15. Life In The Universe

Joshua Barnes -- Fall 1999

Topics:

• Definition of life
• Prebiotic chemistry
• Origin of life
• Nearby prospects
• Interstellar travel
• Interstellar signals
• Advanced civilizations
• Where are they?

Web Resources:

• NASA Astrobiology Institute

  General information on NASA's research into the origin, evolution, distribution, and possible fate of life in the Universe.

• Life in Extreme Environments

  Describes life-forms in unusual terrestrial environments. Note especially the pages on life deep underground.

• On the Question of the Mars Meteorite

  Extensive discussion of evidence for and against fossil microbacterial life in a meteorite from Mars.

• Warp Drive When?

  NASA pages describing ideas for interstellar travel via antimatter rockets, `warp drives', wormholes, and the like. Entertaining speculations, but as Edward Purcell once remarked, `All this stuff about traveling around the universe in space suits ... belongs back where it came from, on the cereal box.'

• SETI articles from Sky & Telescope

  Readable and up-to-date articles on the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI).

• SETI@home

  You (and your computer) can participate in a search for signals from extraterrestrial civilizations by downloading and running the SETI@home screensaver software. SETI@home also has a good set of links to other SETI sites.

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