Mountain Views News          Saturday, March 21, 2015

THE WORLD AROUND US

B4

Mountain Views-News Saturday, March 21, 2015 

20 .m20 .m20 .m20 .m20 .m20 .m20 .m20 .m
THE DIVERSITY OF ALIEN COLORS: HOW TO RECOGNIZE LIFE ON DISTANT PLANETS

A team composed of astronomers and 
biologists has measured the multicolored 
“chemical fingerprints” of 137 different species 
of microorganisms in order to help future 
astronomers recognize life on the surface of 
exoplanets (planets outside our solar system).

 Some of the microorganisms hail from the most 
extreme environments on Earth; taken together, 
the samples should allow for a (cautious) estimate 
of the diversity of biological colors on planets 
other than Earth. The results are available in an 
online catalogue and have also been published 
in the Proceedings of the National Academy of 
Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS).

 Astronomers are gearing up for a new phase 
of exoplanet research, teaming up with biologists 
to formulate search strategies for life on these 
distant planets. So far, these efforts have focused 
on what are known as indirect biosignatures, such 
as byproducts of life that could be detectable in a 
host planet’s atmosphere.

 But if the surface of an exoplanet were 
dominated by one particular life form, a more 
direct form of detection might be possible: a 
detection based on light reflected by that life form, 
taking on a characteristic tint in the process.

 We observe planets by studying starlight 
reflected off their atmospheres or surfaces. When 
Jupiter or Venus shines brightly in the night sky, 
the light you see is sunlight reflected by those 
planets. Alien astronomers making detailed 
observations of Earth would notice a greenish 
tint when sunlight reflected by trees and other 
vegetation reaches their telescopes.

 Similarly, the presence of an alien organism 
covering large swathes of an exoplanet’s surface 
could be measured directly through the imprint 
left by the organism’s pigmentation, the chemical 
makeup that determines its color. This imprint is 
the reflected light’s spectrum: the light split up 
into its component colors, as we see in a rainbow. 
It is the chemical analogue of a fingerprint, 
allowing for the identification of different types of 
microorganisms.

 Now, a group of astronomers and biologists led 
by Siddharth Hegde has teamed up to explore what 
these fingerprints might look like and how diverse 
they could be. Hegde, then a graduate student at 
the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, and 
astronomer Lisa Kaltenegger (Director of the 
Institute for Pale Blue Dots at Cornell University) 
teamed up with biologist Lynn Rothschild, 
postdoctoral fellow Ivan Paulino-Lima, and 
research associate Ryan Kent, all from NASA’s 
Ames Research Center, to explore the full range of 
possibilities for what chemical fingerprints—and 
therefore exoplanet surface biosignatures—could 
look like.

 To this end, the team assembled cultures of 137 
different species of microorganisms: The 137 life 
forms span a variety of colors and are residents of 
a wide range of environments, ranging from the 
Atacama desert in Chile, to seawater in Hawaii, to 
some old woodwork at Salt Spring in Boone’s Lick 
State Park, Missouri.

 The team reflected light off samples from each 
microorganism culture, measured their chemical 
fingerprints, and assembled their findings in an 
online catalog. 

 At the moment, it is not possible to directly 
measure light coming from an Earth-size planet, 
because this light is drowned out by the much-
brighter neighboring starlight. But this database 
is a preparation for the not-too-distant time when 
such direct measurements will be possible. For 
now, Kaltenegger says, “this gives us for the first 
time a glimpse into the detectable signatures of 
the fascinating diversity of worlds that could exist 
out there.”

 

 You can contact Bob Eklund at: b.eklund@
MtnViewsNews.com. 

RAINDANCE

by Christopher Nyerges

 

[Nyerges is the author of several books, including “Enter the Forest” and “How 
to Survive Anywhere.” He can be reached at Box 41834, Eagle Rock, CA 90041, 
or www.ChristopherNyerges.com]


OUT TO PASTOR 

A Weekly Religion Column by Rev. James Snyder

WHY WOMEN LIVE LONGER THAN MEN

There are all kinds of 
studies out there usually 
done by people who have 
nothing more important in the world to do. It is 
amazing how they come up with these various 
topics and studies. There must be somebody 
somewhere, being paid to come up with the most 
ridiculous studies they can think up.

 Usually, I do not pay much attention to these 
surveys. I have more important things to do... like 
living! However, this one caught my attention right 
away. The title of the study was, “Women Live on 
Average Four Years Longer than Men.”

 I was afraid the Gracious Mistress of the 
Parsonage would see this study. My fears were 
allayed when she brought the subject up and drew 
my attention to it.

 Rather smugly, she said, “Look at this article. It 
says that women live longer than men.”

 I was not quite sure what I was in for but I knew 
I was in for it. Throughout the decades of our 
relationship the word “it,” has come to mean a 
variety of things. I never know the definition of “it” 
until after the incident, which puts me in a great 
disadvantage.

