[xzins]

No water yet.

Earth still looks a pretty unique place.

Almost as if by design.

[Truth666]

Plenty of water... but you are right - in Mars the true beauty is to be found in the mountains - still untouched by global warming

[Right_in_Virginia]

Earth still looks a pretty unique place. Almost as if by design.

Yes...Amazing.

And, yet not.

[Gamecock]

LOL!

[kinsman redeemer]

correct!

[John H K]

Two Words: Anthropic Principle :-)

[FormerLib]

There was an interesting Sci-Fi TV series last year called Firefly that presented the situation that mankind was alone in the universe. It was a courageous premise. The show, while quite good, got cancelled. One often cited reason from disappointed fans was that there were no aliens. They just couldn't even imagine the possiblity. Yet I'm sure they would claim to be the ones with "open minds!" LOL!

[Alamo-Girl]

Indeed, earth is a unique place:

In Search of the Milky Way's Habitable Zone

Moreover, the Sun's circular orbit about the galactic center is just right; through a combination of factors it manages to keep out of the way of the Galaxy's dangerous spiral arms. Our Solar System is also far enough away from the galactic center to not have to worry about disruptive gravitational forces or too much radiation.

When all of these factors occur together, they create a region of space that Gonzalez calls a "Galactic Habitable Zone." Gonzalez believes every form of life on our planet - from the simplest bacteria to the most complex animal - owes its existence to the balance of these unique conditions.

Because of this, states Gonzalez, "I believe both simple life and complex life are very rare, but complex life, like us, is probably unique in the observable Universe."

[exile]

So, I'm not going to get some free giant shrimp?