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Scientists Seek 'Shadow' Life Forms on Earth

By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff

Posted Mar 13, 2009 6:52 PM CDT
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(Newser) – "If aliens exist, they may be living right next door..." No, it's not a writer pitching a television pilot, but the premise of a scientific theory called the "shadow biosphere," New Scientist reports. Some astrobiologists say that life forms may have originated on Earth after our own, and endured, unnoticed. "I think if we found a second sample of life on Earth, it would be as big as Darwin's theory of evolution," said one scientist.

Skeptics have issues. New life forms—most likely in molecule form—would be eaten up on our crowded Earth, they say. Or if they did endure, their bizarre biochemistries would be hard to detect. But "shadow biosphere" believers are encouraged by the fact that less than 1% of microbes have been identified. So they're busy hunting for alien life in extreme environments, like ice sheets and ultra-dry deserts.

Researchers visit Norway's Troll Research Station in Antarctica on Monday, Feb. 23, 2009.
Researchers visit Norway's Troll Research Station in Antarctica on Monday, Feb. 23, 2009.   (AP Photo/Charles J.Hanley)
The poster for John Carpenter's film, The Thing.
The poster for John Carpenter's film, "The Thing."   (MovieWeb)
Researchers visit Norway's Troll Research Station in Antarctica on Monday, Feb. 23, 2009.
Researchers visit Norway's Troll Research Station in Antarctica on Monday, Feb. 23, 2009.   (AP Photo/Charles J. Hanley)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 19 comments
Guest
Oct 10, 2009 12:33 AM CDT
Shadow like forms could easily be inexistence as our definition of life is narrowly defined. Other life forms could be bound only by completely unrecognizable bounds. We assume that life needs water. That basic premise is not valid when one considers that viral agenta might live without water.
Guest
Mar 15, 2009 7:36 AM CDT
Should read: "In any case, it's not personal..."
Guest
Mar 15, 2009 7:34 AM CDT
For once I agree with Rob's comment below: this subject matter is "lengthy and uninteresting". In any case, it's not person -- although I have no doubt you are quite passionate about your ideas of "right" and "wrong". Simply put, I am a linguist and you are an English teacher... English teachers latch onto rules which are often quite silly, in the name of "proper English". For example, a favorite "zombie rule" often taught by English teachers: "Never start a sentence with the word 'and' or 'but'." Truth be told, thousands of examples of such sentences can be found in some of the greatest works of literature in the English language. Read more about this kind of thing here: http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=1177

 
aliens • molecules • biochemistry

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