Life in the universe

[Bobby Sands]

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[tupac4li4e]

Originally Posted by Jokerman

All scientific evidence supports the belief that the laws of physics are the same throughout the universe. Therefore it’s to be expected that the conditions for life could occur elsewhere. The oldest evidence of life is found in rocks that are 3.8 billion yrs old. This is only a few hundred million years after the oldest rocks formed after the Earth’s surface solidified. Therefore the initiation of life here seems to have been a very probable event even though the substructure of our universe is not. If it hadn’t happened in the first several hundred million years there were still billions of years left in which it could happen. I don’t believe there’s a big question of whether life is unique here or not just because we haven’t discovered any in our limited search. That’s actually a religious stance, like this planet was the chosen one. Just because all other local planets appear to be dumb as rocks doesn’t mean a thing. I believe we can rationally posit life as relatively common throughout the universe. Since solar systems are very common, at least primitive life must be common throughout the universe.

Whether life started here or not is another story. Interstellar transportation of bacteria on fragments of rock that are blasted into space by meteors is very feasible. Spores can lie dormant for more than a hundred million years.

The assertion that biological life is a common phenomenon is supported by more than its rapid development here. The molecules on which our form of life is based commonly occur in space and meteors. The Murchison meteorite was found to contain the building blocks of proteins in 1969. These amino acids were not created by biological processes but simply arose from the complex chemical mix in the meteor in its environment in deep space. Formaldehyde and numerous other organic compounds have been detected in the Giant Molecular Clouds in deep space. These clouds are the nurseries for infant stars. Organic material that can form cell-like membranes has been extracted from meteorites.

All of the chemicals that we are based upon exist in abundance in naturally occurring environments throughout our galaxy of 100 billion stars and throughout the universe of hundreds of billions of similar galaxies.

It’s astounding that we live in a universe in which particles can organize into people and other living beings. Just consider how the energy of the Big Bang spontaneously turned into people. E= people. No inquisitive mind can ignore this fact. How did it happen? Why did it happen? How might the sequence of events have gone differently and failed to produce life? Adding to that wonder is the fact that this depends on an exact delicate physical structure. Had this structure been slightly different in any of a large number of ways, the result would have been a sterile universe. Just a slight change in the amount of energy and matter produced by the Big Bang would have resulted in a universe without galaxies or stars, let alone people. The tip of the iceberg that modern science can see is incredible, but importantly, it hints at a deeper reality that is even more astounding.

There is heaps of awesome input, info and opinions in this thread, it's surprising actually.

Originally Posted by Bobby Sands

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Thanks for that input there Bobby, much respect. A bit too much for a rep though, tone it down next time.

[Preach]

^^ lol

[Da_Funk]

Originally Posted by tupac4li4e

There is heaps of awesome input, info and opinions in this thread, it's surprising actually.

I disagree. Everything that has been posted in here can easily be found on wikipedia, by using a quick google search, or in any first year astronomy/cosmology book, maybe in any first year physics book.

[tupac4li4e]

Originally Posted by Da_Funk

I disagree. Everything that has been posted in here can easily be found on wikipedia, by using a quick google search, or in any first year astronomy/cosmology book, maybe in any first year physics book.

Did I say anything about Wikipedia, or google, or some book ? No, I didn't. So shut your fingers up, you difficult SOB.

You just like disagreeing with me for the fun of it. Don't you? DON'T YOU!? :

[Elmira]

Oy vey. We are getting carried away with numbers... 70 sextillion is an astounding figure, and I'm sure this type of theorizing wets the pants of many men. But all I can think about now is that I have yet to go sailing down the Conneticut River, or apple-picking this season, and in all the things I have to do in my life still I'm not all too concerned with the chance of life on other planets.

I won't even start on the rant that in all likelihood it is impossible for me to read all the books I want to before I die. If there is a planet of life out there where this is posisble I'd get excited.

[tupac4li4e]

Originally Posted by Elmira

Oy vey. We are getting carried away with numbers... 70 sextillion is an astounding figure, and I'm sure this type of theorizing wets the pants of many men. But all I can think about now is that I have yet to go sailing down the Conneticut River, or apple-picking this season, and in all the things I have to do in my life still I'm not all too concerned with the chance of life on other planets.

I won't even start on the rant that in all likelihood it is impossible for me to read all the books I want to before I die. If there is a planet of life out there where this is posisble I'd get excited.

I would have thought, you wouldn't have time to reply to such a thread if it does not concern you and your yet to be fulfilled desires ?

I'm quite the opposite to yourself as this world to me is not that hard to figure out, and really not that much in it gets me going in the way of hapiness or excitement, but there is the ocassional surprise which is nice. Nature I find to be the most beautiful thing on earth to look at and get lost in.... the extact purpose for why I was incarnated into this life I still have to realize a bit more clearly, and then I have to actally take action, which is another story. But pretty much my whole life, no matter what I was doing I have had an extra yearning for knowledge, that isn't really of this world, not this materialistic one we all know anyway.

That and when I was about 11 or 12 which my old man can back me up on, I saw what looked to be a faint shooting star, changing direction at right angles, for about 5 solid seconds beforte it disapeared so that was a big "eye opener" for me as well.

I would have thought most would be interested or at least interested in the thought there could be other life out there, but it's one of those things I think you either accept as a possibility or kind of ignore from a young age.......

Peace out Brothers and Sisters

[PokeHerMan]

Originally Posted by Elmira

it is impossible for me to read all the books I want to before I die. If there is a planet of life out there where this is posisble I'd get excited.

Pluto is such a planet. Oh, wait...it's no longer a planet. Never mind. I'll have to give you a summary of all those books or make you immortal like me.

[Puke]

We are not alone.

[tupac4li4e]

The truth is out there.