In the search for answers, one must look in the most unexpected places. With life only ever being recorded on one world, much speculation has gone into possible life in other areas of the galaxy. Questions like “Are we alone?” or “Does life exist elsewhere?” have pushed humanity to explore the other regions of the ever-expanding universe in hopes of finding some shred of proof for the possibility of other life forms. The first place astronomers began to look was in the current solar system, but then they set their eyes on another set of targets: exoplanets.

An exoplanet planet, otherwise known as an extrasolar planet, is any planet that maintains an orbits around a star that is not the Sun. Current recorded exoplanets come in all shapes and sizes, that range from a size that is bigger than Jupiter to smaller than the Earth[1]. In order to find these planets and systems that exist thousands of light-years away, scientists must use a variety of methods in order to detect them. These processes can be split into two different categories: direct and indirect detection. Direct detection is simply taking a direct image of the planet itself; however, this is usually not easy because planets are very faint light sources. Most of the detection comes from indirect methods: astrometry, gravitational microlensing, pulsar timing, transit method and Doppler wobble are all methods for detecting exoplanets in a variety of different ways [2]. There are a variety of reasons of why scientists are searching for exoplanets, but perhaps one of the most compelling reasons is the idea of finding life and answering once and for all the age old question: is life a rare event, or common occurrence?

One of the most interesting discoveries of recent times in the search for exoplanets can be found within the system of Kepler-62. Existing 1,200 light-years away from Earth in the Lyra constellation, this solar system of five planets all orbit a 7 billion year old K2 dwarf star. On April 18^th, 2013, Kepler-62 was found in the field of vision of the Kepler Spacecraft, a satellite from NASA’s Kepler Mission which is used to detect planets that are transiting stars [3]. The research team of William J. Borucki et al. used the transit discovery method, which is a photometric method that detects planets as they pass in front of a star, which creates a drop in the brightness of the star. The specific K2 star of the Kepler-62 system has a luminosity of about 0.21 solar luminosities, a radius around 0.64 solar radii, a mass near 0.69 solar masses, a temperature approximately 4925K (the Sun’s temperature is 5778K, making it 853K cooler), and based on typical K star lifetimes, it should end its current lifecycle and change to a red giant in 13 billion years [3]. Also, the K2 Star is only 2/3rds the size of the sun and is only 1/5th as bright [4].

Within this system exists one of the most potentially habitable exoplanets to date: Kepler-62e. This little world contains certain characteristics that make it a prime candidate for life, and could possibly answer many questions in the future search for exoplanets. Based on the habitable zones, planetary equilibrium temperature, parameters of the planet, possibility of an atmosphere, and the evolution of the star, the possibility of life does not seem far-fetched.

The Areas of Habitability

            Within every planetary system exists a habitable zone, the area where water can exist as a liquid, found to be between 273K and 373K [5]. The habitable zone of a system can be calculated through a series of equations, which will be used to find the inner and outer habitable zones of Kepler-62 [6]. In order to find the inner habitable zone, you use the following equation:  = 0.95AU , where  stand for the inner habitable zone boundary, the 0.95AU represents the distance in astronomical units from the star and is based on Earth’s solar system’s inner habitable zone, and the  stands for the luminosity of the star in terms of solar luminosities. Because it is known that Kepler-62 is only 1/5^th the luminosity of the Sun, 0.2 would be used for the term . Once 0.2 is plugged into the equation, the end result is equal to 0.42AU, meaning that the inner habitable zone exists at a distance of 0.42 astronomical units.

In order to find the outer habitable zone, the same equation must be used, but the initial 0.95AU must be changed to 1.4AU to represent the outer boundary in relation to the Earth’s solar system’s habitable zone. The equation to find the outer limit of the habitable zone is as follows:  = 1.4AU , where  is the outer habitable zone boundary, the 1.4AU represents the distance in astronomical units from the star and is based on Earth’s solar system’s outer habitable zone, and the  stands for the luminosity of the star in terms of solar luminosities. Like in the first equation, 0.2 would be used for the term . Once 0.2 is plugged into the equation, the end result is equal to 0.63AU, meaning that the outer habitable zone ends at a distance of 0.63 astronomical units.

