Are aliens among us?

Scientist: Alien life could already be on Earth

By RAPHAEL G. SATTER,Associated Press Writer - Wednesday, January 27

LONDON – For the past 50 years, scientists have scoured the skies for radio signals from beyond our planet, hoping for some sign of extraterrestrial life. But one physicist says there's no reason alien life couldn't already be lurking among us or maybe even in us.

Paul Davies, an award-winning Arizona State University physicist known for his popular science writing said Tuesday that life may have developed on Earth not once but several times.

Davies said the variant life forms most likely tiny microbes could still be hanging around "right under our noses or even in our noses."

"How do we know all life on Earth descended from a single origin?" he told a conference at London's prestigious Royal Society, which serves as Britain's academy of sciences. "We've just scratched the surface of the microbial world."

The idea that alien micro-organisms could be hiding out here on Earth has been discussed for a while, according to Jill Tarter, the director of the U.S. SETI project, which listens for signals from civilizations based around distant stars.

She said several of the scientists involved in the project were interested in pursuing the notion, which Davies earlier laid out in a 2007 article published in Scientific American in which he asked: "Are aliens among us?"

So far, there's no answer. And ever finding one would be fraught with difficulties, as Davies himself acknowledged.

Unusual organisms abound including chemical-eating bacteria which hide out deep in the ocean and organisms that thrive in boiling-hot springs, but that doesn't mean they're different life forms entirely.

"How weird do they have to be suggest a second genesis as opposed to just an obscure branch of the family tree?" he said. Davies suggested that the only way to prove an organism wasn't "life as we know it" was if it were built using exotic elements which no other form of life had.

Such organisms have yet to be found. Davies also noted that less than 1 percent of all the world's bacteria had been comprehensively studied _ leaving plenty of time to find unusual organisms.

"You cannot tell just by looking that a microbe has some radically different inner chemistry," he said.
Davies' call for alien-hunting scientists to look to their own backyards came as one of the pioneers of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence told the conference the job of finding proof of alien life in outer space may be more difficult than previously thought.

Frank Drake, who conducted the first organized search for alien radio signals in 1960, said that the Earth which used to pump out a loud mess of radio waves, television signals and other radiation has been steadily getting quieter as its communications technology improves.

Drake cited the switch from analogue to digital television which uses a far weaker signal and the fact that much more communications traffic is now relayed by satellites and fiber optic cables, limiting its leakage into outer space.

"Very soon we will become very undetectable," he said. If similar processes were taking place in other technologically advanced societies, then the search for them "will be much more difficult than we imagined."

But Drake said scientists at SETI were excited by the possibility of using lasers to send super-bright flashes of light into space for a tiny fraction of a second. The flashes could theoretically be seen up by an advanced civilization up to 1,000 light years away, and Tarter said infrared versions of the devices could possibly send beams even further.

But Drake noted that the interstellar equivalent to turning a flashlight on and off only works if a prospective alien civilization wants to get in touch to begin with.

"For this to work ... There has to be altruism in the universe," he said.

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Thinking It Over:

Could this be true? What do you think?

Informal Letter Writing: Format

What is the format of an informal letter?

(1.Your Address – you can make it up)
Blk 103 Lorong Ah Soo
#01-304
Singapore 559335

(2.The Date)
10th February 2010

(3. A reference e.g. Dear Uncle,)
Dear Uncle,

(4. Greetings e.g. How are you? How have you been?)
How have you been?

(5. Body of letter – You must elaborate on ideas within the question. Make sure each paragraph sounds sensible)
I heard from Auntie that you will finally be visiting Singapore. In my opinion, you must visit Chinatown. It has a long history….

(6.Yours sincerely or Yours truly or something appropriate)
Yours truly,

(7. Your Name)
Sam

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Thinking It Over:

1. Why do we write informal letters?

2. Why are they necessary?

3. Do you think that informal letters are obsolete because of technology (e.g. email)?

Oral Exam: Picture Discussion

Can you discuss the picture that is shown below? Try this to practise for the 'O' Level exam...

Traffic Accidents: The Elderly and Motorcyclists

Feb 6, 2010
Elderly pedestrians, motorcyclists most at risk
By Mavis Toh

JAYWALKING was the biggest cause of deaths among elderly pedestrians last year.

Of the 20 people above 60 years old who were killed on the roads, 13 were jaywalkers. The Traffic Police listed elderly pedestrians as one of two key areas of concern yesterday, despite the number of fatalities on Singapore roads dropping to a 30-year low.

The other: Motorcyclists.

The Traffic Police pointed out that the elderly remained the most vulnerable pedestrians.

More than two in five pedestrians killed last year in accidents were aged above 60 years old.

The concerns were highlighted again this year when former national athlete Tan Eng Yoon, 82, was killed after he was knocked down by a car while crossing Upper Thomson Road last week.

His death followed a similar accident along the same stretch of road three months ago, when Mrs Helen Wee, 76, died after she was hit by a car.

Mr Wong Lit Shoon, chief executive of the Singapore Action Group of Elders (Sage) Counselling Centre, said that while there are elderly persons who have problems getting up and down the stairs of overhead bridges, many also jaywalk because they overestimate their own physical abilities.

"They forget that they are physically slower and think they can cross the roads before the cars come," he said. Sage also works with the Traffic Police to raise road safety awareness among the elderly by taking them to the road safety park.

The other group of road users highlighted are the motorcyclists and pillion riders. They remain the most vulnerable group on the roads - making up 91 of the 188 fatalities last year.
But compared to 2008, there was a drop of 17 deaths.

Most of these motorcyclists were aged below 35 and failure to have proper control, to keep a proper look out, and to give way to traffic with the right of way, were the main causes of their accidents.

But overall, there was better news on Singapore roads last year, as the traffic situation improved significantly. The fatality rate of 3.77 per 100,000 human population last year, down from 4.57 in 2008, set a 30-year low. The figure is comparable to other major cities like New York and Melbourne.

The dip is in spite of an increase in both human and vehicle populations last year. Fatalities across different groups of road users - from motorists to pedestrians and pedal cyclists - also fell, including among elderly pedestrians, which dropped from 28 in 2008 to 20 last year.

Deaths involving motorcar drivers and passengers fell from 23 in 2008 to 15 last year. Deaths of pedal cyclists and pillion riders also fell from 22 in 2008 to 17 last year. The only increase noted was for heavy and light goods vehicle drivers and passengers killed - from six in 2008 to 19 last year. These involved mostly lorries and vans.

There were no fatalities involving public transport.

Traffic Police commander Christopher Ng said that the statistics reflect the effectiveness of the Traffic Police's strategy of enforcement, engagement and education. This year, to reinforce road safety habits in the elderly, they will be included in the Annual Shell Traffic Games - competitions at the Road Safety Park to test students' road safety knowledge - to play the role of pedestrians.

The Traffic Police will also be installing banners with road safety messages at carpark exits or electronic parking gantries to remind motorcyclists to ride safely.

Expecting the number of people and vehicles in Singapore to rise past the current figures of 4.99 million and 910,546 respectively, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ng urged road users to behave responsibly to ensure safety for all.

He added: "A disaster on the road can be averted by being just a little more alert and patient."


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Thinking It Over:

1. Who are the two groups of people most involved in traffic accidents? Why are these groups usually the ones involved in accidents?

2. What does 'fatalities' mean? Can you make a sentence with the word?

3. How does the Traffic Police intend to control the situation?

4. As a young citizen, what role can YOU play in ensuring traffic safety?

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