Instructify

December 1, 2010

NASA has called a press conference for Thursday, December 2 to announce findings that will “impact the search for evidence of extraterrestrial life.” You and your class can watch to the conference via NASA’s website.

Blogger Jason Kottke looked into the backgrounds and expertise of the conference participants — a geobiologist, an oceanographer, a biologist, and an ecologist — and speculated:

“So, if I had to guess at what NASA is going to reveal on Thursday, I’d say that they’ve discovered arsenic on Titan and maybe even detected chemical evidence of bacteria utilizing it for photosynthesis (by following the elements). Or something like that.”

If that’s true, it would be a game changer in terms of what elements are needed to support life. Tune in to the conference to find out.

Also, if your school newspaper staff is feeling ambitious, it may be worth a try to dial in to ask questions of the panelists. If some aspiring journalists at your school would like to get a pretty big science scoop, they should send their name, newspaper affiliation and telephone number to Steve Cole (stephen.e.cole@nasa.gov or 202-358-0918) by December 2 at noon.

NASA Sets News Conference on Astrobiology Discovery; Science Journal Has Embargoed Details Until 2 p.m. EST On Dec. 2