 For example, I know I am in for “it,” when I 
come back from the store without the main reason 
she sent me to the store. The “it” is a tongue lashing 
on the merits of getting everything on the list she 
puts there. According to her, the items on the list 
are not suggestions but are put there for a purpose 
and that purpose being me purchasing said items 
when I go to the store.

 I know I am in for “it,” when I lollygag (a 
word she uses often when speaking to me) in the 
backyard instead of getting to the business at hand 
of mowing the grass. In this occasion, the “it” is a 
tongue lashing on the merits of mowing the grass 
in a more timely manner.

 I know I am in for “it,” when I fail to do anything 
on her “honey-do-list” when she is away for several 
days. The “it” is a tongue lashing on the merits 
of doing at least one thing on that list before her 
return.

 When I look at it from this light, it seems to me 
that more often than not, her definition of “it” is a 
tongue lashing.

 Getting back to women living longer than men 
do, I was tempted to opine that the reason is they 
work men to death. However, I knew if I said that I 
would really be in for “it.”

 Being experienced in husband-lore, I smiled and 
simply asked, “Why do you think that is, Honey?”

 I never really understood this matter of “the 
birds and the bees,” until I got married. Wives have 
their “honey-do-lists” and husbands defer to his 
better half as “Honey.” It does not take a birdbrain 
to figure that one out.

 “I’ll tell you why that is,” my wife said with great 
feeling. “The reason women live longer than men is 
that men don’t have enough work to do.”

 Then she threw an old quote that I have heard all 
my life, “Man works from sun up to sun down, but 
a woman’s work is never done.”

 I could have said that men do not lollygag 
around, but just get to the job at hand and gets it 
done. I knew if I responded like this I would really 
be in for “it.”

 “Another thing,” she said with a smirk, “the 
reason women live an average of four years longer 
than men is it takes that long to clean up the mess 
men have made after they die.”

 There are arguments you cannot refute and then 
there are arguments you should not refute. I am 
not sure which category this one fell under but I 
knew I needed to have a “golden” moment.

 Of course, it is hard to argue with statistics. 
The cold hard facts are that women do live on an 
average four years longer than men.

 If the wife works outside the home, she still has 
to work inside the home. The man, on the other 
hand, works outside the home and “lollygags” 
inside the home. I’m not sure why this is but this is 
a point on her side of the chalkboard.

 There was a time in our marriage when I was out 
of work and my wife was the primary breadwinner 
in the home. At that time, I took on the duties of 
the house and the care of the children. After one 
week of her coming home to my home-cooked 
dinners, she graciously assumed the responsibility 
of cooking supper for the family each night when 
she got home. It was not a matter of convenience 
but rather of survival. To say I was a bad cook is to 
denigrate the word cook.

 I do not know if this longevity is different 
between a single woman and a married woman.

 If anybody was an expert on wives, it has to be 
King Solomon in the Old Testament.

 “House and riches are the inheritance of fathers: 
and a prudent wife is from the LORD.” (Proverbs 
19:14 KJV)

 “Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and 
obtaineth favour of the LORD.” (Proverbs 18:22 
KJV)

 Perhaps the primary reason women live longer 
than a man is that women lie about their age. But 
you didn’t hear it from me.

 Rev. James L. Snyder is pastor of the Family of God 
Fellowship, PO Box 831313, Ocala, FL 34483. He lives 
with his wife, Martha, in Silver Springs Shores. Call 
him at 1-866-552-2543 or e-mail jamessnyder2@
att.net or website www.jamessnyderministries.com.

[The following is an 
excerpt from Christopher 
Nyerges’ latest book, 
“Squatting in Los Angeles: 
Life on the Edge,” which 
is available on Kindle or from the store at www.
SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com.] 
It was Tuesday, August the 14th, 1984, the last 
day I’d be working with some of the children at 
the day camp sponsored by the City of Pasadena. 
After their lunch, I began by showing my group of 
children some wild edible plants. These were mostly 
plants that I brought to camp, because, remember, 
the day camp was held at Victory Park, which is a 
large park west of Pasadena High School, and it was 
mostly lawn with some introduced trees and bushes 
along the edges. 

 Next we practiced some Indian sign language of 
the Plains. 

 After that I showed the children some of 
the buffalo gourd leaves which I’d brought. I 
demonstrated how to make soap by wetting a few 
leaves and then vigorously rubbing a few between 
my hands. It’s not the best plant for making soap, 
but it was all that I could collect for that day. 
Each child then made soap from this plant and in 
their very excited way they cleansed their hands, 
splashing and yelling as they did so. 

 The day before, I’d hinted that we might do a rain-
dance, and now, as the children were returning to 
their circle, a few were now asking with their eager 
voice, “Are we going to do the rain-dance now?” 
Once they were all seated, I explained that a rain 
dance is actually not just one thing, and that it 
could take many forms and is usually a part of a 
larger ceremony. 

