g ABODES - Scientists have determined that Saturn's moon Titan has hundreds of times more liquid hydrocarbons than all the known oil and natural gas reserves of Earth. Studying the hydrocarbons of Titan could provide a better understanding of the origins of life in the Universe. See article.
g LIFE - Using the genetic equivalent of an ancient thermometer, a team of scientists has determined that the Earth endured a massive cooling period between 500 million and 3.5 billion years ago. See article.
g IMAGINING - Book alert: What would life on other planets look like? Forget the little green men, alien life is likely to be completely unrecognizable - we haven't even discovered all the life on our own planet. The visionary "Evolving the Alien: The Science of Extraterrestrial Life," by Jack Cohen and Ian Stewart, offers some of the most radical but scientifically accurate thinking on the possibility of life on other planets ever conceived. Using broad principles of Earthly biology and expanding on them laterally, Cohen and Stewart examine what could be out there. Redefining our whole concept of what 'life' is, they ask whether aliens could live on the surface of a star, in the vacuum of space or beneath the ice of a frozen moon. And whether life could exist without carbon or DNA - or even without matter at all. They also look at 'celebrity aliens' from books and films - most of which are biologically impossible. Jack Cohen is an "alien consultant" to many writers, advising what an alien could and couldn't look like. (E.T. go home - you do not pass the test). But this book is as much about the latest discoveries in Earthly biology as well as life on other planets. It's a serious yet entertaining science book. See article.
g AFTERMATH - Could humanity ever relate to an alien species? Consider the questioning context of these online speculations about why "Star Trek is human centered?" The latter is an interesting question, possibly creating a situation dealing with a prejudice on the behalf of the writers and producers. However, would a series completely dedicated to another species, such as the Romulans, be successful in a television market? Is it possible that the reasons it wouldn't be might indicate humanity may care little about an alien species other than as a potential threat? See article.
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