[wastedyears]

I know that far too many scientists believe in the Goldilocks zone, and that for life to happen, the conditions need to be like Earth.

Well, I don’t believe conditions need to be like that on Earth, or a preferable distance away from a star for life to survive.

[Steely Tom]

I know that far too many scientists believe in the Goldilocks zone, and that for life to happen, the conditions need to be like Earth.

Well, I don’t believe conditions need to be like that on Earth, or a preferable distance away from a star for life to survive.

In one of Arthur Clarke's stories, he describes a form of life that might exist on a planet that orbits a far hotter star than our sun, burned to utter desiccation by intense blasts of ultraviolet and soft x-rays. On that planet (he wrote) that life existed as two-dimensional orderly patterns that etched themselves in the surfaces of rocks. Powered by the intense flood of energy all around them, they took a thousand years to complete a single thought... but they didn't care, they had billions of years ahead of them.

Sorry I don't remember what book. It may have been in Childhood's End, or in one of his novellas, like Against The Fall of Night.

[Myrddin]

Just have a look at organisms labeled "extremophiles" for an example of life operating perfectly well in harsh conditions. High temperature, low temperature, high pressure, high acidity, high sulfur, high salinity. Ectothiorhodospira shaposhnikovii and Halobacter halobium are examples that come to mind from my days in grad school.

[Steely Tom]

Oh here, incredible Google found the passage:

Through the clash and tug of conflicting gravitational fields the planet travelled along the loops and curves of its inconceivably complex orbit, never retracing the same path. Every moment was unique; the configuration which the six suns now held in the heavens would not repeat itself this side of eternity. An even here there was life. Though the planet might be scorched by the central fires in one age, and frozen in the outer reaches in another, it was yet the home of intelligence. The great, many-faceted crystals stood grouped in intricate geometrical patterns, motionless in the eras of cold, growing slowly along the veins of mineral when the world was warm again. No matter if it took a thousand years for them to complete a thought. The universe was still young, and Time stretched endlessly before them..."

Childhood's End
by Arthur C. Clarke

Here is the source.

[MrB]

Here’s a book for you:

Privileged Planet.

You can get the DVD at the library as an intro, but read the book.

The “rules” in our universe are such that those conditions necessary for life are also conducive to exploration and discovery of the universe around us.

The “moon size” “coincidence” will blow your mind.

[STD]

It has nothing to do with a fairy tale situation. Goldilocks is a fictional character after all. It's much more proper to declare the glory of God and His marvelous creation. Any careful observation of nature provides absolute proof apparent in any micro, or macro study.

Behold, this next week the glory of God will be visible over the western USA. In the form of a unique solar eclipse during daytime, a rare annular or wedding ring eclipse will take place. The Moon's 14,000 miles closer to the Earth than normal. So, the normal solar eclipse's out and light will surround the shadow that completes the circle of a wedding ring. We will soon celebrate a great wedding feast, perhaps next week on May 20th 2012. See my post below for more details.

[Nateman]

There is credible evidence there may be life on Titan a moon of Saturn where liquid methane is the solvent.

[Mike Darancette]

...and that for life to happen, the conditions need to be like Earth.

What they really are saying is "and that for [earth] life to happen, the conditions need to be like Earth." That is a tautology.