you ever hear of the drake equation? I am basing this statement on a possibly imperfect recollection of one of its terms. There is a habitable zone in our solar system. I do not remember whether it officially includes Europa. And yes, the paradigm has flaws. It assumes that life will be carbon-based. It assumes that no civilization will last more than x years. It assumes that only technilogically advanced life (as we understand it) is necessary for communication with life forms. But that's what I was talking about :)
Dana On 6/2/05, Jim Davis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Dana [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Sent: Thursday, June 02, 2005 4:28 PM > > To: CF-Community > > Subject: Re: Smithsonian for sale? > > > > > Solar System. The Earth's surface is also the most habitable place in > > the > > > Solar System. Is this coincidence just that? > > > > Duh. There is a narrow band where life is possible, and carbon-based > > life developed there and nowhere else because the necessary conditions > > of temperature and light are not available elsewhere. > > Not that I don't agree in principle but... ;^) > > There are criteria that need to be met for "our kind of life" that Earth > meets in spades. In the solar system there is only one planet where life > can run as blatant and rampant as it does on Earth - and that planet is > Earth. > > However there are many other nooks and crannies in the Solar system that > have a chance - sometimes a significant chance - for life. > > The theorized sub-surface ocean of Europa (which is actually a very likely > place), middle layers of Jupiter's cloud cover (which seem to have more than > enough energy and more water, in total, that several hundred Earth's) and > the presumed mud-flats of Mars (even if we only find evidence of extinct > life on Mars it's still going to be the news of the century). > > You don't really need "light" for life - just energy (which on Earth is > almost exclusively sunlight). We've found life at the most inhospitable > places on Earth. The steam vents of the ocean floor lack all light yet life > teems in super-heated water. > > Hell - we've even found evidence of the simplest amino acids in interstellar > dust clouds. > > In short it looks like life may be much more common than many people think. > Almost inevitable, in fact, given the right ingredients. > > Now intelligent life may well be a different story... we're still looking > for proof of that here on Earth. ;^) > > Jim Davis > > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Discover CFTicket - The leading ColdFusion Help Desk and Trouble Ticket application http://www.houseoffusion.com/banners/view.cfm?bannerid=48 Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:159500 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:5 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
