Odds of Life on Nearby Planet '100 Percent,' Astronomer Says

Fox News ^ | 9/30/2010 | Fox News

[Dallas59]

An Earth-size planet has been spotted orbiting a nearby star at a distance that would makes it not too hot and not too cold -- comfortable enough for life to exist, researchers announced Wednesday.

If confirmed, the exoplanet, named Gliese 581g, would be the first Earth-like world found residing in a star's habitable zone -- a region where a planet's temperature could sustain liquid water on its surface.[Illustration of planet Gliese 581g.]

And the planet's discoverers are optimistic about the prospects for finding life there.

"Personally, given the ubiquity and propensity of life to flourish wherever it can, I would say, my own personal feeling is that the chances of life on this planet are 100 percent," said Steven Vogt, a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of California, Santa Cruz, during a press briefing today.

"I have almost no doubt about it."

[Dallas59]

[cripplecreek]

Maybe but I’m 100% certain that such assertions are stupid.

[Question Liberal Authority]

"The Universe is a very big thing that contains a great number of planets and a great number of beings. It is Everything. What we live in. All around us. The lot. Not nothing. It is quite difficult to actually define what the Universe means, but fortunately the Guide doesn't worry about that and just gives us some useful information to live in it.

Area: The area of the Universe is infinite.

Imports: None. This is a by product of infinity; it is impossible to import things into something that has infinite volume because by definition there is no outside to import things from.

Exports: None, for similar reasons as imports.

Population: None. Although you might see people from time to time, they are most likely products of your imagination. Simple mathematics tells us that the population of the Universe must be zero. Why? Well given that the volume of the universe is infinite there must be an infinite number of worlds. But not all of them are populated; therefore only a finite number are. Any finite number divided by infinity is zero, therefore the average population of the Universe is zero, and so the total population must be zero.

Art: None. Because the function of art is to hold a mirror up to nature there can be no art because the Universe is infinite which means there simply isn't a mirror big enough.

Sex: None. Although in fact there is quite a lot, given the zero population of the Universe there can in fact be no beings to have sex, and therefore no sex happens in the Universe."

— Douglas Adams

[fishtank]

Wow.

This guy is so confident about what he doesn’t know.

Another example of the lack of judgment in science.

Fishtank, PhD (engineering)

[EGPWS]

Odds of Life on Nearby Planet '100 Percent,' Astronomer Says

Which side of Pelosi's family is it?

[ken21]

wonder what hugh ross would say?

[Spok]

It’s much higher than the odds of finding intelligent life on earth, especially if you’re on either U.S. coast.

[MarineBrat]

...chances of life on this planet are 100 percent

This "scientist" probably plays the lotto. People bad at math, ping!

[irishtenor]

No sex? I’m leaving.

[sadponies]

Well I’m a 100% sure its gonna rain fudgesickles today, Mr. Astronomer. What do you think of THAT?

[fwdude]

All these years of modern science with the most advanced telescopic and analytical equipment available, and this is the first planet we've ever seen which might support life.

Not unless God puts it there, and that's doubtful.

[RobRoy]

>>Maybe but I’m 100% certain that such assertions are stupid.<<

Yep. I would like to ask him if there was always life on earth, even though, from a few light years away it looked as it does now.

Heck, I would not have balked at a 99% claim. But 100%? No wonder conservatives are skeptical of scientists. We know they are like the rest of us. Some even probably kick puppies when nobody is looking.

[Dallas59]

Lol...there is that possibility you know.

[HerrBlucher]

Bad logic. Once life gets going it flourishes even in the most inhospitable conditions, but getting it started in the first place is the tough part, and the extremely unlikely part, unless of course, there is some assistance.

I would say its far more likely than not that life ONLY exists on Earth. Of course, if the Aliens show up on October 13 as predicted, I will admit I was wrong, but not cheerfully as these critters very likely mean us severe harm.

[GeronL]

You are so right, this was absurd statement

[BillT]

Send in the robot drones to check it out.

[Flavius]

The Answer to the Great Question…Of Life, the Universe and Everything…Is…Forty-two.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
The computer Deep Thought

[Dallas59]

We haven’t been able to find life off the Earth in our own system ....yet.

[cripplecreek]

Being warm enough is no evidence of life. Venus and Mars are both in our sun’s “Goldilocks zone” At the edges yes but still within the zone current theory expects life to exist.

There are lots of other questions that would need to be asked before asserting that life is likely there.

Does the planet have a magnetic field or is it blasted with radiation from its own sun and space?
Has the planet existed long enough for life to evolve?
Is the planet being bombarded with asteroids?

[twister881]

It's a Class M planet, Captain, capable of supporting human life. Recommend setting phasers to "fabulous."