Life and other planets
Thursday 5 March 2009
Do you think there's life on other planets? Here are some recent findings that suggest we’re not alone.
Life
Humans have been studying life in space for years and have yet to find a planet that is thriving like Earth.
However, scientists believe that there may be 100 billion Earth-like planets that are just waiting to be found, with hundreds possibly homing intelligent life forms.
Where there's water...
Many scientists believe that if water exists on a planet, it is likely to be home to some type of life – not necessarily humans or aliens, but organisms that could evolve.
Mars
New evidence has suggested that Mars had running water on its surface just over one million years ago! This has backed up scientists who believe that life existed on the Red Planet, some of which may still be around today.
The discovery was made when a camera on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured images of fan-shaped gullies on the planet’s surface. Scientists believe that they were created by melting ice.
Also, in May 2008, images from a robotic space craft showed what appeared to be liquid droplets on the body which appeared to build during the space crafts time on Mars. Images also showed some of these liquid droplets sliding down the space craft which some scientists compared to melting ice.
Europa
Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons, has always had people wondering whether there was life on it. Though the average temperature is minus 260 degrees, magnetic measurements taken by the Galileo space craft suggest major activity underneath the icy surface. Scientists believe that it may be vast salty oceans.
Other signs of life on Europa include iceberg like formations on the surface, which suggest that oceans once flowed on the planet before they froze.
Enceladus
Images from the Cassini spacecraft which orbited Saturn a few years ago showed ice particles spraying out from Enceladus, one of Saturn’s moons. This raises the questions of whether liquid water exists on the planet.
Images also captured tiger-stripe marks on the ice surface, suggesting that certain areas of the moon may not be as cold as once thought.
UFO sightings
The number of UFO sightings continue to rise. If extra terrestials do exists, where do they live and could we also live there?
Recently, residents in Lincolnshire believed that they were visited by alien life forms when a turbine was damaged over night with no apparent explanation. A local councilor even claimed to have seen ‘a round, white light’ hovering nearby.
Could we live elsewhere?
Other planets in our solar system are either too hot or cold, and some rain harmful liquids, therefore it's unlikely that we could live on them.
The human body is quite fragile - we’ve spent billions of years adapting to and surviving on Earth. Humans would need oxygen and temperatures that keep our bodies at a healthy 37 degrees, to even stand a chance. The atmosphere would also have to be similar to Earth's. Therefore adapting to other planets, could be pretty tricky!
However, space is a big place, so it could be just a matter of time before we find out whether Earth is our only possible home.