 I didn’t have a specific “formula” or procedure, 
but rather I was attempting to share several key 
elements with the children. 

 I removed my hand-made clay pipe from its 
container and filled it with tobacco. I carefully lit 
it and puffed on it. The children were silent and the 
teen-age counselors were not sure what to say or do. 

Once the pipe was smoking well, I stood in the center 
and blew smoke to the four directions and to the 
sky and to the earth. I explained to the children that 
I was offering my smoke as a way of giving respect 
and thanks, in an attitude of humility. I didn’t use 
the word “God,” but indicated that this was giving 
respect and thanks to a higher intelligence, a great 
spirit of the universe. The children watched in awe 
with wide eyes. I could tell that they’d never seen 
anything like this before. 

 Then I passed the pipe around the circle for each 
child to take a little puff. Each child nervously 
smoked the pipe as it went around, and I told them 
not to inhale. I explained as we did this that the 
smoking of the pipe was a traditional sign of our 
friendship and unity. 

 Once this was done, I conducted half the children 
in dancing around the outer circle, as the other half 
clapped their hands. We all chanted a simple rain 
chant that I led, and the we all let up a cheer for 
rain. 

My time with the children was over and they all 
departed for their next session. 

 “Is it really going to rain?” a few children 
curiously asked me as they departed. 

 “Of course,” I replied with assurance. “It will 
rain by Saturday.” Of course, I was just expressing 
confidence. I really had no idea whether or not 
this would be “effective,” and I’d not checked any 
weather patterns. For that matter, I’d not even 
planned to do the rain dance until that morning. 

 A heavy rain fell early the following morning. 

By the time I arrived at the day camp on noon 
Wednesday, only a drizzle continued to fall, and 
most of the day camp activities had been moved 
indoors. 

 Some of the children yelled out to me: “We made 
rain! We made rain!” I quickly pointed out that 
we didn’t make anything. Rather, I told them, our 
request was answered. 

 A few children asked with open eyes, “It rained 
from our rain dance, didn’t it?” I answered what I 
believed to be true. “Yes,” I told them. 

 Pursuing the premise that there was a relationship 
between the dance and the rain, I attempted to 
delineate my learning: 

1)We washed ourselves before our little ceremony. 

2) We requested rain in an attitude of humility. 

3) We shared the pipe in a posture of unity and 
friendship. 

4) We sang, chanted, and danced our ceremony not 
“by the book” but with feeling. 

5) And perhaps most important, the ceremony was 
conducted by children. These children were young 
enough to still be uncorrupted by the limitations 
of adult minds. They had never been told that they 
couldn’t invoke rain. So I believe that the innocence 
and lack of prejudice on the children’s part was a 
key factor in the apparent “success” of our rain 
dance. 

 I found that this episode forced me to look at 
myself and the world very differently. What had 
happened here? It was the middle of August when 
there is usually no precipitation, and rain came 
within 15 or so hours of doing a rain dance. 

This led me to research the many recorded episodes 
of rain-making and rain ceremonies among 
Native American traditions, and try to find some 
common elements. Eventually, I compiled a file full 
of newspaper accounts and interviews and book 
excerpts all about rain ceremonies. 

The more I looked into it, and inquired, the key 
idea to keep in mind was that personal attitude was 
the essential ingredient, and that “asking for” or 
“praying for” rain was an inaccuracy. 

It also became clear to me that it is actually a blessing 
that most people are unaware that they have such a 
power over the elementals of nature. You could say 
that our ignorance protects us from the irresistible 
urge to abuse such ability. 

I spoke to Dr. George Fishbeck, L.A. area 
weatherman and meteorologist, and he told me 
that he noted a storm off California’s coast at 7 p.m. 
Tuesday. That evening by 11 p.m., Dr. Fishbeck said 
that he knew rain would fall, but not where. He was 
calling it a freak storm. Someone had called Dr. 
Fishbeck and told him about the rain dance, so he 
already knew about it. He believed that there was 
no connection between the rain dance and the rain, 
discounting the ability of what he called “prayer” 
to affect the weather. Still, Fishbeck told me that he 
recognized and respected the sacred nature of the 
Southwestenr Indians’ rain dances and ceremonies, 
having lived among the New Mexico Indians for 
two years as an anthropologist. 

In the Los Angeles Times of August 16, 1984 on 
the front page, it read “First Rain of Season Snarls 
Traffic, Causes Blackout.” The report read, “The 
first rainstorm of the season struck the Los Angeles 
area with surprisingly heavy showers Wednesday 
morning, spawning a rash of minor accidents 
on slick freeways and power failures affecting 
thousands of customers. Rainfall at the Los Angeles 
Civic Center measured .40 of an inch, nearly 
double the .21 of an inch recorded by this date last 
season, before tapering off in mid-morning.” The 
report talked about auto accidents, blackouts, and 
flash floods up in San Bernardino and Riverside 
Counties, and clear up in Las Vegas.