News from outer space

The Record.com (Dec 2, 2006)

Look up to the sky and wonder. Who knows if a meteorite formed a few years ago is heading our way, bringing a science lecture with it?

This isn't as far fetched as it sounds. The journal Science has just revealed that a meteorite found in January 2000 on Tagish Lake in the Yukon may contain hints about the way life began. NASA, the American space agency, analyzed the meteorite -- let's just call it the rock from outer space -- and concluded it contained the type of organic compounds that could have been responsible for starting life on Earth.

Incredibly, the NASA scientists suspect the meteorite was formed 4.5 billion years ago and comes from a distant part of the solar system.

What a wonderful discovery. We humans are indeed curious creatures. We want to know everything about our world and the world beyond the horizon.

The truth is, however, that we are only just beginning our exploration. It was only in the last century when we learned how to fly or how to create the sophisticated gadgetry that enables us to examine outer space and the products that have come from it.

Yes, let the mind wander -- again. What will we humans be learning in 10, 20 or perhaps 50 years? There is no reason to doubt that our curiosity is going to lead us to know more and more about who we are and how we got to where we are.