Alien thoughts
I was browsing the Irish Times yesterday when I came across an article.
Could someone please tell me why a planet has to be ‘Earth-like’ to support life?
I know it would have to be ‘Earth-like’ to support us, but scientists seem to be hung up on the idea that all alien life forms need the same conditions as humans to live. An Alien would need oxygen, they say. An Alien would need water. Why? Is the human animal so fucking vain that it reckons it’s the perfect result of evolution?
Alien Life forms
On this planet, we have a fairly narrow range of environments, but compare an elephant to an amoeba, or a giraffe to a mushroom. They are all lifeforms after all? How about bacteria that can only live in the deep oceans where there are volcanic vents? Compare them to a humming-bird.
And who is to say that there isn’t a planet out there with ammonia or methane breathing intelligent life?
The trouble with these scientists is that they have watched too many episodes of Star Trek or Star Wars.
So next time you kick a fungus on your lawn, just remember…
You could have just killed the first visitor from HD 40307 who has come bearing great technological gifts and the answer to all the problems of the universe.
Hear, hear. Well said. Some life out there might not even have a solid body. Mind without matter, etc.
Maybe there is some kind of intelligence without thought? When imagining alien lifeforms, all preconceived notions have to go out the window.
Intelligence without thought? Yup! That's me alright. And there's probably a question about "thought" as well.
Hell, I thought all this time I was living on an alien planet.
You are. And there isn't much by the way of intelligent life here either.
So, that explains why I have never really fit in, anywhere.
I think you fit in here quite well? But what does that say about this place?
It says that this place is really fucked up.
True.
I tell you what, if Diana Rigg is an alien life form she can whisk me away anytime she wants. Let's start those experiments shall we?
Congratulations! I was wondering who would be the first to comment on Diana Rigg!
Fancy an anal probe, do you?
Well, if she likes that kind of thing, why not? As long as I'm the one working the probe of course. (Lay down, honey. I want to talk to you.)
Not only great technological gifts and the answers to all our questions about the universe, but cash as well! Trillions in its pockets….trillions….(sniff)…
Welcome Hugh! It may well have trillions, but trillions of what? HD 40307 dollars? I'd love to see a cashier's face when presented with them!
All this is assuming that a fungus has pockets. Has anyone ever looked?
Check out Biocentrism by Robert Lanza.
So space and time don't really exist? We only think they do? Only one step short of metaphysical nihilism?
Watched a couple of videos on the u tube starring Richard Feynman. Very easy to listen too and what he has to say about the universe is very interesting indeed. Makes by brain ache but in an interesting way.
Must have a look at those……. [I'm a glutton for punishment sometimes]
The more you get into particle physics/quantum mechanics the more you get to understand what a strange universe we live in. Now biology rather than physics is showing itself to be the driving scientific discipline.
huh?
We went to a little place called Alpbach three years running. One evening I was standing in the churchyard at Erwin Schroedinger's (he of the cat) grave when an English bloke asked me if I could translate the German inscription. 'Haven't a clue', I said, 'I'm just intrigued by the physics'.
The man was a physicist who had become a policeman (the pay was better) and talked about the anthropic principle – which was something to do with the right conditions for life producing ourselves. (I think the principle possibly operated more effectively with the case of Diana Rigg than with Joanna Lumley who had that silly haircut).
Jayzus but this is getting heavy!
My contention is that physics, and the laws of physics [as we understand them] are constant throughout the universe. An apple will always fall, and ice will always melt if heated. However there is nothing to state that biology is a constant and may be an utterly different science under different conditions. There is nothing in the laws of physics that states that there cannot be intelligent life on a methane covered planet that has fifty times our gravity. Just because we couldn't exist under those conditions, doesn't mean that an alternative biology can't.
How do we know that there isn't some lifeform on say Venus? They could look at Earth and conclude that nothing could possibly live of a planet that far away from the sun and surrounded by highly poisonous oxygen?
What no mention of Tardigrades… there must be an 'ism' in there somewhere.
Just been trading up on 'em. Tough little fuckers, aren't they? And they shall inherit the Earth………
You do get the impression they really don't give a fuck… about anything so who knows they may well be the future 'owners' of the earth. They really do live in places we can't so if I were a betting my pennies would be on Tardigrades to outlast humanity.
I always thought the cockroach was the born survivor, but those little fuckers could outlive anything! They don't even need a planet…..
Saw this fella walkin' down the road the other day – anything you'd like to tell us GD?
Hah! Where in the name of God did you get that??