Habitable Zone For Gliese 581 And Enceladus Plumes Contain Organic Chemicals

Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. You may notice that this and future entries are shorter than usual; career, family and book deal commitments have forced me to cut back some of my projects. Now, here's today's news:

g STARS - What is the habitable zone for a star with known planets: Gliese 581. See article.

g ABODES - Cassini has discovered that plumes from Saturn's moon Enceladus are 'hot' and brimming with water vapor and organic chemicals. The surprising discovery has important implications in the search for habitable environments in the Solar System. See article.

g LIFE - Life as we know it on Earth is not the only kind possible in the universe, scientists reminded NASA in a recent report. See article.

g AFTERMATH - Here's an interesting book for some astrobiological reading: "After Contact: The Human Response to Extraterrestrial Life" by Albert A. Harrison. See article.