Where are the exomoons

A most interesting article on how our moon may have made our planet hospitable to life and thus a clue to whether there is life elsewhere in the universe. We excerpt:


...First, there’s the stark reality that life on Earth may not have happened at all without the starring role played by our own moon.

The Earth’s axis is tilted by 23.5 degrees relative to its motion around the sun. This tilt gives us seasons, and because this tilt is relatively small, seasons on Earth are mild: most places never get impossibly hot or unbearably cold. One thing that has been crucial for life is that this tilt has stayed the same for very long periods: for millions of years, the angle of tilt has varied by only a couple of degrees.

What has kept the Earth so steady? The gravity of our moon.

In contrast, Mars only has two tiny moons, which have negligible gravity. Without a stabilizing influence, Mars has gradually tumbled back and forth, its tilt ranging between 0 and 60 degrees over millions of years. Extreme changes in climate have resulted. Any Martian life that ever existed would have found the need to continually adapt very challenging.

Without our moon, the Earth, too, would likely have been subject to chaotic climate conditions, rather than the relative certainty of the seasons that stretches back deep into the fossil record.

The gravity of the moon also produces the Earth’s tides. Billions of years ago, the ebb and flow of the oceans produced an alternating cycle of high and low salt content on ancient rocky shores. This recurring cycle could have enabled the unique chemical processes needed to generate the first DNA-like molecules.

...we shouldn’t be discouraged by the fact that most exoplanets found so far are bloated gaseous beasts, with hostile environments unlikely to support life as we know it. What we don’t know yet, crucially, is whether these exoplanets have moons. This prospect is exciting, because exomoons are expected to be smaller rocky or icy bodies, possibly hosting oceans and atmospheres....

Thinking at a Distance

Nice story about plants that can camouflage themselves.

http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2016/02/19/the-sneaky-life-of-the-worlds-most-mysterious-plant/

The use of superlative and the adjective "sneaky," in the title, "The sneaky life of the world's most mysterious plant," suggests the authors may never discover  mysteries at lot closer than the Amazon jungle. That of course is just one of many things I do not know.

Beauty and knowledge

Who we are must surely be connected with what we are a part of. This article talks about speculation regarding galaxy formation. What if knowledge must proceed looking outward and looking inward, at the same time, and also adjacently.  Could be. Could explain the thrill non-scientists feel when some topics are broached.