When scientists discover habitable new planets, they raise old hopes for extraterrestrial life.
- Almost as soon as astronomers turned their search towards small stars, they found a bounty of Earth-sized planets. Updated Feb 23, 2017 ago
- The Fermi paradox: If habitable exoplanets are common, then where are all the aliens?
- Research shows building blocks for organic chemistry can exist around dwarfs like Trappist-1.
Almost as soon as astronomers turned their search towards small stars, they found a bounty of Earth-sized planets.
Last May, astronomers announced that they'd found three planets orbiting a small, cool star situated near Aquarius, 40 light-years away from Earth.
They doubled down on their announcement yesterday by declaring that seven Earth-sized planets, likely rocky in composition, orbited Trappist-1 in the star's "Goldilocks zone" where life-permitting temperatures prevail.
The success validated a change in strategy for astronomers, who for decades have ignored dwaft stars like Trappist-1, which is 200 times dimmer than our sun. While it's possible that astronomers were really lucky in finding so many planets, it's more likely that we've been underestimating the number of Earth-like planets.
The money line from a Cambridge astronomer not involved in the discovery: "We’ve made a crucial step toward finding if there is life out there."
Notably, many astrologers contend we are currently in the Age of Aquarius.
Research shows building blocks for organic chemistry can exist around dwarfs like Trappist-1.
The building blocks of life are more common in our galaxy than previously thought. The bleak flip side: in the case study examined, the carbon, phosphorus, nitrogen, and oxygen get there because one of their orbiting planets crashed into the star, its matter ultimately exhaled into orbit like a belch from a sated diner.
Feb 23, 2017A giant high-tech Faraday cage made with pixel-like optical elements could control precisely what electromagnetic radiation gets through—an informational version of the air-filtration and containment of a biohazard lab.
↩︎ Nautilus
Science fiction generates compelling, if depressing, answers to why we haven't found alien intelligence.
"The thing that makes the Fermi Paradox interesting for SF is that like the speed of light, you have to have an answer for it. It can be any answer you like, but it has to answer it."
Tor compiles a list of possible solutions to the Fermi paradox, including:
—The aliens will arrive any minute
—The aliens, who planted us as a crop, will arrive any minute for the harvest
—The aliens are already here
—The aliens are so advanced we can't even understand that they're already here
—"Life is common, intelligence vanishingly rare."
—Our part of the universe is boring
—The aliens think we're boring
—All the aliens have had their own Singularities and live in other dimensions now
Then there's the somewhat noble possiblity that we really are the chosen ones, the first intelligent species, as well as the depressing probability that we, like every galactic civilization before us, will kill ourselves before we can explore the stars.
Speaking of aliens, this year's Nebula Awards contenders prove out-of-this-world tales can come from right here on Earth.
This year's nominations includes a novel about people who can control earthquakes in a postapocalyptic Evil Earth, an allegory about neurodiversity told through a job shuttling fairies between parallel universes, and the revenge of a murdered angel.
See the whole list, including links to stories you can read online, here.
The Editors' Longreads Picks
- An excellent essay on poverty and writing by Starr Davis. Updated May 31, 2022
- Novelist Héctor Tobar tries to understand the 1992 Los Angeles riots through the experiences of a single high school.
- Steven Johnson with a long assessment of the current state of A.I. and language. (The illusion has gotten very good.)
Welcome to The Morning News Tournament of Books, 2017 edition.
- Our championship match is decided in the Tournament of Books, with news of a Rooster surprise debuting this summer. Updated Mar 31, 2017
- In Thursday's action, Reyhan Harmanci sets up a colossal final.
- The Zombie round opens with Buzzfeed's Isaac Fitzgerald reading The Nix and The Underground Railroad.
Все ваши Белый дом принадлежит нам.
- "Will Putin expose the failings of American democracy or will he inadvertently expose the strength of American democracy?" Updated Mar 3, 2017
- Wilbur Ross just wanted to make some money in ethically gray areas (that should've prevented him from taking office).
- Jeff Sessions's spokeswoman can't help but continue to lie.
The oceans are under assault, and not just from the White House and friends.
- Trump's assault on the environment begins with American headwaters. Updated Mar 1, 2017
- Don't just blame the oil companies for destroying the oceans—blame sushi restaurants.
- Nothing escapes the deepest trenches of the ocean floor. Not light, not nutrients, not pollutants.