Added 1 new A* page:Honza dropped a link on the forum to an article by my alma mater, the University of Chicago, called something like Lonely planets: Astronomers and planetary scientists debate if and when we’ll find extraterrestrial life—and that's pretty much what goes on, as those learned individuals are tasked with debating whether or not mankind will find extraterrestrial life by the year 2042. The U of C scientists in the discussion raise a number of interesting points I hadn't heard before, including:
- A more powerful telescope than any yet underway, for instance the "12-meter ultraviolet-optical-infrared observatory proposed by the Associated Universities for Research in Astronomy for development in the 2030s," would be necessary to be able to detect telltale traces of life in the atmosphere of a planet in another solar system directly; ammonia might be one telltale gas to look for.
- Nearby planets and moons in our own solar system "have had all the prerequisites for life in just the right conditions for millions of years, and still no life has arisen," suggesting that life as we know it may—for reasons not fully understood yet—be rather rare, "spread out across swaths of lifeless space too vast to overcome any time soon."
If those little snippets tickle your fancy, you'll probably find the whole article a pretty good read. Thanks for the link, Honza!
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