And here I had dismissed Sunshine as pseudo-science.

This book investigates the idea that the distant future evolution of our Sun might be controlled (literally, asteroengineered) so that it maintains its present-day energy output rather than becoming a highly luminous and bloated red giant star a process that, if allowed to develop, will destroy all life on Earth. The text outlines how asteroengineering might work in principle and it describes what the future solar system could look like. It also addresses the idea of asteroengineering as a galaxy-wide imperative, explaining why the Earth has never been visited by extraterrestrial travellers in the past.

The author is Martin Beech.

Rejuvenating the Sun and Avoiding Other Global Catastrophes

Microsoft may have to fork up big bounty bucks trying to unearth future hackers, particularly when they are light years away on distant worlds.

Add one more worry to the computerized world of the 21st century. Could a signal from the stars broadcast by an alien intelligence also carry harmful information, in the spirit of a computer virus? Could star folk launch a "disinformation" campaign -- one that covers up aspects of their culture? Perhaps they might even mask the "real" intent of dispatching a message to other civilizations scattered throughout the Cosmos.

These are concerns that deserve attention explains Richard Carrigan, Jr., a physicist at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Illinois. Those engaged in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), he contends, should think about decontaminating potential SETI signals.

Keeping Watch for Interstellar Computer Viruses

] Decades ago, it was physicist Enrico Fermi who pondered
] the issue of extraterrestrial civilizations with fellow
] theorists over lunch, generating the famous quip: "Where
] are they?" That question later became central to debates
] about the cosmological census count of other star folk
] and possible extraterrestrial (ET) visitors from afar.
]
]
] Fermi%u2019s brooding on the topic was later labeled
] "Fermi%u2019s paradox". It is a well-traveled tale from
] the 1950%u2019s when the scientist broached the subject
] in discussions with colleagues in Los Alamos, New Mexico.
] Thoughts regarding the probability of earthlike planets,
] the rise of highly advanced civilizations "out there",
] and interstellar travel -- these remain fodder for trying
] to respond to Fermi%u2019s paradox even today.
]
]
] Now a team of American scientists note that recent
] astrophysical discoveries suggest that we should find
] ourselves in the midst of one or more extraterrestrial
] civilizations. Moreover, they argue it is a mistake to
] reject all UFO reports since some evidence for the
] theoretically-predicted extraterrestrial visitors might
] just be found there.

wouldn't it be interesting but ... why would aliens be so coy

ET Visitors: Scientists See High Likelihood

Why I hope the search for extraterrestrial life finds nothing.

Where Are They?

Last month I recommended Michael Pollan's article in the NYT magazine. Now his book is out.

Not all scientific study of Mars is about extraterrestrial exploration. Some of it is about chocolate.

This is Janet Maslin's review. See also the first chapter of Michael Pollan's new book.

In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto

Read & share real first hand reports of alien abduction and contact with extraterrestrial beings.

Fascinating reports of alien abduction

Could extraterrestrial life be made of corkscrew-shaped particles of interstellar dust? Intriguing new evidence of life-like structures that form from inorganic substances in space are revealed today in the New Journal of Physics. The findings hint at the possibility that life beyond earth may not necessarily use carbon-based molecules as its building blocks. They also point to a possible new explanation for the origin of life on earth.

Interesting... I wonder what would happen if you snort it.

'It might be life, Jim...', physicists discover inorganic dust with lifelike qualities

This is the same Carl Woese that Freeman Dyson has been urging you to take seriously.

The Third Domain is the untold story of how the discovery of a new form of life first ridiculed, then ignored for the past thirty years by mainstream scientists is revolutionizing science, industry, and even our search for extraterrestrial life.

Classification is a serious issue for science: if you don't know what you're looking at, how can you interpret what you see? Starting with Carolus Linnaeus in the 17th century, scientists have long struggled to order and categorize the many forms of life on Earth. But by the early 20th century the tree of life seemed to have stabilized, with two main domains of life at its roots: single-celled and multi-celled organisms. All creatures fit into one of these two groups.

Or so we thought. But in 1977, a lone scientist named Carl Woese determined that archaea -- biochemically and genetically unique organisms that live and thrive in some of the most inhospitable environments on Earth -- were a distinct form of life, unlike anything seen on Earth before. This shocking discovery was entirely incompatible with the long-standing classification of life as we know it. But as it turned out, archaea were not life as we know it, and the tree of life had to be uprooted once again.

Now, archaea are being hailed as one of the most important scientific revelations of the 20th century. The Third Domain tells the story of their strange potential and investigates their incredible history to provide a riveting account of an astonishing discovery.

The Third Domain

"PHOENIX — Former Arizona Gov. Fife Symington trotted out an aide dressed as an alien 10 years ago to spoof the frenzy surrounding mysterious lights in the Phoenix sky. Now he says he saw the lights himself, and believed from the start that they were extraterrestrial.

Now a pastry chef and business consultant, Symington said he did not acknowledge his own encounter at first because he did not want people to panic. "

Former Arizona Governor Comes Forward About 10yr old UFO sighting

Simultaneously held in over 30 countries and 91 locations worldwide, Yuri's Night World Space Parties celebrate humanity's first venture into space (by Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin). The event serves as both a tribute to our global heritage of innovation in space exploration and a reminder of how much more is out there to be discovered. This will be the 7th annual Yuri's Night Party to take place in the United States, and the theme for 2007 is the Green-ification of space.

Yuri's Night Bay Area 2007 is a celebration of humanity with a focus on space, technology, art and performance. It is intended to be held in NASA Ames Hanger 211 (Moffett Field) on Friday April 13th. Our team of engineers, artists, scientists and event producers are coordinating a compelling evening of education, discovery and networking opportunities, which will be followed by a multimedia journey unlike anything produced in the Bay Area before. As we reach out to the world to spread passion for extraterrestrial exploration, we aim to not only celebrate and raise excitement but simultaneously to educate and increase awareness. Join us on Friday April 13th, 2007 in a dance of global unity, inspiration, joy and celebration!

Yuri's Night Bay Area '07