This data shows that habitable zone of Kepler-62 would have to lie between 0.42AU and 0.63AU. Both of these are less than half of the distances of the habitable zones in Earth’s solar system. However, even though the habitable zone is smaller, Kepler-62e lies within the habitable zone at 0.427AU [3].

A Planet and its Temperature

            Another important piece of information is the planetary equilibrium temperature, a theoretical temperature of the planet if it were simply a black body being heated only by the star [7]. The following equation shows the way to determine the equilibrium temperature if Kepler-62e had a similar albedo to Earth but no atmosphere [8]:  = 254K , where  stands for the planetary equilibrium temperature, the 254K is the given temperature based on Earth’s temperature in degrees Kelvin,  is the luminosity of the star in solar luminosities, and  is the distance from the star in astronomical units. In this equation,  would be 0.2 solar luminosities because Kepler-62 is only 1/5^th the luminosity of the Sun, and  would be 0.43 astronomical units because that is how far Kepler-62e is from Kepler-62. If these points were plugged into the equation, the equilibrium temperature would be equal to 259K.

A similar equation would be used if Kepler-62e had a greenhouse effect:  = 287K . The difference between this equation and the previous equation is the addition of 33 degrees Kelvin to the initial temperature to take into consideration the extra heat added under the greenhouse effect. For this equation,  is the luminosity of the star in solar luminosities, and  is the distance from the star in astronomical units.  would again be 0.2 solar luminosities, and  would again be 0.43 astronomical units. The final result of this equation would an equilibrium temperature of 292K.

If Kepler-62e did, indeed, have a similar albedo to that of Earth’s, it would also share a striking resemblance in terms of planetary equilibrium temperature, being about only 5K hotter in both instances. To clarify, Earth’s albedo was used in this equation because direct imaging is required to find a planet’s albedo, which has not yet been done for Kepler-62e.

Characteristic of a Planet

            The parameters of the planet are also important to keep under consideration when exploring the habitability of a planet. One major parameter is the mass of Kepler-62e, which can be found through the following equation [9]: .  represents the mass of the star in kilograms,  represents the velocity of the star in meters per second,  is the mass of the planet in kilograms, and  is the velocity of the planet in meters per second.

In order to find the mass, one must first find all the other variables in the equation. The only variable that remains unknown is the velocity of the planet, which can be found in the following equation [9]: .  is the radius of the orbit and is in units of meters, while  is the period, which is how long it takes to go around the star, and is measured in seconds.  would be used for  because that is the radius of the orbit for Kepler-62e, and  would be used for  because that is the length it takes for Kepler-62e to go around its star. Once these are put into the equation, the equals 253.5 .

Now that  is known, it’s possible to solve for the mass of the planet [9]: . For , or the mass of the star,  kilograms would be plugged in, because that is the recorded mass of Kepler-62. For , or velocity of the star, meters per second would be put in, because that is the current velocity of Kepler-62. For , or velocity of the planet, 254 meters per second would be put because that is the velocity of Kepler-62e. This equation found the mass ofKepler-62e to be. Online sources estimate the mass to be around  [3]. This minor difference is just due to rounding in the equations.

Potentiality of a Possible Atmosphere

            The atmospheric conditions of Kepler-62e are not currently known [3]. However, it is big enough to possibly stay warm enough on the inside for a magnetic field to exist, and this field could protect a possible atmosphere from solar stripping. And because it is within the galactic habitable zone, it must have a high enough ratio of elements to have similar composition to that of terrestrial planets within our own solar system [10]. Also, if there are water oceans on the surface of the planet like scientists hypothesize, then some sort of atmosphere must be present for the water to remain in its liquid state. For liquid water to exist there must be enough pressure in the atmosphere; if there is not enough pressure, it would either become gaseous or solidify into ice [8]. Simply put, if there is liquid water there must also be an atmosphere.

