Aliens
Aliens
The search for extraterrestrial life is a funny thing in science. It’s like a private hobby, best not discussed at work with colleagues, nor with friends at parties. It’s OK now and again to illuminate the search for alien life, an interlude in the symphony of scientific work. And that’s just what we’re offering in […]
Australia’s Secret Rescue of Ancient Trees Offers an Insight Into Evolution
When I read that more than a billion animals had lost their lives to bushfires still raging in Australia, I froze, staring at the incomprehensible figure on my screen. A sort of sinking feeling came. Scientists made the estimate from the numbers of animals that have died from previous land-clearing practices. It is dismaying to […]
It May Not Feel Like Anything To Be an Alien
Humans may have one thing that advanced aliens don’t—consciousness.
Galactic Settlement and the Fermi Paradox
The results of galactic colonization models are a mixed bag for SETI optimists.
What Are the Odds of Alien Contact?
Bringing the Drake Equation up to date.
Do We Share DNA with ET?
If there’s life beyond Earth, the genetic code might be our common bond.
Why Discovering Martians Could Be Disappointing
There are two kinds of extraterrestrial life with very different implications.