Use this forum to talk about discoveries and theories about life in space.

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Fraser Cain
Publisher
Universe Today - Free space news delivered by email every weekday.

As far as theories or at least pure speculations about life in space are concerned mine is that the highest probability is that there is no currently viable life in the Solar System apart from on Earth and perhaps the remnants of a sneeze on the Moon, but that in 100 years there will be Earth-originated life forms in every feasibe niche in the solar system from Mercury out to the Kuiper Belt, but only if proto-intelligent life develops on Earth within the next ten to twenty years.

Philip Slater

UK-NISA

I personally think bacterial life could survive the conditions of space. If they can survive near the core of Earth, perhaps they can survive a day somewhere more seemingly inhabitable.

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"Human stupidity is such a common occurrence, we must being to expect it from ourselves."
- Anonymous

I think we are about to discover that "life" is the norm. Given enough time, a self-replicating molecule will develop and take over the environment, extending to all locations where survival is remotely possible. From there, evolution will take over and the life-form will mutate to survive changes.

I expect we will eventually find something on Mars. Whether it will be soon enough to determine that it is not from Earth, accidentally polluting the planet, is problematic.

I expect something to be under the ice on the moons of Saturn.

Any star systems that can remotely support life, will.

The question remains, when will we find something we can communicate with? The answer, certainly not before we learn that the world around us is teeming with life-forms that we would be amazed with, once we learn that they think, too.

Fraser, in my opinion there is a need to study and research for finding the live rains on other planets apart from earth, because if the regular raining on such xyz planet follows a possibility of finding life thereon, so the people from earth especially scientist has to search the possibilities of rains on the other planets, then it could be found a positive tool to search for life in space.


sunil

Rain is a precursor to a viable environment. It erodes whatever land surface there may be and supplies soluble nutrients to the oceans and streams. That is supposing that it is a water rain. It also leaches nutrients deeper into the surface, giving an environment for rooted plant life. It must be remembered that it can rain in a non-oxygen atmosphere. I don't think we would be ready to associate with methane-breathers. For a life-form to fit into our idea of "acceptable," it would first have to be an oxygen breather (making it something more than a biological curosity), then it would have to communicate, indicating awareness.

What I am trying to point out is that rain is not enough. It rained on the Earth while most of the surface was molten, or almost molten, and the atmosphere was more sulfer than anything else. No one would suggest that we look for life on a surface that would vaporize our body. I'm sure we could find something like a virus there, but why bother. Our interest is in finding something that has something for us. Land, knowledge, wealth. Why else look at all, except to guard against a potential enemy. (A war of that type is not cost effective. The Cold War was over in the 70's when the USSR was going bankrupt in Afghanastan. It wasn't cost effective)

For any discovery to be of real interest to the average Joe, there has to be something to relate to Joe's existence. Something furry and cuddly, or big and dangerous. So, oxygen in the atmosphere is the first requirement.

If we find a life form on another planet it will be just a scientific curiosity.
Just as the Hyrdogen sulfhide life forms on earth are.
if we were to find a series of self replicating molecules on a methane atmosphere we would be very interested scientifically.
It would be of use to study them as a help for producing chemicals here that are of use to us, even in the nanotech area particularly.

As for communicating with any inteligent species --- we have as yet to speak to the dolphins and they could be brainier than us

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inventing and writing forum
You dont know how little you know.
till you know enought
to know that you still know nothing

Just don't offer a cigarette to a methane breather. You might start an interstellar war.

it just occurred to me, a mthane breather may end up talk to the wrong end of a cow?!

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Damien,
International Baccalaureate Physics teacher
Optics, Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing Instrumentation Major
Admin: Pacific Science and Art