens when politicians and the common man don’t understand science: Madras University’s Department of Applied Geology says it had predicted the earthquake in the Sumatra region, four days before it occurred, triggering the devastating tsunami on Dec. 26. See article.
g Life – In a blink of geologic time, an eagle the weight of a squirrel evolved into a giant predator that fed on animals twice as big as humans. See article.
g Intelligence – Overlooked for at least a century because there was no pottery or gold, a sand-swept region of archaeological sites in north-central Peru is now believed to be the place where cultural evolution in the Andes — and in the Americas, for that matter — first diverged from simple hunting and gathering into complex society. See article.
g Message – Looking for a club to join? Try The SETI League. The league’s site has a lot of great information for everyone from the beginner to accomplished technogeek.
g Cosmicus – The Elektron oxygen generator aboard the international space station shut down New Year's Day, and after three unsuccessful attempts to flush air bubbles from the device astronauts were forced to tap into oxygen reserves aboard a Russian supply ship today. See article.
g Learning – What's the most important tech matter for the New Year? In Chicago, it’s math and science education. See article.
g Imagining – Could Star Trek’s Guardian of Forever — the ancient portal that does not know if it’s a machine or a life form (go here and click on "The Guardian of Forever") — evolve? The Guardian likely is an intelligent, self-aware machine. Presuming that time travel to the past is even possible, the enormous energy required to accomplish this task likely wouldn’t arise in a naturally evolving organic creature. Instead, it probably would be done mechanically (though organic elements might be incorporated into the machine’s components). Of course, a significant motif of science fiction is the question if artificial constructs that gain self-awareness then also “life” (as in The Next Generation android Data). A civilization capable of creating a stable time portal almost certainly also would be capable of creating an intelligent, self-aware machine. In short, the Guardian didn’t evolve via survival of the fittest but was built.
g Aftermath – How will major world religions be affected by the reception ofradio transmissions from an extraterrestrial intelligence? Here’s an interesting project that posits some possible scenarios.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
g Stars – For the first time, a team of astronomers has detected the presence of magnetic fields in the central stars of four planetary nebulae. Theories suggest that magnetic fields play a role in shaping planetary nebulae, the cradle of new planets. See article.
g Abodes – Another example of what happens when politicians and the common man don’t understand science: Madras University’s Department of Applied Geology says it had predicted the earthquake in the Sumatra region, four days before it occurred, triggering the devastating tsunami on Dec. 26. See article.
g Life – In a blink of geologic time, an eagle the weight of a squirrel evolved into a giant predator that fed on animals twice as big as humans. See article.
g Intelligence – Overlooked for at least a century because there was no pottery or gold, a sand-swept region of archaeological sites in north-central Peru is now believed to be the place where cultural evolution in the Andes — and in the Americas, for that matter — first diverged from simple hunting and gathering into complex society. See article.
g Message – Looking for a club to join? Try The SETI League. The league’s site has a lot of great information for everyone from the beginner to accomplished technogeek.
g Cosmicus – The Elektron oxygen generator aboard the international space station shut down New Year's Day, and after three unsuccessful attempts to flush air bubbles from the device astronauts were forced to tap into oxygen reserves aboard a Russian supply ship today. See article.
g Learning – What's the most important tech matter for the New Year? In Chicago, it’s math and science education. See article.
g Imagining – Could Star Trek’s Guardian of Forever — the ancient portal that does not know if it’s a machine or a life form (go here and click on "The Guardian of Forever") — evolve? The Guardian likely is an intelligent, self-aware machine. Presuming that time travel to the past is even possible, the enormous energy required to accomplish this task likely wouldn’t arise in a naturally evolving organic creature. Instead, it probably would be done mechanically (though organic elements might be incorporated into the machine’s components). Of course, a significant motif of science fiction is the question if artificial constructs that gain self-awareness then also “life” (as in The Next Generation android Data). A civilization capable of creating a stable time portal almost certainly also would be capable of creating an intelligent, self-aware machine. In short, the Guardian didn’t evolve via survival of the fittest but was built.
