THE ALIENS AMONG US
Look closely at the above picture. Take your time, I’ll wait.
Now, try to figure out what planet these alien creatures below are from.
If you guessed right here on good old Mother Earth, you are correct. Both of these weird-looking creatures are called “Yeti Crabs” and are found in underwater vents in the Antarctic.
Outer space isn’t the only place we will find “alien” lifeforms. If you really want to see something out of this world, pack a Parka and take a trip to the Antarctic. There you will find a myriad of undersea life that boggles the mind and in some cases makes the stomach flip.
The American’s, Russian’s and British have been, for a few years now, racing to see which country would find life in some of the hidden lakes in the Antarctic.
I know what you’re thinking; the same thing I was. Wouldn’t all the water in the frozen south be, well, frozen? The answer is, No. It turns out there are pockets of freshwater lakes underneath the ice. And scientists are on the hunt for lifeforms which could exist there.
So what does this mean for space exploration? I’m so glad you asked. Finding life underneath the ice gives us a possible 
glimpse into what could exist on frozen planets like Neptune, some of its surrounding moons and Uranus.
While these planets are Gas Giants, they are also composed of ices. The liquid portion of Neptune is composed of water, ammonia and methane ices (I wouldn’t recommend drinking it). However, scientists believe that there is a possibility that the ices are not completely solid down to the core of the planet (which is made of rock and ice).
If this is the case, just like in our Antarctic, there is the possibility of some form of life. A proposed mission to study Neptune and one of its moons, Triton is set to launch in 2015. The large spaceship, which if the economy allows, is supposed to carry a lander and two probes and will take about 12 years to reach the icy gas giant.
If the above pictures are any indication, we may find that it is probable for life to exist on a frozen planet. It’s also through looking at the myriad lifeforms here on Earth, that scientists are able to postulate hypothesis about what could evolve on planets and moons in our Solar System and others.
Many of the aliens that I create in my novels are actually based on animals on our planet. For their customs, I use combinations of different ancient cultures. I guess you can say, that the research I do for my aliens is the same way scientists currently speculate about what, or who, could be out there.
The potential for life on others planets seems promising. What wonderful discoveries await us, we can only guess.
Resources:
Related articles
- Antarctic scientists begin drilling towards pristine Lake Ellsworth (itv.com)
- Antarctica braces for influx of invasive species (newswatch.nationalgeographic.com)
- Russian Team Reaches Buried Antarctic Lake (livescience.com)
Posted on 01/22/2013, in Lessons in Sci-Fi and tagged Aliens, Antarctica, character creation, Gas giant, Neptune, sci-fi, science fiction, Triton, Uranus, writing. Bookmark the permalink. 7 Comments.
Very colorful, and yes, what a wondrous world in which we live. They inspire the imagination in so many ways.
As for the flying alligator . . . I’m with Vaughn. Of course, it all depends on its size. Size or not, though, they might be cute, but they have sharp teeth–so does that other thing with the large gaping mouth.
By the way, do you have any cocktail sauce? hehe.
Hi Mark,
I thought the gator was cute. Not sure where that is or if it’s even real. But I want one. He’s just a cutie pie!
We live in such an amazing world. I love learning about different species; the weirder the better!
Yes, I like learning about them, too. They tell us more and more about who we are and about our world. I wonder how many more unknown species exists, hmmm.
Wherever that flying alligator resides, i’m not going there.
Oh come on, he’s cute! I want one as a pet.
Fun article. I’m always amazed by the creativity of our own planet! I can see how odd little creatures are fantastic springboards for your imagination!
Thank you Julie! There are so many interesting animals to learn about and choose from. Our planet rocks!