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  1. #1
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    Exclamation First alien Earth to be found in 2013?

    So according to experts they predict that they will find a "Earth twin" in 2013. But my question is how can they predict something like that? Even for a scientist that's a pretty big prediction to say that they will find a planet just like ours in just a couple of months. I'm thinking they already found it but they want to make sure it's just like Earth and not another scorching rock so they're not announcing it yet, that has to be it. I just can't see how they can predict something that big. That's almost like saying "yeah sometime next year we WILL find a way to travel at the speeds of light."

    Here's a link to the article I read: http://news.yahoo.com/first-alien-ea...170808230.html
    - "If you have a problem figuring out whether you're for me or Trump, then you ain't black" - Jo Bodin, BLM supporter
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  2. #2
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    They did not say they will find one, they said chances are pretty big of finding 1 in the coming year.
    And chances can be calculated, that is how they predict that stuff

  3. #3
    The biggest misconception I see from people is that when we find this "Earth Twin" we'll just be able to fly over and start up.

    1) The atmospheric composition ratios would have to be really damn close to Earth (We need shitloads of nitrogen in the air, as well as O2).
    2) The planet would have to be of similar size, otherwise we'd get dystrophy or be crushed under the increased weight.
    3) What if this planet has microbial life? We'd be subjecting our immune systems to things of which we have no defense.

    Therefore when / if an "Earth Twin" is found, you can be sure as hell the first astronauts will still be wearing spacesuits, and not just walking around like you see on Star Trek.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rukentuts View Post
    The biggest misconception I see from people is that when we find this "Earth Twin" we'll just be able to fly over and start up.

    1) The atmospheric composition ratios would have to be really damn close to Earth (We need shitloads of nitrogen in the air, as well as O2).
    2) The planet would have to be of similar size, otherwise we'd get dystrophy or be crushed under the increased weight.
    3) What if this planet has microbial life? We'd be subjecting our immune systems to things of which we have no defense.

    Therefore when / if an "Earth Twin" is found, you can be sure as hell the first astronauts will still be wearing spacesuits, and not just walking around like you see on Star Trek.
    Or we could be like the Quarians from Mass Effect and wear cool suits while on the planet.

    But yeah I agree that's something I always think about too. Even if we find a planet exactly like ours we would never have a way of getting there. Unless the government has technology to travel through space in those secret bases like Area 51.... Anyway all these planets they're discovering are like several light years away from us so we will most likely never get there, at least not this generation.
    - "If you have a problem figuring out whether you're for me or Trump, then you ain't black" - Jo Bodin, BLM supporter
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  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Geminiwolf View Post
    Or we could be like the Quarians from Mass Effect and wear cool suits while on the planet.

    But yeah I agree that's something I always think about too. Even if we find a planet exactly like ours we would never have a way of getting there. Unless the government has technology to travel through space in those secret bases like Area 51.... Anyway all these planets they're discovering are like several light years away from us so we will most likely never get there, at least not this generation.
    Nah, the alien germs is what freaks me out the most. What would happen if somehow we got there, walked around, and brought them back here? We'd have pandemics with death tolls never before seen.

    Or let's say some sort of alien flora or fauna got back. We thought introducing species from other continents was bad for the ecosystem...

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by Rukentuts View Post
    The biggest misconception I see from people is that when we find this "Earth Twin" we'll just be able to fly over and start up.

    1) The atmospheric composition ratios would have to be really damn close to Earth (We need shitloads of nitrogen in the air, as well as O2).
    2) The planet would have to be of similar size, otherwise we'd get dystrophy or be crushed under the increased weight.
    3) What if this planet has microbial life? We'd be subjecting our immune systems to things of which we have no defense.

    Therefore when / if an "Earth Twin" is found, you can be sure as hell the first astronauts will still be wearing spacesuits, and not just walking around like you see on Star Trek.
    You also forgot another important point:
    The distances are so big, that we probably wont have the technology to reach those places, alive, for many more decades. The star system closest to the Sun, right now, is Alpha Centauri, and that is 1.3 parsecs away. That is over 4 light years.
    You can go ahead and calculate how long it would take to reach it with our current technology. And unless this "Earth twin" is in the Alpha centauri system (Which already does have a known exoplanet), the distances only grow and grow...

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Valort View Post
    You also forgot another important point:
    The distances are so big, that we probably wont have the technology to reach those places, alive, for many more decades. The star system closest to the Sun, right now, is Alpha Centauri, and that is 1.3 parsecs away. That is over 4 light years.
    You can go ahead and calculate how long it would take to reach it with our current technology. And unless this "Earth twin" is in the Alpha centauri system (Which already does have a known exoplanet), the distances only grow and grow...
    I have been basing my assumptions that FTL transportation has been invented.

  8. #8
    The Unstoppable Force Belize's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rukentuts View Post
    I have been basing my assumptions that FTL transportation has been invented.
    What NASA found on Mars were Mass Effect rings.

    OT: Depending on how far away the planet is, even IF we find an Earth Twin, the image we'd see would be from thousand of years ago, so the planet might be very inhabited and/or destroyed... By like a meteor or the inhabitants blowing themselves up (which I'm surprised we haven't done ourselves).

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    Quote Originally Posted by Rukentuts View Post
    Nah, the alien germs is what freaks me out the most. What would happen if somehow we got there, walked around, and brought them back here? We'd have pandemics with death tolls never before seen.

