Controversial Pieces of Evidence for Alien Life

Over the years many hints have emerged that there may be life beyond Earth. Lets take a look at 10 of the most hotly debated discoveries.

1. 1976, The Viking Mars landers detect chemical signatures indicative of life.
Tests performed on Martian soil samples by NASA's Viking landers hinted at chemical evidence of life.

2. 1977, The unexplained extraterrestrial "Wow!" signal is detected by an Ohio State University radio telescope.
In August 1977 an Ohio State University radio telescope detected an unusual pulse of radiation from somewhere near the constellation Sagittarius.

3. 1996, Martian "fossils" are discovered in meteorite ALH80041 from Antarctica.
NASA scientists controversially announced in 1996 that they had found what appeared to be fossilised microbes in a potato shaped lump of Martian rock.

4. 2001, A more rigorous estimate of the "Drake equation" suggests that our galaxy may contain hundreds of thousands of life bearing planets.
In 2001, a more rigorous estimate of the number of life bearing planets in the galaxy, using new data and theories, came up with a figure of hundreds of thousands.

5. 2001, The red tinge of Jupiter's moon Europa proposed to be due to frozen bits of bacteria, which also helps explain the mysterious infrared signal it gives off.
Alien microbes might be behind Europa's red tinge, suggested NASA researchers in 2001.

6. 2002, Russian scientists argue that a mysterious radiation-proof microbe may have evolved on Mars.
In 2002 Russian astrobiologists claimed that super-hardy Deinococcus radiourans evolved on Mars. The microbe can survive several thousand times the radiation dose that would kill a human.

7. 2002, Chemical hints of life are found in old data from Venus probes and landers. Could microbes exist in Venusian clouds?
Life in Venus' clouds may be the best way to explain some curious anomalies in the composition of its atmosphere, claimed University of Texas astrobiologists in 2002.

8. 2003, Sulphur traces on Jupiter's moon Europa may be the waste products of underground bacterial colonies.
In 2003, Italian scientists hypothesised that sulphur traces on Europa might be a sign of alien life.

9. 2004, Methane in the Martian atmosphere hints at microbial metabolism.
In 2004 three groups - using telescopes on Earth and the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiting space probe - independently turned up evidence of methane in the atmosphere. Nearly all methane in our own atmosphere is produced by bacteria and other life.

10. 2004, A mysterious radio signal is received by the SETI project on three occasions - from the same region of space.
In February 2003, astronomers with the search for extraterrestrial intelligence project, used a massive telescope in Puerto Rico to re-examine 200 sections of the sky which had all previously yielded unexplained radio signals. These signals had all disappeared, except for one which had become stronger.

Lets not forget the trillions of galaxies, billions of stars, and millions of planets that could very well have intelligent life, just like earth. The evidence for life is overwhelming for any skeptic.

Source of information





[edit on 25-5-2009 by Chovy]

reply to post by Chovy


Many hints that there 'may' be life beyond Earth.

Ya don't say.

How about the fact that the number of planets in the universe is estimated to be INFINITE. This fact coupled with the fact that Earth is NOT special at all, our sun is the same as ALL other suns, our galaxy is the same as ALL other galaxies, is there life here? Yes.

In my opinion (which is based on COMMON SENSE) there are an INFINITE number of planets which are teeming with life in all shapes and sizes and at all stages of evolution. It's pretty much mathematically impossible for this to be the only one.

In my opinion, anyone who thinks that this planet 'may' be the only one, out of trillions of billions of trillions of others, with life on it, is either a complete SNIP or they have absolutly no idea what a solar system or galaxy is and they need to look into that, 'cos solar systems and galaxies are very real, and since they're real, life MUST exist all over the universe.

You don't need evidence of an exraterrestrial life form to understand that it is IMPOSSIBLE for life to exist only here, on one planet in the whole universe. So this thread is a waste of time.

Wake up.




[Mod edit - removed derogatory comment]

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[edit on 26/5/2009 by Sauron]

Some people out there still think we are alone. That really shocks me.

reply to post by Chovy


Yeah, that really shocks me too. How can they be so, um, thick?

You ask them to give you even ONE reason why life can NOT exist outside Earth and you get dumbass answers like "we havn't found life on any of the planets we've found", "if there was life we would have found it by now", "why havn't we been contacted by aliens?" stupid braindead invalid answers like that. It just shows that the level of intelligence in the world is very VERY low.

We may NEVER find life out there and this is just due to the unimaginable sizes and distances invloved, travelling across the galaxy and universe is something that would take the lifetime of a species, and then some. So we may never encounter any of the billions of other life sustaining planets out there and they may never encounter one another either, the universe is just far too large. This does not mean, it doesnt even indicate, that life out there does not exist.

