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Scientists Have Laid Out a Plan To Search For Life in the Universe (qz.com)
An anonymous reader shares a report: A blue-ribbon panel of researchers chaired by the University of Toronto's Barbara Sherwood Lollar assembled the report at the behest of the US Congress, which asked in a 2017 law that a "strategy for astrobiology" be developed to prioritize "the search for life's origin, evolution, distribution, and future in the universe." The 196-page report does not offer easy access to ET, but the steady drumbeat of scientific advancement it documents suggests an increasingly sophisticated understanding of what we know -- and don't know -- about biology on our planet and beyond.
Indeed, the recently gained knowledge it highlights is the front end of a wave: Only the Viking mission in the 1970s hunted rigorously for signs of life on other planets, and now the first new NASA mission to do so, the Europa lander, is being designed. In the past four years alone, scientists using data gathered by space probes on Mars discovered evidence of past surface water, the presence of nutrients and organic molecules, and methane gas in the atmosphere that varies by season. This doesn't mean life exists now on Mars, but it is helping contribute to an understanding of astrobiology as a discipline that looks at physical and chemical processes over time to determine if the conditions for life once existed or may do so in the future.
Much work on astrobiology is Earth-focused; it is the only place we know life exists and thus is our guinea pig for detecting life from a distance. The Galileo space probe found signs of life on our planet in 1990. The report stressed that recent discoveries of life on Earth that exists without the sun's energy, deep under the ocean or the ground, should inform what we look for on other worlds. Scientists are expanding their understanding of habitability beyond a binary and into a spectrum, which may sound trite, but previous research relied on blunt instruments and blunter assumptions about alien life -- starting with the idea that it would appear on the surface.
Indeed, the recently gained knowledge it highlights is the front end of a wave: Only the Viking mission in the 1970s hunted rigorously for signs of life on other planets, and now the first new NASA mission to do so, the Europa lander, is being designed. In the past four years alone, scientists using data gathered by space probes on Mars discovered evidence of past surface water, the presence of nutrients and organic molecules, and methane gas in the atmosphere that varies by season. This doesn't mean life exists now on Mars, but it is helping contribute to an understanding of astrobiology as a discipline that looks at physical and chemical processes over time to determine if the conditions for life once existed or may do so in the future.
Much work on astrobiology is Earth-focused; it is the only place we know life exists and thus is our guinea pig for detecting life from a distance. The Galileo space probe found signs of life on our planet in 1990. The report stressed that recent discoveries of life on Earth that exists without the sun's energy, deep under the ocean or the ground, should inform what we look for on other worlds. Scientists are expanding their understanding of habitability beyond a binary and into a spectrum, which may sound trite, but previous research relied on blunt instruments and blunter assumptions about alien life -- starting with the idea that it would appear on the surface.
We are just aspect of some grand algorithm. I cannot even prove my existence.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
Mission accomplished my gents.
Wow, really?
Talk about a bad idea!
You didn't read the 196-page article.
In my dream, a pair of aliens did me a "telepathic pulse" for tormenting me, and later i took it as a joke made by these visitors.
I don't know the language of this telepathy.
Here is the plan:
1. Scientists announce plan to search for life in the universe
2. Extra-terrestrial life find out about the plan (Thanks, Fox News!)
3. Scientists do the exact opposite of the plan, having fooled most of the universe with mis-direction
4. Scientists discover intelligent life, thanks to clever ploy in Step 3.
5. Profit!
WARNING: Smartphones have side effects--most of them undocumented.
"The Galileo space probe found signs of life on our planet in 1990."
Pretty sure we had signs of life on our planet prior to 1990, without needing to go to space.
Step #1 Conclusively prove there is no life on Mars.
Step #2 Put some on it to create Oxygen.
Terraforming is hard, best get started.
Different people have different talents and interests. Forcing a biologist to work on a fusion reactor may not produce the results you'd like.
