Life on other Worlds?

[22sa]

I suppose we could colonize Saturn's moons one day. Observing Saturn's beauty would automatically make those moons worth living on, right?

So the colonists spent their days studying Saturn, drinking the moon's water, communicating with earth, writing new fantasy stories.

Traveling to the moon shouldn't be a big deal given our nuclear propulsion technology. Only problem is that the cost isn't really justifiable. I'd personally give a good share of my income into colonizing Europa's moons, but I doubt society on the whole cares to.

I don't believe there's life out there within a distance of 4 light years way from earth. The only planets that's been seen so far are gas planets. And gas planets are only good for eye candy.

Beyond 4 light years away from earth, there's no reason for there not to be an resourceful, habitable planet with the right climate somewhere though. I don't think there's life there, but I'd love for mankind to bring life there.

 

[The Scientist]

I was always a fan of the Big Crunch myself (a nice, almost epic closure), but I think that's basically been proven wrong, right? But still, who wouldn't want to become a Black Hole Singularity?

I support the Big Crunch theory.

As more and more matter is "formed", the total amount of gravity increases (more dips and pockets in space-time). Eventually, the force of gravity will be enough to halt the universal expansion and pull everything back inward. The now-ultracompressed, ultraheated matter will likely explode with a force equal to the original Big Bang.

In short, Big Bang, Crunch, repeat ad infinitum.

One thing I think is interesting is the concept of matter conservation. The particles that make me could, in the next iteration of the universe, make a new human...

Long-term reincarnation, anyone?

I wonder which generation of the universe we're in. Maybe the first... maybe the 8th... maybe more?

 

[s0nido]

Obviously, there'd be life on other planets. It might not be intelligent, but there should be life somewhere else in the universe. I mean, the universe is so extensive that it would be impossible for there not to be other life forms.

 

[dc_united]

There is life out there, and probably more advanced then us. Think about it- we're late starters in evolution. We had to wait 65 million years or more for our ancestors to grasp the concept of walking on their hind legs. Maybe if dinosaurs had never been wiped out by a massive asteroid that raised all seven levels of hell in 10 minutes, maybe raptors would be the dominant species and already be making contact with aliens.

Searching for life in the galaxy with the methods available to us now is like looking for a minnow in an Olympic-sized pool filled with ink. Next to impossible.

Now Earth is a fairly new planet (4.5 billion years estimated) there are going to be star systems twice as old as ours, and those would probably be the ones that hold life. And if the life out there is taking the same approach to the search for life that we are, God help us all. Scanning deep space for radio waves is not the way to search for life. It's a waste of time, money, and resources.

Further more, our scientists have somehow gotten the idiotic idea that all life has to evolve on planets exactly like ours. There could be methane based life or silicon based life. If it's a chemical, then it's possible that some kind of life evolved around it. Which means we shift our gaze away from the big picture and into a smaller and smaller area of interest.

 

[1KewlDude]

Life on other planets is possible.
Earth is not just some "accident" that ended up with life.

In fact, there is evidence that we were visted by aliens hundreds on hundreds of years back.
(It's actually quite interesting if you don't know what I'm talking about, I suggest you search it up.)

lol... you don't even understand how much of an accident it is that there is life on Earth. It was a miracle that a mass just the right size collided with Earth and formed the moon, which we wouldn't be able to live without. It's a miracle that the Earth is in just the right position to be the right temperature for life to exist. It's a miracle that Jupiter was created, it protects us from many floating masses in space with it's size, imagine if it wasn't there one of it's moons could have collided with Earth... wouldn't have been pretty. Also there were like a million things that happened which made it impossible for life to exist. For example, at one time the oceans contained a lot of iron, the iron would form compounds with oxygen to form iron oxide (rust). It would collide with land and stay there, but of course inevitably the iron ran out meaning that the oxygen which was being created by a very simple life form known as stromatolites (I think) was finally able to released out into the atmosphere.

I'm sure there are a few more miracles as to how life is sustainable on Earth and because of all the miracles we should be grateful for our lives. Based on the fact that all these miracles happened, I find it hard to believe that another planet is as lucky as ours. However, I had a discussion with a science teacher about this and he told me that considering there are millions of galaxies which contain many solar systems with stars and planets the chance that a miracle like Earth could happen at least one more time is actually quite likely.

Also, someone commented about life being able to sustain itself without oxygen or water and I see how you could think that but it's highly unlikely. All organisms (that we know of) need oxygen for respiration which occurs in every cell of our body. This converts glucose into energy which separates us from rocks. With energy we can perform all of the life processes that make us living: move, respire and grow. It could be possible, but I don't see how that could happen.

