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Showing posts with the label exobiology

"Organic," "Wow!" — and Double Planets

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A Rosetta mission team leader's British reserve snapped when Philae's data showed "a lot of peaks." There's carbon on comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko: probably part of complex organic compounds, which doesn't mean there's life there. Researchers on this side of the Atlantic reported that double planets may be more common than we'd thought: a lot more more common.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Harpooning the 'Rubber Duck' Comet; Public Safety — and Space Aliens

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If all goes well, a robot spaceship will harpoon a comet next week. Meanwhile, science and daily routine go on in the International Space Station, nobody was hurt when an Antares cargo carrier exploded, and someone's done a survey about faith and space aliens...." ...Some comets and asteroids are shaped like potatoes. Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko looks like two potatoes and a bit of corn stalk: or a rubber duck.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Sagittarius B2, Water, and Asteroid Mining

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Scientists have found a complex organic molecule near this galaxy's core; and water vapor in a planet's atmosphere, some 122 light-years away. Closer to home, America's Congress is deliberating on a bill that could allow asteroid mining: if other nations don't get conniptions.... ...As usual, I'll explain why I think being human is okay. If you've been here before, feel free to skip to "Organic Molecules in Sagittarius B2," click to something else online, take a coffee break, or whatever.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Kapteyn b, Habitable Zones, and Using Our Brains

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Some scientists say that a star's habitable zone may be wider than we thought. Others found a planet that's only a few times more massive than Earth, nearby: and about 11,500,000,000 years old.... ...As I said two weeks ago, I don't think that we're alone in the universe: or that we are not alone. Right now, we don't know.... ...Using Our Brains Whatever, and perhaps whoever, we find: I'm not concerned that we will learn 'things which man was not supposed to know.' More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Moons, Solar Origins, and a Crash that Cracked the World (Maybe)

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Scientists seeking niches for life in the universe have a new tool, we've finding stars that shared our sun's origin, and have more clues about Earth's early years.... A Hypothetical Habitable Moon (From Lucianomendez, via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission. (" Artist's impression of a hypothetical habitable moon of Upsilon Andromedae d. ") That's a cool picture, but we don't know if Upsilon Andromedae d has moons: let alone one with an atmosphere, ocean, and clouds. Using a new exomoon detecting technique, we may soon know how closely the artist's impression matches reality.... ...A few years ago I ran into an intriguing bit of informed speculation: Earth may be about as small as a planet can be, and still support life: and that's another topic. Exoplanets: Hot Jupiters, Super-Earths, and More Scientists have cataloged 1786 planets orbiting other stars. These exoplanets are in 1106 planetary systems, including 460 multiple p

Habitable Worlds, Homer, and Haldane — or — Ganymede's Oceans, and Imagining Kepler-186f's Sunsets

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Scientists at the University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo's Planetary Habitability Laboratory simulated Kepler-186f's sunsets. Others studied possibly-habitable regions in Jovian moons and around double stars. Meanwhile, some chap at Oxford trotted out opportunities for angst and dread.... ...Over the last million years, we've learned to use fire without killing ourselves, weren't cut to shreds by flint tools, and developed an alternative to horse-drawn wagons before burying London in manure. If anything, we're smarter now than we were in the 'good old days:' so I don't think that steam engines or integrated circuits will kill us all. ( November 22, 2013 ; July 9, 2011 ) The trick is using humanity's accumulated wisdom, and applying it to everyday life. Most of the time, we do a pretty good job: my opinion. Sometimes mistakes are made. Then, most of the time, we clean up the mess and move on.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America

The Search for Life: Earth-Size Planet, in the Habitable Zone — Found

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Many of this galaxy's 17,000,000,000 or so roughly Earth-size planets are probably too hot or too cold to support life. Last week, scientists found one that is a little cooler than our home: but not by much.... ...If we discover life on other planets while I'm still around, I'll be delighted. From the way folks respond to new ideas, I'm pretty sure that many will share my fascination. Others, apparently convinced that God wouldn't or couldn't disregard their values and assumptions, will almost certainly denounce reports of extraterrestrial life as a Satanic plot. We've gone through this sort of goofiness with vaccinations and evolution. ( February 12, 2014 ; January 2, 2014 ) I hope we find neighbors in the universe: people who aren't human, but share our nature: creatures with intelligence and will, made of spirit and matter. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 311 , 362 - 368 . I think it's very likely that life started on other worlds. Giv

Life in the Universe: Focusing the Search

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Scientists have found at least a dozen planets where life might exist. They're learning more about biosignatures: signs of life. Understanding Life's Limits "...An Enormous Quantity of Creatures of Every Kind..." "...So Much We Still Don't Understand" A Growing Catalog of Known Worlds Earth-Sized Planets: Billions of Them Searching the Sky: Frustration and Vindication Life on Other Worlds: Imagined (From "Quatermass and the Pit," via Tales of Future Past, used w/o permission) ('That's odd: he doesn't look German.') Some science fiction movies strayed from the man-in-a-rubber-suit style of space alien. But most extraterrestrials in the movies look at least vaguely human. I don't mind, since " Close Encounters of the Third Kind ," " The Last Starfighter ," and " Spaced Invaders " are entertainment: not documentaries.... ...Angels are persons, too: beings of pure spirit, with

The Oldest Known Heart; Tweaking Bacteria; and Looking for Life in the Universe

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A 520,000,000 year old fossilized heart caught my eye this week: so did genetically engineered bacteria, and the continuing search for life in the universe.... ...I don't need an iPad to be Catholic: which is just as well, since I don't own one. My son has smartphone, and that's another topic. Catholics coped quite well without WiFi gadgets in their pockets: and without pockets, for that matter. But our faith doesn't depend on avoiding new ideas and technology. We've even been at the cutting edge of new tech a few times: like Gothic cathedrals , stone buildings with walls made mostly of stained glass. The pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and flying buttresses of Gothic architecture are traditional now, but 12th century traditionalists were horrified at the 'barbarous' style. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .