Social network Bebo, and the producers of British TV show Wife Swap have combined to undertake an incredible mission; the search for intelligent life in the universe. That's an intriguing pairing for such a momentous task... Dr Zaitsev will use a Ukrainian radio telescope, normally used to identify and track asteroids that pose a threat to Earth, to beam the messages to a planet orbiting the star ... Read full entry

The flourishing of lifeforms, such as "extremophiles", creatures that apparently thrive on radiation and acid, in places on Earth generally deemed "inhospitable" are giving encouragement to scientists hopeful of finding life elsewhere in the universe. There's hardly a niche on Earth that hasn't been colonised. Life can be found in scalding, acidic hot pools, in the driest deserts, and in the dark, crushing depths of the ocean. It has ... Read full entry

Sun's properties not "fine-tuned" for life It turns out the type of star our Sun is, a G star by the way, doesn't make it anymore conducive to hosting life bearing planets than any other star type. There's nothing special about the Sun that makes it more likely than other stars to host life, a new study shows. The finding adds weight to the idea that alien life should ... Read full entry

Vatican: It's OK to believe in aliens Pope Benedict XVI is proving to be a rather accommodating pope, and has said through Jose Gabriel Funes, director of the Vatican Observatory, that "belief" in the existence of extraterrestrial life will not see you thrown into the fires of hell. "How can we rule out that life may have developed elsewhere?" Funes said. "Just as we consider earthly creatures as ‘a brother,’ and ... Read full entry

The Value of Being Incomplete: What Are Your Goals for 2008? possibly the most enjoyable post I've read at Dosh Dosh so far. The year is coming to a close. When December finally changes into January, I will inevitably get a bittersweet feeling of starting over again, as I anticipate the opportunities yet to come in 2008. Here is another chance for me ... Read full entry