Intelligent extra-terrestrials almost certainly exist on distant planets beyond our solar system, leading British astronomers told the government yesterday. The scientists expect that the first evidence of primitive alien life, such as microbes and vegetation, will emerge within 10 years, with more substantial finds following future space missions. The experts, from high-ranking UK universities and research institutes, were gathered in London by the science minister, Malcolm Wicks, to describe the latest advances in the search for distant, habitable planets capable of harbouring life. A recent revolution in technology means astronomers can now spot Earth-like planets orbiting faraway stars, raising the chances of alien life being found. By analysing reflected light, it is becoming possible to find any that may host vegetation and breathable atmospheres. "Twenty years ago we only had one solar system to study and that's the one we live in. But since then, there's been an explosion in the number of planets outside our solar system that we've been able to detect," said Professor Keith Mason, chief executive of the Science and Technology Facilities Council and former head of space physics at University College London.

Some 200 planets have been detected orbiting stars other than the sun. Scientists this year announced the discovery of a warm, rocky "second Earth" circling a distant star called Gliese 581, about 20 light years away in the constellation of Libra. Crucial measurements of the planet's surface temperature range revealed it was able to hold liquid water, believed to be a prerequisite for life. In 2015, the European Space Agency will launch a mission called Darwin, a cluster of four orbiting telescopes that will scour the heavens for life-bearing planets. For five years, the telescopes will peer at 500 stars and conduct spectral analyses of the 50 most promising planets it detects.

View: Full Article | Source: Guardian Unlimited

nice article...the truth is out there!...

ooooooooooweeeeeeeeoooooooo

This sounds sorta like the carrot in front of the donkey. Just a teaser as the truth will be exposed or admitted soon and "they" are just trying to postpon it becoming public. Well maybe not

I hope the predictions are somewhat accurate. In the meantime, it's a step closer.

Personally, I think evidence has been found already. Been known for years. But not released.

No, I'm not a conspiracy theorist! Just look at the reality of human nature. If evidence of life, muchless intellegent life (possibly more advanced than ourselves) were to be made public there would be pandimoanium(sp) in the streets!

Everyone from religious nuts to claimed UFO-abductees would be rioting. Our society can't be trusted with such information. Maybe, 50-60-70 years ago we could. Not any more. I don't think our fragile "feel good" society could handle it.

Very said state of affairs IMO.

*Whistles The X-Files Theme Song*

this is being said and wait for it,Sylvia Browne says "Aliens will begin to show themselves in the year 2010, they will not harm us, they simply want to see what we are doing to this planet. They will teach us how to use anti-gravity devices again, such as they did for the pyramids." in her prediction list

I find your post to be ironic. From the books i have read about this subject, the greatest fear that the authors described is that the human race wouldn't react much at all if an advanced civilization was discovered. That an apathy will settled upon us in regards to the space program and towords the existence of aliens. Yet you say it's a bad thing if people go bonkers in the streets resulting in pandamonium. Issac Asimov had even predicted a decline of interest in aliens and the space program.

Just the opposite happening instead of apathy would be an excellent thing and it would show that people still have passions and beliefs . If people react at all then that's a good sign. A very good sign.

Planet Quest

Planet quest 2

First, I think every nut who claims to have been alien abducted and experimented on will storm the White House and Congress demanding to know "who knew what and when did they know it". Then will come a land slide of law suits against the government for damages, both physical and mental (maybe even slander/liable for people who reported sights and lost credibility), because of alien abduction. It will be a feeding frenzy. The only winners will be the trial lawyers.

Then the religious nuts will come out saying that since the aliens don't believe in Jesus, Mohammad, whatever they are either demons or monsters or abominations of something similar. Especially if the alien society is much older than our own. Afterall, the Bible says G-d created man. Doesn't say anything about creating other worlds or alien life before man existed.

OTOH, there will be the religous nuts who will want to worship the aliens as Gods. Especially if they bring answers for some of our Earthly problems like cancer, AIDS, food/water shortages etc.

And if the aliens themselves have a religion they may be attacked as heretics, deceivers, anti-Christs etc. etc. Or people will want to follow thier religion.

Then there will be the conspiracy theorists who, feed by decades of bad TV and movies, think the aliens are here to enslave or eat us! Expect to see videos and news stories denouncing the aliens. Maybe even terrorist attacks on them.

And eventually it is inevitable that something the aliens do or give us will turn out to be harmful to us, backfire, cause an unexpected consequence etc. So that will feed the fires against them even more. Look at what happens to our own industry when something meant to help people decades later turns out to have an unknown side effect!

