Annotaive Bibliography

 "Arsenic-Feeding Bacteria Find Exspands Traditional Notions of Life." Cnn.com. 12 Dec. 2010. Web. 4 Mar. 2011. <http://articles.cnn.com/2010-12-02/us/nasa.extraterrrestrial.life_1_arsenic-chemical-elements-nasa?_s=PM:us

NASA has announced that a new strain of bacteria has been found that uses arsenic in place of phosphorus in it’s DNA.  This shows that life can be sustained by elements we didn’t think would allow life to form.  Therefore, maybe life can exist on plants were there is no water or oxygen.

 "Mayan Spacecraft." Sulviaw.multiply.com. 2011. Web. 4 Mar. 2011. <http://silviaw.multiply.com/journal/item/401>.

This article was about the image found on the tomb of Lord Pacal.  It is a carving of what appears to be a man in an ancient spacecraft.  There are controls an engine with flams and even a breathing apparatus for oxygen.

Mayell, Hillary. "Alien Life? Atronomers Predict Contact by 2025." Nationalgeographic.com. Nation Geographic News, 14 Nov. 2003. Web. 4 Mar. 2011. <http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/11/1114_031114_setisearch.html>.

 This article talked about the new technology being used to search for life.  Astronomers are predicting contact very soon now that we can see further and with much better sensitivity

           

Tasker, Fred. "NASA:Extraterestrial Life Discovery Is a Big Deal-Really." Miamiherald.com. 2 Dec. 2010. Web. 4 Mar. 2011. <http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/12/02/1954921/nasa-new-find-a-big-deal-really.html>.

This was about the announcement made by nasa that it found a bacteria that was able to use arsenic a toxic element as a building block for its DNA.  This broadens what we now consider life.  This show that life can exist in many conditions we didn’t think were possible and maybe on planets with extreme environments.

Than, Ker. "Greatest Mysteries: Does Alien Life Exist?" Space.com. 6 Aug. 2007. Web. 4 Mar. 2011. <http://www.space.com/4158-greatest-mysteries-alian-life-exist.html>.

 This stated that  that extraterrestrial life is unlikely to be highly advanced man like creatures.  Instead more like the bacteria that we find here on earth.  Since bacteria are extremophiles they can live in very harsh environments such as many of the conditions found in space.

The Search of Extraterrestrial Life

With newer and better technology and our increasing ability to reach deeper and deeper into space many experts believe it's only a matter of time before we find some sort of extraterrestrial life.  Two astronomers, Seth Shostak and Alexandra Barnett, say it could be as soon as 2025(Mayell). The two astronomers work for the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute and search for alien life throughout the universe.  Until recently the search for life beyond ours has been limited by technology that that hasn't been able to reach deep into space with the sensitivity needed to find life(Mayell)

Fortunately new breakthroughs in satellite and telescope technology are finally giving scientist the tools to accurately search for life.  In 2007 NASA launched the Kepler probe to search for planets that exist a distance from there sun where liquid water may present, called the "habitable zone"(Mayell).  Also new telescopes like the Allen telescope Array in California will allow astronomers to survey 100,000 stars by 2015 giving a good chance of finding something very interesting(Mayell).

With new technology and and ever wider idea of where life may be able to live the next few years should be very exacting for space exploration in general but also for the search for extraterrestrial life.  Many people have come forward having eyewitness accounts of alien life but with nothing confirmed its hard to know what is fact or fiction.  What is known is that the universe is unimaginably huge filled with billions of stars and planets so there has to be a pretty good chance were not alone.  Until there is confirmed life found on another planet people will always wonder, and who knows maybe we will never find anything but its always very exciting to wonder what if?

New Form of life Found on Earth

Life on earth no matter how diverse has always needed the same basic things to live.  The basic building blocks of life on earth has always been believed to be carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen, sulfur and phosphorus(Tasker).  Without one of the elements life can't exist, or so we thought.  NASA has released new information that has changed our perception on what can make up life and where life can now be found(Arsenic). 

