Universe Today

Though it may seem an unlikely location to happen upon a conference on astrobiology, the Vatican recently held a "study week" of over 30 astronomers, biologists, geologists and religious leaders to discuss the question of the existence of extraterrestrials. This follows the statement made last year by the Pope's chief astronomer, Father Gabriel Funes, that the existence of extraterrestrials does not preclude a belief in God, and that it's a question to be explored by the Catholic Church. The event, put on by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, took place at the Casina Pio IV on the Vatican grounds from November 6-11. Read more…

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Ever heard of a 'Cyborg Astrobiologist'? Probably not. But I bet you'll want to be one after learning that future exploration of Mars (and other planets, for that matter) may employ the use of artificial intelligence integrated into spacesuits to enhance the ability of astronauts in taking scientific data while exploring. The AI assistance could help future astronauts exploring planets to recognize differences in their surroundings as being due to the presence of life. Does this sound like something from 50 years from now? Well, a prototype model has already been tested, and has shown the principle behind this idea to be sound.

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Multiple missions have been sent to Mars with the hopes of testing the surface of the planet for life – or the conditions that could create life – on the Red Planet. The question of whether life in the form of bacteria (or something even more exotic!) exists on Mars is hotly debated, and still requires a resolute yes or no. Experiments done right here on Earth that simulate the conditions on Mars and their effects on terrestrial bacteria show that it is entirely possible for certain strains of bacteria to weather the harsh environment of Mars. Read more…

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The basic chemistry for life has been detected the atmosphere of a second hot gas planet, HD 209458b. Data from the Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes provided spectral observations that revealed molecules of carbon dioxide, methane and water vapor in the planet's atmosphere. The Jupiter-sized planet – which occupies a tight, 3.5-day orbit around a sun-like star — is not habitable but it has the same chemistry that, if found around a rocky planet in the future, could indicate the presence of life. Astronomers are excited about the detection, as it shows the potential of being able to characterize planets where life could exist.
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If humans were forced to vacate Earth, where is the next best place in our solar system for us to live? A study by the University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo has provided a quantitative evaluation of habitability to identify the potential habitats in our solar system. Professor Abel Mendez, who produced the study also looked at how the habitability of Earth has changed in the past, finding that some periods were even better than today.
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When discussing the possibility of finding life on other worlds, we usually add the phrase "life – as we know it." But we've been surprised at exotic forms of life even on our own world and we need figure out how life might evolve elsewhere with foreign biochemistry in alien environments. Scientists at a new interdisciplinary research institute in Austria are working to understand exotic life and how we might find it.
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The famed Drake equation estimates the number of technologically advanced civilizations that might exist in our Galaxy. But is there a way to mathematically quantify a habitat’s potential for hosting life?
“At present, there is no easy way of directly comparing the suitability of different environments as a habitat for life" said Dr. Axel Hagermann, who is proposing a method to find a "habitability index" at the European Planetary Science Congress.
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Hollywood never seems to have a shortage of films that harbor the possibility of extraterrestrial life in the Universe. You've got elite blockbusters like E.T., Independence Day, Star Wars, Superman, and more recently – Transformers. And still, we have yet to find stories outside those just borne out of the human mind that show other life forms outside ours do exist.

Drake Equation – The math that says E.T. is out there

In 1961, astrophysicist Dr. Frank Drake came up with an equation showing the astoundingly high probability of finding extraterrestrial life in the Universe. He factored in parameters like the rate of formation of suitable stars, fraction of stars containing planets, number of Earth-like worlds per planetary system, and few others. If the Drake Equation holds, there should be 10,000 planets containing life with the capability of eventually communicating with us.

Fermi Paradox – Why then can't we find them?

There is however a big difference between what the Drake Equation predicts and what we're observing despite all our efforts to communicate with other intelligent lifeforms. This is summarized in what is known as the Fermi Paradox. Some theories have sprouted out of the paradox; among them, that no other civilizations exist or if they did, they just chose not to communicate with us.

Astrobiology – the science that E.T. can call home

Partly due to the overwhelming probability buoyed by the Drake Equation, a new interdisciplinary field has emerged. Astrobiology combines physics, chemistry, and biology plus many other disciplines with the objective of obtaining a better understanding of the origin, evolution, distribution, and even future of life in the Universe.

Kepler – NASA's mission dedicated to finding other Earths

NASA has a number of missions having very specific objectives. One of them is Kepler, a space telescope designed to find planets very similar to our own. Launched just very recently (March 2009), among Kepler's objectives is to scan habitable zones of certain stars for Earth-sized planets and to determine the properties of stars that support orbiting planets.

Terrestrial planet finder (TPF)

Back in 2002, a couple of projects were proposed with the goal of finding certain terrestrial planets. These were the Infrared Astronomical Interferometer (TPF-I) and the Visible Light Choronograph (TPF-C). Budget constraints have put these projects on hold. There are however some inexpensive projects that might just hit the jackpot. One of them is SETI@home

SETI at home

You don't have to be some hot shot astrobiologist to contribute to efforts in finding extraterrestrial life in the Universe. A project called SETI@home allows you to participate by downloading a program into your Internet-connected PC. Once the program is installed, your home PC will form part of a vast network of computers that help in analyzing radio telescope data designed to find other lifeforms.