A Change in a Star

            Over the course of time, stars change and evolve, dramatically affecting the habitable zone of its surrounding planets as time continues to go by. It’s important to keep the star type and age into consideration when exploring and searching for possible places where life could be found. In this particular instance, Kepler-62 is a K2 dwarf star that is approximately 7 billion years old. K stars make up 15% of all stars and have lifetimes of about 20 billion years. K stars transform from orange dwarfs into red giants, then planetary nebula, and end up as a white dwarf. This means that Kepler-62 will eventually get brighter as it ages, pushing the habitability zone further outward over time. Because Kepler-62e is at the inner edge of the habitable zone, it will leave the habitable zone sooner than its fellow planet Kepler-62f. However, it will take much longer for this process to occur than it would for our Sun because of Kepler-62’s smaller size.

A Whole New World

            Much speculation has gone into what the world of Kepler-62e would really look like. Current computer models are suggesting that it is covered by “uninterrupted oceans”, which could mean that much of the life of the planet would exist deep within the recesses of the only-aquatic environment [11]. Scientists also believe in the possibility of bird-like creatures that might exist, but doubt that there would be a technologically advanced species like humanity because they would not have easy access to electricity or metallurgy. However, if there is any land, it would change the possibilities completely [11]. With the idea of a world covered in water, it is theorized that Kepler-62e could either be liquid down to the core or have a solidified surface beneath a shallow ocean. If the latter model is true, this would be more conducive to life as we know it [12]. According to computer models, Kepler-62e would also probably have a very cloudy sky, and would be warm and humid all the way to the polar regions of the planet [13].

So, are you tired of living on land? Exhausted of living above the ocean? Wishing you could spend your days deep within large pools of liquid? Well, wish no more! Introducing your new soon-to-be-home planet of Kepler-62e! Believed to be completely submerged under oceans, you’ll never have to worry about seeing dry land again. With nice cloudy skies, and humid and warm weather around the clock, you’ll be glad you left the dry, cold Earth. Come and see all the hundreds of new species of aliens being discovered every day! Spend you days relaxing in your new under-water home, submerged beneath the ocean in a structure housing you and your loved ones. And food will never be a problem; scientists are working around the clock to uncover which aliens can be eaten and used as food sources, and they are finding more and more with each passing day. So what are you waiting for? Pack up your things and come move to Kepler-62e, the most Earth-like exoplanet around!

Final Thoughts

            The discovery of the Kepler-62 star system and its subsequent planets has re-invigorated the search for life on exoplanets. With the finding of such an Earth-like planet, science has become hopeful that this discovery will lead to further information on the potentiality of life in the universe. Because it was only discovered this year, much research has to be done before any definitive answers can be found, but based on the current data, there is a reason to believe Earth might not be the only home to organisms in the universe.

Works Cited

[1] “The MEarth Project – What Are Exoplanets?” The MEarth Project – What Are Exoplanets? N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.

[2] “Detecting Extrasolar Planets.” – Space Art and Astronomical Illustrations. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.

[3] “Kepler-62: A Five-Planet System with Planets of 1.4 and 1.6 Earth Radii in the Habitable Zone.” Kepler-62: A Five-Planet System with Planets of 1.4 and 1.6 Earth Radii in the Habitable Zone. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.

[4] NASA’s Eyes. Computer software. Eyes on the Solar System. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.

[5] “Habitable Zone.” Habitable Zone. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.

[6] Lasarova, Mariana. Homework #5. Colorado Springs, CO. 2013. Print.

[7] “Equilibrium Temperatures of Planets.” Home Page – Home Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.

[8] Lasarova, Mariana. Homework #4. Colorado Springs, CO. 2013. Print.

[9] Bennett, Jeffrey O., G. Seth. Shostak, and Bruce M. Jakosky. Life in the Universe. San Francisco, CA: Addison Wesley, 2003. Print.

[10] “Galactic Habitable Zones.” Galactic Habitable Zones. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.

[11] “What Might Alien Life Look Like on New ‘Water World’ Planets?” Space.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.

[12] Nature.com. Nature Publishing Group, n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.

[13] “Water Planets in the Habitable Zone: A Closer Look at Kepler 62e and 62f.” SciTech Daily. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.