On December 2, 2010 NASA announced that it has found a strand of bacteria  that has replaced arsenic for phosphorus in its DNA.  Arsenic was previously thought to be toxic and  not an element that would make up life(Arsenic).  The bacteria were found in sediment under a lake in California(Tasker).  This could potentially be a huge find in the exploration for life beyond earth.

Why is finding this new strain of bacteria such an interesting find for scientist seeking extraterrestrial life? It changes everything we thought we knew about life.  Now just because a planet doesn't have water, oxygen or some other life building compound doesn't mean life cannot exist.  We are now able to broaden our search for life because we can now look for elements that normally didn't meet the criteria for supporting life(Arsenic).

Not Just Little Green Men.

When someone mentions the word aliens the image that pops into most peoples heads is of little green men or some weird man eating creature.  Aliens have been cast in many movies and books as super intelligent advanced individuals zooming around the universe in their flying saucers.  in reality any life that we find on another planet is going to most similarly resemble simple single celled organisms such as bacteria that is found here on earth. 

Bacteria was the first life form on earth and is able to survive in extreme environments that no other life form could(Than).  With such a vast universe with billions of planets and stars the odds are that life exists beyond earth but scientist aren't really looking for little green men anymore.  Instead, they are looking for extremophiles,  or microbes that are able to live in extreme heat, cold, and in locations with little or no oxygen(Than).

Scientist are also to find more and more planets that might be able to support life.  They are able to see light years away and use satelights that are able to detect "life's spectral fingerprints" in planets reflecting light(than).  There is still hopes of finding an intelligent life source on some distant planet but with the universe being such a harsh and extreme place finding microbial life on another planet is a growing chance and a very real possibility.

Mayan Spacecraft

Look very closely at the picture and what do u see?  This is a picture taken of a carving found on the lid of the tomb of lord Pacal(silviaw).  There is something very peculiar about this carving. If you look closely it looks like a man sitting in an ancient spacecraft.  The man is in the very same position that modern astronauts sit in today.  His hands and feet seem to be holding controls and right at his nose you can see a tube that would supply oxygen. finally at the right side of the picture u can see what appears to be an engine and flames.  Could this be a spacecraft designed by the Mayans.  It sure does look that way

This carving is the depiction of lord Pacal at the time of his death falling into the underworld after death, or at lest that is what archaeologist what us to believe.  It looks eerily similar to a modern rocket. How would these primitive people be able to think of such a complex machine that is so accurate and detailed? Many believe that these ancient Mayans were visited by some intelligent life form from another planet. 

This may some ludicrous to some but how else would u explain this carving that was created in 683AD, way before the creation of modern machines(silviaw).  The Mayans temples also had to be built with the aid of extraterrestrial life.  How else would stones that weight tons be moved up a mountain and place precisely in place high on the temple.  Think about it, these people were living in a primitive time in a harsh environment where there sole goal in life was to find food and survive its hard to believe that they would have the time or resources to build such magnificent structures with out the help of some sort of extraterrestrial visitors.

Life as We Know it

We've all done at one time or another,  looked up into the sky on a clear night and gazed at the millions of stars all around us and asked; are we really alone or is there life beyond Earth.  Man has probably been wondering that same question since the beginning of our existence.  We have always been fascinated with space and every civilization from the Mayans to the ancient Egyptians to our very own country has put vast amounts of time, effort, and money into studying the great beyond. 

The Mayans were some of the first people to study space in great detail.  From their studies they were able to persicely trace and predict the movement of the stars and planets.  With this information they were able to create calenders and other time pieces that were remarkable accurate for that time period.  But did the Mayans and other ancient civilizations see more then just the stars and planets in the nights sky? Many scientists and philosophers believe that these ancients were visited by, and even worshiped life from another planets. 

There are hyroglifics in Mayan temples and in the Great Pyraminds that some believe prove that extraterrestrial life exists and visited these civilizations.  Many believers say that without some sort of outside help the pyramids and Mayan ruins could not have been built with such persition and in such a short amount of time.  For the most part it is understood that the huge tymples were built by man power alone but there is a few quite percular artifacts and finds that may suggest other wise.  It all comes back to the question,  are we really alone?