When I replied >Are you sure???
I was referring to the part where you said "But, so far, they have been kind enough not to interfere." This was said with a bit of a wink. Maybe "they" have. Maybe they are. Maybe we are part of a giant double blind experiment. arthur -----Original Message----- From: Keith Hudson [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Thursday, April 11, 2002 3:45 PM To: Cordell, Arthur: ECOM Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Galactic lifeforms (was RE: Economics *is* simple (was Re: Privatizing the Public: Whose agenda?: At What Hi Arthur, At 11:34 11/04/02 -0400, you wrote: (KH) >On the radio this morning an astrophysicist was saying that we are now >discovering so many planetary systems elsewhere in our galaxy that the >number of planets with lifeforms must be at least a billion. If this is so, >then I can only deduce that at least one of them has been observing us for >a long time! But, so far, they have been kind enough not to interfere. (AC) >Are you sure??? Yes! It shook me. But the basis for saying this is that the relatively recent discovery of lifeforms on earth in the most unlikely places (e.g. two miles down in rock fissures without oxygen) and ferocious conditions (e.g. bacteria existing at 130°C in under-sea volcanic vents) means that biologists now consider that the conditions for life are now immensely wider than ever before. Another factor is that simple bacteria have now been shown to easily exist in space so long as they are protected by a relatively flimsy covering giving them protection from cosmic radiation (e.g. inside a spongy rock). Some astrobiologists now consider it certain that life of some sort will be found somewhere else in our planetary system. (I believe there are a couple of moons somewhere [whose names I've forgotten] which probably consist of ice floating on water -- if so, these are highly likely candidates.) Of course, it was only the opinion of that astrophysicist that there are a billion planets with life. I'm sure most don't think so. And there are probably still some scientists who still believe that the chance of life ever evolving in a similar way to earth's is still zero. I used to sit on the fence and regard such talk as mainly science fiction, but the recent discoveries mentioned above have changed my mind mor than somewhat! Keith __________________________________________________________ "Writers used to write because they had something to say; now they write in order to discover if they have something to say." John D. Barrow _________________________________________________ Keith Hudson, Bath, England; e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] _________________________________________________
