Do you believe in extreme life on unthinkable planets?

[Beavis]

If you consider that the Earth is a pretty volatile place to begin with, and its current shape is only possible because LIFE actually created our (current, survivable) atmosphere to begin with...

Yes; there will be life on places that seem unthinkable to us. Earth might likely be a place that seems fully unthinkable to contain life from an alien's point of view, after all.

On the other hand, it might turn out that life, like many other natural phenomena, only arises under very specific conditions. Stars, for example, don't spontaneously form in the depths of interstellar space. They seem to only form in nebulae. Likewise, supermassives aside, black holes only seem to form star collapse or, potentially, with high-impact collisions. So, it may turn out that life only arises on Earth-like planets.

---------- Post added 2012-06-19 at 07:07 PM ----------

I agree science is too down to earth and has too many boundaries. Maybe having a better mindset and believing in the impossible can help us on our journey. We can't always rely on earth-like plants to tell us if life exists. It could show up where we least expect it.
How can some fish survive in depths we can't even reach without dying?

That's the point of science. It isn't supposed to be about wild assumptions or zany what-if speculation. It's about observation, hypothesizing, and testing, followed by more observation, hypothesizing, and testing.

[TheEaterofSouls]

On the other hand, it might turn out that life, like many other natural phenomena, only arises under very specific conditions. Stars, for example, don't spontaneously form in the depths of interstellar space. They seem to only form in nebulae. Likewise, supermassives aside, black holes only seem to form star collapse or, potentially, with high-impact collisions. So, it may turn out that life only arises on Earth-like planets.

Maybe. But I find looking at it like that to be very boring and gives humans less hope of the existence of life outside earth.

In my opinion you should look outside the box when doing research. You never know what strange phenomenons you might find!

---------- Post added 2012-06-19 at 03:18 PM ----------

That's the point of science. It isn't supposed to be about wild assumptions or zany what-if speculation. It's about observation, hypothesizing, and testing, followed by more observation, hypothesizing, and testing.

But consider the idea that our science may be incorrect. It's entirely possible. If we do land on another planet with intelligent life they may have scientific theories we consider as false. Think about that.

[Runeforged]

Well, now that I think about it, if you're going to look for life, you might as well look for a giant indicator of what we know supports it, that being oxygen and water. It's not like we can tell if there's life floating around in Jupiter's atmosphere, or under Mars's crust by observing those planets from Earth. I don't think most scientists are narrow thinkers, rather, they're just trying to find something that can strongly suggest life outside Earth without actually going there.

[Beavis]

Maybe. But I find looking at it like that to be very boring and gives humans less hope of the existence of life outside earth.

In my opinion you should look outside the box when doing research. You never know what strange phenomenons you might find!

---------- Post added 2012-06-19 at 03:18 PM ----------


But consider the idea that our science may be incorrect. It's entirely possible. If we do land on another planet with intelligent life they may have scientific theories we consider as false. Think about that.

Science can always be incorrect. That's a fundamental tenant of science. But, we don't know what is or isn't correct until we observe something that presents new or different information about the world. Speculating about organisms ruled by entirely unknown biology isn't science, it's daydreaming. There's nothing wrong with daydreaming, but saying science isn't enough like it isn't really a criticism.

[Frolk]

If u dont belive that life can/does exist in VERY extreme/bizarre places I think ur an idiot, plain and simple, im 100% sure that a lifeform can be based on any elements, solid, gas or a liquid
I cant wait for the day for news like "Life discovered in Neptun`s atmosphere"

[Archangel Tyrael]

Have you guys ever thought that we might not be considered ''intelligent'' from the PoV of a superior alien life, to the point that they consider us meaningless, as much as we consider ants meaningless?

How many times have you ever stopped by and asked yourself : Oh look, I wonder if this ant is trying to communicate with me?

Maybe that is the case with an alien life too.
And that is why we'll never have contact between each other.

I guess it's something along those lines, what Neil degrasse Tyson tries to explain.

[Beavis]

Have you guys ever thought that we might not be considered ''intelligent'' from the PoV of a superior alien life, to the point that they consider us meaningless, as much as we consider ants meaningless?

How many times have you ever stopped by and asked yourself : Oh look, I wonder if this ant is trying to communicate with me?

Maybe that is the case with an alien life too.
And that is why we'll never have contact between each other.

I guess it's something along those lines, what Neil degrasse Tyson tries to explain.

No, I haven't because I presume an intelligence with the capacity to cross the space between the stars will know their own evolutionary history. Just as we recognize modern hunter-gather tribes as an earlier stages in the development of modern civilization, a more advanced space-faring civilization will recognize us as intelligent life at an earlier stage. After all, we aren't ants digging tunnels with our mandibles, we're clearly technological.

[Archangel Tyrael]

No, I haven't because I presume an intelligence with the capacity to cross the space between the stars will know their own evolutionary history. Just as we recognize modern hunter-gather tribes as an earlier stages in the development of modern civilization, a more advanced space-faring civilization will recognize us as intelligent life at an earlier stage. After all, we aren't ants digging tunnels with our mandibles, we're clearly technological.

If some ''super'' form of alien life could cross galaxies, then we'd be nothing compared to them.

[Noemonad]

I'm fairly certain that there are life forms that have an "extreme" existence to us, as the only guage we have for measuring what life is like are our own experiences on this one particular planet. I don't feel like life in all of the other parts of this near-infinite universe are going to be very similar to the cases of life we see here on this one small planet in one small galaxy.

[Beavis]

If some ''super'' form of alien life could cross galaxies, then we'd be nothing compared to them.

