[Momaw Nadon]

FYI and discussion

[cripplecreek]

Ive allways liked the question "If we saw life would we recognize it?" We tend to think within our own sphere of knowledge. Just because life on earth is carbon based doesn't mean life elswhere can't be copper or helium based.

[thoughtomator]

They can do the field studies in the East Village... now THAT is "weird" life!

[IronJack]

I would think that the first question this group would have to answer is "What is life?" If they're limiting themselves to carbon-based genetic code, they may be entering into the project with a willful myopia.

[bannie]

Because I have no scientific background, I wonder why "carbon based" is the only point of interest. Might'nt there be other bases for life forms?

[AntiGuv]

Ping!!

[trickyricky]

You have to keep in mind…we know what life is on this planet and we still haven’t figured out how it got started

It was created by the Creator of the Universe.

[Lando Lincoln]

Weird Life?...Just check out the left side of the aisle.

Lando

[William Terrell]

The other half of the astrobiology effort, Meyer said, is to help guide what kind of life-detection instruments should be made.

The best life-detection instrument is fried chicken. Send a box, with light sensitive cells embeded in the legs and breasts, to any planet to be tested. If it is eaten, there is life, if not, there is not.

[Maceman]

[Momaw Nadon]

Ping!

[Momaw Nadon]

[whereasandsoforth]

It is so romantic to think of life elsewhere besides earth. It takes an "open mind" to see the possibilities. Why is it nor just as open-minded to assume there is no living forms within our physical area of the universe?

God, Who is and will always Be a mystery, may have several earth-like experiments going on in the vastness of the endless universe. If that is true, my open mind tells me they are far enough apart that they will never know the existence of the others.

Except for earth, our solar system and beyond, within our reach, is as dead as my Aunt Matty. It takes an open-mind to come to this conclusion.

[ColoradoSlim]

I think the recent discovery of trace amounts of methane on Mars is fascinating and revealing. Trace amounts of methane should strongly point to bacterial activity, past or present. I don't accept the hydrocarbon contamination by comets crap. It will be a very shot time before life is confirmed to have existed on Mars, or is there presently. I refuse to believe that the architect of this beautiful and perfect universe would leave it unpopulated save for one tiny planet in an obscure solar system residing along side billions of stars in an unremarkable galaxy, etc. etc.

[Momaw Nadon]

[ServesURight]

Starship Troopers BUMP.

[Momaw Nadon]

Silicon life might not look like animated crystals, as in this drawing from Dickinson and Schaller. Structural elements could well be in threads, like fiberglass, connected by tensor elements to create flexible, delicate, possibly even filmy structures

[ColdSteelTalon]

If its "weird life" don't you need "WEIRD SCIENCE" to study it???

[Momaw Nadon]

[Momaw Nadon]

[microgood]

Sessions on Earth biology, possible Mars habitats, looking for life on Europa -- a moon of Jupiter -- as well as on Titan, a natural satellite of Saturn, are featured topics on the wide-ranging meeting agenda.

I thought they found the monolith on the moon.