redtigerdragon Posted April 2, 2009 Posted April 2, 2009 You guys are clearly being myopic if you think statistics don't indicate that the universe is peppered with life, even of the intelligent variety. I dunno, I for one am not a big fan of statistics. Don't get me wrong, got an A in the class in college, but wasn't really a fan. But, in all seriousness, life is really complicated. Little things that seem insignificant can cause major dampenings in it's process. One switch in one base pair out of the ~3 billion and game over. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
VirtualHogger Posted April 2, 2009 Posted April 2, 2009 You guys are clearly being myopic if you think statistics don't indicate that the universe is peppered with life, even of the intelligent variety. What statistics? Where's your data? So far, 1 planet with life that any of us know of. Perhaps you should go on a galactic tour and gather data. Then you will see that statistically speaking it's an extremely small chance of life elsewhere. See ya in a few quadrillion years when you get back. "In God we trust. Everybody else bring data." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
redtigerdragon Posted April 2, 2009 Posted April 2, 2009 "In God we trust. Everybody else bring data." Ha, that is an awesome quote. I'm stealin' it! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great_Gig Posted April 2, 2009 Posted April 2, 2009 In God we trust.................... jeeez! The known Universe has 50 Billion planets capable of sustaining some form of life, now that's any form of life - intelligent life is another story and as pointed out, the sequence of events to get to where we are today is quite mind boggling. But to get your head round the figure of 50 Billion, this may help - fill an Olympic sized swimming pool with grains of sand and you have around 50 Billion. So looking at it that way, those with rational brains could argue it would be illogical (maybe even arrogant) to think that we were alone in the Universe. What do I think? - of course there's other intelligent life out there and it's not a bloke wearing a white rode with a halo! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
VirtualHogger Posted April 2, 2009 Posted April 2, 2009 In God we trust.................... jeeez! The known Universe has 50 Billion planets capable of sustaining some form of life... Wow, you have been counting for a very long time. Really, tho, I just don't know how you or anybody else could possibly *know* that. The fact is this, we are all alike in this that nobody knows, we only have an opinion, right? And, for the record, arrogance has nothing to do with my opinion. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
taowulf Posted April 3, 2009 Posted April 3, 2009 Wow, you have been counting for a very long time. Really, tho, I just don't know how you or anybody else could possibly *know* that. The fact is this, we are all alike in this that nobody knows, we only have an opinion, right? And, for the record, arrogance has nothing to do with my opinion. Ignorance, however, plays a vital role. They don't make counts, they make estimates as counting would take absurdly long. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great_Gig Posted April 3, 2009 Posted April 3, 2009 (edited) Wow, you have been counting for a very long time. Really, tho, I just don't know how you or anybody else could possibly *know* that. The fact is this, we are all alike in this that nobody knows, we only have an opinion, right? And, for the record, arrogance has nothing to do with my opinion. Ah, I knew there may be a misunderstanding - I wasn't directing that comment at anyone posting, I was implying that 'we' as an intelligent form of life could be thought to be arrogant to think we are alone in the Universe. You are quite correct too, no-one knows for sure, that's why we have the SETI project and others to help us make estimates. But as to how anyone could possibly *know* that? Well it's reasonably easy to calculate and this estimate has been offered by various groups, including The International Group of Astronomers, who presented their findings at the General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union in Sydney. Their figures are actually higher than the estimate I gave, which is an old figure - they now put it at around 70 billion planets in the Universe capable of producing life. This basic calculation is achieved by multiplying the number of visible galaxies in the known (and again I use the word known) Universe, by the number of stars in each galaxy (around 100 billion stars). All these stars could conceivably have planetary systems like our own, which are capable of sustaining life. Again going back to my earlier post I'm talking about any form of life, not necessarily intelligent life and most cosmologists believe that planet formation around stars is a fairly common occurrence. Now I'm not going to work it all out, as it has been done and is well documented, but 70 billion is still a massively conservative figure, based on what we now know about the universe and it's estimated 70 sextillion stars. So take that against the general question of 'is there extra-terrestrial life in existence in the universe' and ponder this - it only has to exist on ONE other planet anywhere in the Universe. Given those odds, I (and others) say it would be illogical to think it didn't exist? We all struggle to grasp the vastness of space and where it ends - but if you ever get the chance to lie on a hill somewhere and can find one with zero light pollution, just look up and think about what you can see? Then couple that with what we currently know (and what we don't!), then think logically about what you now know from reading this post, put it all together and ask yourself the question again? Edited April 3, 2009 by Great_Gig Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrewr05 Posted April 3, 2009 Posted April 3, 2009 Andrewr05's top 4 reasons why there is undeniably some other form of life in the cosmos: Organisms have evolved on earth to intake (tolerate) oxygen yet at one point to all living things it was extremely toxic, it was just by chance that organisms were giving off oxygen as a byproduct that we are now breathing oxygen. What if it had been nitrogen that flooded the atmosphere 2.5 billion years ago?(yes I realize that it did I was attempting to make a point about us living off of nitrogen vs oxygen) The extremophiles of Earth are amazing examples showing how an organism can evolve to live in very specific yet extreme environments. Everything from surviving and reproducing in temperatures above 80C to living in extreme acidic/alkaline environments. The universe is ever expanding (so they say), therefore more galaxies are being created therefore more planets/celestial objects are being created. Therefore we must assume that this only increases the probability of a life sustainable planet forming. 118 elements (that we know of from studying earth, there may be more) and 4 possible phases (5 if you include the BE condensate theory), there can only be so many unique planets before a non unique pattern arises. If all of the above things are true I would find it almost 100% impossible that there ISN'T other life out there... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kash Posted April 3, 2009 Posted April 3, 2009 What if it had been nitrogen that flooded the atmosphere 2.5 billion years ago? Actually, nitrogen DID flood the atmosphere billions of years ago, most of it coming from volcanoes. The atmosphere currently is comprised of 78% nitrogen. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrewr05 Posted April 3, 2009 Posted April 3, 2009 Actually, nitrogen DID flood the atmosphere billions of years ago, most of it coming from volcanoes. The atmosphere currently is comprised of 78% nitrogen.er....Oh yeah... <---Fail I just picked a random gass and typed it in for effect, I guess I wasn't thinking. /facepalm More importantly, my point was what if we were breathing nitrogen right now (as in living off of it, i realize we literally are inhaling nitrogen) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onion Posted April 3, 2009 Posted April 3, 2009 er....Oh yeah... <---Fail I just picked a random gass and typed it in for effect, I guess I wasn't thinking. /facepalm More importantly, my point was what if we were breathing nitrogen right now (as in living off of it, i realize we literally are inhaling nitrogen) We DO need nitrogen to live... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
flareback Posted April 3, 2009 Posted April 3, 2009 Actually, nitrogen DID flood the atmosphere billions of years ago, most of it coming from volcanoes. The atmosphere currently is comprised of 78% nitrogen. lol. nice. I put no. But it wouldn't hurt my feelings if there were. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now