Here are some related articles from Universe Today that may interest you:

• A New Drake Equation? Other Life Not Likely to be Intelligent
• The Odds of Intelligent Life in the Universe

We have two more related articles from SETI@home and NASA:

• SETI@home
• Kepler Mission: A search for habitable planets

Here are two episodes at Astronomy Cast that you might want to check out as well:

• The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
• The Life of Other Stars

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For centuries, men have pondered the possibility of life on other planets and tried to prove its existence. Even before the first shuttle or probe was launched, stories of life on other planets and life invading our own planet, were published prolifically. Whether it's a desire to connect with others or a burning curiosity to know whether we are truly alone, the question of life on other planets fascinates people from every walk of life.

An article on extraterrestrial life would not be complete without discussing Mars. Mars has been the biggest focus of the ongoing search for life on other planets for decades. This is not just a wild assumption or fancy; there are several reasons why scientists consider Mars the best place to look for extraterrestrial life. One reason why many people, including scientists, look to Mars as a possible source of life is because they believe there may be water on the planet. Since the telescope was first invented, astronomers have been able to see the channels in the terrain that look like canals or canyons. Finding water on a planet is vitally important to proving that life exists there because it acts as a solvent in chemical reactions for carbon-based life.

Another reason astronomers consider Mars as a likely location for life is because there is a good possibility that Mars is in the habitable zone. The habitable zone is a theoretical band of space a certain distance from the Sun in which conditions are optimal for the existence of carbon-based life. Unsurprisingly, Earth is in the middle of the habitable zone. Although astronomers do not know how far this zone could extend, some think that Mars could be in it.

Most astronomers are looking for life that is carbon-based and similar to life on Earth. For instance, the habitable zone only applies to favorable conditions for supporting carbon-based life, and it is definitely possible for forms of life that do not need water to exist.

Astronomers do not limit themselves to our Solar System either, suggesting that we should look at different solar systems. Scientists are planning to use interferometry–an investigative technique that implements lasers, which is used in astronomy as well as other fields– to find planets in the habitable zones of other solar systems. Astronomers believe that there are hundreds of solar systems and thousands of planets, which means that statistically the odds are favorable for finding another planet that supports life. While NASA develops better probes, the search for life continues.

There are a number of sites with more information including life on other planets from Groninger Kapteyn Institute astronomy students and NASA predicts non-green plants on other planets from NASA.

Universe Today has a number of articles concerning life on other planets including searching for life on non-Earth like planets and single species ecosystem gives hope for life on other planets.

Take a look at this podcast from Astronomy Cast on the search for water on Mars.

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As it sounds, the habitable zone is a region capable of supporting life in a Solar System. Two different regions must meet the right conditions in order for it to be possible for life to exist. The circumstellar habitable zone (CHZ) is limited to a Solar System while the galactic habitable zone (GZH) is a hypothesized spherical band that may be a likely place for terrestrial life to develop in a galaxy. This hypothesis is still in the very basic stages and very little research has been done on it so far. The GZH is essentially the circumstellar habitable zone on a larger scale.

The circumstellar habitable zone, also known as the ecosphere, is thought to exist around all stars, not only the Sun. If a planet is outside of this habitable zone than it is believed to be incapable of sustaining life because outside of this band it is impossible for liquid water to exist. The most important factor in the possibility of life is the presence of liquid water because its role as a solvent in biochemical reactions is essential.

Earth is in the middle of our solar system's habitable zone with Mars and Venus on either side. The exact limits of our Sun's CHZ is unclear, which is one reason why scientists are so interested in finding life on Mars. If astronomers do fail to find life on Mars though, that may be due to atmospheric differences between the countries rather than the boundaries of the CHZ. Venus' proximity to the Sun has caused it to develop an atmosphere with extreme temperatures that would be unsuitable for any kind of Earth-like life. The size and location of CHZs of other stars depend on various factors, such as the size, brightness, and temperature of the star and other planetary factors.

The galactic habitable zone is a hypothesis supported by various astronomers, though the idea has been met with some skepticism. The general idea is that the center of the universe acts comparably to the way that the Sun acts in the CHZ. The favorable spot would have to be close enough to the center of the universe so that it could gather enough heavy materials from the center to form planets and complex life, but far enough away to have some protection from dangerous radiation, which would damage any carbon-based life forms. Astronomers point out  that one of the flaws of the habitable zone theory is that it only takes into consideration carbon-based life, which means that the possibility of some other form of life unknown on Earth could exist outside of the habitable zone.  

If you are looking for more information take a look at the articles circumstellar habitable zone and the galactic habitable zone from The Internet Encyclopedia of Science.

Universe Today has more articles on this subject including using gravity to find planets in the habitable zone and other habitable earths.

Astronomy Cast also has an episode that you will want to check out: search for water on Mars.

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