"I was wondering if the Planet around 51Pegasi is really sutable for human life and if other planets are too."
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What ramifications would contact with another life form have on Earth/our society?
Your question is certainly relevant to the studies of the possibilities of life elsewhere in the universe. Although the astrobiology initiative at NASA generally focuses around the scientific aspects of astrobiology, there has also been some work on societal implications of astrobiological findings. In fact, an entire conference was held on this issue: http://astrobiology.arc.nasa.gov/workshops/societal/ It is of course impossible to state exactly what affects that evidence of life elsewhere would have on society, but researchers can look from various social science and humanities perspectives to make various predictions. Steven Dick, a historian at the Naval Observatory, has written books on historical aspects of searches for life in the universe. You might want to check out two of his works: Life on Other Worlds and The Biological Universe. Some researchers at the University of Washington’s astrobiology department (http://depts.washington.edu/astrobio/new2/index.php) also examine historical aspects of astrobiology. David Lamb, Science Projects Specialist, NAI
October 2, 2002
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