g Aftermath – How will major world religions be affected by the reception ofradio transmissions from an extraterrestrial intelligence? Here’s an interesting project that posits some possible scenarios.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Monday, January 03, 2005
Spirit turns one, girls' science education and 'Star Trek' biology
Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Stars – NASA lit a birthday candle today for its twin Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity. The Spirit rover begins its second year on Mars investigating puzzling rocks unlike any found before. See article. By the way, NOVA will examine the progress of our rovers, a largely astrobiological mission, at 7 p.m. CST Tuesday. The hour-long program is on PBS.
g Abodes – Imagine a lake three times the size of present-day Lake Ontario breaking through a dam and flooding down the Hudson River Valley past New York City and into the North Atlantic. The results would be catastrophic if it occurred today, but it did happen some 13,400 years ago during the retreat of glaciers over North America. It may have triggered a brief cooling known as the Intra-Allerod Cold Period. See article.
g Life – Fossil records of the holes drilled in clamshells before and after a mass extinction two million years ago show patterns of predator-prey behavior indicating that although diversity recovered rapidly, the level of competition had not, according to an article in the journal Science. See article.
g Intelligence – It might be hard to believe in these days of driving the SUV to the corner store, but people are actually pretty fast on their feet. Endurance running might have played an important role in human evolution. See article.
g Message – A few younger readers since the Jan. 1 entry have asked to hear more about the Drake equation. Glad to oblige! There’s a fairly good explanation at Space.com TV; see article and click on “Figure the odds on ET!”
g Cosmicus – Get ready for two of the strangest hours in the history of space exploration. Two hours is how long it will take the European Space Agency's Huygens probe to parachute to the surface of Titan on Jan. 14. Descending through thick orange clouds, Huygens will taste Titan’s atmosphere, measure its wind and rain, listen for alien sounds and, when the clouds part, start taking pictures. See article.
g Learning – Among the most significant science education problems today is getting girls interested in science and math engineering. As part of the effort to address the issue, an Iowa woman has published a book about volcanoes in the solar system (see article). Meanwhile, an Iowa high school student has formed a science club for girls (see article). It's good to see solutions to this issue receiving some press. For background on the problem, Londoner Lisa Sturge wrote a succinct description and offered some good solutions in “Tapping the Talent;” while the report is British and was done in 1996, the issues are the same in America and Canada and still relevant in 2005. If you have a daughter or mentor girls in any way, please click here.
g Imagining – While I’m researching our next alien, browse the local used bookstores for this volume, which examined the scientific plausibility of many alien creatures in “Star Trek”: “To Seek Out New Life: The Biology of Star Trek.” Published about four years ago, Athena Andreadis' book makes a good read, boosted by her background as a molecular biologist and neurosurgeon. See review.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
g Stars – NASA lit a birthday candle today for its twin Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity. The Spirit rover begins its second year on Mars investigating puzzling rocks unlike any found before. See article. By the way, NOVA will examine the progress of our rovers, a largely astrobiological mission, at 7 p.m. CST Tuesday. The hour-long program is on PBS.
g Abodes – Imagine a lake three times the size of present-day Lake Ontario breaking through a dam and flooding down the Hudson River Valley past New York City and into the North Atlantic. The results would be catastrophic if it occurred today, but it did happen some 13,400 years ago during the retreat of glaciers over North America. It may have triggered a brief cooling known as the Intra-Allerod Cold Period. See article.
g Life – Fossil records of the holes drilled in clamshells before and after a mass extinction two million years ago show patterns of predator-prey behavior indicating that although diversity recovered rapidly, the level of competition had not, according to an article in the journal Science. See article.
g Intelligence – It might be hard to believe in these days of driving the SUV to the corner store, but people are actually pretty fast on their feet. Endurance running might have played an important role in human evolution. See article.
g Message – A few younger readers since the Jan. 1 entry have asked to hear more about the Drake equation. Glad to oblige! There’s a fairly good explanation at Space.com TV; see article and click on “Figure the odds on ET!”
g Cosmicus – Get ready for two of the strangest hours in the history of space exploration. Two hours is how long it will take the European Space Agency's Huygens probe to parachute to the surface of Titan on Jan. 14. Descending through thick orange clouds, Huygens will taste Titan’s atmosphere, measure its wind and rain, listen for alien sounds and, when the clouds part, start taking pictures. See article.