In astronomy, the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram, also known as the H-R diagram, is used to determine and illustrate different star life cycles, based on their luminosity and temperature. This helps astronomers classify stars into different spectral types. The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram is an invaluable source when studying the universe.

Traditional H-R Diagram

Diagrams, such as the H-R Diagram, can be useful in every field to better help the reader understand the data being presented before them. To illustrate the idea that diagrams like the H-R Diagram can be used on any topic, the Silas Babilonia Diagram was created. This diagram was based on data on findings of household income, presented in an article by Pew research. This data showed the median household income by the race/ethnicity of the householder, illustrated in the graph below.

The SB Diagram

The disparities between the races are apparent and vastly different. It appears by no coincidence that the races in america are not quite fully equal, with the reasoning behind these inequalities being left for speculation. Asians are the wealthiest, followed by whites, and hispanics and blacks are tied for third place. This image shows that the population of America is varied in income, with no race being completely equal.

While the H-R Diagram and the SB Diagrams might not be similar in content, they both show how data can be transformed into a more visually appealing format in order to get a point across. Both populations follow a set pattern and contain a wide spectrum of data accumulated over time. It’s important to realize the importance of these diagrams to better understand their usefulness.

Works cited/Image Sources:

http://www.astro.cornell.edu/academics/courses/astro201/images/hr_diagram.gif

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/09/18/four-takeaways-from-tuesdays-census-income-and-poverty-release/

Often times, the search for life in the universe is left to science. And often times, the search for meaning in the universe is left to philosophy. Are the two fields much different from each other? The field of philosophy often examines the natural world, posing questions in hopes of finding answers. Science does the sames. The field of philosophy also changes over times, as new discoveries and questions arise from previous answers. The same can be said for science. So why is it that the two areas of study are often disassociated from one another? Why must the two be separated?

Philosophers and scientists are one and the same

Both philosophy and science share a common goal: to better understand both the universe and humanity’s role in it. But there seems to be a divide in one aspect; philosophy often uses questions to find more questions, while science uses answers to find more answers. Philosophy searches in the infinite, while science exists in the finite world. Yet these studies are not as divided as one might think. In fact, philosophy can be used in the scientific world to help keep the scientists’ perspectives in check, so that they might have a sense of morality as they begin their experimentation. And philosophy can also benefit from science because it allows for the philosophers to pose new, in-depth questions to what has been found in the physical world. Even though these two fields can often be regarded as opposites, they share more in common than one might think.

A comic on science and philosophy

In the end, both science and philosophy promote both questioning and personal exploration. Both contain answers, and both contain questions. While they are not exactly the same, they contain many similarities, and can be used together to form a better understanding of life in the universe.

Image Sources:

http://undsci.berkeley.edu/images/us101/philo_sci.jpg

http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/300/8/6/science_vs_philosophy_by_dye882003-d4e5n4k.jpg

Often times, when society thinks of life in the universe, they tend to overlook the most important life of all: the lifeforms on Earth. In the search of exploring the universe, many people have also forgotten of the life that exists on the planet. Animals and humans have co-existed for generations, but these same animals are losing their habitats and their homes. Human disruption and destruction have cause many species of animals to die out at an ever-increasing pace. This issue has become so dire that many non-profit organizations all fight to protect all the animals from human devastation; one such organization is the Center for Large Landscape Conservation.

Banner for the Center for Large Landscape Conservation

The United States has taken some approaches to protect the natural woodlands, yet it has not been enough; many species still struggle to survive through the destruction of their habitats and ever-increasing human need for space and supplies. It is these concerns that Dr. Gary Tabor, Director of the Center for Large Landscape Conservation, addressed in his presentation, entitled The Emergence of Large Landscapes in an Era of Planetary Thresholds. His presentation discussed the role of nature in the ever-changing human world, focusing on the interactions between other lifeforms inhabiting the world, and brought out ideas on how to coexist in a less destructive manner.

