Monthly Archives: April 2017

Earth(s) 2.0

Posted on April 26, 2017 by ritam216

The idea of life in other star systems has long intrigued mankind. However, it is likely that before life can be identified we must discover the planets upon which this life would spawn. Within the star system TRAPPIST-1, seven Earth-sized planets have been discovered, three of which are within the star’s habitable zone. The star […] Continue reading →

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Take Me To Your Leader

Posted on April 24, 2017 by jakesindelar

    In 1950, Enrico Fermi famously asked: “Where is everybody?” With humanity’s rise in technological progress, we could colonize the galaxy within a couple million years. If we apply the Cosmological Principle (We are not special) to our galaxy, the cosmos should be crawling with life. With over half a trillion planets in our…Read more Take Me To Your Leader Continue reading →

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What is SpaceX?

Posted on April 24, 2017 by connormorency

In the last year or two, you may have heard the term ‘SpaceX’ pop up in casual conversation. You may … More Continue reading →

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Not Too Hot, Not Too Cold

Posted on April 24, 2017 by jakesindelar

    Earth is the only planet in our universe that we currently know supports life. For a planet to harbor life as we know it, it must lie in a star’s habitable zone. Being positioned in the zone is not enough, however. Countless planets orbit their suns at the proper distance and do not…Read more Not Too Hot, Not Too Cold Continue reading →

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The Drake Equation

Posted on April 24, 2017 by connormorency

The Drake Equation can be used to estimate the number of communicating civilizations in the milky way galaxy. First proposed … More Continue reading →

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Crown-Like Structures on Venus

Posted on April 24, 2017 by abbeyroth

A new study may explain these strange looking ring patterns on Venus’s surface. These geological markers are called coronae and occur when plumes of hot molten rock rise up and disturb the cooler material above it. The rigid surface is then cracked and molten rock can flow through cracks as magma. Scientists did tests in… Continue reading Crown-Like Structures on Venus Continue reading →

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Ceres Harbors Building Blocks of Life

Posted on April 24, 2017 by abbeyroth

Ceres, the largest asteroid in the Solar System, and now considered a dwarf planet, may have once been habitable. NASA’s Dawn spacecraft collected samples from the surface and were found to contain organic compounds and amino acids, which are often referred to as the building blocks of life. Dawn has also discovered evidence of a subsurface… Continue reading Ceres Harbors Building Blocks of Life Continue reading →

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Europa Clipper

Posted on April 24, 2017 by pkunetz97

In the not too distant future, NASA will be sending a probe to one of Jupiter’s moons. I’m sure you can guess from the title of this blog post that the probe will be sent to Europa. Recently, NASA announced the name of this mission: Europa Clipper. It is named after clippers, swift ships that […] Continue reading →

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Blog 8- Final Thoughts

Posted on April 24, 2017 by sullivrs

On our last day of class, I asked about the probability of life on Earth being the most intelligent kind of life in the Universe.  I’ve always believed that the odds of our intellectual superiority must be incredibly low given the immense size of the Universe, but I’ve never really taken the time to learn more about… Continue reading →

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Blog 7- Methanogens and Life on Enceladus

Posted on April 24, 2017 by sullivrs

Recently, a NASA reported suggested that one of Saturn’s moons, Enceladus, could be a world that may be conducive to supporting life (source).  Enceladus, which is covered in ice and significantly farther from the Sun than the Earth is, may not seem like a world where one might suspect life to be able to develop.… Continue reading →

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