...Stardust is the NASA spacecraft that took samples of the Wild 2 comet. This craft returned samples that showed sampled of glycine, an amino acid used to make proteins. The mission took place in January of 2004 and the data was sent back to Earth in January 2006. These results were the first to prove that there are life ingredients in space. This proof restarts the issue of whether our species was created by a meteor or comet that came to Earth and left these similar samples. It’s perfectly logical to think believe if this one comet had these particles that many more could too. That they could be remnants of other planets or celestial bodies even. Dr. Carl Pilcher, Director of the NASA Astrobiology Institute which co-funded the research said, “The discovery of glycine in a comet supports the idea that the fundamental building blocks of life are prevalent in space, and strengthens the argument that life in the universe may be common rather than rare.” This is simply a hint of possibilities for what could be out there. Through this two-year journey much was accomplished. These accomplishments give scientists and astronomers even more of a reason to look into space in search for many things from life to more life ingredients. If our science today can accomplish something like this then the limitations are endless for future scientists and what they can find. Professor Donald E. Brownlee said it best when he said, “The discovery of amino acids in the returned comet sample...
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...Extraterrestrial Hypothesis The extraterrestrial hypothesis (ETH) is the hypothesis that some unidentified flying objects (UFOs) are best explained as being physical spacecraft occupied by extraterrestrial life or non-human aliens from other planets visiting Earth. Etymology Origins of the term extraterrestrial hypothesis are unknown, but use in printed material on UFOs seems to date to at least the latter half of the 1960s. French Ufologist Jacques Vallee used it in his 1966 book Challenge to science: the UFO enigma. It was used in a publication by French engineer Aimé Michel in 1967,[1] by Dr. James E. McDonald in a symposium in March 1968[2] and again by McDonald and James Harder while testifying before the Congressional Committee on Science and Astronautics, in July 1968.[3] Skeptic Philip J. Klass used it in his 1968 book UFOs--Identified. In 1969 physicist Edward Condon defined the "Extra-terrestrial Hypothesis" or "ETH" as the "idea that some UFOs may be spacecraft sent to Earth from another civilization or space other than earth, or on a planet associated with a more distant star," while presenting the findings of the much debated Condon Report. Some UFO historians credit Condon with popularizing the term and its abbreviation "ETH". Chronology Although ETH, as a unified and named hypothesis, is a comparatively new concept - one which owes a lot to the saucer sightings of the 1940s–1960s, it can trace its origins back to a number of earlier events such as the now...
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...In the movie District 9 (Blomkamp, 2009) there was several ethical issues of significance for trans humanism. The issues that was created in the movie was if it was permissible to give a normal human being superhuman powers even when they are forced against their will, under what circumstances humans will be accepting of trans humans or post humans, and what roles space colonization and extraterrestrial encounter may play in the future of humanity. The movie shows an encounter between both humanity and extraterrestrials. The two civilization forms a standard issue war between two different worlds. Whenever violence breaks out, it is limited to localized police operations, insurgencies, and crimes, not focused efforts at extermination. (Baum, 2009) The movie gives you a good guess about which civilization you should be going for and it also tells you about where they began and when one ends. District 9 is about a man named Wiku van de Merwe, who is a young white African corporate bureaucrat that is in charge of the “Multination United” and the “Department of Alien Affairs”. His job was to evict a large ship full of non-humans also known as the aliens that was found malnourished and weary from travel away from their home to District 9 to an alien relocation camp which was located 200 kilometers from Johannesburg. After three months since the non-humans been on earth 1 million of the non-humans were ferried by city officials from their mother ship to a temporary camp that was...
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...Chapter #1: A Universe of Life? 1.1 The Possibility of Life Beyond Earth What are we searching for? * What are we looking for exactly? * Is it: intelligent life portrayed in sci-fi, more akin to the plants and animals we see in parks or zoos, or is it tiny bacteria-like microbes? * The simple answer to this question is “all of the above” * Extraterrestrial life: Life beyond Earth, we are looking for any sign of life, be it simple, complex, or even intelligent * We have a general definition of what life is, but for now it should be clear that this is a complicated question that affects how we search for life in the universe * Because of the definitional difficulty, the scientific search for extraterrestrial life in the universe generally presumes a search for life that is at least somewhat Earth-like and that we could therefore recognize based on what we know from studying life on Earth Is it reasonable to imagine life beyond Earth? * Prior to the 20th century, for example, some scientists guessed that Venus might harbor a tropical paradise -> this guess was based on little more than the fact that Venus is covered by clouds and closer than Earth to the Sun * Mars was the subject of even more intense debate, largely because a handful of scientists thought they saw long, straight canals on the surface * These canals, which don’t actually exist, were cited as evidence of a Martian civilization * Why has...