Nice thread here mate , could You please follow up a bit more on the no. 10 on Your list ? I must somehow missed it as I thought that the wow signal was the only one that got the SETI guys excited.

Let's not forget the most controversial and most damning evidence of alien intelligent life, the Bible. I'm not talking about the "spiritual God" as alien, I'm talking about aliens pretending to be God.

EDIT: I think SETI is a waste of time. They identify signals which might be alien and what happens to them? They end up on a "controversial" list.

[edit on 26-5-2009 by Lannock]

Originally posted by Thill
Nice thread here mate , could You please follow up a bit more on the no. 10 on Your list ? I must somehow missed it as I thought that the wow signal was the only one that got the SETI guys excited.

yup, here is some more info on number 10.

Named SHGb02+14a, the signal has a frequency of about 1420 megahertz. This happens to be one of the main frequencies at which hydrogen, the most common element in the universe, readily absorbs and emits energy.

Some astronomers have argued that extraterrestrials trying to advertise their presence would be likely to transmit at this frequency.

link

reply to post by NathanNewZealand


Let me sum up everything you said Nathan. (Because I agree wholeheartedly)

There are so many stars, planets and nebulae that we might as well say the universe is infinite. Believing we are alone in the universe is not only illogical, it's arrogant. If there is other life in the universe, it is also somewhat illogical and especially arrogant to believe we are the most advanced. Therefore, if there is life more advanced than us, it is beyond arrogant to believe we know the limitations of technology, if there are any.

Under this logic, which I believe to be incredibly elementary, my dear Watson, there is no scientific basis for rejecting the idea of extraterrestrial visits to Earth.

Edit: Nor is there any scientific basis for rejecting the idea of any technology, from time travel to faster-than-light speed.

Edit 2: #5 - HAHA, 2001 space odyssey anyone?

[edit on 26-5-2009 by SkepticPerhaps]

1. Millions of eye-witness accounts, averaging how many a day since the late 1930s-early '40s?

2. A venus/weather ballon/Jupiter/Galactic Fart/etc. explaination for every one of them?

3. Hundreds of Military/AF/NG/Pilot accounts?

3. Hundreds of paintings depicting a craft of some sort?

4. Rock carvings depicting future tech dating BC?

5. etc.?

I like people, I trust people. I don't like nor trust people who think they know what I know I don't want - see the ensured fallibility here?

We might have already discovered 'proof' of life from outside of Earth. You mentioned the famous Martian meteorite already, but other meteorites have indicated the presence of microbes as well. The problems are trying to rule out terrestrial contamination. Unless we can know 100% that the apparent microbial fossils are extraterrestrial, no scientist worth their 'peer-reviewed paper' will make such a claim.

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Other controversial theories involve 'panspermia/transpermia.' It's not a wide-spread or popular concept, but it's beginning to be considered as a possibility. Loosely stated, it speculates that life came to Earth from elsewhere. Imagine a life-bearing planet somewhere out in space (possibly Mars?) being struck by an impact that throws debris out of it's atmosphere. The Moon and Mars rocks on Earth prove the possibility of at least the rocks getting to other planets.

Surely nothing can survive in space? No atmosphere and extreme temperatures? What sustenance?

The revelation last week that tiny eight-legged animals survived exposure to the harsh environment of space on an Earth-orbiting mission is further support for the idea that simple life forms could travel between planets. This idea, called panspermia, is not new. It holds that the seeds of life are everywhere, and that microbial life on Earth could have traveled here from Mars or even from another star system, and then evolved into the plethora of species seen today. In essence, we may all be Martians.

Eight-Legged Space Survivor Gives 'Panspermia' New Life

This is the little critter (tardigrade)...
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If something like the tardigrade was introduced to a suitable environment, I wonder what path evolution would take? The most extreme life-forms in the universe add to at least the 'possibility' that life is diverse and able to survive in any niche available.

There are just a handful of dedicated exponents of the panspermia/transpermia theory in the past few years. Sir Fred Hoyle (late), Chandra Wickramasinghe PhD and Dr Geofery Louis PhD. Louis has been studying the controversial 'Red Rain of Kerala. The red rain is debatable as some claim the presence of red cells in the rain whilst others claim it's Saharan sand. It's an interesting story...

