NASA: 'astrobiology discovery'

This is pretty cool news. Not to be a downer or anything but let's say scientists do find life on other planets, what will that really do exactly? I'm talking microbial life. I mean, I'm not saying it isn't an astronomically huge discovery or that it isn't important but we won't really be able to do much with bacteria. It's sort of like finding the same arsenic bacteria on mars for example..they've probably been around for millions and possibly billions of years except they haven't evolved to anything more than bacteria. It's not like we're discovering as complex as a fish, or cat or something.
 
But if they find bacterial evidance on Mars or any other planet in our solar system that means that life is everywhere. That means there are alien fish, cats, etc all over the place.
 
No Limit said:
But if they find bacterial evidance on Mars or any other planet in our solar system that means that life is everywhere. That means there are alien fish, cats, etc all over the place.
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Who knows. So far the only types of life that can survive in extreme conditions are microbial. Maybe that's as far as they can go in those extreme conditions. Doesn't seem like they have evolved to anything past the microbial stage in billions of years so I remain skeptical.
 
AKIRA said:
Who knows. So far the only types of life that can survive in extreme conditions are microbial. Maybe that's as far as they can go in those extreme conditions. Doesn't seem like they have evolved to anything past the microbial stage in billions of years so I remain skeptical.
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We already know that there are planets in other solar systems that have a very similar atmosphere and temperature to earth. So if we had evidance of life on 2 planets in the same solar system the only rational conclusion you could draw from that is that life is every where in the universe. And considering there are billions of solar systems the odds that life similar to ours is out there would be a pretty much a sure thing.
 
No Limit said:
We already know that there are planets in other solar systems that have a very similar atmosphere and temperature to earth. So if we had evidance of life on 2 planets in the same solar system the only rational conclusion you could draw from that is that life is every where in the universe. And considering there are billions of solar systems the odds that life similar to ours is out there would be a pretty much a sure thing.
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This is true as well. I hope that's the case. My biggest hope is to witness an actual alien life form that's more complex than bacteria. That would be something extraordinary and really change my perspective about life in general.
 
couldnt watch the nasa press conference. can someone who watched it post a summary plz
 
AKIRA said:
This is true as well. I hope that's the case. My biggest hope is to witness an actual alien life form that's more complex than bacteria. That would be something extraordinary and really change my perspective about life in general.
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Yeah that'd be amazing. Would love to see some plants and animals from a distant planet.

I couldn't watch either so would like a summary or something too.
 
it's not an alien :(


Wolfe-Simon's team took mud containing bacteria from the arsenic-rich Mono Lake and grew them in ever decreasing concentrations of phosphorous. Their rationale was that since arsenic is just below phosphorous in the periodic table, and shares many of its chemical properties and is even used as a source of energy for some bacteria, the bugs would be able to swap one for the other. That is just what happened.
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http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19805-arseniceating-bacteria-point-to-new-life-forms.html
 
Remus said:
Why and how would it change your perspective?
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Something completely non-associated with Earth and humans exists on a planet. We're not alone. Actually seeing another life form would be a profound feeling, to me at least. Perhaps we may stumble upon a society? A society that's just as advanced as us maybe? Less advanced but still developping? It's pretty self-explanatory how knowing and witnessing something like that can change ones perspective on life.
 
AKIRA said:
It's pretty self-explanatory how knowing and witnessing something like that can change ones perspective on life.
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For me at least it wouldn't change a damn thing. We've been bombarded so much with such stories in science fiction, that quite honestly I wouldn't bat an eye lid if we had contact with an alien civilization tomorrow.
 
Remus said:
For me at least it wouldn't change a damn thing. We've been bombarded so much with such stories in science fiction, that quite honestly I wouldn't bat an eye lid if we had contact with an alien civilization tomorrow.
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Really? You wouldn't care? Science fiction knows nothing on how actual aliens would look like. Besides if they're not carbon based then for sure they would look NOTHING like anything we've ever seen before. Also the fact that the images you'd be looking at are not man made but real-life photos. I doubt your statement.
 
Stigmata said:
Only marginally related, but it's not worth its own thread while this one is active:

http://reinep.wordpress.com/2010/11...t-admits-that-pyramids-contain-ufo-technology
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28/11/2010 by Ray
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Ray Alex Website reveals the secret leadership of the World Conspiracy known as the Illuminati and the Bilderbergs and other`s that constantly cover up the truth. The website contains over hundreds of articles with information including a real alternative reality.
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Just a nut job

Danimal? Is that you?
 
AKIRA said:
This is true as well. I hope that's the case. My biggest hope is to witness an actual alien life form that's more complex than bacteria. That would be something extraordinary and really change my perspective about life in general.
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I'm not really hopeful that will ever happen. I am convinced that advanced life is out there just because of the odds, but I doubt physics will ever allow us to communicate with them.
 
No Limit said:
I'm not really hopeful that will ever happen. I am convinced that advanced life is out there just because of the odds, but I doubt physics will ever allow us to communicate with them.
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Yea if we ever get into contact with aliens I think it will be them finding us. Or at least until we develop the technology powerful enough to communicate with them in thousands/millions of years from now granted we survive.
 
So we can no longer pine for the discovery of life originating beyond earth?

Awesome.
 
