Official CCS Random Thoughts Thread

brett05

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You know what has always bothered me....why are we so obsessed with finding water on other planets? Yes, I know for our type of species that water is extremely important to survival. But why do we assume any type of 'alien' is going to be like us and need water? What if another alien species needs lava or acid in order to survive?
 

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You know what has always bothered me....why are we so obsessed with finding water on other planets? Yes, I know for our type of species that water is extremely important to survival. But why do we assume any type of 'alien' is going to be like us and need water? What if another alien species needs lava or acid in order to survive?

That's always been a pet peeve of mine, too. It seems like the assumption is that alien life can only exist in Earth-like conditions.
 

brett05

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You know what has always bothered me....why are we so obsessed with finding water on other planets? Yes, I know for our type of species that water is extremely important to survival. But why do we assume any type of 'alien' is going to be like us and need water? What if another alien species needs lava or acid in order to survive?

For me it's why evolving from non life makes no sense to me as we don't find life elsewhere.
 

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For me it's why evolving from non life makes no sense to me as we don't find life elsewhere.
In the entire universe. The huge thing that it is, you don't think there is any other life out there? Period?
 

brett05

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In the entire universe. The huge thing that it is, you don't think there is any other life out there? Period?

I do not. There is no evidence that says otherwise. Until there is I see no reason to take any other position.
 

Ares

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You know what has always bothered me....why are we so obsessed with finding water on other planets? Yes, I know for our type of species that water is extremely important to survival. But why do we assume any type of 'alien' is going to be like us and need water? What if another alien species needs lava or acid in order to survive?

I've often had the same thought..... I came to the conclusion that Carbon based lifeforms that require water to live are the only examples of life we really have to go off of at this point in time.

If there are life forms else where in the Universe that need some other liquid to survive and they breathe some other gas besides Oxygen.... well then you are talking about a very different being than what we know, with unfathomable processes.... if it breathes Nitrogen gas and drinks some kind of acid what does its body do with those things and how does its organs utilize those resources? We also have to fathom life as requiring something to breathe and something to drink like we do, but it could be possible they don't need that kind of stuff at all.

In the end I posit that human beings can really only use examples of life as we see them here and now, so the conditions for that type of life is what we look for. If a researcher were to go for a grant to search for conditions for life which breathes Nitrogen and drinks Acid and he had no idea how a being of that sort could even possibly function as he wouldn't have an example to go off of, he would likely be laughed out of his profession.
 

Ares

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I do not. There is no evidence that says otherwise. Until there is I see no reason to take any other position.

As long as you don't discourage the curiosity of people who think differently who want to look for possible alien life out in the Universe that is cool.

Maybe a discussion thread we can open in B&I, but why would God bother creating such a large Universe for just us? Why not just the one Solar System?
 

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I think because water is the basis of our life, and looking for it on other planets is easier as a sign of other life than trying to look for signs of life in things elsewise. Like was said other life forms may not need water. But we still don't know what they need so what is it exactly we're supposed to look for? The main thing though for me is that they are looking for water because it's not just about discovery of life but about finding a planet possible to terraform and make suitable for our life. One of these days the space race is going to click and we're going to need places to conquer.
 

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I've often had the same thought..... I came to the conclusion that Carbon based lifeforms that require water to live are the only examples of life we really have to go off of at this point in time.

If there are life forms else where in the Universe that need some other liquid to survive and they breathe some other gas besides Oxygen.... well then you are talking about a very different being than what we know, with unfathomable processes.... if it breathes Nitrogen gas and drinks some kind of acid what does its body do with those things and how does its organs utilize those resources? We also have to fathom life as requiring something to breathe and something to drink like we do, but it could be possible they don't need that kind of stuff at all.

In the end I posit that human beings can really only use examples of life as we see them here and now, so the conditions for that type of life is what we look for. If a researcher were to go for a grant to search for conditions for life which breathes Nitrogen and drinks Acid and he had no idea how a being of that sort could even possibly function as he wouldn't have an example to go off of, he would likely be laughed out of his profession.
Believe me, I understand that I would be laughed out of any scientific field for thinking that, it was more just food for thought. Actually, the whole question was brought up by one of my students last period.
 

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I see a lot of parallels between belief in God and belief in the existence other life forms...just sayin

For me I think there is.... I believe in the possibility and likelihood of both quite the same.

I think belief in God for zealots is very different from belief that other life exists in the Universe.... you would have to start comparing like ISIS dudes to dis guy:
readImage
 

Gustavus Adolphus

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For me I think there is.... I believe in the possibility and likelihood of both quite the same.

I think belief in God for zealots is very different from belief that other life exists in the Universe.... you would have to start comparing like ISIS dudes to dis guy:
readImage
Well nobody is chopping off another person's head because they believe in a different type of alien.
 

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For me I think there is.... I believe in the possibility and likelihood of both quite the same.

I think belief in God for zealots is very different from belief that other life exists in the Universe.... you would have to start comparing like ISIS dudes to dis guy:
readImage
:andruw:
 

brett05

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As long as you don't discourage the curiosity of people who think differently who want to look for possible alien life out in the Universe that is cool.

Maybe a discussion thread we can open in B&I, but why would God bother creating such a large Universe for just us? Why not just the one Solar System?

We can talk God but I don't see a reason to with this.

And anyone can wonder....just don't ask for public funding
 

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We can talk God but I don't see a reason to with this.

And anyone can wonder....just don't ask for public funding

They can't even ask? Damn... das harsh
 

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