Dr. Gary Tabor, Director for the Center for Large Landscape Conservation

The lecture covered a wide array of different topics and issues that nature currently faces, all leading to the idea that humanity is making a change in the world, and not in a good way. The weather and the environment are being dramatically affected by the human activity occurring worldwide, but there is a chance to stop the destruction before it is to late. Dr. Tabor suggested that everyone works together to bring the ideas of increased conservation of large landscapes will lead to an increase in stability for the natural processes of life that occur. By making adjustments to current architecture, it will make it safer for wildlife to live and move around. Also, more land should be designated as protected zones, due to the fact that animals do not like to be constrained to one small area. Tabor continued on saying how humans have the opportunity to make a difference, and to right the environmental wrongs that occurred in the past.

Graph of protected land area around the world

The talk brought up a lot of important questions that needed to be answered: What role do humans play in the destruction of natural habitats? What can be done to prevent these atrocities? Is it possible to peacefully co-exist with nature? Maybe. Maybe not. but what’s important is making steps toward a better future. That’s a start.

Image Sources:

http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs158/1109042460850/img/222.jpg?a=1111798305707

http://www.climateconservation.org/images/Staff_pics/Dr_Gary_Tabor.jpg

http://www.globalchange.umich.edu/globalchange2/current/lectures/biodiversity2/protect.gif

Due to the recent government shutdown, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the US government agency largely responsible for the United States’ civilian space program and space research, has had to furlough about 97% of it’s workforce. The agency that is responsible for constant watch of asteroid collisions, and telling us more about what role life plays in the universe, has been indisposed because of arguments happening in Washington. While the government shutdown affected not only NASA, this grounding brings up an important point about what role the government should play in space exploration.

The recent government shutdown

Perhaps the American government should no longer hold onto the responsibility of interstellar space research. After all, with the broken economy, politicians have focused the budget less and less towards astronomy and more towards advanced weaponry and ammunition. In such a technologically advanced age, the american government seems to be more and more secluded from the scientific world, maybe out of fear. Perhaps privatization in the field of astronomy could re-ignite newer and bolder missions that would keep the public involved, like the Mars One Project.

Colonies on Mars

Imagine humanity colonizing other worlds, possibly other star systems. The Mars One Project is a step towards that goal. They hope to send create a permanent settlement on Mars in 2023. Imagine the possibilities, imagine all that science could learn. This is much bolder than anything the government could have created. Maybe these new projects and businesses are what is required to bring space travel to the public. In this new age, reliance on the government is not longer enough; societies themselves must lead the way to a new future.

Image Sources:

http://media1.policymic.com/site/articles/65009/1_photo.jpg

http://i.space.com/images/i/000/025/399/original/mars-one-colony-astronauts-2.jpg?1375483664

Humans have always searched for life out in space, wondering if they are alone, or perhaps there is some other organism living and breathing in some distant galaxy, or even in the hidden recesses of the solar system. And while it had been believed to be plausible for other lifeforms to exist in a on some other planet in the reaches of space, the odds of finding life are much lower than previously believed. The article, The Odds of Intelligent Life in the Universe, written by Universe Today back in 2008, discussed the possibility of life elsewhere and the probability of new life emerging. According to the article, it found that the probability of intelligent life emerging is low.

A paper from the University of East Angelia finds that the chances are low due to the time it has taken for species like humans to evolve along with the remaining life of Earth. They found that the structurally complex organisms and intelligent life have evolved later on Earth, and by viewing the probability of the hard and important evolutionary steps that happened in relation to the life of Earth, provided an improved mathematical model for the continuing evolution of intelligent life. This mathematical model that the probability of each of the steps needed for the emergent of life is less than 10%, and that the chances of emerging is less than .01% over the course of 4 billion years.

Alien brothers

So many questions and so little answers. Is humanity a miracle? Or just another one of the millions of life-harboring planets? Why did the Earth form life? How is it possible in the first place? What made Earth such an anomaly? So many questions. Perhaps humanity is the only intelligent life force in the galaxy. But remember that with each probability, it must eventually come true. Perhaps we aren’t alone in the universe.

Image Sources:

http://www.environmental-watch.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/earth-day.jpeg

This post is in response to an article from Astrobiology Magazine.

