What Happens When We’re Visited By REAL Aliens?
Sunday’s Washington Post discusses the growing interest and evidence of life on other planets. Biologist Lisa Pratt of Indiana University researches extremophiles, microbes found in unusual places in the earth. (And I thought extremophiles were the people who e-mail me).
“Until several years ago, absolutely nobody thought this kind of life was possible — it hadn’t even made it into science fiction,” she said. “Now it’s quite possible to imagine a microbe like that living deep beneath the surface of Mars.”
Between 1000 and 2000 scientists are devoted to this issue. And, while no one is thinking such discoveries are imminent, they do believe that with new technology it will come in time. Forty million dollars in seed money from NASA funds efforts to discover exteme life forms, mostly on Mars.
What is different now, researchers say, is that they know so much more about extreme life-forms on Earth that could quite comfortably live on other planets. In addition to South Africa’s radioactivity-driven bacteria, extremophiles have also been found living near super-hot sulfurous steam vents at the deep ocean floor, in pools composed almost entirely of acid, and recently two miles below the surface of the Greenland ice sheet. All get little or no energy from the sun, which sustains virtually all other life-forms, and their survival makes it more conceivable that microbes could live in the sub-surface ice or water on Mars and Europa.
With the Hubble telescope and other advances in instruments, new information continues to be available.
…researchers are also convinced that planets and solar systems — some probably similar to ours — are present and perhaps quite common, elsewhere in the universe. The next step is to find extrasolar planets in the “habitable zone” of their solar systems; planets whose size, makeup and distance from their sun might allow life to develop.
Some Americans have enough trouble with the idea that “illegal” trespassers from other countries are among us. They think Amercica is the center of the universe. What if this universe isn’t even the center of the solar system? The flag-wavers will be devastated. Forget about keeping Mexicans out of America. What are they going to do about the little green men?
I just can’t believe that with the vastness of the universe, that we are the only “living” things here. That would be a severe waste of space.
July 20th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
I will make a deal with you alan, If you quit disguising reason(s) to open borders to illeagals.i will quit listing reason(s) why our health care and housing are out of control. if you see any little green men ask them if they can go to south america and hold a job? chances are the good paying jobs will get them kicked out for not being a local resident.
July 20th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
“And I thought extremophiles were the people who e-mail me.”
Nice line.
By the way, I don’t want any little green men invading my country! Go back to Mars! America is the geographic center of the universe. It’s obvious, Alan.
July 20th, 2008 at 10:55 pm
the first thing that i would do if we were visited by extraterrestials is shit my pants.
July 20th, 2008 at 11:54 pm
i listen to COAST 2 COAST with George Noory after Alan’s show. i’m very interested in the reality of extraterrestial life forms in the universe.
regarding the aliens already in our country… i have zero problem with the legit ones, it’s the illegal aliens that bother me. i support amnesty for the wave of illegals already here because it’s the humane way to handle it, but i DO NOT support any lenience for future illegals.
July 20th, 2008 at 11:57 pm
I think it would be foolish to think that we are the only living beings in the universe.
Back in the 60’s it was estimated that there were only about 100,000 galaxies in the universe, now with the Hubble Telescope in place, it is estimated that over 150 Billion galaxies similar to our own exists out there.
2000 years ago, when the bible was written, popular thought was the earth was the center of the universe, they thought that the earth was created just so a god in the clouds above could watch over us and judge our thoughts and deeds.
We still know very little about what is out there.
It’s foolish to say no other beings live out there.
July 21st, 2008 at 12:42 am
I don’t care if illegals come from other worlds, as long as they stay out of East L.A.
July 21st, 2008 at 3:24 am
I am an alien!
July 21st, 2008 at 4:25 pm
Wow, this is bad even for you. How you went from people not accepting illegal aliens to the Earth not being the center of the universe is truly amazing and very pathetic. The two are complete different and have nothing to do with one another. I think it would be awesome to find out we are not the only ones in the universe. Humans of this universe however need to follow the laws put in place on this planet. If you are not here legally you have no place being here at all so GET OUT! And I don’t care what your sob story is. We all have one. Become a citizen or get the hell out you lazy, non-tax paying, moochers.
July 21st, 2008 at 7:56 pm
Alan thanks for mentioning this. Its proof that NASA needs to be closed down. Put me in charge and I will sort out what departments or projects are worthy to keep.
This asinine exploration for alien life shows how worthless todays slacker scientist can be. Instead of do any real work? lets just look for advanced alien life, hoping they will give us their technology thats 100s of years more advanced. Why work for it when we can win the technology lottery by gambling on alien life forms?
And if they (the alien life forms) turn out to be sadistic and perverted? then the liberal atheistic scientist community will gladly go along with ‘whatever’
so to the liberal anti Christian anti American slacker scientific community its win win.
July 22nd, 2008 at 1:13 am
Coast to Coast is interesting when about ghosts, demons, and when psychics are on, otherwise, it’s about aliens, which sets me into a coma.
July 23rd, 2008 at 6:34 am
Or earth change predictions, which aren’t really interesting either.
July 23rd, 2008 at 6:34 am