Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Critters Living in Icy, Dark Antarctic Challenge Our Concept of "Life"

Scientists pulling ice cores in the Antarctic just discovered a jellyfish and a shrimp in one of their samples, showing that life can thrive in very hostile conditions (meaning, bone-ass cold and black as pitch). Reminds me of other recent news about microbes living next to sizzlin' volcanic vents. And so the scientists wonder, as scientists do, whether we might one day find life on a frozen, icy moon like Europa.

That got me to thinking more about this. Sure, some icy-cold moon shrimp isn't exactly Little Green Men, but it is life. And that's amazing, don't you think? Who knows, there could be some form of life right now on humid ol' Venus. There's still so much we don't know about our own solar system. Just because we haven't had a response yet from all our attempts at conversation, doesn't mean something isn't out there somewhere. And frankly, I'll take moon shrimp over Aliens any day!

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