"Are We Alone? British Scientists Say 'No'"

“Are We Alone? British Scientists Say ‘No’”

The News Desk at pbs.org published an article today presenting some very intriguing and exciting news! Scientists at The University of Sheffield claim to have finally discovered some substantial proof of extraterrestrial life. As an experiment, a team of scientists launched a balloon 16 miles into the stratosphere. Upon its return, the balloon was found to be carrying small, strange biological organisms. Although the possibility is quite exhilarating, PBS cautions that we should remain cautiously skeptical, as the scientist team has not fully analyzed their findings. Still, the team’s leader, Professor Milton Wainwright, attests that he is 95% sure these bizarre little organisms could not possibly have come from Earth, as organisms that size cannot be lifted that far off of the Earth’s surface. The final test that the team has yet to perform is called, “isotope fractionation”, a process by which the scientists will be able to deduce whether the ratio of certain isotopes matches organisms found on Earth. As a reader, I have to remain skeptical, as other groups of scientists have made big claims like this before. However, the idea that life in space exists and is coming to Earth is incredibly fascinating, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a miracle.

Read more here: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2013/09/are-we-alone-british-scientists-say-no.html