g Learning – Among the most significant science education problems today is getting girls interested in science and math engineering. As part of the effort to address the issue, an Iowa woman has published a book about volcanoes in the solar system (see article). Meanwhile, an Iowa high school student has formed a science club for girls (see article). It's good to see solutions to this issue receiving some press. For background on the problem, Londoner Lisa Sturge wrote a succinct description and offered some good solutions in “Tapping the Talent;” while the report is British and was done in 1996, the issues are the same in America and Canada and still relevant in 2005. If you have a daughter or mentor girls in any way, please click here.
g Imagining – While I’m researching our next alien, browse the local used bookstores for this volume, which examined the scientific plausibility of many alien creatures in “Star Trek”: “To Seek Out New Life: The Biology of Star Trek.” Published about four years ago, Athena Andreadis' book makes a good read, boosted by her background as a molecular biologist and neurosurgeon. See review.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Sunday, January 02, 2005
Stellar fireworks, return to flight and Gorns
Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:
g Stars – Like the annual New Year's fireworks display, astronomers at Gemini Observatory are ushering in 2005 with a striking image that dazzles the eye with stellar pyrotechnics. Among the images: a face-on of spiral galaxy NGC 6946, ablaze with colorful galactic fireworks fueled by the births and deaths of multitudes of brilliant, massive stars. See article.
g Abodes – In a rare change to one of the most basic measurements, scientists say the air around us is heavier than they had thought. See article.
g Life – Scientists working at the leading edge of bionanotechnology have built nanoscale “jigsaw” puzzles made of RNA. Possible applications include the development of nanocircuits, medical implants and improved medical testing. See article.
g Intelligence – A bonobo expert trains the playful creatures — our closest relatives — to respond to voice commands on Animal Planet’s “Champions of the Wild: Bonobos.” The half-hour show airs at 5 a.m. Monday.
g Cosmicus – The huge, orange external tank that will help launch space shuttle Discovery on its next mission isn't glitzy like the crystal New Year's ball in Times Square. But its journey from NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility marks something special for 2005: The Return to Flight. See article.
g Learning – NASA’s free Astrobiology Education Poster illustrates in words and pictures the fundamental questions addressed by astrobiology: What is life? Where is it? How do you find it? Three activities have been developed to explore these themes. It’s great for teachers — or parents looking to spend some quality time with their children. See article.
g Imagining – Among the more famous alien races from “Star Trek” are the Gorn, bipedal reptilians who are much larger and stronger than humans. The Gorn are an unlikely alien species but a splendid example of how we so often portray extraterrestrials based not on scientific principles but our own psychology — like the insect alien, most humans naturally find the reptilian alien repulsive. For science fiction, it’s a good choice to create suspense: creatures out of our nightmares that we keep going back to out of a fascination over what frightens us. But could the Gorn evolve on another world? Probably not. The most troubling feature of the Gorn is the remarkable parallel evolution that would have to occur on Gorn Prime to Earth for a few billion years, at least up to our Age of Dinosaurs. Also disconcerting is the Gorn’s snout; this adds weight to the head and with a large brain size creates excessive and unbalanced weight for the neck muscles to hold up. Another problem is the Gorn’s slow movements; certainly a species that evolved to intelligence would have to move a little faster, or it could not succeed in hunting. A caveat here is that its lack of agility may in part have propelled it to intelligence, as it needed to outthink faster moving prey. Some “Star Trek” fans have speculated that Gorn Prime possesses a harsh environment and a relatively high local gravity (1.4 Gs!), which accounts for the Gorn’s increased strength and endurance levels. This seems unlikely, though, as the Gorn then would be able to move swiftly on the asteroid presented in the episode, which Kirk shifts about on as if it were Earth normal gravity.
