http://www.cbsnews.com/news/across-cosmic-history-intelligent-life-common/

What are the odds that intelligent life evolved on Earth and nowhere else among the 20 billion trillion stars in the observable universe across 13.8 billion years of cosmic history?

About one in 10 billion trillion, according to researchers writing in the journal Astrobiology -- meaning it's very, very unlikely humanity is unique across the sweep of cosmic space and time.

Put another way, even if life evolves on only one planet in a billion orbiting in the habitable zone of its star -- the region where water can exist as a liquid and life as it's known on Earth could, in theory, evolve -- "that still means it's happened on the order of 10 trillion times," said Adam Frank, an astronomer at the University of Rochester.

Armed with data from NASA's Kepler space telescope showing planets are commonplace, Frank and Woodruff Sullivan, an astronomer at the University of Washington, decided to take a fresh look at the Drake equation, developed in 1961 by astrophysicist Frank Drake as a way of making a rough estimate of how common technological civilizations might be across the Milky Way galaxy.

The Drake equation combines three terms from astronomy -- the frequency of star formation, the fraction of those stars that host planets, and the number of planets with environments suitable for life -- with three "biological" terms -- the fraction of such planets with life of any sort, the fraction that might have developed intelligent life, and the number of civilizations capable of making their presence known across interstellar distances.

A seventh term indicates how long civilizations might maintain the technology needed to make their presence known.

/snip

This could cause a kerfuffle or two with some fundies I know.

http://winningdemocrats.com/georgia-republican-casually-admits-his-religious-freedom-bill-protects-the-kkk-video/

On Friday, Georgie Senate Republicans likely violated the U.S. Constitution by passing a “religious liberty” bill that protects homophobes. The bill, which allows “any individual or ‘faith-based’ business, non-profit entity, or taxpayer-funded organization to ignore any law that conflicts with their religious beliefs about marriage” also applies to racists as well.

Known as the Georgia First Amendment Defense Act (FADA), the bill was defended by its sponsor Republican Senator Greg Kirk, who couldn’t care less that hate groups like the KKK might also be protected under his legislation. Kirk showed just how racist he could be when Democratic State Senator Emanuel Jones pointed out that Kirk’s bill might unintentionally backfire. Jones, who is black, asked Kirk, “We’re all familiar with the terms KKK, meaning the hate organization Ku Klux Klan.”

Kirk squirmed a little before answering “I’ve read about them, yes.”

Jones continued, making the argument that Kirk’s bill had loopholes that concerned the African American community. Educating Kirk that by protecting “faith based” organizations, FADA was actually protecting the KKK (which believe it or not, is faith-based), Jones said:

“Some of my heritage have done a lot more than just read about them. My concern is, couldn’t that organization if they chose to do so identify themselves as ‘faith based’?”

/snip

http://theoutmost.com/news/pagan-group-tells-american-homophobes-fuck-off/

In a Facebook message to the Pagan Federation Ireland, an American named Sarah writes that she and her fiance, who are planning to marry and honeymoon in Ireland, are Odinists (an ‘indigenous form of heathen religion practised by the Angles, Saxons and Jutes’) seeking “similarly- minded” clergy to conduct the service.

She goes on to state that the couple would prefer “someone who only performs heterosexual ceremonies and refrains from marrying those of mixed races.”

The Pagan Federation Ireland‘s response was short, sweet and fantastic: ‘Hello Sarah, we are most happy to report that none of our clergy subscribe to your views on mixed race or gay marriage, and so we cannot assist you in your upcoming visit to Ireland,’ reads the response, before adding, ‘Fuck off. Yours very sincerely, everyone at Pagan Federation Ireland.’

/snip



Gotta love the Irish.

Enough said.