Do you think aliens exist?
- Juneberry
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It certainly is fascinating. The idea, too, that some of the life on Earth might truly be originating from another world in some way... It's just amazing to think about!
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- Spook of the lost
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yeah, pan spermia is an incredible hypothesis.
in fact.
there was an asteroid a year or two ago that they discovered had been floating around our galaxy for Billions of years, kicked out of it's home system long before the nebula from which our star had formed had been created by the death of another star.
due to it's colouration being a reddish brown there's been a lot of discussion about sending a probe out to intercept it, though it's long since left our star system.
that colouration is an indicator of organic molecules and possibly life.
sorta like pluto
it's easy to see how stuff like that coming from nearby stars and having drifted in from the void could have been pulled in and hit the planet in the distant past.
in fact.
there was an asteroid a year or two ago that they discovered had been floating around our galaxy for Billions of years, kicked out of it's home system long before the nebula from which our star had formed had been created by the death of another star.
due to it's colouration being a reddish brown there's been a lot of discussion about sending a probe out to intercept it, though it's long since left our star system.
that colouration is an indicator of organic molecules and possibly life.
sorta like pluto
it's easy to see how stuff like that coming from nearby stars and having drifted in from the void could have been pulled in and hit the planet in the distant past.
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"He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche
- Juneberry
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Certainly, when you think of all the asteroids, meteors and various other debris in the universe, it is highly difficult to believe it not a possibility. I didn't know the color of organic molecules until now though. I wouldn't have guessed it, likely because I'm thinking of the colors of our own world.
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- Spook of the lost
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yeah when you think of organic molecules you don't think of methane, ethane, carbon, hydrocarbons etc.
it's all sort of a brown oily substance.
sort of a dusty dirt colour.
but these are the basis for all life on earth.
amino acid chains forming Dineuclaic acids in twin helix patterns with chains utilizing only 4 molecules all based around carbon, nitrogen etc.
in fact, there were several competing forms of this with different molecule sets at one point.
Ribo neuclaic and Di neuclaic are the one's that won out in the end though with the former being primarily used by bacteria and viruses and the latter being used by complex life, DNA.
things could have easily went in another direction based on benzene, or ammonia, or sulfer, or any number of things.
the key here is that it needs to be able to make complex molecule chains to hold information.
and have something that it's soluble in to allow the molecules to form and reform interchangeably.
which is why ammonia and sulfer is a good combo.
or Carbon and water.
there's all sorts of exotic forms theorized as well, so long as molecules can form complex chains and there's a way for them to reform and change then there's a chance that life could happen.
even in nebulous clouds in the void of space.
or on rogue planets without stars kept warm by thick atmospheres.
it's all sort of a brown oily substance.
sort of a dusty dirt colour.
but these are the basis for all life on earth.
amino acid chains forming Dineuclaic acids in twin helix patterns with chains utilizing only 4 molecules all based around carbon, nitrogen etc.
in fact, there were several competing forms of this with different molecule sets at one point.
Ribo neuclaic and Di neuclaic are the one's that won out in the end though with the former being primarily used by bacteria and viruses and the latter being used by complex life, DNA.
things could have easily went in another direction based on benzene, or ammonia, or sulfer, or any number of things.
the key here is that it needs to be able to make complex molecule chains to hold information.
and have something that it's soluble in to allow the molecules to form and reform interchangeably.
which is why ammonia and sulfer is a good combo.
or Carbon and water.
there's all sorts of exotic forms theorized as well, so long as molecules can form complex chains and there's a way for them to reform and change then there's a chance that life could happen.
even in nebulous clouds in the void of space.
or on rogue planets without stars kept warm by thick atmospheres.
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"He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche
It kinda makes me wonder why governments aren't more eager to explore the possibility of intelligent life away from Earth.. I guess it's all money and lack of funding though!
You'd have to believe there are other intelligent lifeforms out there somewhere.
You'd have to believe there are other intelligent lifeforms out there somewhere.
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Nerdface
No one messes around with a nerd’s computer and escapes unscathed.
No one messes around with a nerd’s computer and escapes unscathed.
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or whales lol.
they actually use sonic frequencies to communicate from one side of the planet to the other... it's incredible.
@ nerdface: it's more about politics, see the reason we never went back to the moon is because it was perceived that it had no value, thus no economics were directed towards it.
combine that with an american people who the majority of have become somewhat apathetic toward space and well...
it kinda stagnates.
what we need is something that draws interest like the space race of the 1960's to bring the public attention back toward space exploration again.
on the upside, there is a probe mission to Europa planned which is going to explore beneath the ice to look for signs of life.
they actually use sonic frequencies to communicate from one side of the planet to the other... it's incredible.
@ nerdface: it's more about politics, see the reason we never went back to the moon is because it was perceived that it had no value, thus no economics were directed towards it.
combine that with an american people who the majority of have become somewhat apathetic toward space and well...
it kinda stagnates.
what we need is something that draws interest like the space race of the 1960's to bring the public attention back toward space exploration again.
on the upside, there is a probe mission to Europa planned which is going to explore beneath the ice to look for signs of life.
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"He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche
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indeed ^_^ there's so many subglacial oceans in the sol system!
it may be a decade or two but I'm also looking forward to it.
atm they're testing the technology on the antarctic ice in efforts to explore some of the subglacial lakes there.
it may be a decade or two but I'm also looking forward to it.
atm they're testing the technology on the antarctic ice in efforts to explore some of the subglacial lakes there.
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"He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche