life on other planets infinitely impossible or rather, probable?

[z0sa]

Life on earth emerged very quicky after the mass collisions of the early solar system ended. Other than an RNA history to our DNA exclusive world, there is no evidence any other spontaneous form of life ever competed with our earliest ancestors. Why is this? Is it because life emerging is so incredibly rare as to be essentially miraculous in nature? If not, I submit DNA must therefore be proof of the opposite, a common denominator all potentially life bearing planets - making extraterrestrial life not only probable, but related on a fundamental level to life here on earth.

Yet then why can we not replicate abiogenesis in the laboratory? Im just a layman, perhaps some of the more educated folk here can share their ideas on why DNA has always dominated here, even in our earliest microbial incestors.

[Avante]

The mistake we humans make is thinking because we need this n' that to sustain life everyone/everything else does. We can't live underwater but fish can, we can't fly but birds can.

While I do doubt there is any life on the planets in our solar system, I have no doubts that somewhere out there we find other life forms totally different than what we find here on earth.

The real mystery to me is how they travel from far out in space to earth. Is there a way station along the way? Sort of a truck stop.


Way Station is a 1963 science fiction novel by Clifford D. Simak, originally published as Here Gather the Stars in two parts in Galaxy Magazine in June and August 1963. Way Station won the 1964 Hugo Award for Best Novel.

[z0sa]

The mistake we humans make is thinking because we need this n' that to sustain like everyone/everything else does. We can't live underwater but fish can, we can't fly but birds can.

While I do doubt there is any life on the planets in our scolar system, I have no doubts that somewhere out there we find other life forms totally different than what we find here on earth.

The real mystery to me is how they travel from far out in space to earth. Is there a way station along the way? Sort of a truck stop.


Way Station is a 1963 science fiction novel by Clifford D. Simak, originally published as Here Gather the Stars in two parts in Galaxy Magazine in June and August 1963. Way Station won the 1964 Hugo Award for Best Novel.

The whole e=mc2 thing kinda ruins most sci fi propositions. And time of course. The greatest civilization in universal history may have pasted 1 billion years, and what does that concern us five billion or even just 500,000 years in the future?

[Avante]

The whole e=mc2 thing kinda ruins most sci fi propositions. And time of course. The greatest civilization in universal history may have pasted 1 billion years, and what does that concern us five billion or even just 500,000 years in the future?

Right there is the big mistake we make. We try to use our limitations and knowledge about things that might not be governed by the same laws and limitations. We see 24 hours as a day, maybe there is no such thing as an hour/day etc where they exist. Time is something totally different, as is reproduction, cold, hot etc etc. A whole other set of rules and laws.

I do believe some of those UFO sigthings are legit, so they obviously are on a whole other level than we are when it comes to galactic travel. So they do know something we don't.

[z0sa]

I agree it is impossible finding a sense of scale when you only have yourself to make a comparison and contrast. As NDT points out in Cosmos, apes stacking boxes to a banana in a zoo seems highly advanced for them. But they are unaware theyre in a zoo or being studied. Could not the same situation exist for us? Being totally unaware of our cage, or the studies being performed by higher intelligences.

[Avante]

I agree it is impossible finding a sense of scale when you only have yourself to make a comparison and contrast. As NDT points out in Cosmos, apes stacking boxes to a banana in a zoo seems highly advanced for them. But they are unaware theyre in a zoo or being studied. Could not the same situation exist for us? Being totally unaware of our cage, or the studies being performed by higher intelligences.

No studies on us as individuals like the monkey in a zoo situation but as a tribe/race (earthlings) yes, I can see that. Which brings up the question of what is the motivation there? And how many years (not that time is the same to them) is this going to take and what results are they looking for? And, are things going as they anticipated or are we a huge disappointment?

Is there a compe ion going on out there between the globetrotters, using us (nations) as their chess pieces?

[RD2191]

Fermi Paradox imo. Where is everybody?

[SpursforSix]

Fermi Paradox imo. Where is everybody?

In your mom's goat vag

[RD2191]

In your mom's goat vag

Pay me child support.

[Xevious]

I'll just post what I said in the other thread.

I have no comment on whether or not alien life has ever been to earth or not. But to think that of the trillions and trillions of stars/planetary systems out there that Earth would be the only rock capable of sustaining life... that's just re ed.

And I somewhat agree with Avante here. If we did somehow encounter complex, intelligent organisms from another planet, I think the way they communicate, travel, etc would be incomprehensible to us.

[SpursforSix]

Pay me child support.

Disinfect your mom's vag.

[pgardn]

Life on earth emerged very quicky after the mass collisions of the early solar system ended. Other than an RNA history to our DNA exclusive world, there is no evidence any other spontaneous form of life ever competed with our earliest ancestors. Why is this? Is it because life emerging is so incredibly rare as to be essentially miraculous in nature? If not, I submit DNA must therefore be proof of the opposite, a common denominator all potentially life bearing planets - making extraterrestrial life not only probable, but related on a fundamental level to life here on earth.

Yet then why can we not replicate abiogenesis in the laboratory? Im just a layman, perhaps some of the more educated folk here can share their ideas on why DNA has always dominated here, even in our earliest microbial incestors.

The bolded is not entirely clear.

Its kind of like saying bacteria were the only forms of life because they were able to leave cellular traces of themselves. Before there were organized cells there may have been a mul ude of different types of molecules working together that could self replicate. This gets complicated enough that one really needs a clearer definition of what life is.

[pgardn]

The mistake we humans make is thinking because we need this n' that to sustain life everyone/everything else does. We can't live underwater but fish can, we can't fly but birds can.

While I do doubt there is any life on the planets in our solar system, I have no doubts that somewhere out there we find other life forms totally different than what we find here on earth.

The real mystery to me is how they travel from far out in space to earth. Is there a way station along the way? Sort of a truck stop.


Way Station is a 1963 science fiction novel by Clifford D. Simak, originally published as Here Gather the Stars in two parts in Galaxy Magazine in June and August 1963. Way Station won the 1964 Hugo Award for Best Novel.

And you sir, are still an idiot.

[z0sa]

The bolded is not entirely clear.

Its kind of like saying bacteria were the only forms of life because they were able to leave cellular traces of themselves. Before there were organized cells there may have been a mul ude of different types of molecules working together that could self replicate. This gets complicated enough that one really needs a clearer definition of what life is.

Absolutely true, both points. That said, why are there living single celled bacteria of ancient origin with many times the dna of vastly more complex organisms? To me, in my admittedly layman understanding, that seems to point to the possibility of DNA actually forming independently numerous times, reinforcing the hypothesis all life in the universe ultimately uses DNA. A grand leap, sure, but not a completely unfounded one.

[pgardn]

Absolutely true, both points. That said, why are there living single celled bacteria of ancient origin with many times the dna of vastly more complex organisms? To me, in my admittedly layman understanding, that seems to point to the possibility of DNA actually forming independently numerous times, reinforcing the hypothesis all life in the universe ultimately uses DNA. A grand leap, sure, but not a completely unfounded one.

We think the first forms of life on earth were RNA based.

What about more DNA?

Some of the easiest organisms to study are bacteria solely because they have so little DNA?

[z0sa]

We think the first forms of life on earth were RNA based.

What about more DNA?

Some of the easiest organisms to study are bacteria solely because they have so little DNA?

Honestly cant answer those questions. The rna world stuff sounds cool but is beyond me

[pgardn]

Honestly cant answer those questions. The rna world stuff sounds cool but is beyond me

Actually I'm just saying that on the level bacteria don't have much DNA which is why we study them. The first organism to be completely sequenced was E.Coli. We understand this bacteria better than any other living thing.

[z0sa]

Actually I'm just saying that on the level bacteria don't have much DNA which is why we study them. The first organism to be completely sequenced was E.Coli. We understand this bacteria better than any other living thing.

I misspoke, single celled amoebas are to what i was referring. As for e coli, the definitive proof of evolution can be found when studying the growth and mutation of a colony. I think colonys the right term.

[pgardn]

I misspoke, single celled amoebas are to what i was referring. As for e coli, the definitive proof of evolution can be found when studying the growth and mutation of a colony. I think colonys the right term.

So your talking about Eukaryotic cells and how they evolved from presumably simple prokaryotic cells (bacteria). This is an area of intense research. The leader in the field was a lady named Lynn Margulis. Still a lot of debate last I visited the subject.

And yes bacteria are also easy to study for evolutionary purposes as they multiply and mutate quite rapidly. This includes of course E. coli as well as more species than we can identify.

[Avante]

I don't think anyone is referring to bacteria and such when talking about life in the great unknown, it's intelligent life we are talking about.

To think we are all alone in that vastness is simply naive, that cannot be the case and it should be obvious.

[TE]

Read an article on panspermia. A while back. Very interesting.

http://www.techtimes.com/articles/80...c-outbreak.htm

[z0sa]

I'll just post what I said in the other thread.

And I somewhat agree with Avante here. If we did somehow encounter complex, intelligent organisms from another planet, I think the way they communicate, travel, etc would be incomprehensible to us.

Im not a big fan of the incomprehensible technology perspective personally, though its as good an answer as any. Just seems like a self defeating concept that is by definition illogical since the technology IS comprehensible at some level of existence or evolution or whatever. Lol. Jm2c.

[pgardn]

I don't think.

Then don't propose what you don't have a clue about.

[z0sa]

So your talking about Eukaryotic cells and how they evolved from presumably simple prokaryotic cells (bacteria). This is an area of intense research. The leader in the field was a lady named Lynn Margulis. Still a lot of debate last I visited the subject.

And yes bacteria are also easy to study for evolutionary purposes as they multiply and mutate quite rapidly. This includes of course E. coli as well as more species than we can identify.

Ah, i see. Thanks for clarifying. Still, it is certainly strange seeing single celled creatures full of junk DNA.

[Avante]

Then don't propose what you don't have a clue about.

Why the aggression, be cool and relax.

This thread has some potential no need for you to spoil it, ok?

Other life forms in the galaxies an interesting topic, something most of us have considered.