Phoenix On Mars And The Clich Of Aggressive Extraterrestrials

Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. You may notice that this and future entries are shorter than usual; career, family and book deal commitments have forced me to cut back some of my projects. Now, here's today's news:

g STARS - What is the habitable zone for the nearby star Lalande 21185?

g ABODES - A new study suggests that "megacryometeors" could possibly be new signs of climate change. See article.

g LIFE - Once considered a barren plain with the odd hydrothermal vent, the seafloor appears to be teeming with microbial life, according to a paper being published May 29 in Nature. See article.

g INTELLIGENCE - At least part of the mystery of Stonehenge may have now been solved: It was from the beginning a monument to the dead. See article.

g MESSAGE - Among the most important SETI work is being done at Harvard University. Here's the Harvard SETI home page. See article.

g COSMICUS -A satellite radio that carries signals and commands to the Mars Phoenix lander has restarted, ending a one-day delay in the robotic explorer's deployment on the Martian surface. See article.

g LEARNING - What are SETI scientists doing to foment the study and understanding of astrobiology in our schools? See article.

g IMAGINING - Bad news for the NASA Administrator - the Space Shuttle has blown up again. But this time the cause is not foam-fretted tiles, it's alien hitchhikers. That's right: aggressive extraterrestrials have bummed a rocket ride to Earth to take over our planet. It's a familiar theme, indeed, but there's a silver lining to this interstellar cloud: the invaders are doing it for your own good. See article.