Sasha Ircha Earth Science
Current Event March 6th, 2015
Wall, Mike. "Search for Alien Life Should Consider All Possibilities, Experts Say | Space.com." Space.com. Space.com, 6 Mar. 2015. Web. 08 Mar. 2015.
Search for Alien Life Should Consider All Possibilities, Experts Say
This article was written by Mike Wall, and is all about the modern study of life beyond our solar system, and what that life might include. For decades now, science researchers have been in the searching for signs of life on planets well beyond our solar system. Scientists are currently making their search as widespread as possible, to ensure any chance they can get at discovering alien life. Much data has begun to get collected involving the atmospheres of exoplanets, to further the understanding of space life in the world of astronomy and science. Exoplanets are planets outside our solar system, and can be very earth-like when it comes to some content of their atmospheres. To find out much more about these exoplanets, the European Southern Observatory has begun to probe exoplanets. This observatory also contains some of the largest telescopes in the world for star and planet research. With new experiments like this, we can now look for more than “just oxygen, methane, and other familiar biosignatures that swirl about in Earth’s air,” according to Sara Seager and William Bain of MIT. Scientists are aware that there are only a limited number of planets that are accessible to us right now, but it is clear that it is important to think beyond the boundaries. With statements like that, a huge question that has been occurring in the world of science is, “could oxygen be discovered in the atmosphere of an exoplanet since it is like earth?” That could be a factor that could help sustain life in years to come. On the other hand, when it comes to discovering more about exoplanets, many scientists are aiming to find out what could be living in atmospheres of molecular hydrogen, opposed to nitrogen and oxygen, like earth. With that, NASA’s current goals are to obtain a more clear understanding of which molecules could potentially be biosignature gasses in the atmospheres of exoplanets by using space probes and performing other forms of research. They say it will most likely take at least a decade to start uncovering signs of alien life, but in the meantime, they are amping up the research and technology for that discovery.
Discovering life on another planet would make a huge impact on our society. What if you knew earth would be diminished in a matter of minutes? Wouldn’t you feel better knowing that we had a number of other life sustainable planets to flee to? Obviously, this all lies in the future of NASA’s discoveries, but this is all coming into consideration in present day space research. Even with the new discovery of exoplanets in space, we are given a huge wakeup call as to what other life forms there could be in our solar system and beyond. Although it would take extremely long to travel light years to actually get to these exoplanets, we are able to further our understanding of other atmospheres besides the ones we have already studied closely like: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. As researchers and scientists, we will be able to make further analysis involving the planets beyond our solar system.
Overall, I found the article to be quite intriguing. Since I have heared about life on other planets, it was awesome to read some valid information about the topic. The article was written in short paragraphs that had precise information to offer, and a great video was included to expand on the facts about exoplanets and space life even further. There were subtopics within the article, so although the topic is advanced, it was not difficult to understand how exoplanets worked. These subtopics included much about the planets beyond our solar system, the potential worlds that could be light years away, and even information on the modern technology that is currently being used in huge space laboratories in the world. The mini quiz that concluded the article also helped to test how well I had just obtained the information about exoplanets and possible forms of life on them. I will definitely be reading more scientific articles involving the planets on that website, especially those that focus on the study of planets and atmospheres that could link to more forms of life, and conceivably become other “earths” for mankind.
ReplyDeleteI liked how you told the author of your article in the beginning sentence, so you can let people know who it was written by and you also gave a little incite on what they were going to be reading if the reader checked out the article. I thought that there was no repetition and the article review had flowed very nicely. Another thing you presented well was the analysis of your article. You talked about what scientists were currently making their research into. You also talked about the extraterrestrial life which could be very interesting to a reader. I think that another thing you had done well was gave the reader a place where information was being taken. The observatory you said was The European Southern Observatory which according to you, began to probe exoplanets. This was really good to include in your essay because now if the reader wanted to know what to look for in your topic, they could look online the European Southern Observatory or they could visit it to learn more hands on about the topic. I was impressed that we could sustain life on other planets in the future. I thought it was very interesting when you included NASA’s current goals they are trying to obtain an understanding of molecules that could be bio signature gasses in the atmospheres of other planets by using space probes. Another thing I was impressed with was the impact discovering life on another planet would be. As you said, if there was other life on planets that we haven’t even found yet, then that could mean something huge for man kind. I thought that adding questions in your article review was smart because it kept the reader wanted to read more so those answers would be answered. One suggestion that I have for you would be to include more information about other life and the research on that topic only because in the 2nd paragraph you kind of get into it but then you back away from the topic. I thought this was really good and interesting! Nice job Sasha!!