Life..... everywhere?

I've watched a lot of documentaries in the past couple years that talk about how scientists find life in the most unexpected of places. Such as next to hydrothermal vents, deep in the ocean, where the water basically boils. It would be instant death for us, but for those creatures they thrive.

In recent months it's had me thinking about what scientists say are the strict requirements for an environment to support life. Before those creatures were found they never would have imagined something living in such a harsh and toxic location. So who is to say that these discoveries won't keep happening?

There is no telling what we may find on our very own planet, since the vast majority of the ocean (about 97% if I remember correctly) remains unexplored. Now think about all the planets in all galaxies in the universe. There must be millions of different types of planets, and who is to say that life has not blossomed on those rocks, those "deadly, uninhabitable" environments. Life could be omnipresent. The Force is Life and the Force is everywhere. Who are we to put limits on how or where life can exist? For all we know there may be life on every planet in our solar system. We just haven't recognized it yet.

But lets think on a larger scale. Lets redefine what life actually is.... What is the Earth but a spherical living being with stone for skin, magma for blood, and an iron core for a heart? What about the stars? The galaxies? The universe? All of them seem to have similar traits. They go through cycles, they form up, live, and die. Whether you believe the universe will infinitely expand, or if it will collapse back in on itself, it too is US No different, except in scale.

Very well stated and I could not agree more. I am constantly amazed and fascinated by all the discoveries that are being uncovered at, what seems to me, to be a quickening pace.

I am excited for what the future holds!

MTFBWYAAF

and what if we are only the smallest cell in a body beyond infinity?

I went to the Alien Museum in Roswell, New Mexico...

Now, laugh if you want, I was near there, and went in, "just to see what's, what"...

lol, it is mostly cartoons about aliens, and some "artifact replications" and "artist representations"...

However, there was a little display on a stage...

Signs were posted evrywhere, "ALIEN LIFEFORM", "PROCEED WITH CAUTION", "YOU ASSUME ALL RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY PROBLEMS", yada-yada...

They had, on this satge, a little exhibit with a asteroid, real? idk, but it did get me to thinking about how a lifeform is defined...

They had a little microscope set up, and under the microscope was crystals... lol...

Now, according to the 'expert', these crystals on this rock were growing and reproducing...

Intelligent? I doubt it (the crystals I mean, not me or the 'expert'...

Coral is considered alive by our planets definition...

SO, was this really an asteroid, with 'space crystals' growing on it a life form?

Could be...:whistle:

Then I went to the gift shop and bought a Alien Museum souvenir...:woohoo:

We would have to define life to know if what i was told I was looking at was a life?

I remember watching a documentary on the origin of life on Earth and they discussed the possibility of the essential protein molecules and the vast sources of water actually coming to earth from comets and metors. They talked about how the vast majority of the source of Earth's water was from meteors, and how even now some protein molecules that can be the source of DNA proteins can be found in meteors. Essentially saying that even the life on Earth was star-dust. It was very interesting. It makes me wonder if another suitable planet somewhere in the universe also had the water and proteins from meteors and could create life. I hope some day we find out.

Scientists just announced (2 days ago?) that they have found water on Mercury. Big news! Water is everywhere "out there".

Exciting times we live in.

Interesting thoughts. Though, maybe other life forms don't need water or oxygen or carbon to survive. Maybe all those things are poison? Maybe they don't even need a planet or an asteroid to live on. Could they just float around in space?

Wendaline wrote: Interesting thoughts. Though, maybe other life forms don't need water or oxygen or carbon to survive. Maybe all those things are poison? Maybe they don't even need a planet or an asteroid to live on. Could they just float around in space?

That's exactly what I've been thinking. I'm glad you mentioned that, because I just remembered another documentary that I saw about a creature recently discovered to have the ability to survive in deep space, called tardigrades. Here's an article.

I really think that many scientists are wrong to think that life is a rare occurrence in the universe (I personally find it arrogant to think that we could be the only sentient beings here). I'm more apt to think that it is common. Perhaps in years to come we'll begin to take it for granted that life can exist just about everywhere.

Life: The condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death.

The reason why scientists base their searches for life on places similar to our own Earth, is because we have evidence that places like Earth (such as Earth ) have life on them so it's a sensible place to look

We don't start looking at the centre of the sun for life nor would we begin amidst an asteroid field (constant collisions rendering life almost impossible to develop)

As for whether life exists elsewhere, from a statistical standpoint the chances of life existing elsewhere are unimaginably high, the only reason we don't say it does is because we haven't yet seen any

I had heard hypotheses about water on mercury, because there are some parts never touched by the sun (due to the rotation of the planet) - we are talking deep chasms here, but enough for ice to form and potentially melt

I understand what you're saying Streen but I think stretching the definition of life to cover the sun or the earth is a bit far...

I'll be taking this course from the University of Edinburgh. It's free and starts January 28, 2013. Students who successfully complete the class will receive a certificate signed by the instructor (Charles Cockell).



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