We'd be nothing to them in terms of our technology, but we'd still be recognizable as intelligent life. We've got satellites orbiting our planet, robots exploring other planets, and we've split the atom. A man made object has even left this solar system. We're very clearly intelligent life.

[Archangel Tyrael]

We'd be nothing to them in terms of our technology, but we'd still be recognizable as intelligent life. We've got satellites orbiting our planet, robots exploring other planets, and we've split the atom. A man made object has even left this solar system. We're very clearly intelligent life.

I never said we're not intelligent, I'm saying they might find as not meaningful.

[Beavis]

I never said we're not intelligent, I'm saying they might find as not meaningful.

Have you guys ever thought that we might not be considered ''intelligent'' from the PoV of a superior alien life, to the point that they consider us meaningless, as much as we consider ants meaningless?

Actually...

Simply recognizing us as intelligent life wouldn't necessarily stop them from wiping us off the face the planet if there's something here they want. But, there's no way we'd be considered merely organized non-sapient animals.

[TheEaterofSouls]

Have you guys ever thought that we might not be considered ''intelligent'' from the PoV of a superior alien life, to the point that they consider us meaningless, as much as we consider ants meaningless?

You bring up a very good point there!

[Palmatum]

I don't doubt that there's life on some other planets. Intelligent life is a different matter. There very well could be, I'll say that much.

But we see lifeforms thrive on Earth in seemingly inhospitable environments, I can't imagine it would be any different on other planets.

[Worgoblin]

I do not believe life has to have earth-like conditions to exist. I think there is probably intelligent life out there that has evolved on planets we'd consider to be hellscapes. I'm certain such creatures would look nothing like us. Even the most wicked horror movie monsters probably can't even begin to represent the kind of odd lifeforms that are out there, on planets that are unlivable... to us.

[exstarcraftfan]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEheh1BH34Q

we are defenseless and our only hope is that nobody will find us,we are sitting here with pants down and all we care about is economy and life quality

the universe is so big that we are probably just an inferior civilization and yes,I doubt that aliens are humanoids and carbon based like us(but there is probably something similar as the possibilities are endless)

[Palmatum]

I agree.

Water. Yes, it may be crucial to Earth life, but we can't use what works for Earth when looking for life forms on another planet. For example, water exists as a liquid on Earth, but at increased pressure, it begins to boil and turn to steam. On other planets, the pressure can differ vastly from what there is on Earth. Humans, and all life on this planet, are built around the environment here, and i wouldn't be surprised for us to discover that our evolution was at least partially based around the pressure on Earth.

What may be extremely toxic to us, could be extremely beneficial to life on another planet. Polonium in it's natural form, a rare and very radioactive material, would be quite dangerous to us. It exists as a solid until ~254C, at which point it's liquid. We can't just assume that radioactivity is harmful to all life. We can assume it's harmful to all Earth-life if we wish, but not to all life because we don't know what other life forms lie outside of Earth. Their planet(s) could have pools of liquid polonium that is the equivalent of water here on Earth. It could go right down to the very cell-structure of these life forms that prevents them from dying due to the radiation (they may have evolved to have cell walls that are shielded from it or such).

Cyanide, while a compound (as opposed to an element) of Carbon and Nitrogen, is one of the most lethal chemicals known to man (or rather, all cyanides are lethal to us, but let's talk about it in a singular sense to keep it simple). When Cyanide enters the blood stream, it takes up the spot of Oxygen. Normally, the bodies cells try to mix the oxygen with hydrogen to produce water required for normal function. When it instead mixes with cyanide, the cell is essentially trying to run on an unsuitable fuel (a rather strange way of describing it). However, that's because we, as Humans, live on a planet where Oxygen is prevalent enough for us to survive, and our bodies are designed to extract just Oxygen from the air. Who's to say that a different life form on another planet doesn't mix Nitrogen in it's atmosphere with carbon to produce cyanide used to fuel it's cells?

This is why science sometimes disappoints me. It tries to look outside the box, but tends to look at it from an angle that's far too limiting. I won't proclaim to be a scientist or know more than the real guys, but i like to at least leave the possibility of taking a different view on things open.

The multiverse theory remains a theory. Who's to say that it doesn't already exist? It could already exist in our own dimension (i.e. the universe we know). It could be that there's a galaxy, or even just a solar system, out there for every possible eventuality, but we simply haven't advanced enough to actually find them.

I've considered that as well. There's a body in our solar system where there's believed to be liquid methane as well, I forget if it's a planet or a moon though.
I'd imagine things evolve to adapt to the environments on other planets/bodies just as they do on Earth. In which case, given enough time, maybe it's possible for other life to evolve.

As for the multiverse, it's a cool idea and it's pretty mind blowing to consider. Or to consider that the universe is infinite, because if it was, there'd be another Earth exactly the same as ours with the same people and I'd be typing this same message. This is why I love science and the questions it can raise to contemplate and answer.

[Catta]

If u dont belive that life can/does exist in VERY extreme/bizarre places I think ur an idiot, plain and simple, im 100% sure that a lifeform can be based on any elements, solid, gas or a liquid
I cant wait for the day for news like "Life discovered in Neptun`s atmosphere"

If you think that then you are the daft one. First of all you are a 100 % sure of something you have no freaking clue about.
You cant base a lifeform on say uranium.

[Beavis]

It's fine to think outside of the box, but scientists also need to incorporate natural laws as we understand them. For example, some exobiologists have suggested that it is likely that technological civilizations may only arise on planets with oxygen rich atmospheres. Why? Because you need oxygen for fire and we can't conceive of a path to technology that doesn't incorporate the use of fire.

[Belize]

Maybe a little off topic but I have always wondered if species we make in video games, might actually exist somewhere.