Scientists Confront 'Weird Life' on Other Worlds

SPACE.com ^ | Friday, May 7, 2004 | Leonard David

[whereasandsoforth]

It is so romantic to think of life elsewhere besides earth. It takes an "open mind" to see the possibilities. Why is it nor just as open-minded to assume there is no living forms within our physical area of the universe?

God, Who is and will always Be a mystery, may have several earth-like experiments going on in the vastness of the endless universe. If that is true, my open mind tells me they are far enough apart that they will never know the existence of the others.

Except for earth, our solar system and beyond, within our reach, is as dead as my Aunt Matty. It takes an open-mind to come to this conclusion.

[ColoradoSlim]

I think the recent discovery of trace amounts of methane on Mars is fascinating and revealing. Trace amounts of methane should strongly point to bacterial activity, past or present. I don't accept the hydrocarbon contamination by comets crap. It will be a very shot time before life is confirmed to have existed on Mars, or is there presently. I refuse to believe that the architect of this beautiful and perfect universe would leave it unpopulated save for one tiny planet in an obscure solar system residing along side billions of stars in an unremarkable galaxy, etc. etc.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[cripplecreek]

As a methodist ive never run into a conflict between evolution and creationism. The fact that life was created out of dead elements is pretty amazing to me.

[hosepipe]

[ What are the limits of organic life in planetary systems? It’s a heady question that, if answered, may reveal just how crowded the cosmos could be with alien biology ]

If evolution is a fairy tale for adults. This could be merely rumors about the fairy..

[Physicist]

Why is it nor just as open-minded to assume there is no living forms within our physical area of the universe?

Because A) there's only one way for it to be lifeless, and many ways for it not to be, and B) we exist, therefore we know life is possible.

[Skywalk]

"You are ugly bags of mostly water."

[ColoradoSlim]

Perhaps one might argue, that from God's glorious "creation", "evolved" our amazing and beautiful universe.

Many of the world greatest scientists of the last several centuries were Christians.

[PatrickHenry]

Many of the world greatest scientists of the last several centuries were Christians.

Yes. And all of the great thinkers in Classical Greece were pagans. Poor ol' Zeus, he gets no respect these days.

[Reeses]

"What is life?"

A blade of grass is a life form. At some point computers will have to be included as well. What's cool about that is we are their God. Will they worship us someday or be embarrassed?

[van_erwin]

What's the "East Village?"

[Momaw Nadon]

[van_erwin]

A) there's only one way for it to be lifeless, and many ways for it not to be,

Actually, there are a nearly infinite number of ways for it to be lifeless, and a very (relatively) small number of ways for life to exist. Even for the Universe to exist at all required such a staggeringly improbable set of conditions that it's the greatest of all miracles that it came to be.

[ServesURight]

Starship Troopers BUMP.

[Kenny Bunk]

Amazing how NASA scientists may be finally catching up with Robert Heinlein.

[BlazingArizona]

We tend to think within our own sphere of knowledge. Just because life on earth is carbon based doesn't mean life elsewhere can't be copper or helium based.

our search for life centers on carbon because of all elements, carbon is the most flexible at linking atoms of itself to form complex structures, from the benzene ring to buckyballs. Boron and silicon have a subset of this same power, so it is remotely possible that we will eventually encounter silicon-based life out there. There is a still higher probability that we will create it ourselves.

[DoctorMichael]

"....copper or helium....."

The Horta: THIS is the example that immediately came to my mind as a proposed Silicon-based life-form.

Actually, there was some thought that went into the writing of this particular Star Trek episode...........

Silicon occupies the same "column" as does Carbon on the Periodic Chart of Elements meaning that it contains the same electronic configuration and therefore has similar chemical properties.

[Michael Barnes]

ping..

[Momaw Nadon]

Silicon life might not look like animated crystals, as in this drawing from Dickinson and Schaller. Structural elements could well be in threads, like fiberglass, connected by tensor elements to create flexible, delicate, possibly even filmy structures

[DoctorMichael]

"....silicon have a subset of this same power....."

See my Post #37. I tried posting an accompanying Periodic Chart but it didn't work for some reason. You are essentially correct, just using the wrong terminology (ie. "subset of this same power" = "chemical properties").

Google a 'Periodic Table' to check me ('C' is right above 'Si').