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| From: kylie hewitt |
2/02/99
16:55:28
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| Subject: aliens |
post id:
67
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is ther life on other
planets?
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| From: Jeremy |
2/02/99
17:18:45
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| Subject: re: aliens |
post id:
68
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The calculation has been
performed several times since the early 60s that I know of and the result
tends to suggest that the probability of life on other planets is close to
one. ( ie yes - there is life on other planets (probably). ) It's only
because of the stupendous numbers of galaxies that we know to be out there
that could have a habital planet, that could have the correct chemical
composition, that could be old enough etc etc that the result tends to
come out to "yes". It is also rather egotistic to say the least to assume
that we are the only lifeforms at all, ever, wherever ! Why should this be
so? We are certainly not positioned in the center of our own galaxy, let
alone the centre of the universe, so if we don't occupy a particularly
special place, then why shouldn't it follow that there is life elsewhere?
What would make us so special?
On another side though - the
probability of ever having communication or observing other life let alone
having a close encounter of any kind is by no means near 1. Just because a
life form is "out there" - there is no special reason to be able to pick a
live spot out of the squillions of places that are likely to be dead that
we could not only look in the right direction, but happen to be
technologically advanced enough at the time and be lucky enough to
recognise or even be looking. Add to this the horrendous distances in
space and time that are involved.. and I seriously doubt that there is any
significant chance of meeting E.T.
That doesn't stop SETI or NASA
looking though. We (humans) are interested in any signs of life in
extraterrestrial rocks and any intelligent-looking sources of
electromagnetic radiation. Even one fully confirmed bacteria on one rock
of extra terrestrial origin would seriously change the self image of
man.
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| From: Evan |
3/02/99
10:08:31
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| Subject: re: aliens |
post id:
112
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Your guess is as good as mine.
No-one WE KNOW ABOUT has the answer. But I believe it's true that there
are billions of galaxys out there, and if only one-in-a-billion galaxies
have suns similar to our own, and if only one-in-a-billion of those suns
have planets around them, and only one-in-a-billion of those planets is
capable of supporting life, and only one-in-a-billion of those
life-supportable planets had the event and conditions to actually START
life as we know it, there are still millions of possible life-bearing
planets out there.
Kinda mind-boggling, isn't
it?
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| From: Manfred |
22/07/99
11:57:41
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| Subject: re: aliens |
post id:
25530
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One thing we know for sure: There
was life on another minor planet exactly thirty years
ago.
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