AKIRA said:
Yea if we ever get into contact with aliens I think it will be them finding us. Or at least until we develop the technology powerful enough to communicate with them in thousands/millions of years from now granted we survive.
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I think they are bound by the same shitty physical limitations that we are. I know that they said we would also never land on the moon. But fooling the laws of physics is probably a bit more tricky than landing on the moon.
 
VirusType2 said:
Just a nut job

Danimal? Is that you?
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YOU'RE A NUT JOB

Honestly though, iwanttobelieveetc and I just can't fathom humans building the Pyramids anymore. The logistics don't make sense.
 
Stigmata said:
Honestly though, iwanttobelieveetc and I just can't fathom humans building the Pyramids anymore. The logistics don't make sense.
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I find the Pyramids amazing. I can't figure out how humans back then were capable of building that, and I don't think science can either (I could be totally wrong on that). But the idea that there are secret alien artifacts hidden within the pyramids I think you would agree is pretty ****ing nuts.
 
It is fairly nuts, yeah. I don't believe that part of it, but I certainly very nearly believe the tales of sky beings imparting wisdom and technology on the Egyptians.
 
People who underestimate the Egyptians and humanity in general thinking we as humans couldn't have POSSIBILITY built the pyramids using the fairly primitive(but still ingenious) methods piss me off.

Stop selling humanity short god dammit!
 
Do we have an actual explanation for how they built them? I'm not trying to start a fight, I'm asking a serious question.
 
No Limit said:
Do we have an actual explanation for how they built them? I'm not trying to start a fight, I'm asking a serious question.
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There are many plausible explanations using technologies and knowledge of the times. The LEAST plausible is that they were told how to build them from aliens. WooooaoOoOOOoOoooo.
 
They're right, this is massive big news. Bacteria have been found to do pretty weird shit before, but never anything this non-conformist. Despite that though, I'm not actually that surprised. Did anyone really think that a double-helix based on two sugar-phosphate backbones linked with organic base pairs was the only possible way of encoding genetic information? All that is necessary for genetic inheritance is a molecule or system of molecules that is capable of a) determining the structure of an organism and b) replicating reliably. Who even says that has to be a double helix? Indeed, the very first life forms can't have used DNA as their inheritance unit, as it's way to complicated to spontaneously arise from the primordial soup by chance. Life must have started out simpler and evolved to use DNA as an inheritance unit. Surely DNA has evolved the way it has because of the prevailing conditions on Earth, i.e. relatively abundant phosphorus and not very much arsenic.
What I'm saying is that I think it would be wrong to rule out the existence of extra terrestrial life that doesn't use our inheritance system, even without knowing of these new bacteria. Although I would probably draw a line at non-carbon based life.
Correct me if I'm talking bullshit.

No Limit said:
Do we have an actual explanation for how they built them? I'm not trying to start a fight, I'm asking a serious question.
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Quite a bit of research has been done I think, and people still argue about it. I've seen at least one documentary on it, showing all kinds of ingenious shit going on. The innards of the pyramids aren't just solid stone, there are all sorts of internal structures that were built solely to help them build the rest of the pyramid. I forget the details, but I'm pretty sure the great pyramid has a massive ramp inside it for transporting blocks or something.
 
Raziaar said:
There are many plausible explanations using technologies and knowledge of the times. The LEAST plausible is that they were told how to build them from aliens. WooooaoOoOOOoOoooo.
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Actually, the least plausible is that they rolled the stones along using smoothed logs - Egypt is a desert and largely only has date trees, which are a primary food source in said desert. To roll enough stone to make the Great Pyramid, let alone all the others, you'd need several hundred thousand trees, which would destroy the environment and likely cause all the workers to starve.

At least aliens have tractor beams :p
 
Raziaar said:
There are many plausible explanations using technologies and knowledge of the times. The LEAST plausible is that they were told how to build them from aliens. WooooaoOoOOOoOoooo.
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Well I agree with you that the aliens showed them how to do it is the least likely explanation. But there is something really amazing about the amount of work and technology required to accomplish something like that. We are talking about hauling rocks that were 100 tons many kilometers and then mounting them at the top of the pyramid with the kind of precision that wouldn't allow a sheet of paper to go through the cracks. That is some serously crazy shit for people to do thousands of years ago. And I can't understand how they did it.
 
Doesn't the Great Pyramid house a giant alien machine that is capable of sucking the energy from our sun?
 
Godron said:
Quite a bit of research has been done I think, and people still argue about it. I've seen at least one documentary on it, showing all kinds of ingenious shit going on. The innards of the pyramids aren't just solid stone, there are all sorts of internal structures that were built solely to help them build the rest of the pyramid. I forget the details, but I'm pretty sure the great pyramid has a massive ramp inside it for transporting blocks or something.
Click to expand...

I've watched dozens of documentaries and read quite a few articles on the Egyptians and the possible methods of construction of the pyramids and transportation of blocks... and not once have I ever in my life stopped and thought, "Those stupid men thousands of years ago could have never done such a thing!"

I really just don't understand the people who think that mankind wasn't capable of achieving great technological feats. It undermines our ancestors and it undermines our current technological progress. The things we are capable of doing today is just a result of the human ingenuity and inventiveness that has been with us as we've continued to evolved.

I mean shit, what kind of stuff are people going to deny humanity next? Archimedes and Hero of Alexandria were just understudies of little green alien! The Nazca lines were just alien graffiti! It's not possible for man to have done such things!
 
^ If you love men so much you should marry them.
 
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