X-Message-Number: 15717 Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2001 10:13:06 +0000 From: "Joseph Kehoe" <> Subject: [off topic] snippets interesting snippets. The first two mean the likelyhood for alien life has gone up! Most of the parameters in Drakes equation seem to be turning out to be quite high. So I wonder where they are (or which parameter reduces to zero?) The last story has implications for long term political and geological(?) safety (for people in storage that is). Lots of bad news on climate change in the papers over here (Europe). It seems to be pretty bad. http://www.msnbc.com/news/533364.asp SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 20 Complex carbon molecules and water, which are key ingredients for life, have been found in the dust and gas around distant stars. The findings boost the theory that the cosmic stew of life is common in the universe. http://news.bbc.co.uk/low/english/in_depth/sci_tech/2001/san_francisco/newsid_1179000/1179549.stm We may not have the means to detect them yet but there must be billions of Earth-like planets out there in our galaxy. This striking suggestion emerges from a new statistical analysis of the light coming from nearby stars. http://news.bbc.co.uk/low/english/sci/tech/newsid_1178000/1178764.stm Scientists say climate change could have dramatic consequences for the Arctic this century. They do not rule out the possibility that the entire Arctic could become ice-free. They expect that, even on conservative estimates, much of its land and sea ice may melt. And this could have unpredictable effects on ocean currents and weather systems thousands of miles away. ---------------------------------------------- Joseph Kehoe, MSc Raven Internet Technologies Ltd. ph: +353 503 52450 www.raven.ie Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=15717