Well, it looks like the search is over…kind of. Evidence — apparently quite sound evidence — of alien life has been found.

Although, as I noted on my Twitter feed yesterday evening, they’ve only found evidence of past alien life, not extant alien life. Which is rather a large distinction; we’ve found evidence that dinosaurs existed in the past, but dinosaurs do not exist today. Put more plainly: it seems life emerged elsewhere in the universe, in the past. Does life exist anywhere else in the universe today? That’s a different question, and one this discovery doesn’t (and cannot) speak to.

That said…it’s still pretty cool. What really intrigues me is that most of the space bacteria were similar to Earth bacteria. Are the parameters for life — e.g. the conditions in which it can develop, the required chemical components, etc. — actually quite narrow, then?

And for the record: I for one will be royally, royally chafed if this story proves to be nothing more than viral marketing for Battle: LA.