New earth like planet found

[Chogy]

In terms of standard temperatures and pressures, I definitely agree. However, I do sometimes wonder about truly exotic chemistry- my impression (I am not a chemist, don't remember much from my chemistry classes, and actively tried to forget what little I learned in my biochemistry classes) is that we know very little about what happens at very high pressures. I like to think that there may be islands of stability under conditions that we simply cannot replicate very easily. But carbon's still the best/only game in town for anything approaching 'normal' conditions.

I can see it... but I have problems thinking that any such life could evolve into much complexity.

When we begin to delve into energy forms, stars, gas formations with consciousness, additional dimensions, it's getting more into the spiritual than science, because any such form would violate physical laws as we know them. But never say never.

This thread reminds me of one of the best SF novels ever written, Joe Haldeman's Forever War. When the protagonists encounter the bizarre hostile aliens and a firefight erupts, the aliens die and bleed red. Quote: "All God's children got hemoglobin."

[tankie]

A nice link , its says maybe et will be found in the next decade , im hoping to witness it .

Future evidence for extraterrestrial life might come from dying stars

[FJV]

I believe Si is suggested because its in the same column on the periodic table - so Ge or Sn would be other possibilities on that basis. Another approach to chemical composition of life is the animal/plant difference of
Iron/Magnesium as the basis of Hemoglobin/Chlorophyl - perhaps life somewhere else might have Aluminum as the foundation of its key metabolic system?

Actually squids have blue colored blood based on copper. (hemocyanin)

As for the evil aliens, this could be us.
Once we have the spaceships, we can easily kill a less technologically advanced lifeforms with neutron bombs and take over a planet.

I would like us to do some more growing up so that this will not happen.

[Officer of Engineers]

Once we have the spaceships, we can easily kill a less technologically advanced lifeforms with neutron bombs and take over a planet.

What's wrong with rocks? It's a hell of a lot cheaper than nukes.

[dave lukins]

Judging by the available chemical/molecular data, our universe appears to be hard-wired for life.

But too far to touch. We can find them but they are always many light years away. We haven't got passed the moon yet so I can't see us going much further in the next hundred years. When that happens Tankie may even get to open his wallet and pay for a drink.

[Parihaka]

But too far to touch. We can find them but they are always many light years away. We haven't got passed the moon yet so I can't see us going much further in the next hundred years. When that happens Tankie may even get to open his wallet and pay for a drink.

In all likelyhood there is a good chance we will find life (microbial) on Mars where measurements of seasonal methane concentrations are already giving us good places to search, Ecaladus where it's ocean, at something like 10 times in volume that of Earth, provides the best chance for complex life, Europa for the same reasons and Io as an extreme outlier given the high volcanic activity but no liquid water.
Titan is possible given it has an atmosphere, liquid on the surface and an energy source but any life on that would be so far removed chemically from our understanding that it enters the realm of pure science fiction.

[dave lukins]

In all likelyhood there is a good chance we will find life (microbial) on Mars where measurements of seasonal methane concentrations are already giving us good places to search, Ecaladus where it's ocean, at something like 10 times in volume that of Earth, provides the best chance for complex life, Europa for the same reasons and Io as an extreme outlier given the high volcanic activity but no liquid water.
Titan is possible given it has an atmosphere, liquid on the surface and an energy source but any life on that would be so far removed chemically from our understanding that it enters the realm of pure science fiction.

...but where are the bars? I've scourered the universe and there are no bars....one Club and that's it but OoE has a closed door policy. Something to do with a certain artiste sneaking in. It's called Paranoid 'R' Us, it's just past Pluto on the new moon Vulcan ;)

[Officer of Engineers]

...but where are the bars? I've scourered the universe and there are no bars....one Club and that's it but OoE has a closed door policy. Something to do with a certain artiste sneaking in. It's called Paranoid 'R' Us, it's just past Pluto on the new moon Vulcan ;)

Has nothing to do with that singer but everything to do with Tankie not being able to pee straight.

[Stitch]

Has nothing to do with that singer but everything to do with Tankie not being able to pee straight.

Whoa! TMI!

[tankie]

Ssshhhh going concerned will think we just a bunch o piss takers :whome:

[zraver]

What's wrong with rocks? It's a hell of a lot cheaper than nukes.

Rocks are harder to get to the surface in sizes tactically useful. The big ones that make it all the way down are probably way bigger than city busters and unguided with poor CEP. Using rocks pretty much means just pasting the planet with a target of mass extinction or terror.

Bringing along more accurate grain silo sized projectiles of ceramic coated ferrocovered glass slugs will likely cost way more than nukes when you factor in how much lugging all that weight to orbit and then across space would cost.

[Officer of Engineers]

Rocks are harder to get to the surface in sizes tactically useful. The big ones that make it all the way down are probably way bigger than city busters and unguided with poor CEP. Using rocks pretty much means just pasting the planet with a target of mass extinction or terror.

Why not? By the time you send word back that you found a habitable planet and wait for the colonists to arrive, the planet would have cleansed itself of the mess.

[zraver]

Why not? By the time you send word back that you found a habitable planet and wait for the colonists to arrive, the planet would have cleansed itself of the mess.

True, but if the planet has living things you want besides the neighbors you don't want extinction level events may not be what you want.

[Officer of Engineers]

True, but if the planet has living things you want besides the neighbors you don't want extinction level events may not be what you want.

If the purpose is colonization, then terraforming is a lot easier after you wiped the slate clean. I certainly don't want to face any AVATAR movie style beasts with natural armour that can withstand a 7.62NATO GPMG and carbon fibre for skin.

Actually, I could not understand that movie. You don't need the natives. You don't need that god of theirs. You don't even need the wildlife nor plants. All they wanted was that unobtainium. A good rock from space would have guarranteed that instead of that mess of trying to deliver a daisy cutter.

[Monash]

If the purpose is colonization, then terraforming is a lot easier after you wiped the slate clean. I certainly don't want to face any AVATAR movie style beasts with natural armour that can withstand a 7.62NATO GPMG and carbon fibre for skin.

Actually, I could not understand that movie. You don't need the natives. You don't need that god of theirs. You don't even need the wildlife nor plants. All they wanted was that unobtainium. A good rock from space would have guarranteed that instead of that mess of trying to deliver a daisy cutter.

O of E, even allowing for Mankind's baser instincts I'm not sure "genocide" would be at the top of our list of ways for dealing with a "first contact" scenario. While we are a greedy bunch at times we are also insatiably curious and we have also made some progress as a species - attack a threat yes but kill of an entire species for no good reason I think we are slightly better than that! It always annoyed me that this precious element could for some reason only be found on one planet in one particular solar system but then again I guess there wouldn't have been a plot line if they didn't have to go there. After all why else invest so much effort in a planet humans couldn't survive on?