    Or let's say some sort of alien flora or fauna got back. We thought introducing species from other continents was bad for the ecosystem...
    Yeah and those germs cause humans to turn into mutant-aliens and then we would have a mutant-alien apocalypse. Yeah that I guess that would be pretty bad.
    - "If you have a problem figuring out whether you're for me or Trump, then you ain't black" - Jo Bodin, BLM supporter
    - "I got hairy legs that turn blonde in the sun. The kids used to come up and reach in the pool & rub my leg down so it was straight & watch the hair come back up again. So I learned about roaches, I learned about kids jumping on my lap, and I love kids jumping on my lap...” - Pedo Joe

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Geminiwolf View Post
    Yeah and those germs cause humans to turn into mutant-aliens and then we would have a mutant-alien apocalypse. Yeah that I guess that would be pretty bad.
    I was thinking more of like you know how the Black Death killed like 1/4 of the population or something? Imagine what a completely alien bacteria would do in terms of death toll.

    Even something as light as an alien "common cold" could be fatal.

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Geminiwolf View Post
    Yeah and those germs cause humans to turn into mutant-aliens and then we would have a mutant-alien apocalypse. Yeah that I guess that would be pretty bad.
    Or the next Hollywood Blockbuster!

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Rukentuts View Post
    I have been basing my assumptions that FTL transportation has been invented.
    LOL! Pretty big leap there.

    If you are using that assumption, you could also assume that our biomedical capabilities are so advanced in comparison to today's that alien microbial life wouldn't likely pose any sort of problem. Nor would atmospheric or gravitational issues.

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Skarssen View Post
    LOL! Pretty big leap there.

    If you are using that assumption, you could also assume that our biomedical capabilities are so advanced in comparison to today's that alien microbial life wouldn't likely pose any sort of problem. Nor would atmospheric or gravitational issues.
    Uh...now we're just in the pure realm of fantasy. Our lungs cannot process air of a vastly different composition. This is called evolution.

    In addition, most medical treatments for diseases work with the immune system. They tend not to work if the immune system hasn't a fucking clue.

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Rukentuts View Post
    Nah, the alien germs is what freaks me out the most. What would happen if somehow we got there, walked around, and brought them back here? We'd have pandemics with death tolls never before seen.

    Or let's say some sort of alien flora or fauna got back. We thought introducing species from other continents was bad for the ecosystem...
    Heh, you too eh? Another frightening thought is we have no idea how long to quarantine someone for.

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by Rukentuts View Post
    The biggest misconception I see from people is that when we find this "Earth Twin" we'll just be able to fly over and start up.

    1) The atmospheric composition ratios would have to be really damn close to Earth (We need shitloads of nitrogen in the air, as well as O2).
    2) The planet would have to be of similar size, otherwise we'd get dystrophy or be crushed under the increased weight.
    3) What if this planet has microbial life? We'd be subjecting our immune systems to things of which we have no defense.

    Therefore when / if an "Earth Twin" is found, you can be sure as hell the first astronauts will still be wearing spacesuits, and not just walking around like you see on Star Trek.
    Wherever this twin is, it's already way too far for anyone to survive the trip.

  16. #16
    Even if they find it, I don't have high hopes for what's on it.
    Earth is about 4.5 billion years old, first billion years with no life.
    The first billion of no life is followed by 2.5 billion with only single cell life?
    only last 600 million had some kind of animals.
    I'm looking it up here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timelin...istory_of_life please pardon any misunderstanding.

    And who knows how much longer there will be life on earth. So if they find a planet 4.5 billion years old, there would only be 50% chance of having any life on it at all. And I understand single cell organism is exciting to scientists, but I want a bunny-from-outer-space! and the chance for that happening is low.

  17. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by Rukentuts View Post
    Uh...now we're just in the pure realm of fantasy. Our lungs cannot process air of a vastly different composition. This is called evolution.

    In addition, most medical treatments for diseases work with the immune system. They tend not to work if the immune system hasn't a fucking clue.
    What was I thinking?!

    The ability to render the concept of relativity obsolete and engage in FTL travel is right around the corner, but rebreather technology to deal with a xenon/nitrogen/methane atmosphere and prevent contamination by theoretical alien microbes is just pure fantasy!

  18. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by Skarssen View Post
    What was I thinking?!

    The ability to render the concept of relativity obsolete and engage in FTL travel is right around the corner, but rebreather technology to deal with a xenon/nitrogen/methane atmosphere and prevent contamination by theoretical alien microbes is just pure fantasy!
    There is a vast difference between evolution and technological innovation.

    Billions of people died to grant us immunity from countless bacteria on Earth.

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rukentuts View Post
    The biggest misconception I see from people is that when we find this "Earth Twin" we'll just be able to fly over and start up.

    1) The atmospheric composition ratios would have to be really damn close to Earth (We need shitloads of nitrogen in the air, as well as O2).
    2) The planet would have to be of similar size, otherwise we'd get dystrophy or be crushed under the increased weight.
    3) What if this planet has microbial life? We'd be subjecting our immune systems to things of which we have no defense.

    Therefore when / if an "Earth Twin" is found, you can be sure as hell the first astronauts will still be wearing spacesuits, and not just walking around like you see on Star Trek.
    The biggest misconception I see from people is that when we find this "Earth Twin" we will go there at all.

    if anything we will be closer to proving earth and life in general are not a fluke and we are not alone in the universe. we start by finding planets like the one we already know can sustain life (earth) then actually finding life itself elsewhere. then, far in the future, becoming the 'aliens' ourselves.

  20. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by nailbomb View Post
    The biggest misconception I see from people is that when we find this "Earth Twin" we will go there at all.
    I disagree. Mankind has always been a curious lot. I'd say it might take awhile but interstellar travel is most likely an inevitability.

    Granted, we can start by going to Mars.

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