You Who Are Called by a Thousand Names

MOTHER EARTH, YOU WHO ARE
CALLED BY A THOUSAND NAMES,
MAY ALL REMEMBER WE ARE
CELLS IN YOUR BODY
AND DANCE TOGETHER.

~ Starhawk

Of Note: Starhawk reminds us that we are cells in the body of Mother Earth, but that begs the question: what was the origination of that cellular life? One researcher thinks he might have the answer and his findings were published this month in the Journal of Cosmology. Dr. Richard Hoover, an astrobiologist at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, believes he has found signs of fossil life in a meteorite that fell in 1846 and thought to date back 4 billion years. Some pooh-pooh his idea, saying that this represents contamination after the projectile landed on earth and believe the evidence should have been published on April 1st. However, Dr. Hoover is sticking to his assertion that the fiber-like structure seen under electron-microscopy looks similar to cyanobacteria and an inability to detect any nitrogen means the structure is ancient. The controversial scientist responded: "I can only make my observations based on the evidence that I see . . . if the structures are confirmed to be of biological but unearthly origin, that would serve as fresh evidence that life can make its way through outer space and 'seed' planets, including our own." We can only hope that scientists like Dr. Hoover continue to observe and publish. Visionary pioneers like him are the hope that someday scientists will uncover the origins of life in the universe, leaving the naysayers in the dust.

Today's Weather Report: The sun shone periodically at 14 degrees Fahrenheit but I did not step outside to find that out personally. Various phone calls from friends took up the whole afternoon, and it was dark by the time the last one was finished. Even though we have email, texting and tweeting now, nothing can beat the phone for staying really connected to other human beings, and I would highly recommend it.