Friday, August 19, 2011

Research Friday- Is There Life Out There?

I grew up believing there was other life out there, somewhere in the universe. My dad and I used to hang out under the stars contemplating these things. The immensity of the universe...and the amount of human audacity it takes to believe it is all here just for us. That we're, somehow, the best thing this universe has produced so far.



I grew up loving sci-fi and wondering "what if" but figuring nothing significant, like proof of extraterrestrial life, would ever happen in my lifetime.

And most would say the proof hasn't been found yet:

Interstellar life wise, we've found water on other planets/moons and amino acids (the base of life) in meteors but no microbial-life yet, and none of the thirty some observable planets outside our solar system indicate plate tectonics, magnetic fields or atmospheres that could sustain life.

This makes the theories of our planet's uniqueness...that we may be the only planet able to produce intelligent life...seem more plausible.

But is this really enough proof to come to this conclusion? It would be like someone observing thirty pieces of sand from one of our beaches and concluding that all the sand on Earth was the same color.

What Do You Think? Is there life out there?

Better science people...please feel free to correct my "facts" as I'm not writing this with direct references or notes in front of me.  

***Updated research I did over the weekend says that we've been able to observe over one hundred other planets now...still no Earth twins, but there are a few planets with promising features out there, including one with a lot of water and an atmosphere.

2 comments:

  1. Oooh - intriguing post! I grew up a sci-fi lover and still am, and I'd like to believe there's other life out there, so I just imagine it's possible. And enjoy reading and watching other people's versions on alien life. I just finished I Am Number Four - that was incredibly unique and I loved it!

    Have a great weekend!

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  2. Interesting question. I found your blog from the Sci-Fi group on the Platform-Building Campaign.

    The existence of alien life is one of those things that could be proven with a single discovery but is very difficult to disprove - because the universe is so vast.
    I really don't know - but fictional aliens make for great stories.

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