Alien Oceans reveals the science behind the thrilling quest to find out. Kevin Peter Hand is one of today's leading NASA scientists, and his pioneering research has taken him on expeditions around the world.

Author: Kevin Hand

Publisher: Princeton University Press

ISBN: 9780691227283

Category: Nature

Page: 304

View: 622

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Inside the epic quest to find life on the water-rich moons at the outer reaches of the solar system Where is the best place to find life beyond Earth? We often look to Mars as the most promising site in our solar system, but recent scientific missions have revealed that some of the most habitable real estate may actually lie farther away. Beneath the frozen crusts of several of the small, ice-covered moons of Jupiter and Saturn lurk vast oceans that may have existed for as long as Earth, and together may contain more than fifty times its total volume of liquid water. Could there be organisms living in their depths? Alien Oceans reveals the science behind the thrilling quest to find out. Kevin Peter Hand is one of today's leading NASA scientists, and his pioneering research has taken him on expeditions around the world. In this captivating account of scientific discovery, he brings together insights from planetary science, biology, and the adventures of scientists like himself to explain how we know that oceans exist within moons of the outer solar system, like Europa, Titan, and Enceladus. He shows how the exploration of Earth's oceans is informing our understanding of the potential habitability of these icy moons, and draws lessons from what we have learned about the origins of life on our own planet to consider how life could arise on these distant worlds. Alien Oceans describes what lies ahead in our search for life in our solar system and beyond, setting the stage for the transformative discoveries that may await us.

49 In other words , aliens are strangers , entities not yet — or not fully ever — friend or enemy , self or other . ... Alien Ocean may recall for readers the phrase " alien nation , " beloved by science fiction screenwriters as well as ...

Author: Stefan Helmreich

Publisher: Univ of California Press

ISBN: 0520942604

Category: Social Science

Page: 422

View: 559

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Alien Ocean immerses readers in worlds being newly explored by marine biologists, worlds usually out of sight and reach: the deep sea, the microscopic realm, and oceans beyond national boundaries. Working alongside scientists at sea and in labs in Monterey Bay, Hawai'i, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and the Sargasso Sea and at undersea volcanoes in the eastern Pacific, Stefan Helmreich charts how revolutions in genomics, bioinformatics, and remote sensing have pressed marine biologists to see the sea as animated by its smallest inhabitants: marine microbes. Thriving in astonishingly extreme conditions, such microbes have become key figures in scientific and public debates about the origin of life, climate change, biotechnology, and even the possibility of life on other worlds.

"Alien Ocean immerses readers in worlds being newly explored by marine biologists: the deep sea, the microscopic realm, and oceans beyond national boundaries.

Author: Stefan Helmreich

Publisher: Univ of California Press

ISBN: 9780520250628

Category: Social Science

Page: 403

View: 180

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"Alien Ocean immerses readers in worlds being newly explored by marine biologists: the deep sea, the microscopic realm, and oceans beyond national boundaries. Working alongside scientists on ships at sea, in coastal research labs, and at undersea volcanoes, Stefan Helmreich charts how revolutions in genomics, bioinformatics, and remote sensing have pressed marine bioligists to view the sea as animated by its smallest inhabitants: marine microbes. Thriving in astonishingly extreme conditions, such microbes have become key figures in scientific and public debates about the origin of life, climate change, biotechnology, and even the possibility of life on other worlds."--Cover.

Are these strange animals the stuff of nightmares or aliens from outer space?

Author: National Geographic Kids

Publisher: HarperCollins UK

ISBN: 9781426337079

Category: Juvenile Nonfiction

Page: 32

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Are these strange animals the stuff of nightmares or aliens from outer space? Turns out, they're real undersea animals! Find out how deep sea creatures use bizarre and fascinating adaptations to survive in their harsh environments in this Level 3 Reader.

Animals that live there look different from animals in other parts of the ocean. You might even say they look like aliens from outer space. Let's dive in and meet some of these alien ocean animals! This submersible, called DeepSee, ...

