IT'S HAPPENING. Extraterrestrial life discovered in meteor samples according to fringe-science journ
73 replies, posted
[QUOTE]British scientists claim to have found proof of alien life and of it arriving close to Earth after sending a balloon 27km into the stratosphere.
Professor Milton Wainwright, from the University of Sheffield’s department of molecular biology and biotechnology, has revealed that a specially designed balloon used to monitor the Perseid meteor shower has returned with samples of small organisms.
The Perseid meteor shower is a cloud comprising particles ejected by the comet Swift-Tuttle as it travels on its 133-year orbit.
Professor Wainwright said the particles collected by the balloon, a diatom fragment and some "unusual biological entities", were too large to have originated on Earth.
The conclusion is that they originated from space.[/QUOTE]
[url]http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/offbeat/19022934/scientists-reveal-alien-life-discovery/[/url]
[editline]20th September 2013[/editline]
[IMG]http://l.yimg.com/ao/i/hp/2013/september/diatom_630.jpg[/IMG]
I'm not celebrating just yet. But if this is true, it's fantastic. Panspermia?
Is it eat?
Holy shit
How soon will they recieve verification that this is the real deal?
Oh fuck this is amazing.
I bet it tastes like chicken
Shiiiiit, i really truly hope this is fully confirmed, that would be so cool.
This is nothing new, everyone remember Spore? :quagmire:
I'd like to see some more evidence. There have been diatoms found on meteors before, but there was possible contamination. If this is verified, it would make a world of difference.
info on the sri lanka meteor: [URL]http://www.zmescience.com/science/geology/extraterrestrial-diatoms-not-13032013/[/URL]
edit*
here is the paper relating to the incidents stated in the op.
[URL]http://journalofcosmology.com/JOC22/milton_diatom.pdf[/URL]
and here is an alternate source to the article on sci-news.
[URL]http://www.sci-news.com/space/science-extraterrestrial-life-form-earth-stratosphere-01393.html[/URL]
and on the university of sheffield's website.
[URL]http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/news/nr/scientists-find-life-coming-to-earth-from-space-1.309972[/URL]
I'll wait for verification before celebrating. If true though...
Fascinating
of course more evidence would be nice
Haven't scientist said that there are other biological entities/particles floating around space existed for quite some time now?
I'm more interested in how they managed to get the samples with a balloon.
If this is true, this is pretty much the discovery of the century.
Better write a speech and get a nice suit for when you have to go pick up that Nobel prize.
I've been burned too many times by science, the cruel bitch she is, to believe this on the spot. If it's actually true by some insane luck, however, then I will be so goddamn happy. If this really is true, and not just another person unlucky enough to be proven wrong or some hoax perpetuated by an asshole, then it will finally give us proof that we are not alone in this vast universe, even if only on a microscopic level.
Knowing how this usually goes, however, it'll probably be wrong or fake, sadly. Something always manages to go wrong or just be faked, since something got contaminated or some asshole wanted to fuck with everyone. As I said before, I've personally gotten excited over stuff like this and subsequently been burned too many times to take this at face-value. The headlines for it that all act like its confirmed only make me more worried it's wrong/fake, since falsely-conclusive headlines like this are always the death knell for exciting potential scientific discoveries. All the good shit seems to be found behind closed doors and only announced when it's 101% confirmed.
Its...too awesome to be true :<
[QUOTE=V12US;42251336]If this is true, this is pretty much the discovery of the century.
Better write a speech and get a nice suit for when you have to go pick up that Nobel prize.[/QUOTE]
[IMG]http://facepunch.com/image.php?u=31259&dateline=1128867255[/IMG]
[QUOTE=DrDevil;42251332]I'm more interested in how they managed to get the samples with a balloon.[/QUOTE]
here is a quote from the paper they published.
[QUOTE]Materials and Methods
A balloon-launched sampling device was released from Chester, NW England on 31st July 2013. The
sampler included a drawer mechanism that could be opened and closed at any desired height using
telemetry. The stratosphere sampler carried a video camera by which the opening and closing
of the sampling draw was viewed, confirmed and recorded. The sampling apparatus was
protected from downfall of particulate matter from the balloon by a cover. Prior to launch, the inside
of the draw device was scrupulously cleaned, air blasted and finally swabbed with alcohol. New
scanning electron microscope stubs were placed in rows inside the drawer with their top surfaces
facing outwards so that when the draw was opened any particulate matter in the stratosphere would
attach to them and they could later be removed for examination under the scanning electron
microscope. The protective layer on the surface of the stub was peeled off just before launching under
a cover to prevent any particulate contamination. After sampling, the apparatus was transported to the
laboratory and opened under conditions which avoided exposure of the stubs to contaminating dust
and the stubs were similarly transferred under cover to the scanning E/M. The stubs were then sputter-
coated with gold for 30secs at 30mA and then examined using a SEM (JEOL 6500F).