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...Prachi Sonani Mr. Bal Honors English 10 29 September 2014 Extraterrestrials in the Universe No one has seen the element ununoctium, but it does not indicate that it does not exist; in fact it is an actual synthetic element that has yet to survive for more than a thousandth of a second. All that is needed are scientists who can stabilize the element to survive longer. The same goes for extraterrestrials. Just because no one has found them, it does not prove they do not exist. Extraterrestrials are any form of life that does not originate, or did not originate from Earth. When people think of aliens, they imagine creatures like Megamind, E.T., and many others that they have seen on television or read about in fiction books. What people really forget is that life can be as simple as an individual cell, or a microbe; so when asked, without thinking, many people say they do not believe in the possibility of life elsewhere. Over the years, scientists have dedicated a significant amount of their life looking for any type of evidence. There is a great possibility of extraterrestrial life existing on other planets as is evidenced by the history of the universe, the extant research, and the expanse of the universe. The past of the universe substantiates the possibility of aliens living on other worlds. In order to find the proof of life, the scientists have intensely studied planet Mars. About 16 million years ago, the collision of an asteroid with Mars blasted martian rocks in...
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...The Ministry of Magic denies the existence of extraterrestrial life. It is this “conspiracy”, to which we have devoted our lives to uncovering. Discrepancies are paradoxical and the only thing to trust is magic, when reasoning fails. Though the pitch is littered with skeptics, we still remain dedicated to the search; the fact is however, much is unknown and there are obstacles at every turn. A larger scheme is at work, and maybe not those from other worlds, but someone amongst us. Nevertheless, the truth is out there. The room was dark, filled with unease. A chilled tension that Malfoy couldn’t help but feel in his skin, a sense of foreboding. Curtains drawn painfully shut, casting only menacing slits of light into the office. Silhouettes...
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...For thousands of years there have been multiple reports and sightings of UFO’s and other mysterious flying objects. The mysterious objects have long been the subject of many high fueled debates and scientists continue to argue whether or not they exist. Many of these sightings can be explained as naturally occurring incidents such as meteors or even manmade events such as the testing of top secret military hardware, but many of these sightings go unexplained. Eyewitness accounts of these strange objects, especially from high-ranking military officers, help build the case of extraterrestrial existence. The Rendlesham Forest Incident is one of the most documented UFO sightings with strong supporting evidence such as eyewitness accounts, physical traces of the craft at the landing site, and tape recordings from a high-ranking Air Force officer. On December 26, 1980, three Air Force patrol officers were sent out to patrol the east gate of RAF Woodbridge, an Air Force base located in Suffolk, England. The patrol team consisted of Amn. John Burroughs, Amn. Edward Cabansag, and Sgt. Jim Penniston . As the patrol officers were going about their normal duties they noticed a...
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...Persuasive Essay: Extraterrestrial Life Kylie Surles Ex·tra·ter·res·tri·al. adj. Originating, located, or occurring outside Earth or its atmosphere. Example: Extraterrestrial life. Also known as aliens. It is currently unknown whether there are living, breathing beings outside of the planet Earth. SETI, Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, along with other organizations has spent years researching and looking for signs of life on numerous planets, moons and stars. They are confident that the alien reports and alleged “alien abductions” are true. They are simply trying to find proof. On the other hand, some firmly believe that the existence of life outside of the earth is absolutely impossible. Those individuals feel that other life would have been discovered by now if it were real. Articles have been uncovered, revealing information about NASA forbidding its astronauts from expressing what it truly saw on its trip to the moon. There is no guarantee that these articles have any bit of truth to them. However, there is more reason to believe in the possibility of extraterrestrial beings rather than the nonexistence of them. Greek philosophers believed that there were vast amounts of different worlds, all with inhabitants and societies. Later, the view that the Earth is unique, and is the only planet able to sustain life, became supported. However, Copernican ideas in the 1600’s suggested there may be life on other planets or even the moon. But when it was discovered...
