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re: LIfe on other planets?
Posted on 7/11/13 at 9:57 am to CheeseburgerEddie
Posted on 7/11/13 at 9:57 am to CheeseburgerEddie
quote:
As I said earlier what defines life?
Birth, aging, death, at least a small amount of intelligence, if only to reproduce.
I just think to discuss life only in the earth like parameters is a little naive. I mean, if evolution produces such a wide variety of life on earth, I cant even begin to imagine how it would work somewhere that is nowhere near earth like.
2
Posted on 7/11/13 at 10:02 am to TreyAnastasio
If you want to have a discussion that goes beyond "the universe is huge so there must be life" you have to make parameters. And evolution doesn't occur until life is already present. But i see your point.
Posted on 7/11/13 at 12:14 pm to TreyAnastasio
If you've studied chemistry, especially biochemistry or organic, your opinion about extraterrestrial life is probably close to mine. IMO, life is ubiquitous. Simple life, that is. Some simple chemical mixes display rudimentary characteristics of life. The line between life and not-life.
It's complex lifeforms that may be on the rare side. Simple life began on earth after only a few hundred million years. It persisted as Cyanobacteria for some 3.8 billion years until about 600 million years ago. The so-called "Cambrian explosion" saw the rapid and mysterious evolution of multicellular organisms that ultimately led to us. No one has even a good theory about what caused this sudden shift in evolution.
So, yes, there's plenty of life beyond earth. Complex sentient life? Maybe not so much.
It's complex lifeforms that may be on the rare side. Simple life began on earth after only a few hundred million years. It persisted as Cyanobacteria for some 3.8 billion years until about 600 million years ago. The so-called "Cambrian explosion" saw the rapid and mysterious evolution of multicellular organisms that ultimately led to us. No one has even a good theory about what caused this sudden shift in evolution.
So, yes, there's plenty of life beyond earth. Complex sentient life? Maybe not so much.
This post was edited on 7/11/13 at 12:26 pm
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