Pre-Announcement Media Coverage

[John Smith]

We are seeing so many remarkable pre-announcement pieces showing up, this is a place to post and discuss them. This one for example, is making discoveries sound 'ho hum' which a few months/years ago were heralded as amazing breakthroughs. Today for example: 

"Nearly Every Star Hosts at Least One Alien Planet"

http://news.yahoo.com/nearly-every-star-hosts-least-one-alien-plane...

When a month or so ago they were making a BIG deal about finding one planet in the sweet zone which could possibly support life, son they they say 25% of them could support life! Including mention of red dwarfs, etc. The Zeta predicted evidence continues to build up!

Here is another blog that relates, describing a wobble:

NASA Scientists "Discover" a Wobbly Planet!?

https://poleshift.ning.com/forum/topics/nasa-scientists-discover-a-...

[SongStar101]

Curiosity has discovered organic matter on Mars

http://www.cnet.com/news/curiosity-has-discovered-organic-matter-on...

Molecules found by Curiosity on Mars have been confirmed as organic matter -- the building blocks of all known forms of terrestrial life.

NASA

The Curiosity rover has found and analysed the first definitively identified piece of organic matter on the surface of Mars.

These organic molecules, consisting primarily of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms, are the building blocks of all life on Earth. However, it is important to note that these molecules may not have come from life forms on Mars -- organic molecules can be created from chemical processes that do not involve life, NASA said. At this stage, there is not enough evidence to determine the provenance of the molecules -- but either way, their presence has meaning.

The team responsible for Curiosity's Sample Analysis at Mars instrument suite have several hypotheses. The first is, of course, a biological process. Others include chemical reactions in water at ancient hot springs on the Red Planet, or arrival from off-planet via dust, meteorites, asteroids or comets.

Recently, Curiosity found evidence of dry river and lake beds on Mars -- of surface water on the planet -- such as minerals that can only form in the presence of liquid water, and erosion patterns formed by sediment deposited by water flows. This indicates that, billions of years ago, conditions on Mars could have supported life.

The molecules -- which seem to confirm recent findings that a Martian meteorite contained extraterrestrial organic matter -- were found in a drilled sample in the Sheepbed mudstone of the Gale crater -- the location of Curiosity's exploration. The mudstone on the crater floor is consistent with the clay found on Earth from dried-up lakes, formed from sediment on the lake floor -- presenting optimum conditions for the preservation of organic matter.

"We think life began on Earth around 3.8 billion years ago, and our result shows that places on Mars had the same conditions at that time -- liquid water, a warm environment, and organic matter," said Caroline Freissinet of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "So if life emerged on Earth in these conditions, why not on Mars as well?"

[casey a]

Dalai Lama concedes he may be the last

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-30510018

[casey a]

Just to add on to the recent methane (which is usually produced by life) findings on Mars, this isn't exactly new & perhaps goes all the way back to the Viking landers from the 1970's. http://www.reddit.com/r/space/comments/2pk9yy/just_a_reminder_that_... .

Basically, martian soil was soaked with nutrients. And then they observed an increase in carbon dioxide, as possible evidence of metabolism from life.

This finding was however, dismissed because #1) although organic compounds (not necessarily life) was common in comets and such, none was found in Mars back then (coverup?). And #2) there was no water on Mars, which we now have known for a while is untrue. And even just recently NASA talked about an ancient lake, as well as finding water along with ancient organic compounds.

On top of this Miller (the scientist) found the gas emanations to follow a daily rhythm. So for instance, all living matter follow  a daily cycle. We wake up, sleep following the pattern of the sun. Plants release & take in gases according to the sun's daily pattern. Just like that, Miller found gas emanations to follow a pattern that repeated every martian day. These were explained away as chemical reactions taking place. So they tried comparing it with organic & lifeless, chemical reactions that take place on earth, & the patterns followed that of living matter.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/04/120413-nasa-viking-...

Now NASA has to do an about turn, which isn't exactly an easy thing to do.

[casey a]

Are We Close to Discovering Planet X? Link

Russian Scientist Discovers Huge New Asteroid That Could Crash to Earth Link

[Starr DiGiacomo]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_t2JE-yYqg&feature=youtu.be

NASA knows something Big is Coming

[casey a]

Maybe Humans Didn't Drive Mastodons To Extinction

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/03/humans-mastodon-extinction...

[casey a]

Traces Of Carbon In Mars Meteorite Stir Debate About Life On Red Planet

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/03/mars-meteorite-life-carbon...

[casey a]

New Mars head discovered. (Original picture was taken in 2005)

[casey a]

Backstory to post below:

'Alien life found above Derbyshire proves we're descended from extraterrestrials', say scientists (08 October 2014) Link

       "we think [the microscopic organisms] came from an aquatic environment, and the most obvious aquatic environment in space is a comet."

Microbial LIFE found living on the exterior of the International Space Station, say reports (21 August 2014) Link

[casey a]

Space agency attempted to steal evidence of extraterrestrial life, claims Sri Lankan politician (Oct. 29)

[Image: Anuradhapura meteorite samples showing complex biological structures. (Credit: Journal of Cosmology)]

http://www.openminds.tv/space-agency-attempted-steal-evidence-extra...

(The politician could have been politically motivated in his claims (who knows). But the report published by the Journal of Cosmology is whats interesting. It's not recent. It was published on February, 2013)

From wiki, "[the] team discovered fossilized diatoms (microscopic plankton) inside the meteorite as well as cells similar to those found in the Red rain in Kerala that fell in 2001" (Here is zetatalk on life found in the red rain.)

=====================================

The Journal of Cosmology had previously also published a paper by Richard Hoover (a retired NASA scientist) Re: proof of life found in meteors. Nasa, however formally distanced themselves from him & his paper (Huffpo Link & archive)

Here is a quote from the criticisms against Hoover

"Anyone can call himself (referring to Hoover) an astrobiologist. That doesn't make it so," said Pilcher, the Astrobiology institute director.

However, here is the kicker. NASA's own website details Hoover's extensive accomplishments in astrobiology. (NASA Link & archive).

The NASA news release was published in 2009, only 2 years before NASA decides to distance themselves from Hoover's allegations that life has been found on meteorites. How does NASA's Astrobiology Institue director not know of a well-accomplished fellow scientist's accolades?

==========================================================

So where does this take us?

Two days ago a research team in partnership with the european space agency has revealed that DNA can survive a flight through space and re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. So, after going through the scorching heat that a meteor could go through, as well as traveling in space, the DNA samples placed on the outside of the rocket was still viable!!

Translation: Do no be surprised if you find living life in meteorites in the future. Are they anticipating what lies ahead?