alien | Common News Update

Oct22020 by adminNo Comments

Alien species to increase by 36 percent globally by 2050

Science

Oct. 1 (UPI) -- The number alien species is projected to increase by 36 percent by 2050, according to a new study published Thursday in the journal Global Change Biology. Species are classified as alien when they colonize habitat outside their native ranges. Advertisement To predict how many new species will become aliens in the decades ahead, researchers relied on a mathematical model to analyze current rates of invasion, consider the source pool of possible invaders and produce simulations based on a 'business-as-usual' scenario. The model predicted that by the middle of the century, there will be 36 percent more alien plant and animal species than there were in 2005. If current invasion rates continue apace, the data suggests Europe will fare particularly poorly, with the continent ex...

Jul302020 by adminNo Comments

Lift off! NASA launches new Mars rover to search for signs of alien life

Technology

NASA has successfully launched its new Perseverance rover to Mars, beginning a mission to search for signs of alien life on the planet.The Mars 2020 mission launched on the back of an Atlas V rocket, the most powerful currently in use by humanity, which took its payload to an altitude of greater than 250 miles - the same as the International Space Station - in three minutes. It sets the ground not only to discover whether life ever existed on Mars but also ahead of a potential manned mission to put the first humans on the red planet. The mission is not set to land on Mars until the early afternoon of 18 February 2021, but there will not be much time for deliberation when it is heading towards the Martian surface.The rover, which has a mass of 1,050kg (2,313lbs), could easily simply add t...

Jun192020 by adminNo Comments

Sir Ian Holm: Lord of the Rings and Alien star dies aged 88

Entertainment

Stage and film actor Sir Ian Holm, who played Bilbo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings films, has died aged 88.Sir Ian, Oscar-nominated as Olympic running coach Sam Mussabini in Chariots of Fire, also played the android Ash in 1979's Alien."It is with great sadness we can confirm that the actor Sir Ian Holm CBE passed away this morning at the age of 88," his agent said in a statement."He died peacefully in hospital with his family and carer," he added.Obituary: Ian Holm His illness was Parkinson's-related, his agent confirmed.Holm, who also played Dr Willis in The Madness of King George, was classically trained and put in memorable performances in numerous plays.The Nation...

Jun152020 by adminNo Comments

36 alien civilisations could be communicating in our galaxy – study

Technology

There could be 36 alien civilisations in the Milky Way which are actively communicating by broadcasting radio signals into space, according to new research.No direct evidence has been found for any intelligent extraterrestrial lifeforms, but a study led by the University of Nottingham puts a number on how many civilisations we should be looking for. Their estimate is based on the assumption that intelligent life would evolve on other planets in the same way that it has done on Earth, and the paper is published in The Astrophysical Journal. Image: Humanity has only been communicating for around 100 years The research estimated the number of what the scientists call Communicating Extra-Terrestrial Intelligent civilisations (CETI) - or a...

Apr202020 by adminNo Comments

‘Alien comet’ visitor has weird composition

Science

The first known comet to visit us from another star system has an unusual make-up, according to new research.The interstellar comet 2I/Borisov was detected in our Solar System last year. This mysterious visitor from the depths of space has provided astronomers with an unprecedented opportunity to compare it to comets that formed around the Sun.New data suggests it contains large amounts of carbon monoxide - a possible clue to where it was "born".The findings appear in two separate scientific papers published by Nature Astronomy.In one of the papers, an international team led by Martin Cordiner and Stefanie Milam from the US space agency's (Nasa) Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, pointed the Atacama Large Millime...