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I've read a lot about it all, but haven't drawn a conclusion and find it all fascinating. The case is dismissed or disputed, but it doesn't seem conclusively debunked yet. I'd recommend reading Fluorescence Mystery in Red Rain Cells of Kerala, India

“ ...Organisms replicating at 300 degrees Celsius and showing this kind of autofluorescence are currently unknown to exist on earth, which is again an indication supporting the view that these cells are possibly extraterrestrial.” - Godfrey Louis, Ph.D., Physics, Cochin University, Kerala, India

The most controversial pieces of evidence for alien life are the activities of various Governments and militaries in the past 60 years as they studied the UFO phenomena. Cometa, Blue Book, Grudge, Robertson Committee, Operation Pracio etc A lot of jigsaw pieces and still no idea if the picture is the right way around or where the edges are

Edit to add Godfrey Louis' paper Unusual autofluorescence characteristic of cultured red-rain cells

[edit on 26-5-2009 by Kandinsky]

Lets not forget the most recent suspicious signal that caused quite a stir...

www.theaustralian.news.com.au...

Was never debunked.

reply to post by Kandinsky


nice post Kandinsky! Thanks for all the information, cool stuff.

reply to post by Chovy


One of the main reasons why some people are so set in their ways I've discovered is because it makes them sleep better at night believing the universe consists of earth, trillions of empty planets and one supreme being looking down on earth and watching over all it's inhabitants.

It would make one feel safer and warmer inside knowing such things. Even some with access and knowledge to extraterrestrial data linked to religions still cannot talk about it or will not accept the fact that we are being visited. All answers fall back to the bible and word of God.

Anything out there that cannot be explained in the name of the Bible or by the word of God is accepted as evil and of the devil.

Extraterrestrials visiting this planet far more advanced than us does not fit into our old and new testaments. The only explanation possible for some then must be they are demons, angels of darkness or of the devil.

reply to post by EarthFriendly


That's why I think the world would be a better place without religion. With no god people might be more open to the idea of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe.

reply to post by NathanNewZealand


our sun if definatly not the same as all other suns, know what you are talking about before posting a comment like that.

Originally posted by MR BOB
reply to post by NathanNewZealand

 

our sun if definatly not the same as all other suns, know what you are talking about before posting a comment like that.

??? I think you may have missed the point he was trying to make...

But to elaborate on your comment, It's not the same as all others but it's not unique either...

Excellent post. S&F for you.

The universe is such a mystery to us and I hate the fact that I'll be long gone before we even scratch the tiniest of surfaces of knowledge we may gain. I believe that other planets may have life. Do I believe that Earth has been visited? Yes I do. I like to believe that there are millions of planets just like ours out there in various stages of evolution.

Originally posted by Chovy
reply to post by EarthFriendly

 

That's why I think the world would be a better place without religion. With no god people might be more open to the idea of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe.

Please, the 2 are completely unrelated. I believe in god, and I'm pretty sure there is life out there. It would be a huge waste if this was the only place in the universe with life.

Futhermore, the bible itself actually hints towards these things. It even speaks of a race of beings that come to earth and so forth.

I'm not a fan of organized religion at all, but even the Vatican recently said alien life is possible etc.

Meanwhile, there are plenty of skeptics which do not believe in god or alien life.

Aside from that. What does it actually matter if people are open to it or not? It's not like it changes anything at all. If it's real or not is not dependent on if people are open to it or not.

Seems to me you are the one who is unable to separate religion from the topic. As if to say god and aliens can't exist at the same time. ridiculous and ignorant IMO. Sorry, but it's not like people have to choose one or the other...



[edit on 26-5-2009 by badmedia]

Originally posted by ls1cameric

Originally posted by MR BOB
reply to post by NathanNewZealand

 

our sun if definatly not the same as all other suns, know what you are talking about before posting a comment like that.

??? I think you may have missed the point he was trying to make...

But to elaborate on your comment, It's not the same as all others but it's not unique either...

It's not CURRENTLY the same as others, but others at one time have been similar to ours. Since the Sun is a giant star and goes through phases, other stars out there have been in similar phases as well. Heck, since the Universe is infinite, I'm sure that there is a system with something extremely close to our Sun.

This is an interesting read, OP. Like everyone else says, I just do not understand how someone can be so ignorant and/or arrogant to believe we are the ONLY intelligence species in this Universe. Heck, some believe we are the SOLE inhabitants of this Universe. I can't wait for the day (though I will probably be dead and gone) that we become a space-faring
species. Space and the exploration of the Universe is the only thing that keeps me positive about this planet.

Again, great thread! #10 was probably the most interesting even though I hadn't heard of some of these before.

[edit on 26-5-2009 by AllinTheMind89]

Chovy,

I shouldn't right this because you have done very well on your post but Grandma can't help herself today I'm being naughty.

When you say like intelligent life on Earth your right to a point but to be honest the human race is considered a stupid species that only knows how to use little of there brains But as they say we do have intelligence and this makes for a good STUDY.

My bad today, I am! I do need to grow up