E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
Henry Bortman / 2010
Astrobiology researcher Felisa Wolfe-Simon works with samples at California's Mono Lake.
Wouldn't you know it? As soon as this item was published, Science lifted its embargo on the research. For posterity's sake, here's what I wrote. The NASA news conference is still on for 2 p.m. ET:
After days of speculation about an as-yet-unspecified development in the "search for evidence of extraterrestrial life," NASA does the big reveal at 2 p.m. ET today -- and you can watch it unfold in real time via streaming video and Twitter.
Depending on which story you read, the announcement is being advanced as big news "that changes everything," or a scientific report that's "probably not too interesting to most laypeople." I have to be careful here because I'm among the hundreds of journalists who know what it's all about but have been sworn to secrecy for a couple of hours more.
I'll just note that one of the people in charge of keeping the secret, Ginger Pinholster of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, has observed that some of the reports out there are "comically erroneous." It's a safe bet that the research being published in the journal Science is not about the discovery of extraterrestrial life itself. Not even Pinholster could keep that secret under wraps.
It's also a safe bet that the research has to do with biochemistry that involves arsenic, which is toxic to life as we know it. That's because one of the featured speakers at the NASA news conference is Felisa Wolfe-Simon, a research at the U.S. Geological Survey who has spent years studying organisms in California's arsenic-rich Mono Lake. Numerous reports have said her research relates to "life as we don't know it." The big question is just how far down that road Wolfe-Simon and her colleagues have gone.
After the 2 p.m. announcement, there will surely be a debate over how the announcement and the pre-announcement were handled. There might even be a wider-angle debate over how the scientific process handles cosmic questions, such as "Is there life beyond Earth?" Heck, the debate has already begun: Check out Curtis Brainard's excellent roundup for The Observatory at Columbia Journalism Review.
Brainard, by the way, says that the revelation is "an interesting piece of research, but certainly not one that is bound to make the front page, or perhaps any page." I'm not quite that jaded about the Science study, but we'll see how it plays in the next few hours. In the meantime, here's a background reading list:
- Six mind-blowing ideas, starting with 'weird life'
- Search for 'alien life' could start on Earth
- Strange find on Titan sparks chatter about life
- What to do if we find alien life
Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page or following @b0yle on Twitter.
Leave a Comment:
Total bull.....another attempt to get taxpayer money for more research.....watch my word...at 2 PM EST they will announce that some microbe is able to exist in extremenly harsh arsenic conditions in Mono Lake near Yosemity National Park!!!!! Therefore........microbes could also exist in harsh conditions in other parts of the Universe......Now we need more money to study this!!!! This is totally old news. NASA....please pool all your resources with European, Chinese, and Japanese space authorities asnd get more bang for your bucks.......
Yeah let's cut all research funding and reward Wallstreet and banks! W00t.. Science and Research is needed for advancement.
Science research makes up a very small amount of our budget, but it continues to improve lives more than almost any other paid program. (proportionately)
All tax payer money must be wasted on you, perhaps if there were more funding for education and scientific research, more people would learn how to spell Yosemite, apparently Warner Bros and Bugs Bunny aren't enough. If you want to get serious about cutting spending, do it on something like military surplus and arms. We can definitely spare more bullets than minds...
Dude, it's "Yosemite" (seriously, an "e" at the end, not a "y").
I love to see my taxes going towards this type of stuff. One day it won't be science fiction. Let's keep this going and I have no idea why so many people are so uptight when it comes to this. Let's do it!
That women in the picture..the pose...I dont know, it could turn someone on.
giggity!
"oh god, I hope they bring back Elvis!!!!"
I think it's highly naughty of her to have exposed legs AND the dark pants which contrasts with the brilliance of the environment AND the blue shirt which is perfectly matched with the sky AND the hat and re lipstic that makes her slightly bucolic and outdoorsey yet combined with her extended latexes hand makes her seem also at the same time painstakingly rational and observant...
She knows what she is doing. That's naughty, she should be placed in jail or something. Worse than open nudity, sane with the photographer.
No seriously, how dare she.
WOW... you need to get out more often or get a woman if that is all you think about from a simple picture.!!!
Man, must I explain everything?
You know what, Nevermind. You are absolutely right! What was I thinking? How could I make so much out of a simple picture? You're right, Ive just been too damn isolated. I'm going to go outside..now.
Well did the fresh air do you any good..???? hint.. I bet not..!!!
And the worst part about it is she's a tease. Because I bet she has an ugly face. Way to sell me a bag of goods miss...pss like I'm going to listen to YOuR extraterrestrial announcement. She probably found a microbe or something. Perfect example why women should all be made into geishas and wear japanese gowns or we have the rapist superhero from japan put her in check. Abso@!$%#insurd. I can't believe this.
If she is pretty I stand corrected. Maybe she is internally pretty. But that gets more abstract...like we found something really kind of tame, but it has hidden significance. I don't knowman, I'm upset. I'm getting a Twinkie.
You may want to spend a little more time reading the story-- there's a link to her web site where they have her name. Here it is again if all those words are too much hassle:
http://www.ironlisa.com/
There are several pictures showing her standing next to other scientists. She's more attractive than any of them. You may also notice that most of them tower over her.
you know, I think the Muslims have it right. You have all women wear burqas. Much better that way. They arnt so naughty with visuals and then act all innocent like they don't know what they are doing. Damn naughty.
Proof of extraterrestrial life has been observed by watching Congress at work. This does not mean this extraterrestrial life is intelligent life, only that it is not of this world.
