Do aliens look like E.T.(left) or a worm?
Click on image for full size
Courtesy of Nova Corporation

Real Aliens Don't Look Like E.T.
News story originally written on May 19, 1999

Twenty years after the making, E.T. the extraterrestrial is still entertaining the world. Portrayed as a lovable, happy friend, E.T. stole the hearts of millions over the years. However, to this day scientists have yet to find any evidence of an alien species resembling this cute companion. Still, scientists believe that other living beings exist in our Universe.

"There are good reasons to think, as biologists, that there are organisms that exist elsewhere," Dr Don Cowan, of University College London, told The Royal Astronomical Society.

The likelihood of finding a creature as complicated and developed as E.T. is very slim. Real aliens are probably very simple, but able to live in extremely harsh environments. Cowen believes that all creatures need basic conditions for survival, including water, nutrients and a temperature close to the Earth's.

Mars and Europa, one of Jupiter's many moons, are the two bodies in our solar system that may be able to support life. Both contain ice, meaning there is a possibility that liquid water exists on them.

Dr. Monica Grady, of the Natural History Museum in London, says,"Hopefully it will look like this," while pointing to a green alien. "But it will probably resemble that," she added while showing what looked like a large worm.

I guess a real alien would have trouble trying to "phone home"!

You might also be interested in:

Traveling Nitrogen Classroom Activity Kit

Check out our online store - minerals, fossils, books, activities, jewelry, and household items!...more

Europa

Europa was first discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1610, making it one of the Galilean Satellites. Europa is Jupiter's 4th largest moon, 670,900 km from Jupiter. With a diameter that is about half the distance...more

1999--A Year in Review...

It was another exciting and frustrating year for the space science program. It seemed that every step forward led to one backwards. Either way, NASA led the way to a great century of discovery. Unfortunately,...more

STS-95 Launch: "Let the wings of Discovery lift us on to the future."

The Space Shuttle Discovery lifted off from Kennedy Space Center at 2:19 p.m. EST, October 29th. The sky was clear and the weather was great as Discovery took 8 1/2 minutes to reach orbit for the Unitied...more

Moon Found Orbiting Asteroid

A moon was discovered orbiting the asteroid, Eugenia. This is only the second time in history that a satellite has been seen circling an asteroid. A special mirror allowed scientists to find the moon...more

U.S. is Fed Up with Russia

Will Russia ever put the service module for the International Space Station in space? NASA officials are demanding an answer from the Russian government. The necessary service module is currently waiting...more

More on Recent Coronal Mass Ejection

During a period of about two days in early May, 1998, the ACE spacecraft was immersed in plasma associated with a coronal mass ejection (CME). The SWICS instrument on ACE, which determines unambiguously...more

Mother Nature's Air Conditioning

J.S. Maini of the Canadian Forest Service has referred to forests as the "heart and lungs of the world." Forests reduce soil erosion, maintain water quality, contribute to atmospheric humidity and cloud...more

Windows to the Universe, a project of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, is sponsored in part is sponsored in part through grants from federal agencies (NASA and NOAA), and partnerships with affiliated organizations, including the American Geophysical Union, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Earth System Information Partnership, the American Meteorological Society, the National Center for Science Education, and TERC. The American Geophysical Union and the American Geosciences Institute are Windows to the Universe Founding Partners. NESTA welcomes new Institutional Affiliates in support of our ongoing programs, as well as collaborations on new projects. Contact NESTA for more information. NASA ESIP NCSE HHMI AGU AGI AMS NOAA