I hope I'm wrong. But I don't think so. Our society (meaning at least American society) has become so soft, so self-centered, so touchy-feely with feel-goodisms and self wollowing in pitty and hand-wringing that I think most people will run to thier shrinks for therapy than to with window with cameras.

Time will tell...

You still talk about aliens like about simply foreign people with more advanced technologies. What if they're something completely different, just something too unlogical for us

This article intellectual double-talk at its finest. Just because a planet is "Earth-like" doesn't mean that there will be carbon based life on it..and they all know that. It simply means that there is a chance that life MAY be on it. Even with all the data that they have...projecting discovery of life on other planets so far away is speculative at BEST using their current methods. {They can analyze all the reflected light that they want...it won't change this fact. }

I particularly liked the Glen White quote, "You can be pretty sure that if there is life out there, we've a good chance of being able to say so." That is one of the better (definite-maybe) quotes I have ever heard. {It is always fun to watch those in the academic community trying to make strong public statements in order to garner publicity and/or funding for themselves AND cover their collective asses all at the same time.}

O-

I lol at those who are in this "Teh Government is covering up evil/super advanced Aliens" crap. Don't you see just how childish and unreasonable it is ? Why the hell should aliens choose just ONE government and made contact strictly with them. Even if so, governments come and go, don't you think this would be most unpractical to keep all the ex presidents and sh** under some sort of "thou shall not speak this alien stuff publicly" oath ? And how about all the new elected presidents ? At which point are they "introduced" to this crap ?
In case if ALL the world governments are "in" this, dont u think that at least some whould choose to speak up ?

ive always thought the same thing... i know if i was an ex president i would spill the beans the people have a right to know... if all the world governments knew of aliens why would their be "earthly" conflicts... i i would try to form an alliance with all the world governments for some sort of protection plan in case of invasion.

but aliens i guess makes good movies and tv...

ah my friends ur missing a whole chapter of the conspiracy bible there. The president doesnt know, he is a mere pawn in this matrix. IF the government knows, their will be a department in charge of this that will be off the books off the records and no the president wouldnt know... why do you think bush is in, they can lie to him about anything and he spits it strait back out to the public like its fact lol.

Study tesla and his work on wireless electricity, look up the atlantis powergrid mix all tesla's work in with the Tungsanaka (spelling?) (good vids of tesla stuff on youtube) event and you will see that since the 1900's our world has known technology beyond your wildest dreams, I would go as far as saying we have colonised other planets using this technology and are probably already mining the moon. As far fetched as it sounds, think about it if these technologies have been around since the 1900's people who know are going to want to use them to colonize another planet, but you cant tell the world your colonizing another planet... think how many people would want to jump ship, the earth is not safe anymore and people know this. The problem is at the end of the day you read enough, you start to realise all the conspiracies fit together a bit to nicely for them to be the acts of random tales... and when you get to this point you realise you live in a world that is presented to you after filtering, and you live in a matrix... only unlike the the movie you realise that you can not control anything, you are stuck here for the ride that they are controlling

yeah whatever, grow up...

Not.

Aliens have already been here...that would explain the technological advancement of the last 50 years. tubes to computer chips and computers that can monitor your everyday life. Man has even started to build androids. Some life like. this technology exists only with alien intervention. and yes the US and a few other countries have alien technology, as in space crafts and computers. We must also have star drive to a point. We are just unable to produce it with our own technology. We can repair it, but not make it..

gee, u must be some kind of genius!

I guess us stupid humans are to dumb to develop anything.

intresting but i wont hold my breath.

Id say it will be a question answered in our life time. no matter what the answer id like to be front row center!
i still believe there has been contact made,but if there was contact made on a large scale, if they were physically far away from earth people may be able to accept it and embrace it but if they turned up and parked themselves in kings park and said "whud up"the general person would freak i would imagine.
Either way LET IT HAPPEN! haha

Who says aliens have wanted to make contact with any particular government?

Just like when we send a probe to land on Mars or wherever, or, like when we send a sub deep to the bottom of the ocean, we're just picking spots on a map that look interesting to us. We don't consider any territorial issues. So it might be the same when aliens come. Perhaps they are interested in something like our nuclear power systems (to study in terms of how a 'primative' society like ours is able to harness the power of the atom). So they land near a nuke plant in the U.S. or U.K. or Russia or France etc. They aren't thinking countries/politics. They're just looking at things that interest them.