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...Astrobiology Astrobiology is the study of life outside of Earth. Life on other planets has yet to be discovered. However, scientists believe there is life somewhere else in the universe. Before searching for life elsewhere, scientists attempt to discover how life started on Earth. The Earth is truly an optimal location for millions of types of life. The sun is at a seemingly perfect distance from the Earth. Scientists look for rocks to find microbes in fossils. Sedimentary rocks can contain rock formations that date to 3.5 million years ago. Humans are the descendants of star dust. Dust particles contacted each other for millions of years and eventually formed larger particles. These particles clashed against each other for another long period of time. Eventually planets were formed. Scientists still don’t know how non- living matter lead to the first living organism. Scientists do know that all life on Earth has oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon particles inside. Scientists believe Mars was wetter and warmer in the past, so they believe there used to be life on Mars. Mars has polar ice caps, so scientists believe it has water beneath its surface. A heat source and water source are needed for life, and Mars at one time had both. Hydrothermal vents on Earth have an environment like no other. Organisms can survive in this environment without sunlight as an energy source. Many scientists believe these vents are where life on Earth originated. Mars has signs of past volcanoes and...
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...On US1 with traffic, rain and no sunlight, the sky was filled with clouds that were as gray as the road. Though the faces of my fellow travelers told me that the bleakness of this day oppressed them, I looked up at the skies and realized how beautiful the grey skies were. My shift in perception made me see that the clouds were not lacking in color, but were filled with shades of grey. The different tones were like a composition of art that was not colorful but beautifully dull. I started to see other images in the greyness--warm blankets and foamy seas. I began to lose myself in the thick fluffy atmosphere of the clouds. My thoughts then drifted to one day in art class when we were given an assignment to use the constraints of a shoe box, and create an environment inside so when you look through the cut hole on the side of the box, your perspective would shift and the box would seem bigger than it really was. I watched my peers use reflection or miniature things to give the illusion of a larger space, but I took a different approach. I created device through which light changes, shapes transform, the back-, mid- and foreground become one, and the world is not fixed: a kaleidoscope. The evolving patterns and sequences appeal to my vision of nature, my view of myself. I am, like everyone really, a “masterpiece” in the making. I begin as a sketch, or many sketches, and evolve into something greater than the pieces of my origin. No one ends up the way she expects. Like the transformation...
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...Evaluating Media for Credibility Jose Fill University of Phoenix Critical Thinking CRT/205 Jill Rossi August 12, 2012 Evaluating Media for Credibility On August 12, 2012 I watched the CNN news broadcast for What’s next for Mars? Searching for Alien Life on Mars. (CNN [CNN], 2012, p. 1) CNN interviewed Author Lawrence Krauss about what the next steps will be for the rover Curiosity on mars. Lawrence Krauss discussed the different pictures taken from mars so far and the next logical step from here is to either discover past life on mars or even possibly life on mars now. Lawrence Krauss thinks we are cousins of mars and we could actually be Martians. On August 11, 2012 Lex18.com aired the article NASA’s mega rover landed on mars. What’s next? ("Lex18.com," 2012, p. 1) This article only covered on paragraph on what’s next for mars. In that paragraph it states “that the Curiosity rover is on a quest to learn whether the Martian environment could have been favorable for microbial life”.("Lex18.com," 2012, para. 1) The rest of the article just goes on about how and when then Curiosity rover landed. I feel that the CNN news video was more credible because it went into more detail on what the real next step mars will be. The other article wasn’t a video and really didn’t state anything special about the issue. I feel this news headliner was misleading and bare. Plus I couldn’t even find who wrote about it. CNN actually had a credible source, Author Lawrence Krauss. I found...