The purpose is to satisfy our curiosity. I would rather read about the discovery of alien lifeforms, than watch a football championship or play computer games.
we'll send the tax for that to you then. we turn out too many biologists as it is now, and they probably want their student loans forgiven too. all so you can read something cute.
nothing to see here - move along
Oh, they could have all sorts of interesting and useful biochemistry. Something living on a nearly barren barely hospitable hellscape could also make a great Step 1 in terraforming someplace useful for humans.
yeah fuck science!
The Galileo space probe found a marked absence of life at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, beginning in late 2016. Scientists speculate that life may have migrated to a more hospitable location, or perhaps some bacteria or virus wiped out life at that location. Activities by predators causing a localized extinction also cannot be ruled out.
A seasonal migration to a more favourable climate has been ruled out since life did not return in the Spring of 2017. Displacement due to flooding, storms or earthquakes seems equally unlikely because life would have repopulated the zone.
More studies are recommended!
Life evolves to fit environmental niches. It's not a stretch to hypothesize that some sort of continual environmental change might also be required for life to kick in - let alone evolve. I think you're likely to see more environmental change on a planet's surface. While you may be able to transplant life somewhere like Europa, the chance of it actually beginning there might be a lot less than if it were more dynamic.
sure, but borrowing billions to do that makes no sense.
nothing to see here - move along
"...life exists now on Mars..."
THIS IS NEWS, PEOPLE
No one gives a fuck that you want to remain stupider than shit. I'm quite sure some of your prioritize for tax money are stupider than fuck to anyone with intelligence.
Fascism: An authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government and social organization. See also: NAZI's
we'll send the tax for that to you then
Great, please make sure you deduct all the taxes for stuff that doesn't interest me.
Oh they aren't spending billions on this, I didn't look up what this project would cost, but NASA's whole budget was 20. DoD was 700, by comparison. We'll probably spend more money making M16s than this project will run.
What if we find a planet full of pavement apes? Then on top of the research costs, we will also be facing ruinous welfare payments and discrimination lawsuits. Like we really need another planet full of that shit.
just go to the other side of the moon, it's like Manhattan there.... But if you want to see it, you should vote republicans in november... (no joke)
"the search for life's origin (yes), evolution/creation (don't assume), distribution (yes), and future (yes) in the universe."
The besr bet outside the solar system is teasing out the spectral lines of a star as it passes through the atmosphere of a planet in front of it, and looking for the kinds of complexity you only find with life.
It requires incredible tech but they're already getting there.
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
It passes through the atmosphere, different in December than October, and yet doesn't seem to disturb the moonlight or starlight.
For this reason, God sends them a powerful delusion(operation of wandering)(planet) so that they will believe the lie.
ipfs.io
Any species willing to advertise their location to any and all possible xenophobic invaders can't be classified as an intelligent species... I'm lookin' at you, homo sapiens!
I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
A while back there was an article here that said a study showed that there was likely no other life in the observable universe because it isn't blatantly obvious, so this is obviously a fool's errand... or perhaps I can take the crisis du jour and explain that as what happened to them. Like when it was the Cold War, well obviously they blew themselves up, and now it's maybe aliens died off due to climate change (I can't find that article, but I know I read it before).
In all seriousness, it's good to have some approach rather than simply throw your hands up and assume aliens are exactly like us, have our problems, or our socioeconomic issues, or for good measure care about the White House lawn to announce themselves.
This proves how godless scientist are. Beacuse of their refusal to acknowledge God, they continue to be lured by the devil into spending millions and billions trying to discover what doesn't exist, life outside earth. It won't stop until every godless scientist is roasting in hell.
I thought we were told to attempt no landings on Europa?
https://i2.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/facebook/000/709/539/6ed.gif
... and run ourselves into the ground.
Let's assume we find a planet full of greenery and what appears to be a booming Triassic. What do you think will be the first industry created out of that?
Big Game Hunting, anyone?
People suck too much for our influence to spread across the universe. Let's not ruin everyone else's chances.
I tend to rant.