NASA recently gave a press release finding that the materials on the surface of Mars are actually contain a small percentage of water. The soil was analyzed by the Curiosity rover which is located on Mars surface. Around 2% of the soil that is found on Mars surface is actually made up of water, and released carbon dioxide, oxygen and sulfur compounds when the sample began to be heated. According to prominent researchers, this will greatly contribute to the current understanding of the surface of mars and its processes.

The Curiosity Rover on Mars

So, what does this change? Will our perspective on Mars, and on the universe, forever be changed? Anyway you look at it, this is a great discovery. It shows that water is not only found on Earth, but could possibly be located on any planet. So, where did the water come from? Did the water come from comets, like what happened with Earth? Could life possible have existed, knowing that one of the most necessary ingredients is located, in part, on the surface?

What Mars could have looked like in the past

I’m curious to see what comes from this. The surface of a planet can tell a lot about it’s history. Maybe we can learn how to harness the water if humanity ever wanted to establish colonies there. With water remaining on the surface, perhaps technology could be created to take it to be usable for human life. Maybe this will further encourage space travel and exploration, knowing water could exist on the surface of other planets.

Image Sources:

http://www.astrobio.net/pressrelease/5712/curiosity-finds-martian-soil-contains-water

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/AncientMars.jpg

“The mystery of human existence lies not in just staying alive, but in finding something to live for” – Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

For countless millennium, man has searched for some reason to live. Since the dawn of humanity, philosophers have spoken, poets have written, artists have drawn, scientists have studied, yet no one has given an answer to the burning question that plagues every self-aware being: What is the answer to life, the universe, and everything? It seemed no one had the answer, until The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy came along and simply stated: “42”

42: the ultimate answer

Throughout the novel, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, humor is often incorporated to question the roles and complexities of life in the universe. Is there a point to existence? Will mortal beings ever truly find the answers they look for? “What do I mean by who am I?” Yet among the humor and punch lines, it seems that Adams argues that not all in the universe is as it seems, finding that humanity is not the most evolved species on Earth, that conflict is a universal construct, and that the search for knowledge and truth often ends in disappointment and more questions.

Title screen from the television show

Destruction of Earth

The beginning of the book is centered around a human named Arthur Dent on the day of the scheduled demolition of his house. His friend, Ford Prefect, arrives and takes Arthur away from the demolition scene to a local bar, telling him of the impending annihilation of the Earth by a group of aliens known as The Vogons. Their mission is to destroy the Earth in order to make way for the hyperspace bypass. At the last second, before Earth’s disintegration, Ford and Dent sneak onto one of the Vogon demolition ships, where Arthur learns that Ford is actually an alien who has been working on interstellar space guide, known as The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. The two stowaways are eventually detected and thrown off of the ship, where they are subsequently saved by the Heart of Gold, the ship with an Improbability Drive. It is here they meet Zaphod Beebebrox, Trillian, and Marvin, as they search for the lost planet of Margrathea. For the rest of the book, Arthur, Ford and the others all go on an adventure to discover Margrathea, and learn a great deal about Earth, the universe, and existence itself.

The cast from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy movie

The Role of Humanity

To this day, humans have believed they are the pinnacle of evolution. The majority has come to the conclusion that the human race is the most important species around, yet Adams believes differently. “On the planet Earth, man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much—the wheel, New York, wars and so on—whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man—for precisely the same reasons” (Adams 147). Even on Earth, Adams argues that man is not the most evolved species. He claims that even though we dominate the land and maintain control over other species, they have lost track of what’s important in life, and that other species are more evolved because they enjoy life in a simple manner. “These creatures you call mice, you see, they are not quite as they appear. They are merely the protrusion into our dimension of vastly hyperintelligent pandimensional beings. The whole business with the cheese and the squeaking is just a front” (Adams 154). Adams is yet again describing humanity’s perception and how the view of the world could potentially be wrong and manipulated. Humans have such a high sense of self-importance, and believe that their perceptions are always correct, even when the realities could be quite different. “Orbiting [the Sun] at a distance of roughly ninety-eight million miles is an utterly insignificant little blue-green planet whose ape-descended life forms are so amazingly primitive that they still think digital watches are a pretty neat” (Adams 1). With all the views of technological advancements, every generation believes they are the most important, the most influential, and the best all around. Yet humans still have so far to continue to evolve and grow, and are far from the perfection they believe to have become. Humanity may have come far, but Adam argues our role on Earth is not as great as some might think.

