ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
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Jonah;
Let us know when you are coming I'm interesting in continuing this
conversation.
SETI is a noble long shot (as far as we know right now) as
consideration of the factors Frank Drake's equation suggests.
However, the idea of microbial life is not such a long shot as
discussed in The Search for Life Beyond Earth. Understanding
microbial life on Earth (where and how they survive) is informing our
search strategies for life in our solar system and the universe. This
understanding is also important for putting the scientific debate
about the source of methane on Mars in perspective. Life on the
surface of life may have retreated underground during the early years
when the surface was bombarded with meteorites and made less
hospitable that it is today. The same may be true of Mars' history.
Two of the more interesting questions are: is there life under the
surface of Mars and does it represent a second origin of life?
We are coming to the first anniversary of the failure of Beagle 2
(Christmas Day, 2003), the European Space Agency's probe to Mars. It
carried an instrument that would have added ground truth to the
spectrographic observations of methane on Mars (using telescopes and
satellites). An additional source of chagrin for the Beagle 2 team.
NASA is planning to send instruments in the near future to Mars
hopefully to gather information about the source of the methane,
evidence of past life on the surface and to drill into the subsurface
of Mars to look for methanogens- tasks well suited to robots.
Cheers,
Martin Weiss
Director of Science
New York Hall of Science
>
>
>I can't comment on the exhibits in the NYHS... yet (I'm heading to Queens in
>early 2005, tho, yay!) But I will add this: it's not a textbook, but one
>book about extraterrestrial life I really liked was "Here be Dragons: The
>Scientific Quest for Extraterrestrial Life" by David Koerner + Simon Levay.
>Enjoy, SETI fans.
>
>Hic sum draconis,
>Jonah Cohen
>Outreach & Public Programs Manager
>Science Center of Connecticut
>
>"Giant Gambian pouched rats of Mozambique, Tuesday Morning Quarterback
>salutes you!"
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: JasonJayStevens [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
>Sent: Tuesday, November 30, 2004 9:14 AM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Hands On Science in the NY Times
>
>ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
>Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related
>institutions.
>****************************************************************************
>*
>
>
> The big missing point, for me, in his review, I think is integral to
>understanding the evolution of pedagogical approach over the last fifty
>years. Whereas Mathematica derives its content (by&large) from the
>formal educational canon, the way many early Exploratorium exhibits
>come from the less-formal traditions of demos and illusions, many newer
>exhibitions deal with new content and/or new contexts. There is no
>textbook, per se, that I know of, on the search for extraterrestrial
>life. I don't remember even a chapter on that in school, yet many
>principles from grade school science are there in the exhibition
>
>***********************************************************************
>More information about the Informal Science Education Network and the
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--
Martin Weiss, Ph.D
Director of Science
New York Hall of Science
47-01 111 th Street
Corona, New York 11368
718 699 0005 x 356
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More information about the Informal Science Education Network and the
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To remove your e-mail address from the ISEN-ASTC-L list, send the
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