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...taught in order to become superhuman. I partially agree with his views. We as humans are not incomplete in my eyes, but we do need higher education in order to continue to advance as a species. According to Bergson, humanity is an incomplete species, requiring higher education in the form of biotechnological transhumanization, in order to actualize the natural function of the universe. His views are partially correct in my eyes. Because we have made ourselves so dependent on technology, we do need it to advance to a certain extent. I do not think we need it one hundred percent. Kubrick’s view was a little to unrealistic. He seems to think that education by aliens was the way to achieve superhumanity. Since I do not believe in extraterrestrial life forms, it’s hard for me to even half way believe his point of view. From all the readings, I really agree with the works of Emerson. He believes that every individual possess a unique genius that they work their entire life to develop the gift they are given. “Everyone is potentially superhuman because we possess gifts which can never be absolutely actualized. Throughout life there are “godlike” men that come along and create masterpieces. The masterpiece completes a circle and we move on to develop the next. We are always developing toward super humanity, but we will never make it because there is always something to learn.” Throughout history, we as humans have continuously...
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...There are a lot of things in this world that go unexplained. Not anymore, it was all aliens, everything you can’t figure out like, “Where does one sock go when I do the laundry?” Aliens. Earth has been very much impacted by aliens in its short history. Everything from supplying life-giving chemicals and wiping out the dinosaurs with meteorites to influencing human culture and evolution. The whole world is full of evidence that aliens exist, even though it is usually denied and ignored by the government and academics. This paper will give a short investigation of extraterrestrial events and evidence. Ancient people, especially their huge structures and exciting grip of mathematics and astronomy, have always attracted human kind. For example, the Sumerians were aware of Pluto as early as 5,000 bce, seven thousand years before it was discovered by Clyde W. Tombaugh in 1930. The first written evidence of extraterrestrials was discovered in 1935 by Prof. Tsum Um Nui of the Academy of Prehistoric Research in Beijing who found a stone disk in the cave part of the Baian Kara Ula Mountains near Tibet. The stone disk was buried with a group of humans with delicate bodies and weird large skulls. At first they were thought to be apes, Prof. Um Nui was rumored to have said “Who ever heard of apes burying each other?” They ended up finding 716 disks but the Chinese government would not let any more research be done until a Russian, Dr. Saitsew, examined them and wrote a paper in 1968. When...
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...Are we Alone? Throughout the recorded history of mankind, we as citizens of Earth have encountered many unexplained mysteries. Many of these anomalies will remain unsolved unless we as a society become open to the possibility of change, open our minds and our eyes. The answer to the question "Are we alone in the universe?" has been unanswered and may remain so until scientists are no longer heavily scrutinized for researching the topic. Mainstream science has and will continue to ridicule and humiliate any individual who expresses an interest in the topic of aliens or extra-terrestrials. However, as time and technology progress, there has been a vast amount of substantial evidence that continues to build in many scientific disciplines such as archaeology, astronomy, philosophy, anthropology and ancient history. The late Swiss author of multiple best-selling novels, Erich Von Daniken introduced a radical new theory that would cause an enormous paradigm shift. Von Daniken was educated in a strict Catholic boarding school. He and his classmates were made to complete translations of the Old Testament Bible from Greek to Latin, and then from Latin to German. Von Daniken discovered his fascination with extra-terrestrials once he began to study the book of Ezekiel and the story of his wheel. In 1968, Von Daniken wrote and published his first novel titled “Chariots of the Gods” and the birth of the Ancient Astronaut theory was born. Essentially, the...
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...There Exist Intelligent Life Forms on Other Planets Name Institutional Affiliation There Exist Intelligent Life Forms on Other Planets When it comes to reflecting on the state of the universe, the most prevalent question on people’s minds is, “Is there anyone else like us out there?” Even though scientists have been scrutinizing electromagnetic waves emanating from outer space for decades, and are still to find conclusive evidence of life on other planets, this does not resolve the issue. This universe is so vast; discovering other forms of life is akin to searching for the proverbial needle in a haystack. Nevertheless, there are persuasive reasons to believe that ultimately scientists will discover some, possibly even in this solar system. The intent of this paper, therefore, is to list reasons why some people believe that there exist other intelligent life forms in the Universe. Ever since scientists grasped the enormity of the universe, they have intuited that other intelligent life form must exist someplace, either in this galaxy or some other galaxy very far away (Peterson, 2000, p.92). If the universe is composed of billions of galaxies and if every galaxy holds billions of stars, and if just a tiny proportion of those stars contains Earth-like planets, then thousands- maybe even millions- of alien civilization must be present across the cosmos. Recently, telescope projects and deep-space satellites have identified...
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