Extraterrestrial life

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pastyboy

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Topic # 96409 26-Jan-2012 16:02

Do people believe in it? I for one have no doubt, I think it's crazy to assume that there's none around apart from us. My question was - how long do you think it will be before us as humans discover extraterrestrial life. And if we do, will we ever get to see it for real?

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Reply # 573697 26-Jan-2012 16:18

life.. almost definately

intelligence...mmmm not too sure about that

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sleemanj

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Reply # 573698 26-Jan-2012 16:19

pastyboy: Do people believe in it? I for one have no doubt, I think it's crazy to assume that there's none around apart from us. My question was - how long do you think it will be before us as humans discover extraterrestrial life. And if we do, will we ever get to see it for real?

Almost certainly there is higher life in the universe other than here.

Somewhat possible we will discover some simple extra terrestrial life form within our solar system, in the next 50 years.

Very likely we will never discover life of any high forms anywhere else, simply because of the vastness of the universe and there obviously being none other than earthly in this solar system.

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sen8or

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Reply # 573699 26-Jan-2012 16:23

Absolutely believe that there is not only life, but intellegent life outside of our little corner of the known universe.

It is just incomprehensible to me, that our little piece of dirt,which is but a spec in our solar system (milky way), which is just a spec in our galaxy, which is just a spec in the known universe is the only inhabited planet.

Are they beings as we perceive, ie Human Beings, little green (or grey) men, more ecclectic creatures like you might find in the starwars films for example, who knows.

pastyboy

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Reply # 573703 26-Jan-2012 16:27

50 years? Really that long? What about the keppler mission, operating for like a year or so, and already finding planets within the habitable zone. About a month ago or so, I read that approx. 4 were in the habitable zone, capable of harboring life. What stops this telescope from discovering tens, if not hundreds more planets like that, during the next 5-10 years, and the scientists to focus their efforts on watching and studying those planets alone? With the rapid, exponential advancements in technology, I'm honestly hopeful we'll be confirming life elsewhere in 10 years or so if not sooner.

Whether it will be intelligent I guess will be left up to chance. But suppose if there's a planet capable of harboring life, with liquid water and the right atmosphere that's been existing for as long as ours, what's there to stop the development of intelligent life, just like on Earth....

Skolink

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Reply # 574047 27-Jan-2012 12:43

I think it is extremely unlikely there is life of any form outside of earth, given the complexity of even the simplist form on earth. So far there is no evidence for it, merely speculation.

ScottStevensNZ

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Reply # 574056 27-Jan-2012 12:55

pastyboy: Do people believe in it? I for one have no doubt, I think it's crazy to assume that there's none around apart from us. My question was - how long do you think it will be before us as humans discover extraterrestrial life. And if we do, will we ever get to see it for real?

OK...So, Michael Jackson dies, and the documented frequency of Alien sightings goes down...think about it, Palid grey skin, big black eyes, no nose, little mouth...which one am I describing?

Seriously, I do think that given the size of the universe and given that life has evolved here it seems reasonable to believe that life has or is evolving somewhere else.

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CYaBro

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Reply # 574068 27-Jan-2012 13:14

I think there certainly has to be life elsewhere.
I mean we are still finding life forms here on earth that we never knew existed.

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sleemanj

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Reply # 574075 27-Jan-2012 13:28

Skolink: I think it is extremely unlikely there is life of any form outside of earth, given the complexity of even the simplist form on earth. So far there is no evidence for it, merely speculation.

We are not talking little green men (yet, unless you are working at SETI), a single cell organism is enough to call it life.

Even in our own solar system, there are real and promising sites where we might find life forms, Mars, Europa and Titan for starters.

Earth just isn't that unique when the vastness of this universe is contemplated, never mind the possibility of other universes.

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LookingUp

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Reply # 574105 27-Jan-2012 14:26

I'm still waiting for signs of intelligent life on Earth!

Seriously though, given the estimated number of stars in the Universe, and the rapidly growing percentage of which are known to have planets, I'm about as certain as it's possible to be without actual proof.

Maybe it's a sign of highly intelligent extraterrestrial life that they're keeping their distance?

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stevenz

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Reply # 574125 27-Jan-2012 15:01

Maybe they're already here and just obeying the prime directive.

There could be planets out there with the dominant intelligent life form being gerbils. FTL travel would be necessary for us to probably ever know for sure, if it's even a possibility.

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mattwnz

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Reply # 574137 27-Jan-2012 15:40

pastyboy: Do people believe in it? I for one have no doubt, I think it's crazy to assume that there's none around apart from us. My question was - how long do you think it will be before us as humans discover extraterrestrial life. And if we do, will we ever get to see it for real?

Life on earth probably orginated from somewhere else in the universe, so I don't think ther eis much doubt there is life elsewhere. But that may only be bacteria, or basic life forms.

DravidDavid

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Reply # 574214 27-Jan-2012 19:38

I wouldn't doubt life outside of Earth for a second.

Ancient alien theory isn't totally out of believable bounds, although heavily reliant on interpretation. I'm looking forward to future voyages to distant planets. You never know what you might find.

An ancient Mayan temple perhaps?

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Hammerer

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Reply # 574221 27-Jan-2012 20:07

pastyboy: Whether it will be intelligent I guess will be left up to chance. But suppose if there's a planet capable of harboring life, with liquid water and the right atmosphere that's been existing for as long as ours, what's there to stop the development of intelligent life, just like on Earth....

There's a lot more conditions that have to exist before you'd see life like on Earth:
- not too close )galactically) to stronger levels of radiation
- protected by an asteroid belt
- etc, etc

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Skolink

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Reply # 574252 27-Jan-2012 22:55

sleemanj:
Skolink: I think it is extremely unlikely there is life of any form outside of earth, given the complexity of even the simplist form on earth. So far there is no evidence for it, merely speculation.

We are not talking little green men (yet, unless you are working at SETI), a single cell organism is enough to call it life.

Even a single celled organism is ridiculously complicated. If the perfect conditions for life existed elsewhere in the universe, it still seems unlikely that life would come into existence.

Brendan

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Reply # 574262 27-Jan-2012 23:30

Skolink:
sleemanj:
Skolink: I think it is extremely unlikely there is life of any form outside of earth, given the complexity of even the simplist form on earth. So far there is no evidence for it, merely speculation.

We are not talking little green men (yet, unless you are working at SETI), a single cell organism is enough to call it life.

Even a single celled organism is ridiculously complicated. If the perfect conditions for life existed elsewhere in the universe, it still seems unlikely that life would come into existence.

A Cell is not the start of the evolution of life. A cell is what you get after some long period of life having already existed.

Think more of Viruses; but even they are not the start.

Think more of the chemical equivalents of cellular automata.

They have already found some of the basic elements of RNA are self assembling - e.g. life is a result of chemistry found all over the universe.

All that is needed for complex life is time.

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