 

[The Scientist]

lol... you don't even understand how much of an accident it is that there is life on Earth. It was a miracle that a mass just the right size collided with Earth and formed the moon, which we wouldn't be able to live without. It's a miracle that the Earth is in just the right position to be the right temperature for life to exist. It's a miracle that Jupiter was created, it protects us from many floating masses in space with it's size, imagine if it wasn't there one of it's moons could have collided with Earth... wouldn't have been pretty. Also there were like a million things that happened which made it impossible for life to exist. For example, at one time the oceans contained a lot of iron, the iron would form compounds with oxygen to form iron oxide (rust). It would collide with land and stay there, but of course inevitably the iron ran out meaning that the oxygen which was being created by a very simple life form known as stromatolites (I think) was finally able to released out into the atmosphere.

I'm sure there are a few more miracles as to how life is sustainable on Earth and because of all the miracles we should be grateful for our lives. Based on the fact that all these miracles happened, I find it hard to believe that another planet is as lucky as ours. However, I had a discussion with a science teacher about this and he told me that considering there are millions of galaxies which contain many solar systems with stars and planets the chance that a miracle like Earth could happen at least one more time is actually quite likely.

Also, someone commented about life being able to sustain itself without oxygen or water and I see how you could think that but it's highly unlikely. All organisms (that we know of) need oxygen for respiration which occurs in every cell of our body. This converts glucose into energy which separates us from rocks. With energy we can perform all of the life processes that make us living: move, respire and grow. It could be possible, but I don't see how that could happen.

First mistake: "that we know of".
Second mistake: Anaerobic life does exist.

Restating: life may not necessarily need exact-Earth conditions to exist. Life adapted to Earth, not the other way around.

 

[1KewlDude]

First mistake: "that we know of".
Second mistake: Anaerobic life does exist.

Could you name some please?

Restating: life may not necessarily need exact-Earth conditions to exist.

I never said that it wasn't possible, I just said that we have no proof that life can live without certain things such as water. I'm not too sure about oxygen, but one thing I do know is that astronomers normally look for water on a planet as a first sign of possibility that there is life on the planet.

Life adapted to Earth, not the other way around.

Well that's like saying that there is life of every planet and that life on each planet has adapted to it's own planet... I think not lol. Life adapts to Earth as it changes, but for life to begin certain things had to have happened and conditions met... I don't see anything living on Mars lool

 

[poopnoodle]

Could you name some please?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaerobic_organism

I never said that it wasn't possible, I just said that we have no proof that life can live without certain things such as water. I'm not too sure about oxygen, but one thing I do know is that astronomers normally look for water on a planet as a first sign of possibility that there is life on the planet.

Scientists actually go through various methods in searching for extra-terrestrial life. They seek radio signals and laser beams, examine meteorites, etc. Other characteristics they look for are sulfur and carbon dioxide.

Well that's like saying that there is life of every planet and that life on each planet has adapted to it's own planet... I think not lol. Life adapts to Earth as it changes, but for life to begin certain things had to have happened and conditions met... I don't see anything living on Mars lool

Evidence indicating that floating liquid has existed on Mars at one point has been found, the idea that life could have taken place on Mars at one point is conceivable.

 

[1KewlDude]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaerobic_organism

Thanks, but this is not intelligent life... it's bacteria lol

I don't believe that complex and intelligent life such as humans can exist without water and oxygen.

Scientists actually go through various methods in searching for extra-terrestrial life. They seek radio signals and laser beams, examine meteorites, etc. Other characteristics they look for are sulfur and carbon dioxide.

That may be true but it doesn't suggest that scientists believe that life can exist without water and oxygen.

Evidence indicating that floating liquid has existed on Mars at one point has been found.

Floating liquid...? There is actually water on Mars which is frozen. However the conditions aren't correct for life. I believe I heard that very simple life-forms have been discovered on mars but they were dead or something, meaning that at one point the conditions were livable. It is believed that if a proper atmosphere was created on Mars with enough CO2 to create a global warming effect humans could live on Mars as the atmosphere would be better and the temperature would be suitable.

 

[Desert Spirit!]

I strongly Believe that there are life in other Worlds! It is impossoble that Earth is the only planet that holds life! The Universe is Huge and Vast our Technology is not to advanced yet to even get out of our Solar System..So there is no proof that there are Life in other Moons and Planets, but there is gotta be Life out there!

 

[twocows]

People who think that, in all of the Universe, Humans and things that live on Earth are the only species, are just stupid.

