Other Stories
- Stars of the Deep
(Jul 24, 2008)
- Earth: An Alien World
(Jul 23, 2008)
- Song from the Past
(Jul 22, 2008)
- Machine Evolution
(Jul 21, 2008)
- RNA World Remnant
(Jul 20, 2008)
- When Mars Was a Water World
(Jul 19, 2008)
- Meteorite Acid Test
(Jul 18, 2008)
- Spot the Difference: Alaska and Mars
(Jul 17, 2008)
- Exploring with SnoMotes
(Jul 16, 2008)
- Complex Volcanoes
(Jul 15, 2008)
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Many of the questions posed by astrobiology are the subjects of intense debate within the scientific community. How did life originate? What kind of life forms should we expect to find on other worlds? Is there life on Mars, or on Jupiter's moon Europa? How will we know for certain when we've found evidence of life on other worlds?
Our Great Debates series will show you the process of scientific debate in progress, as prominent scientists sift through the available evidence to reach what are sometimes directly opposing conclusions.
Part I: Complex Life Elsewhere in the Universe? -
Know thyself. Does the Earth's history give us promising examples of what conditions might be encountered either far or close to home?
Debate
with Donald Brownlee, Frank Drake, David Grinspoon, Christopher McKay, Michael Meyer, and Peter Ward - Monday, July 15, 2002
Part II: How Far Away is our E.T. Neighbor? -
How far away is our E.T. Neighbor? Distinguished experts consider the likelihood of life elsewhere in our solar system.
Debate
with Donald Brownlee, Frank Drake, David Grinspoon, Michael Meyer, and Peter Ward - Wednesday, July 17, 2002
Part III: Odds on Complex Life? -
Noted astrobiologists go back and forth over the conditions necessary for
multi-cellular life and the speed at which it evolves.
Debate
with Donald Brownlee, Simon Conway, Frank Drake, David Grinspoon, Christopher McKay, Michael Meyer, and Peter Ward - Monday, July 22, 2002
Part IV: Lifetime of Complex Life -
Stars grow hotter as they age, and habitable planets orbiting them become uninhabitable. How long is the window during which complex life can flourish?
Debate
with Donald Brownlee, Frank Drake, David Grinspoon, Christopher McKay, Michael Meyer, and Peter Ward - Wednesday, July 24, 2002
Part V: Fermi's Paradox: Where are they? -
If there is intelligent life out there, why haven't we found it yet? Astrobiologists weigh in on this question in the final installment of this series.
Debate
with Donald Brownlee, Frank Drake, David Grinspoon, Christopher McKay, Michael Meyer, and Peter Ward - Monday, July 29, 2002
Part VI: Encore, The Experts Respond -
Expert debate panelists answer reader's questions: What might constitute a life form? What is the single strongest piece of evidence that we are alone? Did life appear multiple times independently on Earth? Is there evidence that life first came to Earth riding on a comet or meteor? Would life on Earth exist without the Moon?
Debate
with Christopher McKay and Michael Meyer - Monday, August 19, 2002
You can participate with questions and commentary on this and other topics important to astrobiology.
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