26 Apr 07
1 edit
Originally posted by MarinkatombThose bacteria had one thing going for them: they were inside a plastic sheathing on some wiring. The thing about plastic is it is a pretty good stopper of radiation. We thought at first to protect space travelers you would need a nice thick wall of lead but now we know something like plastic is much better, so they got one break there. That plastic shields them from all the UV and a lot of the nastier varieties of radiation also. Given that, they still are in vacuum and a big temperature swing, like 4-500 degrees F every two weeks, going in and out of the sun, so they will become extremephobes for sure.
You're forgetting evolution. If life was to spring into existence or arrive on this planet fro elsewhere and it did have water/oxygen and the correct temperature, evolution would take care of the rest. Life has adapted to exist pretty much all oer this planet. On the edge of volcanoes, on glaciers, at the bottom of the ocean with no light, etc... ent. If life does exist on this planet, it will have adapted to it's environment.
They also digest the plastic so that is a food source also. If they had been left on a ham sandwitch on the moon's surface they wouldn't have stood a chance in hell of survival for very long due to the dircect blast of light from the sun, forget upper radiation, the UV would do them in rather quickly, to say nothing of soon running out of food.
26 Apr 07
1 edit
Originally posted by sonhouseI was merely making the point that micro biotic life is more resilient than your average cow or mongoose. You stick a human on a planet with that much radiation, they die. It's not that simple with micro organisms. Seeing as all the BIG forms of life on this planet evolved from similarly microscopic organisms, it stands to reason that IF single celled organisms can survive on this new planet, the forms of life that they evolve into would be similarly prepared to survive in such an alien environment.
Those bacteria had one thing going for them: they were inside a plastic sheathing on some wiring. The thing about plastic is it is a pretty good stopper of radiation. We thought at first to protect space travelers you would need a nice thick wall of lead but now we know something like plastic is much better, so they got one break there. That plastic shields radiation, the UV would do them in rather quickly, to say nothing of soon running out of food.
The atmosphere here on Earth is the way it is because there is life here. It would have been vastly different in 'the beginning'. There would have been now trees, no plants or in other words, nothing that absorbs Carbon dioxide and pumps out oxygen. The atmosphere would contain different concentrations of gases etc as a result. How much radiation would the Earth be exposed to in this circumstance? I'm not in a position to answer that myself, but one thing i do know is that when life did begin, it didn't begin in an environment that was as perfect as the one we live in today. Life prevailed though! This whole discussion hinges on whether there is an organism in the first place. If life sprung into existence on Earth, then it managed to spring into a working model from the outset. I see no reason why this couldn't happen elsewhere, they are both as improbable as each other...
EDIT: Sorry, forgot to address your post. I was not aware that the bacteria could feed on the plastic / was protected by it, etc. I will accept your point, i'm not a scientist so i'm not in a position to argue. The story does extend the boundaries of what we think life is capable of though, you have to accept that. It had no water and no oxygen but it lived. Ok it was protected from radiation but these two things are vital to the survival of life (or so we thought anyway...)
26 Apr 07
Somewhere out there there is an alien civilization looking out into the galaxy through alien telescopes, possibly at our own star, wondering if there is life here in this solar system... just as we are looking out at their star wondering the same thing... its kinda funny if you think about it! 🙂
26 Apr 07
Originally posted by ChessJesterAnd somewhere out there, some civilization is looking around for a new food source.....
Somewhere out there there is an alien civilization looking out into the galaxy through alien telescopes, possibly at our own star, wondering if there is life here in this solar system... just as we are looking out at their star wondering the same thing... its kinda funny if you think about it! 🙂
26 Apr 07
Originally posted by sonhouseResources! Life survives with resources. If a life form wanted to come here, it would be a trade off; use immense amounts of resources in order to gain resources elsewhere. If a civilisation has the capacity to travel light years across space, then they have the technology to create massive amounts of energy. What resource exists here that would be more valuable than that? Oil? Coal?? If an advanced civilisation came here to lay claim to our planet, it would be for some gain. I seriously doubt that any of the life on this planet would be appealing in an edible sense. The only circumstance i can see that another life form would wish to come here for gain something is if they come from a planet that has a similar atmosphere/climate. If our planet contains life that originally came from somewhere else, then this eventuality isn't completely ridiculous, otherwise, it is completely ridiculous...
And somewhere out there, some civilization is looking around for a new food source.....
26 Apr 07
Originally posted by ChessJesterYeah, reminds me of a comic book story I read as a kid. There was an advanced race that was formed from crystal and a professor was lecturing to a group of college students that "no life could survive on the planet X32C1 (our earth) because it rains acid there nearly every day."
Somewhere out there there is an alien civilization looking out into the galaxy through alien telescopes, possibly at our own star, wondering if there is life here in this solar system... just as we are looking out at their star wondering the same thing... its kinda funny if you think about it! 🙂
The idea that water to us was acid to them.