Call me stupid, I'll call you stupid back. Stupid.

Don't make personal attacks based on someone's thoughts on something that can't be proven true or false. That just makes you an idiot.

Personally, I prefer to speak in terms of odds. I'd say there's probably a 1/40 chance of there being other life in the universe. However, I'd say it's closer to 1/4000 for there being other intelligent life in the universe. The process that likely spawned the first organisms on our planet (probably similar to the viral organisms we see today) would not require circumstances that are that unusual. However, for those organisms to evolve into something with human-like intelligence would be extremely unlikely.

 

[22sa]

If there's another planet with climate like earth, there should be life on it.

But it doesn't matter at all if there's life on it, what matters is actually finding another planet like ours.

How big's the milky way I wonder...

 

[piece of something]

it doesn't even have to have a similar climate to earth...for all we know they may not need oxygen to survive like we do...they could drink liquid magma and poop granite...

anyway...there is life on other planets. i know this. trust me.

 

[Charizard★]

I believe in life on other planets.
I mean, the universe is an infinitely expanding mass of unknown matters, and infinite galaxies.
There isn't a possibility that there is not any life, or even, intelligent life, on another planet somewhere in the void we call the universe.
The cosmos can be a complicated, mysterious place, and still is, but it is my hope to one day travel to around the solar system, or even more!

I agree, there can be life on other planets, there is still unexplored planets that could hold life.

 

[♣Gawain♣]

If there's another planet with climate like earth, there should be life on it.

But it doesn't matter at all if there's life on it, what matters is actually finding another planet like ours.

How big's the milky way I wonder...

For all I know, the candidate for an earth-like planet(including climate) is Gliese 581 d, whose star is a red dwarf. Maybe there is life because it resides in the habitable zone of a star, which varies depending on the type of star. If it's a dwarf, the HZ is close to the star. If it's a giant, then the HZ will be farther out.

And our galaxy's size is approx 100,000 light years across.

it doesn't even have to have a similar climate to earth...for all we know they may not need oxygen to survive like we do...they could drink liquid magma and poop granite...

anyway...there is life on other planets. i know this. trust me.

Maybe. But today, life requires water and oxygen.

 

[lx_theo]

I believe finding life on other planets is inevitable assuming we don't get wiped out ourselves. Until then, we can only speculate, and I believe there is. People do need to understand that evolution is a very long process. Life found may be in early to later stages.I think earlier stages are much more likely, but that's dependent on whether its easier for life to astart or species to evolve. Later stages had followed many routes in that evolution that went hand in hand with their planet's environment, probably creating something completely different that anything we've ever seen. To assume sentient life otherwise is going to be oxygen breathing humanoids seems a bit arrogant to me.

Maybe. But today, life requires water and oxygen.

Really? Cause on earth we do have bacteria that east rock. And from my knowledge, bacteria is life as well.

 

[Graceful]

There MUST be life on other planets, otherwise the universe is wasted!

 

[TRIFORCE89]

I definitely think there's life out there. Whether it's "intelligent" or not, I'm not sure, but I find it absolutely absurd to think that in an expanding "infinite" universe, we're the only planet with life.

Do I think we'll meet/communicate with life from other planets? No, probably not. Not for a looooong time anyway.

^^^^

This. Just about word for word.

 

[22sa]

For all I know, the candidate for an earth-like planet(including climate) is Gliese 581 d, whose star is a red dwarf. Maybe there is life because it resides in the habitable zone of a star, which varies depending on the type of star. If it's a dwarf, the HZ is close to the star. If it's a giant, then the HZ will be farther out.

And our galaxy's size is approx 100,000 light years across.



Maybe. But today, life requires water and oxygen.

Interesting! I wish we could learn more about it.

Imagine if we sent a spaceship traveling 2 000 000 m/s from earth and it collides into something haha.

But if all speed is relative, shouldn't the spaceship be able to continously accelerate, eventually past 2 998 000 m/s relative to the earth, past the speed of light?

But too bad, even if a spaceship reachers Gliese, it'd never be able to communicate with earth. =[

Earth and Gliese are related in that our solar systems both orbit the black hole in the centre of the Milky Way, but relation is like... way beyond the time we little human lives deal with. Maybe the studies into dark matter can reveal new, faster connections, humanly useful connections between Gliese and Earth.

Darn! How will we conquer our Galaxy!? XDDD Hehe!

 

[piece of something]

Maybe. But today, life requires water and oxygen.

There is no way we can be sure of that when considering the entire universe.