Mice are actually pansdimensional beings

Conflict in the Universe

Across the globe, conflict has arisen across almost every society, in one form or another. However, Adams argues that conflict is not just a human endeavor, but a universal constant, saying that even advanced civilizations across the galaxies would also have conflicts amongst each other. “Meanwhile, the poor Babel fish, by effectively removing all barriers to communication between different races and cultures, has caused more and bloodier wars than anything else in the history of creation” (Adams 55). The Babel fish is something that is inserted into the ear and allows for someone to understand any language. What Adams is saying is that even when two groups can effectively communicate with each other, there would still be a rise of conflict because every being holds different ideals. “Unfortunately, in the Vl’Hurg tongue this was the most dreadful insult imaginable, and there was nothing for it but to wage terrible war for centuries” (Adams 187). Even in alien races that are galaxies away, Adams argues that war and violence is something that would be found in every species that holds differences from one another. No matter how hard a civilization might try, it will always have conflict, no matter how much it tries to avoid it. “Now either you all give yourselves up now and let us beat you up a bit, though not very much of course because we are firmly opposed to needless violence, or we blow up this entire planet and possibly one or two others we noticed on our way out here” (Adams 198). Even outside of Earth, everyone depends on cops to solve conflicts and to instill law and order. Police play an important universal role as peace-keepers, but even they are not perfect, shown in the above quote as being hypocritical. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy has a great way of showing struggles between opposing viewpoints, and shows the significance that violence has in our world and the universe that surrounds it.

The babel fish

Infinite Search for Knowledge

Questions are infinite; there is no end to the amount of questions one could ask. And often times, receiving an answer only leads to another question. Adams uses this point to criticize humanity’s endless search for answers. “Curiously enough, the only thing that went through the mind of the bowl of petunias as it fell was Oh no, not again. Many people have speculated that if we knew exactly why the bowl of petunias had thought that we would know a lot more about the nature of the Universe than we do now” (Adams 124). In this point, Adams is saying that humanity’s understanding of the universe is so limited that they look to everything for the answers, even if the sources do not make sense. The nature of the universe is a complex thing, and there are still some things they have not figured out, so they often look to unreliable sources to answer the questions. “The chances of finding out what’s really going on in the universe are so remote the only thing to do is hang the sense of it and keep yourself occupied… I’d far rather be happy than right any day” (Adams 184). Finding the true purpose of life is so infinitely small that, often times, people spend their lives looking for an answer they will never find in some hopeless search for truth. Adams is arguing that instead of using our time to find the answers, we should just keep ourselves occupied and become happy and at peace with ourselves and our questions in order to live fully. “[42] quite definitely is the answer. I think the problem, to be quite honest with you, is that you’ve never actually known what the question is” (Adams 173). Humanity continues to look for answers but often asks the wrong questions, searching for peace in the wrong pursuits. Adams argues that humans want to find answers, but are unsure about what specific answers they are looking for. In The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams is not stating that we should stop looking for the answers to life, or should abandon science and knowledge and reason, but is instead saying that humans should redefine how they look for the answers. Adams thinks that humans should come to peace with the idea that there are some things that humanity will never understand, but that it should not make them less happy or fulfilled.

There are certain things we will never understand about the universe

Peace with the Universe

Though The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is often regarded as some unrealistic space adventure, it still holds many critical views of humanity and their perceptions of the world that are still relevant today. Though Douglas Adams never directly says it, his implied views that humanity is not as evolved as it might think, that conflict can be found everywhere in the universe, and that humanity’s constant search for understanding often lead in circles represent a deeper narrative below the satirical views of societies around the globe. Once humanity has come to terms with its role in the universe, only then can it comprehend what it means to be evolved.

