Adam Frank - Why Oxygen Isn’t Needed To Make Things Burn

Alex Berezow - We Are Effectively Alone In The Universe

Alex Berezow - We Are Effectively Alone In The Universe It does not matter if intelligent life exists elsewhere. We will never find each other. Key Takeaways * The debate over extraterrestrial life has shifted from fringe to mainstream. * The belief that humans eventually will encounter aliens is based on two assumptions: (1) life evolves easily, and (2) interstellar travel is possible and practical. * Neither of these assumptions is likely to be true.

Adam Frank - Why Oxygen Isn’t Needed To Make Things Burn

Adam Frank - Why Oxygen Isn’t Needed To Make Things Burn Oxygen isn't strictly necessary for combustion, but it is ideal. Any advanced (alien) civilization probably uses oxygen to burn things. Key Takeaways * Would combustion always be a potential energy source on any planet capable of incubating a technological civilization? That simple question has led to an examination of an essential chemical process. * Combustion reactions transfer electrons from a fuel to an oxidizer. But there are a number of elements capable of being the oxidizer. So does our hypothetical planet really need oxygen itself? * Oxygen is indeed the perfect element for carrying out combustion, and for a very good reason.

Tim Brinkhof - Did Ancient Greek Philosophers Believe In Aliens?

Tim Brinkhof - Did Ancient Greek Philosophers Believe In Aliens? Speculation about the existence of aliens goes all the way back at least to the Greek philosophers. Their arguments will sound familiar. Key Takeaways * Speculation about alien life dates back to the ancient Greeks, and perhaps even further. * The Scientific Revolution expanded our vision of the Universe and revived our belief in the possibility of extraterrestrial life. * Unfortunately, the lack of convincing evidence has ushered in a new age of cosmological pessimism.

Dirk Schulze-Makuch - How The “Face On Mars” And Other False Positives Impact The Search For Alien Life

Dirk Schulze-Makuch - How The “Face On Mars” And Other False Positives Impact The Search For Alien Life We may have discovered alien life already but rejected the evidence too quickly because it seemed false at first glance. Key Takeaways * Perhaps the most famous "evidence" of life on Mars came from a photograph that supposedly depicted a face on the Red Planet. It was subsequently shown to be nothing but a mountain. * The Viking Life Detection experiments and Martian meteorite ALH84001 were both thought to prove the existence of life on Mars, but these were also false positives. * Once a claim is judged to be a false positive, it’s difficult to change people’s minds, even if new evidence comes along.

Ethan Siegel - Why Scientists Can’t Give Up The Hunt For Alien Life

Ethan Siegel - Why Scientists Can’t Give Up The Hunt For Alien Life There will always be "wolf-criers" whose claims wither under scrutiny. But aliens are certainly out there, if science dares to find them. Key Takeaways * All throughout human history, we've gazed up at the stars and wondered if we're truly alone in the Universe, or if other life — possibly even intelligent life — is out there for us to find. * Although there have been many who claim that aliens exist and that we've already contacted them, those claims have all withered under scrutiny, with their claimants having cried "wolf" with insufficient evidence. * Nevertheless, the scientific case remains extremely compelling for suspecting that life, and possibly even intelligent life, is out there somewhere. Here's why we must keep looking.