Author: Rosie Colosi

Publisher: National Geographic Books

ISBN: 9781426337086

Category: Juvenile Nonfiction

Page: 48

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Are these strange animals the stuff of nightmares or aliens from outer space? Turns out, they're real undersea animals! Find out how deep-sea creatures use bizarre and fascinating adaptations to survive in their harsh environments in this Level 3 Reader. Journey through the depths of the ocean into the dark Midnight Zone and discover the mysterious animals that live there. Learn about how their bodies make their own light or adapt to living in low-light areas, how they hunt, what they eat, and how they keep themselves safe from predators. National Geographic Readers' combination of expert-vetted text, along with brilliant images and a fun approach to reading has proved to be a winning formula with kids, parents, and educators. Level 3 text provides accessible, yet wide-ranging information for fluent readers. Each reader includes text written by an experienced, skilled children's books author, a photo glossary, and interactive features in which kids get to reinforce what they've learned in the book.

With the contributors as guides, readers can explore the wild seas of Jupiter's watery satellite Europa, believed similar in composition to battery acid.

Author: Michael Carroll

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

ISBN: 9781461474739

Category: Science

Page: 119

View: 550

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Oceans were long thought to exist in all corners of the Solar System, from carbonated seas percolating beneath the clouds of Venus to features on the Moon's surface given names such as "the Bay of Rainbows” and the "Ocean of Storms." With the advent of modern telescopes and spacecraft exploration these ancient concepts of planetary seas have, for the most part, evaporated. But they have been replaced by the reality of something even more exotic. For example, although it is still uncertain whether Mars ever had actual oceans, it now seems that a web of waterways did indeed at one time spread across its surface. The "water" in many places in our Solar System is a poisoned brew mixed with ammonia or methane. Even that found on Jupiter's watery satellite Europa is believed similar to battery acid. Beyond the Galilean satellites may lie even more "alien oceans." Saturn's planet-sized moon Titan seems to be subject to methane or ethane rainfall. This creates methane pools that, in turn, become vast lakes and, perhaps, seasonal oceans. Titan has other seas in a sense, as large shifting areas of sand covering vast plains have been discovered. Mars also has these sand seas, and Venus may as well, along with oceans of frozen lava. Do super-chilled concoctions of ammonia, liquid nitrogen, and water percolate beneath the surfaces of Enceladus and Triton? For now we can only guess at the possibilities. 'Alien Seas' serves up part history, part current research, and part theory as it offers a rich buffet of "seas" on other worlds. It is organized by location and by the material of which various oceans consist, with guest authors penning specific chapters. Each chapter features new original art depicting alien seas, as well as the latest ground-based and spacecraft images. Original diagrams presents details of planetary oceans and related processes.

Their oceans would, in the past, have served as vast reservoirs of the organic molecules needed for the evolution of life. In those alien oceans, over the course of hundreds of millions of years, the organic molecules of life would have ...

Author: Kenneth W. Behrendt

Publisher: Author House

ISBN: 9781452005355

Category: Science

Page: 740

View: 419

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The How and Why of UFOs is the much anticipated sequel to Kenneth W. Behrendt's previous groundbreaking work on the subject, Secrets of UFO Technology. The present work begins with a detailed review of the revolutionary anti-mass field theory explanation for UFO propulsion and its secondary effects which is critical to understanding how these craft can easily overcome the usual limitations imposed by gravity and inertia upon our present massive earthly air and spacecraft. This cutting edge theory is then applied to several classic UFO cases to provide previously unsuspected insights into them. Even the often overlooked topic of small automated alien probes is explored as a highly detailed probe case, personally investigated by the author, is presented and analyzed in order to reveal the amazing interior structures of the object sighted. After providing an analysis of the planets of origin of advanced spacefaring extraterrestrial beings, the possible reasons for their visitations to our Earth are considered. The author then goes on to describe the most likely biological mechanism behind the mental telepathy process that is the principle mode of communication for most extraterrestrial beings and even suggests a variety of simple methods that might actually allow human researchers to communicate with the alien pilots of the UFOs now operating in Earth's atmosphere! All of this is only a small sample of the many intriguing topics awaiting the reader in this abundantly illustrated volume. The many revelations found in The How and Why of UFOs are sure to delight and intrigue any student of ufology who wishes to explore this fascinating subject at its very deepest level.

