[karajorma]

Originally posted by Angel Warlord
Suppose for the sake of discussion that we find some methane sucking worm-like bacteria on Titan. Whopdedo. Its not intelligent, it doesnt have Tachyon beam weaponry or hovercraft or warp speed. It cant melt your brain, posses your body or speak through telepathy. It doesnt have any cities of glory, motherships, city destroyers or vast space stations. They probably come is peace and are partial to human excrement. Other than that, to me its the same old **** of finding new bacteria on the bottom of the ocean, just different backdrop.

Nope. It's not the same. The point is that if life can evolve independantly twice in the same solar system then there is very little chance of it only existing in the Sol system.

The question would no longer be "Do Aliens Exist?" it would now be "Where Are They?"

All of a sudden all the planets around other star systems would suddenly have a very good chance of having more interesting aliens.

[neo_hermes]

i kinda hope there's life on europa...i'm a bit tired of the human race...it''s gotten old and i'd like to see somthing new...till that gets old, too....

[Ace]

Originally posted by karajorma


Nope. It's not the same. The point is that if life can evolve independantly twice in the same solar system then there is very little chance of it only existing in the Sol system.

The question would no longer be "Do Aliens Exist?" it would now be "Where Are They?"

All of a sudden all the planets around other star systems would suddenly have a very good chance of having more interesting aliens.

We know one limiting factor is from Gamma Ray Bursts.

While we know there are early stars with enough metal content to form planets (plus we've detected some *very old* planets) it's very possible that most early life kept on being sterilized by GRBs.

GRBs in the present time are much more rare, so there's a good chance we're in the first generation of planets with the capacity to have more complex life.

Originally posted by President Clarke's sycophant

[Readies Self for Warhead Drop]

God intended the Earth to be the sole planet for life (Read: Genesis 1), for He created it first before the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars. Don't you see? All other astronomical objects are merely sycophants of Earth.

God be praised!

[Readies Self for Public Lynching]

So I guess you're going to join the Earth-first movement the second that first contact is made? Afterall all aliens are the spawn of the devil! It couldn't be possible that perhaps any sort of supreme being might decide on making a whole universe full of intelligent critters intended to get along with one another.

[neo_hermes]

Destroy the Xenophobes!!!

[karajorma]

Originally posted by Ace
We know one limiting factor is from Gamma Ray Bursts.

While we know there are early stars with enough metal content to form planets (plus we've detected some *very old* planets) it's very possible that most early life kept on being sterilized by GRBs.

GRBs in the present time are much more rare, so there's a good chance we're in the first generation of planets with the capacity to have more complex life.

Well it's fairly obvious that the population I type stars won't have any life since all their planets will have to work with is hydrogen and traces of helium and other simple elements

As for GRB I've heard about the idea of them causing extinctions before but GRBs aren't localised effects. They'd wipe out life in a fairly large chunk of the galaxy. All the local stars have had just as long to recover from the last GRB in this area as we have. If life has managed to evolve twice in this solar system since then there is a good chance that it can do the same in other nearby systems.

[Ace]

Actually my comment about older stars and planets relates to the fact that they've found first generation stars with heavy elements as well as planets that date from that period in globular clusters. It was a very unexpected find. I think one of the current theories on this is that the elements in these stars were from early GRBs in the stellar nurseries. (heavy elements are produced in the hypernovae)

Yes, GRBs are very large events. That means that most likely all life in the galaxy and possibly the universe due to how widespread GRBs were would be in a state similar to ours.

[Col. Fishguts]

Clearest view (for now) of Titan's south pole region, the white speckles are clouds.

[Sandwich]

Here's a nice clear shot of the moon.

[beatspete]

Wow sandwich, if you squint at it, its almost got some sort of contorted frowning face type thing.
Intellegence indeed.

[Ace]

Originally posted by Sandwich
Here's a nice clear shot of the moon.

Lunarcell? Bah! Begone vile one!

[Rampage]

Originally posted by Ace


Lunarcell? Bah! Begone vile one!

Yeah, as I was going to say.

[Star Dragon]

As the probe nears Titan for it's unprecidented close ups and landing a flash is seen from the surface and a rock slams into the probe utterly destroying it!

  In the language of the methane breathing vasudans er, I mean Titans:
 
   "Dad? Why did we had to destroy that probe with the Mass Driver?"

   "Well son the Humans are a primitive and Pathetic race. If they knew there was other life in the universe we would have all sorts of problems."

  "Like what?"

  "Well first of all they would claim to come in friendship, but quickly try to enforce their religious views and laws upon us. Next would come the economic explitation and eventual contamination as they would try to build a dozen starbucks in every population center!"

  "Oh... I understand now... F - That!"

  "F - That indeed , son. Now don't let your mother hear you talking like that or she'll was your mouth out with a live chimera!"

   

[Rampage]

Originally posted by Star Dragon
...as they would try to build a dozen starbucks in every population center!"

[Sandwich]

Originally posted by Ace


Lunarcell? Bah! Begone vile one!

lol - I quite agree, but I wasn't about to spend more than 3 minutes making that. At least I used real clouds.