Link

This is super cool news!

I read that too. How do they know? Have they found it already and are going to tell us?

Chances are it's over 500 light years away. So although we can't get there yet, we can see what has happened on the planet 500 years ago with a powerful enough telescope if it is not a clouded planet?

500 light years is 2,939,312,690,000,000 miles. Very close to finding something very far.

The idea of traveling there is preposterous at this point. I wonder why NASA is so motivated to engage in this study? Seems like they'd need a better reason than to eventually go to these earth-like planets. Like maybe detecting intelligent life with the SETI project.

You never know what the real deal is when all that is shrouded in secrecy.

I'm all for using that money to learn to live well on Earth, because at this point it's really all we got. No intelligent life is gonna want to mess with us when we are destroying ourselves. What are they gonna do, save us? Or will we escape when the planet is destroyed?

They tried that on Mars and failed. Or did we?

Heh, yeah good points. I don't think the interest is so much in colonizing said planet so the distance is kind of moot--I think that if we can verify for sure whether or not there are other planets within just our galaxy alone that are similar to Earth and can support life it radically changes the collective understanding of reality, the universe, and our place in it.

There's still plenty of people out there who are convinced that we're all there is, and until they see proof they'll stick to that belief.

Granted, I agree that our money might be better spent dealing with our problems here on Earth, but that's a whole different can of worms.

I think they should keep searching for Elvis no matter the cost.
I'm sure he's alive, somewhere.

It's incredibly exciting! I recently messaged one of the head employees of SETI Institute for research and development into the current exoplanet paradigm, and their potential for existing in all kinds and forms of life.

My question was as follows:

"What is the probability of life existing on any of the recently discovered, light-year exoplanets? How do you determine these factors?"

In response:

"We do not know. What we can say right now is that there are more planets than there are stars, and significant percentage of those planets are suitably-sized and at a suitable distance from their stars for potentially interesting chemistry to happen.

Identifying evidence of life on any exoplanets will require new instruments, some of which are already under construction and others of which have only been proposed so far."



Learn more about NASA's event and related SETI plans:

http://www.seti.org/seti-institute/news/july-14-nasa-experts-map-out-pathway-detect-potentially-habitable-planets?utm_content=buffer18a2f&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

http://www.sen.com/news/cheops-exoplanet-mission-is-ready-for-construction?utm_content=bufferfbf5d&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

I think that the Drake equation is relevant here. It doesn't result in an accurate estimate because many of the parameters required to estimate the number of life-bearing planets in the universe are completely unknown currently.

However,

Perhaps because we are being prepared for something, and perhaps the technology we know about and what is behind the curtain is much greater than we've been told....NASA Warp Drive Status......I for one just assume that whatever technology we have access to, well, perhaps the good stuff is much, much more advanced and being tested with Black Budgets. Perhaps I am crazy. But I don't think I am.

If someone can stand a 90min talk, here's the official one (14.07.2014):
At least it's in 720p and the experts are real.

Space Experts Discuss the Search for Life in the Universe at NASA

Based on my knowledge of the current state of physics, I highly doubt that this is the case.

I really hope I'm wrong though.

Rather that starting a new thread, I thought I'd share this here if it is of interest to peeps. Interesting times for sure.

'Newfound Exoplanets Are Most Earth-Like Yet'

http://www.scientificame...are-most-earth-like-yet/

If the panspermia theory is correct (I think it's quite likely) interesting chemistry isn't required to get life going.

What was mckenna's quote about looking for an italian restaurant in space?

For all we know, there may be more life in planets completely different than ours and based on totally different chemistry/mechanics.

Interesting area of research nonetheless

Correct. Even here on Earth there are creatures living deep in the sea near thermal vents that live on chemosythesis in heat beyond boiling where no light penetrates.
Even if we found a planet to escape to we may not survive its predators and microrganisms.
Ive always had a theory that WE are the Martians repeating a viral cycle.

Remember Carl Sagan's Cosmos series? The floaters that floated around in the atmosphere of gas giant planets like helium balloons.

Btw, I can't wait for the James Web space telescope to be launched. And according to the video, there's a 20 meter space telescope being designed. Imagine what the Hubble ultra deep field will look like through that telescope.

Ok much closer to home, but sedimentary rock formations have been recently observed on Mars that very closely resemble those formed on Earth through bacterial action.

Paper in Astrobiology:

http://online.liebertpub...df/10.1089/ast.2014.1218

On the humorous side of things.. And hey, who knows. One day this may be possible.

Rather than starting a new thread, I thought the news of the recent Kepler findings were more relevant here. It seems like the odds for life existing elsewhere are going up the more we look out into the cosmos.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/new...nce-environment-33641648

i agree with Ufostrahlen, NASA needs more funding

i'll post this link again incase you missed it last time smokerx
https://spinoff.nasa.gov...f2008/tech_benefits.html

The late, great Carl Sagan said "The cosmos is within us. We are made of star-stuff. We are a way for the universe to know itself." Due to our star stuff heritage, and our being sentient pieces of the cosmos becoming aware of itself, I think it would be a damn travesty of the highest order not to explore and learn all we can about the wider cosmos, than just our [beautiful and amazing] "pale blue dot". I think NASA and other humans exploring this frontier are worthy of our high praise and support.

The more we look, the more it seems that the conditions for life are common throughout the galaxy. So where is everybody? It's a great puzzle.

http://waitbutwhy.com/2014/05/fermi-paradox.html