The apprehension of the last three factors of the Drake equation, fi · fc · L, is misguided or at least not very well examined. This article scrutinizes the underlying suppositions involved in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) research. What is meant by “intelligence,” “technology,” and “civilization”? What makes them possible, and how do they evolve? The present examination a...

The destruction of solid glycine under irradiation with 2 keV electrons has been investigated by means of IR spectroscopy. Destruction cross sections, radiolysis yields, and half-life doses were determined for samples at 20, 40, 90, and 300 K. The thickness of the irradiated samples was kept below the estimated penetration depth of the electrons. No significant differences were obtained in the ...

introduction: the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of high frequency electromagnetic radiation (27.12 mhz) on ultrastructure of bone inthe rat embryos. material and methods: three experimental groups were formed: experimental group 1 was exposed continuously during the pregnancy periodfrom day 0 through day 6, experimental group 2 from day 7 through day 13 and experimental group 3 ...

The Chicxulub impact event led to a worldwide deposition of impact materials originated from target rocks and the vaporized bolide. Relative contributions of both types of material to the K/T ejecta deposits vary with distance to the crater site. At distal sites (e.g., Agost and Caravaca in the SE of Spain) a major contribution of extraterrestrial material is indicated by different impact signa...

Carl Sagan’s words convey how the detection of an extraterrestrial form of intelligence would not just be a new discovery, it would be the beginning of a new era. Fortytwo years ago when Philip Morrison and Giuseppe Cocconi, two physicists at MIT, published the famous paper “Searching for Interstellar Communications”, they gave birth to the idea of starting a Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelli...

Halophilic archaebacteria (Haloarchaea) can survive extreme desiccation, starvation and radiation, sometimes apparently for millions of years. Several of the strategies that are involved appear specific for Haloarchaea (for example, the formation of halomucin, survival in fluid inclusions of halite), and some are known from other prokaryotes (dwarfing of cells, reduction of ATP). Several newly-...

Virtually our entire knowledge of the universe comes from two sorts of measurement of the electromagnetic radiation from the stars and galaxies within it; either their flux through relatively wide bandpasses (photometry), or measurements of the shape and wavelength of relatively narrow lines via spectroscopy. These techniques are now being used to discover planets outside our solar system, and ...