Category Archives: Class

Where are they?

Posted on April 27, 2019 by bobbyc

The Fermi Paradox is a complicated contradiction that considers the probability that other life in the Universe exists, and asks why we have never encountered it. Essentially, some calculations were made to suggest with a high probability that there are many worlds in our universe and even solar system that are habitable, and that the … Continue reading Where are they? Continue reading →

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Resilient Life on Earth Increases Possibility of Extraterrestrial Life

Posted on April 27, 2019 by dayvon

Believe it or not, there are organisms on Earth that can survive unimaginable conditions! These beings are called extremophiles, and they’re nothing short of amazing. One example is the tardigrade, which can live in the most extreme heat, cold, dehydration and radiation. The simple fact that these organisms exist give us reason to believe that … Continue reading Resilient Life on Earth Increases Possibility of Extraterrestrial Life → Continue reading →

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First Image of a Black Hole

Posted on April 27, 2019 by dillonplageman3

Roughly 50 million light-years away, in the center of the Messier 87 galaxy, resides a supermassive black hole that has about the cumulative mass of 6.5 billion suns. While this black hole is undoubtedly a monster, the true astonishment should come from the fact that image is the first time that scientists were able to … Continue reading First Image of a Black Hole → Continue reading →

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Ancient Egyptian Astronomy

Posted on April 27, 2019 by chiefkeith7

The Ancient Egyptians cared a great deal about astronomy. Probably too much, in fact. According to their beliefs, the movements of the planets and stars played a role in the annual flooding of the Nile river, and if you are an Ancient Egyptian, you will do just about anything to appease the Nile, and that … Continue reading Ancient Egyptian Astronomy → Continue reading →

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Hydrothermal Vents: The Origin of Life?

Posted on April 27, 2019 by chiefkeith7

Astrobiology is becoming an increasingly discussed topic as new exoplanets are being found and we discover more about the worlds of our own solar system. Of course, for there to be life on other planets, it first needs to come into existence on its own through abiogenesis, or the creation of life through non-biological sources. … Continue reading Hydrothermal Vents: The Origin of Life? → Continue reading →

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SETI isn’t Science: Why the Search for Aliens is a Waste of Resources

Posted on April 27, 2019 by jpeilbert

The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) has been ongoing for about 60 years now, and it’s time to reconsider if it’s worth the millions of dollars and hours it burns every year. To start off, I want to make the case that SETI isn’t real science. It’s a faith-based effort that isn’t falsifiable. An article … Continue reading SETI isn’t Science: Why the Search for Aliens is a Waste of Resources → Continue reading →

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Finale – Culminate Post

Posted on April 27, 2019 by luanaisaac1125

I learned much more than I thought I would in this course. Before taking this class, all I really knew about our solar system was that there are 8 planets (and Earth is the third one), the asteroid belt is a thing, Jupiter is big, and Saturn is the planet with pretty rings. I didn’t … Continue reading Finale – Culminate Post → Continue reading →

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The Fermi Paradox and The Great Filter

Posted on April 26, 2019 by luanaisaac1125

Simply stated, the Fermi Paradox asks the question, “Where Are All The Aliens?” The life-projecting equations we’ve discussed in class, such as the Drake and Seager Equations, all seem to suggest that thousands, millions, or billions of other forms of life should be out there in the universe. But if that’s the case, why haven’t … Continue reading The Fermi Paradox and The Great Filter → Continue reading →

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Are We Alone?

Posted on April 26, 2019 by Aaron Molotsky

As we’ve seen over the past few generations, our ability to harness technology to accomplish things never before seen or done has only increased exponentially. As a race, we’ve been able to photograph a black hole, we’ve been able to send probes to places in space that were thought to be unreachable, and we’ve just … Continue reading Are We Alone? → Continue reading →

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The Case for Tardigrades

Posted on April 25, 2019 by IanO12

I can’t remember if it was Cosmos or Planet Earth, but it was narrated by Neil DeGrasse Tyson. My roommate and I were watching it before bed, and it was fascinating. Almost the entire episode was dedicated to tardigrades, more colloquially known as water bears. These microscopic animals are uncannily resilient. Like, scarily so. According […] Continue reading →

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