We already know that... By the time they would've advanced even to just simple civilization (which is currently impossible on Mars), humans would be the sort of advanced super-race we're looking for.
Now I'm not one who knows a ton aboout science or chemistry or anything, all my biology classes have gone right over my head. But isn't it possible for SOME kind of life to exist anywhere not completely devoid of energy?
I think that people are restricitng themselves when they say that ALL life has to have sun, water, etc. Just because it doesn't exist on earth doesn't mean it's impossible. I read a theory somewhere that a nervous system could be formed out of electrical interactions between dust particles in a vacuum. That seems a little far fetched to me, but something like that could be possible couldn't it?
Also earlier someone mentioned the drake equation being some all knowing equation that proves that intelligent life exists. But in fact it has some major loopholes. I think that earth-like life requires a moon to keep the planet from woobling too much. Other things are neccisary to.
I am probably completely wrong, and failed at saying anything that makes sense..... But I've gotta try don't I?
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Quote from Menen »
Its where the Great Meteor struck the minecraft world and wiped out all the Mineosaurs.
1. Sunlight is a universal prerequisite, because it simply provides energy in the form of heat and fotonic radiation. It kickstarts the whole life thing, so to speak. Without sunlight, earth would be a freezing block of inert mass. Alternatively, if you had an unusual planet full of active volcanoes and lava streams you could get energy from there. Also, deep sea vents don't give light but they do provide heat energy.
2. Water is fundamental for metabolism on earth. The simplest molecular operations would be impossible without H2O. There is some speculation as to life without water, but it looks highly unlikely. Possible, I guess...
3. According to wikipedia, other universal factors are temperature, atmosphere, gravity, nutrients, and ultraviolet solar radiation protection.
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but what if what he's saying is true. how do WE know that sunlight is a universal prerequisite for life as a whole. What's coming up are things that are essential to life ON EARTH. I mean, we don't know for sure whether or not there are organisms out there that can survive on what they have been given on their planet. I just think that there is a possibility, if evolution works on other planets (if it's not just an Earth thing x3 but that'd be silly) that they have evolved to adapt to the planet they dwell on. But then again, I guess we would expand our knowledge to understand such things when we get to it?
Sunlight itself is actually not a prerequisite to life. Energy is the prerequisite to life. We know that because energy is the only force in existence that can cause change (which is, for all intents and purposes, life and movement). Energy can be derived from many sources; some creatures live at the bottom of our deepest Earthling oceans, pitch-black and watery expanses, by geothermal energy alone. Some life forms just eat other life forms for energy.
It's true that the search for alien life will yield some very interesting and possibly even game-changing results - creatures that don't have to breath to survive, or that can live entirely without an atmosphere - but there are some constants of which we are completely sure of.
But that simple life could evolve into more complex life over millions of years.
I think that people are restricitng themselves when they say that ALL life has to have sun, water, etc. Just because it doesn't exist on earth doesn't mean it's impossible. I read a theory somewhere that a nervous system could be formed out of electrical interactions between dust particles in a vacuum. That seems a little far fetched to me, but something like that could be possible couldn't it?
Also earlier someone mentioned the drake equation being some all knowing equation that proves that intelligent life exists. But in fact it has some major loopholes. I think that earth-like life requires a moon to keep the planet from woobling too much. Other things are neccisary to.
I am probably completely wrong, and failed at saying anything that makes sense..... But I've gotta try don't I?
fer sure.
lawl art
but what if what he's saying is true. how do WE know that sunlight is a universal prerequisite for life as a whole. What's coming up are things that are essential to life ON EARTH. I mean, we don't know for sure whether or not there are organisms out there that can survive on what they have been given on their planet. I just think that there is a possibility, if evolution works on other planets (if it's not just an Earth thing x3 but that'd be silly) that they have evolved to adapt to the planet they dwell on. But then again, I guess we would expand our knowledge to understand such things when we get to it?
lawl art
It's true that the search for alien life will yield some very interesting and possibly even game-changing results - creatures that don't have to breath to survive, or that can live entirely without an atmosphere - but there are some constants of which we are completely sure of.
Like the need of energy to enable life.