g Aftermath – Freelance writer Mark Pendergrast examines the folly of the Anthropic Principle this morning in a Vermont newspaper op-ed. See article.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
g Stars – Like the annual New Year's fireworks display, astronomers at Gemini Observatory are ushering in 2005 with a striking image that dazzles the eye with stellar pyrotechnics. Among the images: a face-on of spiral galaxy NGC 6946, ablaze with colorful galactic fireworks fueled by the births and deaths of multitudes of brilliant, massive stars. See article.
g Abodes – In a rare change to one of the most basic measurements, scientists say the air around us is heavier than they had thought. See article.
g Life – Scientists working at the leading edge of bionanotechnology have built nanoscale “jigsaw” puzzles made of RNA. Possible applications include the development of nanocircuits, medical implants and improved medical testing. See article.
g Intelligence – A bonobo expert trains the playful creatures — our closest relatives — to respond to voice commands on Animal Planet’s “Champions of the Wild: Bonobos.” The half-hour show airs at 5 a.m. Monday.
g Cosmicus – The huge, orange external tank that will help launch space shuttle Discovery on its next mission isn't glitzy like the crystal New Year's ball in Times Square. But its journey from NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility marks something special for 2005: The Return to Flight. See article.
g Learning – NASA’s free Astrobiology Education Poster illustrates in words and pictures the fundamental questions addressed by astrobiology: What is life? Where is it? How do you find it? Three activities have been developed to explore these themes. It’s great for teachers — or parents looking to spend some quality time with their children. See article.
g Imagining – Among the more famous alien races from “Star Trek” are the Gorn, bipedal reptilians who are much larger and stronger than humans. The Gorn are an unlikely alien species but a splendid example of how we so often portray extraterrestrials based not on scientific principles but our own psychology — like the insect alien, most humans naturally find the reptilian alien repulsive. For science fiction, it’s a good choice to create suspense: creatures out of our nightmares that we keep going back to out of a fascination over what frightens us. But could the Gorn evolve on another world? Probably not. The most troubling feature of the Gorn is the remarkable parallel evolution that would have to occur on Gorn Prime to Earth for a few billion years, at least up to our Age of Dinosaurs. Also disconcerting is the Gorn’s snout; this adds weight to the head and with a large brain size creates excessive and unbalanced weight for the neck muscles to hold up. Another problem is the Gorn’s slow movements; certainly a species that evolved to intelligence would have to move a little faster, or it could not succeed in hunting. A caveat here is that its lack of agility may in part have propelled it to intelligence, as it needed to outthink faster moving prey. Some “Star Trek” fans have speculated that Gorn Prime possesses a harsh environment and a relatively high local gravity (1.4 Gs!), which accounts for the Gorn’s increased strength and endurance levels. This seems unlikely, though, as the Gorn then would be able to move swiftly on the asteroid presented in the episode, which Kirk shifts about on as if it were Earth normal gravity.
g Aftermath – Freelance writer Mark Pendergrast examines the folly of the Anthropic Principle this morning in a Vermont newspaper op-ed. See article.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
Saturday, January 01, 2005
A New Year's resolution
As the New Year begins, let us all make a resolution: We will work to make humanity a truly space-faring race. For the past half-century, we’ve ventured into space as if children wading a few feet into a great ocean. But there are other islands out there — and now is the time to swim.