BOOKS 30-Second Weather Ed. Adam A. Scaife (Ivy Press, ) Alien Oceans: The Search for Life in the Depths of Space Kevin Peter Hand (Princeton University Press, ) Svenja Tidau is a marine biologist at Bangor University focusing on how ...

Author: Mattias Green

Publisher:

ISBN: 9780711252660

Category: Nature

Page: 160

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Oceans cover two thirds of the Earth’s surface and are the driving force behind our weather systems, taking warm and cold water around the globe. Understanding solar radiation, currents, and rising sea levels are vital starting points to understanding and dealing with global warming, and this book covers these and many more essential topics in easily accessible chunks. Join expert authors on a tour of the world’s oceans, taking in waves, continental shelves, icebergs, underwater forests, monsoons, and coral reefs along the way. Learn about the different characteristics of the world’s major oceans, the amazing array of marine life that exists at different depths, how tides work, and what pollution is doing to the seas. There’s never been a more important time to get to grips with how the oceans work.

It did not show that life is completely absent (that question is still open), but it dismissed ideas of alien forests let alone alien civilizations—or present-day alien oceans. Those first images have, over the succeeding decades, ...

Author: Jan Zalasiewicz

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

ISBN: 9780199672882

Category: Science

Page: 294

View: 212

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Traces the history and evolution of oceans on Earth as well as their importance and the changes wrought by humans that threaten all aspects of their existence, and looks beyond Earth to oceans on other planets.

All these topics and more are part of “microbial ecology of the ocean.” The field has maintained momentum ... It claims that microbes in “alien oceans” have come to be an excellent viewpoint for thinking about humans (Helmrich 2009).

Author: Josep M. Gasol

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

ISBN: 9781119107187

Category: Science

Page: 528

View: 271

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The newly revised and updated third edition of the bestselling book on microbial ecology in the oceans The third edition of Microbial Ecology of the Oceans features new topics, as well as different approaches to subjects dealt with in previous editions. The book starts out with a general introduction to the changes in the field, as well as looking at the prospects for the coming years. Chapters cover ecology, diversity, and function of microbes, and of microbial genes in the ocean. The biology and ecology of some model organisms, and how we can model the whole of the marine microbes, are dealt with, and some of the trophic roles that have changed in the last years are discussed. Finally, the role of microbes in the oceanic P cycle are presented. Microbial Ecology of the Oceans, Third Edition offers chapters on The Evolution of Microbial Ecology of the Ocean; Marine Microbial Diversity as Seen by High Throughput Sequencing; Ecological Significance of Microbial Trophic Mixing in the Oligotrophic Ocean; Metatranscritomics and Metaproteomics; Advances in Microbial Ecology from Model Marine Bacteria; Marine Microbes and Nonliving Organic Matter; Microbial Ecology and Biogeochemistry of Oxygen-Deficient Water Columns; The Ocean’s Microscale; Ecological Genomics of Marine Viruses; Microbial Physiological Ecology of The Marine Phosphorus Cycle; Phytoplankton Functional Types; and more. A new and updated edition of a key book in aquatic microbial ecology Includes widely used methodological approaches Fully describes the structure of the microbial ecosystem, discussing in particular the sources of carbon for microbial growth Offers theoretical interpretations of subtropical plankton biogeography Microbial Ecology of the Oceans is an ideal text for advanced undergraduates, beginning graduate students, and colleagues from other fields wishing to learn about microbes and the processes they mediate in marine systems.