If you must know, yes. This whole planet is an intergalactic tv show called earth! basically they took species from all different planets and put them on one planet because it was thought to be funny....shhh but if you let the humans know then the show won't be funny anymore and they will have to cancel it...which will mean that the earth will be harvested for resources to make another show, etc. This would be highly tragic for various reasons. this is why we need to keep these things on the downlow ok?
South park is great so is adult swim.
You can clearly see this wS intentional. Just look at the colored bottles. See? It was intended to be photogenic an show the ongoin research, granted, but if you look closely, something more sinister is going on.
Hint: sailboat
The woman works with Arsenic, kids. I'd shut the $%&^ up if I were you.
BEWARE CONSERVATIVES!!!!!!!!! The ET life that's been discovered are a race of "Republican EAting Monsters". AAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG. They won't eat democrats becasue they're too attrative and generous and alot of them are dark. Republicans are all nice and white and fat. And, and they also like to eat any leftovers they have in their houses because they always have good crap around.So, this is the last warning for you cheap, hypocritical slobs to wake up and change parties or tomorrow it's all over for ya.
YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
WOW!! Stereotype much???
I think S has some problems he needs to work out with his mommy.
Are you Actually angry? The anger was getting me horny until I realized you have no se se of humor OVER the skirt. Hellno. I'm not touching that with a 70 foot pole...maybe 71z
Btw that's one of the grossest things I've seen come out of a womens mouth in a while. Well you know, brain.
I think we have to start thinking about humanity... start terraforming on mars or might be possible on the moon.
Agreed. If the aliens are anything like Jessica, we will have to genetically engineer ourselves to like the same sex and reproduce through machines.
Nice to dream about but it is of little use until such life is actually observed.
I thought S was pretty funny. Quite creative in fact. I wonder what S looks like?
OH NO!!!! It's catchy. AAAAAAAAHHHH!
Son, do not insult your father now. Have you not taken a good look in the mirror lately? sigh, like father like son.
raymond banner = retard
I think Raymond may have gotten ahold of a bad doughnut.....
Ok, did they say anything about libertarians though and can I change my party affiliation?
Felisa Wolfe-Simon (pictured) is one of the bright young American scientists that provide a counterpoise to the cretinous commentors too often seen on these articles. It seems that many people hide their fear of what they don't or can't understand by mockery. Good going Dr. Wolfe-Simon!
Omg! Chill b. Can u not see I think she is attractive? I'm not attacking dr....Simmons. Man, there are some pretty dumb people on this planet, maybe I should tell my supervisor there is no intelligent life here and forgoe giving humans the warp drive. And I think it would be pretty stupid to see intelligent scientists as a 'counterpoise' to weird commentators...what about Jessica up top, I think that's a more appropriate example. Simmons is wonderful, you and Jessica need to get your brains checked.
Felisa wolffe..man that's sexy.
I thought I was going to read an article on"intelligent life" somewhere in the universe.....after reading the posts, I am now convinced that such a discovery will have to wait until after the next big bang....
Ok fine, let's wait till tomorrow when you let one rip in the elevator. Common George, what's wrong with u
LOL wow for the first time EVER we find signs of alien life, or maybe we didn't?!...........OK first, we all know that there are man made bases on mars, Russian and US satellites orbiting it as well, Russian probes actually landing on Venus (US as well) and man made bases on the dark side of the moon, so can we just cut the charades already. Now if this is NASA's attempt to break the truth to those that have been manipulated slowly I applaud you, but lets be real here. We have known the existence of extraterrestrial life since 1947, and even further back.
It never cease to amaze me, at how quick the human race forget about our past events when things are out of the controlled media. Well let me refresh some of those that have forgotten memories based on E.T presence, I will only post some, the rest is up to you to do the research:
1936: UFO sightings were seen in Scandinavia
1938: The Nazis in Germany starting experimenting with strange flying crafts, powered by conventional power supply sources.
1947: A wave of UFO sightings, alien craft recovery in roswell new mexico, alien autopsies, and other phenomena.
1952: Another wave of UFO sightings
1954: We recieve voices from out of space telling us to quit with all the nuclear wars, and wars altogether.
1961: One of the most documented abduction documented, was the case of Betty and Barney Hill (do the research)
1973: Again another UFO mass sighting, and strange ships
1976: A probe had found a Face on Mars (Guess everyone forgot this one)
1977: UK radio broadcasting stations were confiscated by a strange voice that calls itself Vrillon. This being told us of future events that we are now experiencing, and touched a subject on how we should all get along, stop the wars, and evolve as a race for the new age of aquarious (which we are now in) This case was never solved, and was just brushed under the rug.
1981: NASA made it known that a few meteorites had came from mars
but this is the first ever, that were finding stuff like this right? Theres more just do the research people you will be shocked at how much information is being kept from us. We all know that NASA is design to keep anything extraterrestrial related away from the public, just like other governmental information is being kept, but the truth ALWAYS comes out. I do agree that some of the stuff would shatter our social and religious belief system, but we need to know whats going on before it is too late (and you know what I mean)
FinnAlly! Someone reasonable and logical posts on this article. Geez
Have you ever seen a historic static display of the USAF fighter planes, say from the p38 to the F117 stealth. If you do you will see the progressive improvement plane to plane up to the F16 fighter. This is not true with the stealth, it does not fit. When you go from the F16 to the Stealth you will get wip-lash looking back and forth between the older fighters and the stealth. You may even be tempted to say what the hell happened here. There is a gap in progressive design that can not be explained. Where in the hell did the design for the stealth come from. The new Raptor that replaced the 117; same thing it does not fit. For those that do not see what I am mean. Think about this: a train still looks like a train, a car like a car. Where did the design for these new war planes come from???
But don't let the beg bugs in at night......wink