The SETI Observer

March 2005

In this Edition
•A Three-Pipe Problem?	•Tidings from Titan
•Lost Worlds	•Decoding Dilemmas
•Name that Moon!	•Alien Earths
•The Science Behind Giving	•SETI Challenge
•Not Just a Theory	•Previous Challenge

Dear SETI Enthusiast,

The study of extraterrestrial life, whether looking for possible environments for microbes in our local solar neighborhood or looking across the galaxy for signals from other civilizations, requires more breadth of scientific inquiry than one might expect. At the SETI Institute, our scientists do research in the areas of astronomy, geology, chemistry, and biology, but also in the not-so-obvious sciences of anthropology, psychology, and communications.

A glance down the list of stories in this month’s newsletter illustrates the range of disciplines associated with astrobiology at the SETI Institute. From Doug Vakoch’s essay Universal Translator May be Needed to Understand ET, describing some of the impediments to understanding between communicants with diverse origins, to Seth Shostak’s musings on the possibility of life on a neighboring moon in Titan – A World of Its Own, you will experience the vast scope of topics being researched by our team.

Variety is key in our Education and Public Outreach efforts, too. In addition to classroom education (see Edna DeVore’s article Teach Education: Leave No Child Behind ), the SETI Institute participates in science education in a multitude of ways -- outreach to the general public with newsletters and articles such as these; participation in scientific conferences, such as this month’s symposium of social scientists on altruism chaired by Doug Vakoch; cooperation with other scientific and educational institutions, such as our co-sponsorship of the Alien Earths interactive exhibit at UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science; and advising and appearing in responsible media coverage of Institute areas of interest, such as the recently broadcast ABC News special Peter Jennings Reports: UFOs – Seeing is Believing.

I hope you will enjoy all of the stories below as you explore our website. We will continue to provide informative, instructive, and entertaining information to you as we probe the infinite strands of the science of life in the universe.

Best Regards,

Thomas Pierson
CEO, SETI Institute

	A Three-Pipe Problem?
	Why does Sherlock Holmes need the Royal Greenwich Observatory to solve a baffling mystery? Read Laurance Doyle's engaging two-part story, which begins with Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Vanishing Robbers

	Lost Worlds
	Could life exist on nomadic planets, wandering alone in the galaxy? Seth Shostak illustrates how these planets become homeless and the prospects for the existance of living organisms in Orphan Planets: It's a Hard Knock Life

	Name that Moon!
	What is the pattern behind the names given to newly discovered moons, mountains, and craters? Who makes the decisions? Laurance Doyle explains, in A Moon By Any Other Name

	The Science Behind Giving
	Why is there altruism? Are there cultural differences in charitable giving? What might this mean in understanding alien civilizations? At the Society for Cross-Cultural Research (SCCR), Doug Vakoch chaired a symposium on these questions

	Not Just a Theory
	Astronomic, terrestrial, and biologic evolution rarely included in state science education standards across the nation. Edna DeVore discusses the everyday evidence and the consequences in Teach Evolution: Leave No Child Behind and Evolution: It's Only a Theory, But One Worth Teaching

	Tidings from Titan
	The Huygens probe from the Cassini spacecraft has provided exciting new information on this large cold moon. Cynthia Phillips ponders the geology in Similar, But Different: Huygens Probe Unlocks Another Planet in Our Solar System. Seth Shostak writes about the possibilities of past and present life in Titan: A World of It's Own

	Decoding Dilemmas
	Everyone understands pi, right? Well, maybe math isn't the key to communicating with other intelligences in the galaxy. Doug Vakoch reports on the difficulties of correctly interpreting meanings in Universal Translator Might Be Needed to Understand ET

	Alien Earths
	The University of California, Berkeley, Lawrence Hall of Science continues its presentation of the Alien Earths exhibit with presentations this month from SETI scientists Emma Bakes and Margaret Race. TeamSETI members have free admission on March 20! Click here to find out more about the presentations and Alien Earths

SETI Challenge

Be one of the first five to answer the following question correctly and get a cool SETI Institute T-shirt. We'll post the answer in next month's e-newsletter. Choose the number that best completes this statement and send your answer to newsletter@seti.org:

Teaching human evolution is included in state science standards in this percentage of U.S. states:

1. 45

2. 90

3. 8

4. 15

Previous Challenge

Congratulations to Vu Thong, Mike Griggs, Karla Hutchins, Mifflin Dove, Jr., and Paul Hardersen! They are the winners of the previous Challenge, where we asked you to choose the phrase that best completed the following statement:

When the Huygens probe landed on Titan, the SSP's nine sensors were used to make measurements of its surroundings. SSP is an acronym for:

1. Space Systems Protocols

2. Standard Science Parts

3. Saturn Spectrometer Panoply

4. Surface Science Package

The correct answer was: 4

Watch for another thought-provoking question in next month's e-newsletter.

You don't need a local radio station to listen to the SETI Institute's weekly radio show "Are We Alone?". For access, information on the next program, and show archives, visit Are We Alone? at the SETI Institute website.

Not yet a TeamSETI member? Show your interest and support of the SETI Institute's projects and programs by joining TeamSETI. To sign up, click here .

*All individuals are eligible to win the SETI Challenge except SETI Institute staff members and their immediate family members or individuals who have submitted a winning entry within a 12 month period from the date of the current contest.

Email: newsletter@seti.org