re: NASA finds habitable planet – Kepler-186f – but don’t pack just yet

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So any pictures we get from this planet would be from the year 1524.... this might not reflect much on them but, it sure as hell would if they were looking back at us....

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Great observation. Yes, the light arriving at 186f is from 1524 earth. If there is a civilization there that's at least advanced as us, then they'd be able to see that earth is inhabited.

They wouldn't know if we are intelligent though. We've been broadcasting for only the past 100 years or so and it would be another ~400 years before those signals reached 186f.

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I know where the optimism comes from but keep in mind: We haven't even been able to land a person on Mars, let alone travel 3 trillion miles away. Mars is a 9 month trip and you have to think how far away we are with sustaining life -- let alone sustaining life at quantum levels. We will need to adapt our bodies, ships and materials for that and we're no where -near- close. China could barely keep contact with its rover on the Moon and the United States is still the only country to land a rover anywhere else that's successful.

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Physics at the quantum level is weirder than can be imagined. We are composed of quantum level particles so it's logical to think that quantum physics' laws can apply to us as "macroscopic" assemblages of particles.

For example, quantum computers are in the very early stages of development. Their distinct advantage over digital computers? Processing ability on the order of the human brain. In fact, many scientists think our brains are quantum computers.

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What is the currently accepted science on how life started from non-life?

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First we have to answer the question: What is life? Philosophically, I'm a reductionist so I prefer the premise that life is a chemical chain reaction.

Very simply stated: Atoms react to form molecules which form amino acids; amino acids form proteins which go on to build cells and then multicellular organisms. At what stage can we say life exists in this chain reaction?

Most debate centers on viruses. More and more biologists are agreeing that viruses are the most primitive life forms. The majority still hold that single cell organisms are the beginning stage of life, however.

I agree with those who say that viruses are alive. Although viruses do not possess a cell membrane or metabolize on their own, they can make use of cells to perform those functions. They have to parasitize the cells but I don't think that puts them into the category of the nonliving.

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Somebody harped on it earlier and I wonder how long our minds can hold data?

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Holding data needs to be distinguished from processing data. We passed our ability to hold voluminous amounts of information long ago.

We discovered that retaining data was not possible so we invented computers that helped us store it. We routinely tap into this stored data as we live our lives.

The biggest data storage device is, of course, the internet and I've been consulting it frequently in discussion about this thread's topic.

Abiogenesis.