Category Archives: Aliens

solar system superlatives: Earth

Posted on May 4, 2021 by Peter Taylor

Welcome to the last episode of solar system superlatives. I know it’s hard to believe, but, alas, all good things must end. In an effort to dry the tears brimming in all our eyes, I wanted to end this blog series on a happy note and on a celebration of vitality – by looking atContinue reading “solar system superlatives: Earth” Continue reading →

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hoping for a good (tardi)grade on this blog

Posted on May 3, 2021 by wendyyb

At first glance, tardigrades don’t look like much. Affectionately nicknamed “water bears” and “moss piglets”, it’s hard to believe that this millimeter long creature is one of Earth’s most durable extremophiles. According to BCC, tardigrades are found all over the planet from the bottom of the ocean, to Antarctica, to the tops of the Himalayas.Continue reading “hoping for a good (tardi)grade on this blog” Continue reading →

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Gotta be Life out there

Posted on May 2, 2021 by dayanel123

Today we will be talking about extremophiles. After learning about all of the potential life that can survive in the harshest of environments, it made me think that there must be life out there. What may seem like a super hot, extremely pressurized environment to us on Venus, may seem like the ideal conditions forContinue reading “Gotta be Life out there” Continue reading →

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Hey, Where is Everybody?

Posted on May 2, 2021 by alliefrymire

When we studied the Drake Equation in class, it was interesting to note that using the maximum possible values for each variable in the equation, there could be as many as 21,000,000 detectable civilizations out there right now waiting to be discovered? If there are so, so many civilizations out there sending communication into space … Continue reading Hey, Where is Everybody? → Continue reading →

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Life In The Extremes

Posted on May 2, 2021 by alliefrymire

If there’s anything I’ve learned in my studies of biology over my education, it’s that life is precarious, delicate, and precious. However, now that I’ve learned more about astrobiology through this course, I’ve also come to know that life is hardy and determined. As Ian Malcom so astutely notes in Jurassic Park, “Life finds a … Continue reading Life In The Extremes → Continue reading →

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Keeping Up With The Kardashev Scale

Posted on May 2, 2021 by olivesobservatory

Feel free to take a few seconds out of your day to fully appreciate the genius title I came up with for this post. I’ll even give you some scrolling to do while you appreciate it! The Kardashev scale was designed in 1964 by Nikolai Kardashev to measure a civilization’s level of technological capability based… Continue reading →

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I Want To Believe!

Posted on May 1, 2021 by olivesobservatory

Forget Fermi’s paradox. Forget the Drake equation. Yet another hot-button topic relating to astronomy and (potential?) extraterrestrial life is- you guessed it- unidentified flying objects (UFOs for short). Do I think it’s kind of a stretch that I’m relating this to chapter 24? Absolutely! But with the (relatively) recent declassification by the Pentagon of three… Continue reading →

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Fermi Paradox

Posted on May 1, 2021 by laineroberts

Do you believe in aliens? With over 4,000 planets outside of our solar system and likely many many more, it seems almost crazy not to. Using the Drake Equation, astronomers estimate the probability of alien life outside of our solar system. Depending on the scientist’s opinions and research, this number can vary greatly but oftenContinue reading “Fermi Paradox” Continue reading →

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What Life on Titan Would Look Like

Posted on May 1, 2021 by jagobillot

Titan is a world that fits many criteria for a world that could host life. Because it has temperatures at about -290 degrees celsius on the surface, life would most likely be extremophile microbes below the methane surface. But an organism living entirely off of methane did not seem likely to me originally, until IContinue reading “What Life on Titan Would Look Like” Continue reading →

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Conan the Bacterium, a potential Martian?

Posted on April 30, 2021 by lorenzchen14

Conan the Bacterium, also known as Dionococcus Radiodurans Evolution, as far as we know, has always been pushing the limits of adaptability, allowing organisms to survive in the harshest of environments. Life that is extremely adaptable to almost all living environments are called extremophiles, hence their name. Scientists have recently hypothesized that some of Earth’sContinue reading “Conan the Bacterium, a potential Martian?” Continue reading →

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