This blog is dedicated to one event that very well may compel us to becoming a space-faring race: contact with an extraterrestrial civilization. It is a serious site; you won’t find a discussion of UFOs and the Fifth Dimension’s denizens here. Instead, it updates readers daily of the latest scientific advances in a number of fields related to the multidisciplinary study of astrobiology. Its sections are loosely arranged around the now famous Drake equation, developed by astronomer Frank Drake, who conducted the first modern search for extraterrestrial life in 1960.The equation seeks to determine the number of technological civilizations that might exist among the stars:
Get your SF book manuscript edited
This blog is dedicated to one event that very well may compel us to becoming a space-faring race: contact with an extraterrestrial civilization. It is a serious site; you won’t find a discussion of UFOs and the Fifth Dimension’s denizens here. Instead, it updates readers daily of the latest scientific advances in a number of fields related to the multidisciplinary study of astrobiology. Its sections are loosely arranged around the now famous Drake equation, developed by astronomer Frank Drake, who conducted the first modern search for extraterrestrial life in 1960.The equation seeks to determine the number of technological civilizations that might exist among the stars:
R * FP * NE * FL * FI * FC * LN = N
In the equation, R is the mean rate of star formation averaged over the lifetime of the galaxy; FP the fraction of stars with planetary systems; NE the mean number of planets per system with environments suitable for the origin of life; FL the fraction of such planets on which life does develop; FI the fraction of such planets on which intelligent life rises during the lifetime of the local sun; FC the fraction of planets on which advanced technical civilizations rises; L the lifetime of this technical civilization; and N the number of advanced technical civilizations emitting detectable radio signals.This blog’s sections and the general topics addressed in each one include:
g Stars - Cosmology and astronomy, which affect our understanding of the mean rate of star formation averaged over the lifetime of the galaxy and the fraction of stars with planetary systems, or R and FP in the equation
g Abodes - Geology and Earth climate, which helps us grasp the mean number of planets per system with environments suitable for the origin of life, or NE in the equation
g Life - Biology, especially the evolution of life, as well as chemistry and other sciences that advance our understanding of the fraction of such planets on which life does develop, or FL in the equation
g Intelligence - How homo sapiens and, more generally, intelligence evolves, to help us determine the fraction of such planets on which intelligent life rises during the lifetime of the local sun, or FI in the equation
g Message – A discussion of our attempts to communicate with our other intelligences, to increase our knowledge of the fraction of planets on which advanced technical civilizations rises, or FC in the equation
g Cosmicus - Humanity's climb to the status of a space-faring civilization, a necessary step to increase the lifetime of this technical civilization, or L in the equation; the term “cosmicus” comes from the father of Russian astronautics, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, who envisioned humanity becoming “homo cosmicus” or a space-faring civilization — we will become “homo cosmicus” when the first human is born, lives, grows old and dies in space, returning to Earth only as a visitor
g Stars - Cosmology and astronomy, which affect our understanding of the mean rate of star formation averaged over the lifetime of the galaxy and the fraction of stars with planetary systems, or R and FP in the equation
g Abodes - Geology and Earth climate, which helps us grasp the mean number of planets per system with environments suitable for the origin of life, or NE in the equation
g Life - Biology, especially the evolution of life, as well as chemistry and other sciences that advance our understanding of the fraction of such planets on which life does develop, or FL in the equation
g Intelligence - How homo sapiens and, more generally, intelligence evolves, to help us determine the fraction of such planets on which intelligent life rises during the lifetime of the local sun, or FI in the equation
g Message – A discussion of our attempts to communicate with our other intelligences, to increase our knowledge of the fraction of planets on which advanced technical civilizations rises, or FC in the equation
g Cosmicus - Humanity's climb to the status of a space-faring civilization, a necessary step to increase the lifetime of this technical civilization, or L in the equation; the term “cosmicus” comes from the father of Russian astronautics, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, who envisioned humanity becoming “homo cosmicus” or a space-faring civilization — we will become “homo cosmicus” when the first human is born, lives, grows old and dies in space, returning to Earth only as a visitor
g Learning - Science education, as humanity's future and astrobiology's success depends upon a science-literate youth and public; it also is a necessary step to increase the lifetime of this technical civilization, or L in the equation
g Imagining – This section consists of musings on the possibilities of science fiction aliens as science fiction offers a literary portal for us to examine elements of the Drake Equation; I’ll primarily focus on “Star Trek,” the most popular and serious of the science fiction genres
g Aftermath – Looking beyond the Drake Equation is perhaps the most important question that will face humanity in the century ahead: “What will happen after we make contact with aliens?”; this section offers the latest speculations
I hope each of you will return daily to stay current with astrobiology — and that it may inspire you to work toward the day when humanity becomes homo cosmicus.
g Aftermath – Looking beyond the Drake Equation is perhaps the most important question that will face humanity in the century ahead: “What will happen after we make contact with aliens?”; this section offers the latest speculations
I hope each of you will return daily to stay current with astrobiology — and that it may inspire you to work toward the day when humanity becomes homo cosmicus.
Get your SF book manuscript edited
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