There you have it, alien life...

[Rev. Powell]

It is strange that results of this magnitude were published in a controversial online-only journal rather than in major publication like Science.  This is looking a lot less promising. 

Doggett: NASA is government funded.  But Hoover works for NASA, so they would be behind this 2000%, unless they thought there was something wrong with the study that could embarrass the organization.

My already high skepticism level just jumped another several notches. 

To answer Venomx: I'll take 2).

[venomx]

I don't blame you for picking "2"

Stephen Hawking...

The 68-year-old scientist said a visit by extraterrestrials to Earth would be like Christopher Columbus arriving in the Americas, "which didn't turn out very well for the Native Americans."

[Doggett]

Doggett: NASA is government funded.  But Hoover works for NASA, so they would be behind this 2000%, unless they thought there was something wrong with the study that could embarrass the organization.

Ah.

I thought he worked for some univercity or other independant organisation.

I would've thought thats why NASA has been trying to sit on it for a while. As it could make them look bad that a small fry scientist has found evidence of alien life while a huge tax payer organisation like NASA couldn't. It could make politicians question if they're spending their money correctly come budget time.

I still can't get over how exciting this is. 

VenomX: 3.
Although I hope its not a hoax. And unless alien microbes are zombies, I have nothing to fear from the fossil.

[RCMerchant]

It is huge discovery, I agree. I hope to see and read more about this in days to come.

I have a question... how would you feel if aliens in ufos landed on Earth tomorrow?

1. Thrilled/Happy (we may learn good and helpful info!)
2. Scared as $h!t (we hope its not like Independence Day!)
3. Un-FN-believable! (I must be dreaming, its a hoax!)

I pick two... 1 and 2.

I'd pick #1. If they were evil,they would have killed us long ago. It would show these idiot fundamentilists (of ALL religions) that they aint they center of their God's creation. Actually-mebbe not. They'll call it Satan's coming-Armageddon or something.
I hope aliens come and we start s**t with them-give humanity a little humility. Then we'll know how the buffalo felt.

Meanwhile-back in the real world....
I hope it's true. I DO believe. It seems the height of egotism to think we are the only life in a neverending universe.
I'm sure deep ocean fish freak when we drop in once in awhile. 

[JaseSF]

As long as they don't turn into the Creeping Unknown....

[Allhallowsday]

I thought the REV's remarks about how unlikely it would be for a meteorite from the vast wastes of space to include evidence of extraterrestrial life - and how monumentally profound if true - finding its way to Earth (a rock from another world !! through intergalactic cataclysm and inconceivable measures of time) would seem so nearly impossible that IF TRUE would  infer by its sheer unlikelihood a universe teeming with life...

[Nukie 2]

I thought the REV's remarks about how unlikely it would be for a meteorite from the vast wastes of space to include evidence of extraterrestrial life - and how monumentally profound if true - finding its way to Earth (a rock from another world !! through intergalactic cataclysm and inconceivable measures of time) would seem so nearly impossible that IF TRUE would  infer by its sheer unlikelihood a universe teeming with life...

That means "Nukie" was a documentary!

[venomx]

[Allhallowsday]

So... you ridicule the profundity of our revelation...? 

[RCMerchant]

So... you ridicule the profundity of our revelation...? 

Awright-Hallows. Your my freind. But latley your posts are so esotiric I have no clue of what your trying to say.

[Nukie 2]

So... you ridicule the profundity of our revelation...? 

I thought you just posted them!

[Doc Daneeka]

It is huge discovery, I agree. I hope to see and read more about this in days to come.

I have a question... how would you feel if aliens in ufos landed on Earth tomorrow?

1. Thrilled/Happy (we may learn good and helpful info!)
2. Scared as $h!t (we hope its not like Independence Day!)
3. Un-FN-believable! (I must be dreaming, its a hoax!)

I pick two... 1 and 2.

No matter the circumstances 3 at first; once it got verified then 1 or 2 is a 50-50 chance.

Does Hawking acknowledge that evolving on another planet, possibly under different circumstances could give aliens motivations for landing on other planets besides imperialism? Just because the majority view of human behavior is a pessimistic one, emphasizing our selfish tendencies, it doesn't mean that extraterrestrials would have the same psychology. With that in mind though, they could just as easily turn out to be much worse beings than we are. We've got no evidence for either argument, as we don't even know they exist.

I do suppose how vastly our communication could differ might lead to the more pessimistic stance, but then if aliens managed space travel to such an extent, they could very well be unsurprised by some very unfamiliar customs and the like. If they have such a high intelligence level that they equate us to animals it could likewise pose a problem, but such a high intelligence level that they dismiss complex-machine/program-creating beings as animalistic would go to suggest they'd be arriving in ships made of light particles or something.

[Newt]

It is strange that results of this magnitude were published in a controversial online-only journal rather than in major publication like Science.  This is looking a lot less promising. 

Indeed.  From a statement issued by NASA:

"NASA is a scientific and technical agency committed to a culture of openness with the media and public. While we value the free exchange of ideas, data and information as part of scientific and technical inquiry, NASA cannot stand behind or support a scientific claim unless it has been peer-reviewed or thoroughly examined by other qualified experts. This paper was submitted in 2007 to the International Journal of Astrobiology. However, the peer review process was not completed for that submission. NASA also was unaware of the recent submission of the paper to the Journal of Cosmology or of the paper's subsequent publication. Additional questions should be directed to the author of the paper."

http://blog.seattlepi.com/thebigblog/2011/03/07/alien-life-discovered-not-so-fast-says-nasa-msnbc/