Monthly Archives: April 2014

SETI Institute

Posted on April 27, 2014 by katiew

The existence of life outside of planet Earth is one of the greatest mysteries, but the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute is trying to solve it. Given our understanding about life and the vastness of the universe, it is not unreasonable to believe that there is life out there somewhere. So far, scientists have […] Continue reading →

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New Zealanders

Posted on April 27, 2014 by thegarrettnondorf

Picture from here. Improvise, adapt, and overcome. That’s what the Marines say. That’s what Life does, when you put it under extreme circumstances. The Anglerfish is one example of this adaptation and in this post, I’d like to take a look at some much simpler examples known as extremophiles. My parents recently took a trip … Continue reading New Zealanders → Continue reading →

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The Fabric of Time

Posted on April 27, 2014 by waldentb

  Einstein In later years of Einstein’s life he decided that the evolution of three-dimensional existence is flawed, and that …

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Bussard Ramjet: Interstellar Travel

Posted on April 27, 2014 by waldentb

Interstellar Travel Ramjet Interstellar travel is travel between stars. Interstellar travel is much more difficult than interplanetary travel because of …

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Observing the Solar System

Posted on April 27, 2014 by mariah0407

I took this class because I wanted to learn more about the solar system.  Growing up, I really enjoyed learning about the planets and stars.  One of my favorite parts of the class was the observing.  I was able to see the difference between a red-shifted and blue-shifted star which before this class I wouldn’t […] Continue reading →

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Extremophiles

Posted on April 27, 2014 by mariah0407

The idea that there is life that does not live and survive the way we do is very interesting.  I think humans have come up with an idea of what they are looking for when defining “life.” Yet, these extremophiles prove many of these ideas wrong.  They live in places humans never could survive but […] Continue reading →

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Looking Forward

Posted on April 27, 2014 by Chad F

This class has taught me to never doubt human innovation.  Man has been looking to the stars since the beginning and the milestones we have made over the centuries are astounding.  Ancient peoples figured out orbital speeds and distances of the planets by just observing the night sky, and nowadays, we have traversed open space […] Continue reading →

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Ammonia Aliens

Posted on April 26, 2014 by Chad F

When we look for planets that harbor alien life, we usually are searching for planets within the habitability zone around their stars.  This habitability zone really is just where the temperature is just right for liquid water to exist.  All life on Earth uses water as the solvent for the reactions of life, so it […] Continue reading →

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The Solar System is in us

Posted on April 26, 2014 by haydenwalling

The solar system is an amazing place filled with a vast spectrum of unique objects, and the most notable of them all is us. We and everything else in the solar system are comprised of the same materials that came from the same place, but only we have grown and developed to appreciate that fact. […] Continue reading →

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Thermococcus gammatolerans: The “hottest” thing alive

Posted on April 26, 2014 by haydenwalling

This rare microbe is the most radiation resistant organism known to man. Discovered in 2003 living inside of a hydrothermal vent at the bottom of the pacific ocean off the coast of California, this little guy is capable of withstanding over 30,000 grays (a Gray is the absorption of one joule of such energy by […] Continue reading →

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