Image Sources

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mcwb1ro5Hq1r7bjavo1_500.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b4/Hitchhikers_Guide_TV_Titles.jpg

 http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3hMhgYhOuok/T9VpZ3Lxx8I/AAAAAAAAHOc/mW_KDNYZJ-k/s1600/HHGTTG.jpg

http://www.wired.com/images/article/wide/2007/06/36_mice_wide.jpg

http://1951club.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/babel-fish.jpg

http://weirdmagic.biz/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/universe.jpg

In a recent article from Astrobiology magazine, they discussed testing the theory of panspermia, or the idea that life can naturally transfer between planets. The possibility that life was not created on Earth but from some other place in the universe is plausible through panspermia. It’s possible that meteorites of Mars rock could have carried small life forms when they made their journey to travel to Earth. But there are many questions that panspermia still has to answer. For example, would life forms survive a impact where they are ejected into space? Could organisms survive the deep chill and radiation of space? Could they enter the Earth’s atmosphere and crash while remaining alive? New research helps to answer one of these questions.

It’s possible that meteorites might have brought life to our planet

The European Planetary Science Congress at UCL tested whether entry and impact is possible for simpler organisms by using frozen pieces of an algae called Nannochloropsis oculata. Dina Pasini did this to see if the conditions were possible for early life to survive if it had traveled through space. Pasini used a two-stage light gas gun to fire frozen pellets of the Nannochloropsis into water in order to see if it could survive. She found that even at 6.93 km/s, which is similar to the impact velocity of a meteorite hitting a planet, a small percent survived. This leaves open the possibility that panspermia might actually be true.

The surface of Mars, and a potential starting point of life in the universe

So what if Panspermia is true? What would the implications of this be? Could life as we know have started not on Earth, but on a different planet? Maybe even a different galaxy? It sounds like science fiction, but it could prove to be true. But with the surface of Mars so barren, and the idea of life elsewhere seeming unrealistic, how would we ever know? Time will tell in future observations and studies, but maybe we aren’t as alone in the galaxy as we might believe.

Image sources:

http://www.dvice.com/sites/dvice/files/styles/blog_post_media/public/JHU%20asteroid.jpg?itok=TMiJ5zLy

http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1251399/thumbs/r-LIFE-ON-MARS-large570.jpg?7

My hometown of Aurora, CO, does not hold many mystical geological features that illustrate the complexity of the world. However, the state of Colorado as a whole holds a wide variety of geological locations that formed over millions of years to become what they are today. One such example is the beautiful Garden of the Gods, found in Colorado Springs, CO, and is about a two-hour drive from Aurora. Home to countless species of vegetation and wildlife, the Garden of the Gods shows the best of the natural world. But in order to understand the true complexity of these rock formations, we must go back in time to see how they came to be.

Rock formations in the Garden of the Gods

Even though the shaping of the current Garden of the Gods only occurred mostly within the last .01 million years, the events that led to it’s eventual formation took over the course of hundreds of millions of years. The process began when the Pikes Peak granite was formed 1 billion years ago. Some of the formations that are located inside the park were made between 600 million years ago and 180 to 225 years ago. In the time from 135 to .02 million years ago, there were various mountain building, extinctions and periods of glaciation that had occurred. Then within the last .01 million years, erosional forces had shaped the modern day Garden of the Gods.

The Garden of the Gods is a great example of change that the Earth is constantly undergoing. It not only signifies the idea that nothing is set in stone (pun intended), but also illustrates that the world is constantly shifting in front of our eyes at an astronomically slow pace. The Earth has undergone billions of years of constant shifting, yet because our lifetimes are so short, we have never been able to truly grasp the complexity that is our world.

Map of the Garden of the Gods

Works cited:

http://www.uccs.edu/geomorph/garden-of-the-gods.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_of_the_Gods

http://www.springsgov.com/Page.aspx?NavID=2001

Image/video sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_of_the_Gods

http://www.springsgov.com/units/parksrec/maps/mgogs-s.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upKxpzhCtVI