Voices
SETH
SHOSTAK
HUFFINGTON
12.22.13
NASA/JPL-CALTECH VIA GETTY IMAGES
Is Alien Life
Surfacing Nearby?
E
XTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE may be showing up in some
obvious places. No, this is not about hairless aliens
that have come to Earth in saucer-shaped craft, but
less sophisticated life just next door. ¶ A century
ago, scientists believed there was only one obvious
stomping ground for alien biology in our solar system: Mars. Because it was reminiscent of Earth, Mars
was assumed to be chock-a-block with animate beings, and its putative inhabitants got a lot of column
inches and screen time. Red Planet residents were
generally assumed to be similar to us: size-wise,
A rock
approximately
10 inches
tall and 16
inches wide
sits in front
of NASA’s
Mars rover,
Curiosity,
on Mars in
September
2012.