Balloon launch: The balloon was launched from an open field near Dunham on the Hill (near
Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, England) during daylight hours and traversed to just south of Wakefield in
West Yorkshire (England). The sampling drawer was opened for 17 minutes as the balloon rose from
22026m to 27008m. The sampling apparatus was returned to Earth (by parachute) undamaged and
completely intact.
Control flight: A separate control flight was made to the stratosphere prior to the sampling flight,
when the draw was not opened, but all other sampling procedures were observed. No particulate
matter was found (using the SEM) on any of the unexposed microscope studs, showing that the draw
remained airtight and that none of the stubs was exposed to particles at, or near, ground-level or at any
height up to the stratosphere. These results also show convincingly that no particles contaminated the
stubs during any of the sample processing procedures, thereby demonstrating that the scrupulous
procedures used to prevent ground level contamination proved effective and that no such
contamination occurred.[/QUOTE]
source: [url]http://journalofcosmology.com/JOC22/milton_diatom.pdf[/url] pages 1 and 2.
I'm quite sure this isn't the first time extraterrestrial life had been maybe found, but holy shit if true, history in the making.
Grab your tinfoil hats, gentlemen [img]http://forums.jetcareers.com/images/smiley/tinfoil.gif[/img]
[QUOTE=Novangel;42251355]I'm quite sure this isn't the first time extraterrestrial life had been maybe found, but holy shit if true, history in the making.[/QUOTE]
It would be, all other times have been believed to be contamination of samples with terrestrial life.
Of course, that does mean there is a relatively high chance that this is what is happening here. Need independent verification before we start celebrating.
The risk of contamination is there, but so little. The bacteria and other microorganisms that surround the earth are found up to 11'000 km in the stratosphere, but never found above before.
If this turns out not to be extraterrestrial afterall, it's still a great discovery.
And watch as it turns unsuspecting marvel superheroes into black goo people
[QUOTE=xiohexia;42251349]here is a quote from the paper they published.
source: [url]http://journalofcosmology.com/JOC22/milton_diatom.pdf[/url] pages 1 and 2.[/QUOTE]
Oh dear, as I recall Journal of Cosmology is not seen as a legitimate peer-reviewed publication.
From wiki:
[quote]The quality of peer review at the journal has been questioned. The journal has also been accused of promoting fringe viewpoints and speculative viewpoints on astrobiology, astrophysics, and quantum physics. Skeptical blogger and biologist PZ Myers said of the journal "... it isn't a real science journal at all, but is the... website of a small group... obsessed with the idea of Hoyle and Wickramasinghe that life originated in outer space and simply rained down on Earth." The journal has responded that the paradigm "life on Earth came from Earth" is like a religious belief.[/quote]
[QUOTE=CatFodder;42251407]Oh dear, as I recall Journal of Cosmology is not seen as a legitimate peer-reviewed publication.
From wiki:[/QUOTE]
That certainly is a possibility. We can't say anything is certain without the scientific process being followed. This experiment would need to be duplicated. Hopefully this would spark interest in other scientists to work on that.
I surrender and hail our new alien overlords.
[QUOTE=Steve Harvey;42251208]Is it eat?[/QUOTE]
I bet it's so much eat you don't even know.
[QUOTE=CatFodder;42251407]Oh dear, as I recall Journal of Cosmology is not seen as a legitimate peer-reviewed publication.
[/QUOTE]
oh nooooooooo
[QUOTE=CatFodder;42251407]Oh dear, as I recall Journal of Cosmology is not seen as a legitimate peer-reviewed publication.[/QUOTE]
Well, this is just fucking fantastic. A bunch of headlines say we found alien life before proof is determined, and it turns out the scientists were probably wrong in thinking they actually found said life? Gee, how novel and new!
Science and human psychology truly make me wonder why I bother getting excited about anything new anymore.
[QUOTE=xiohexia;42251426]That certainly is a possibility. We can't say anything is certain without the scientific process being followed. This experiment would need to be duplicated. Hopefully this would spark interest in other scientists to work on that.[/QUOTE]
How would you duplicate a specific meteor shower?
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