Vatican's first conference on astrobiology

Message boards : SETI@home Science : Vatican's first conference on astrobiology
Message board moderation

To post messages, you must log in.

1 · 2 · Next

AuthorMessage
Profile Johnney Guinness
Volunteer tester
Avatar

Send message
Joined: 11 Sep 06
Posts: 3093
Credit: 2,652,287
RAC: 0
Ireland
Message 945904 - Posted: 8 Nov 2009, 7:44:17 UTC

The Vatican's first conference on astrobiology is being held this week.

Read about it here; http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/06/AR2009110601899.html?hpid=opinionsbox1

John.
ID: 945904 · Report as offensive
Profile skildude
Avatar

Send message
Joined: 4 Oct 00
Posts: 9541
Credit: 50,759,529
RAC: 60
Yemen
Message 946142 - Posted: 9 Nov 2009, 17:03:04 UTC - in response to Message 945904.  

I'm glad that JPII made te announcement that creationism and evolution aren't necessarily mutually exclusive. And now they wish to speak on astrobiology. Bravo!


In a rich man's house there is no place to spit but his face.
Diogenes Of Sinope
ID: 946142 · Report as offensive
Profile Bruno Moretti IK2WQA
Avatar

Send message
Joined: 15 May 99
Posts: 284
Credit: 49,167
RAC: 0
Italy
Message 946277 - Posted: 10 Nov 2009, 2:11:38 UTC

I'm very skeptic about Vatican...

The first italian SETIzen?
Giordano Bruno...
Tortured and burned by Vatican!
Remember!

73 & clear skies from Bruno IK2WQA - brmoret_at_libero.it
Messier 13 Astronomical Observatory, Tradate (Italy)
Founder SETI@home Berkeley's Staff Friends Club
Founder SETI ITALIA Team G. Cocconi
ID: 946277 · Report as offensive
Profile LiliKrist
Volunteer tester
Avatar

Send message
Joined: 12 Aug 09
Posts: 333
Credit: 143,167
RAC: 0
Indonesia
Message 946311 - Posted: 10 Nov 2009, 5:51:06 UTC

heemmm...maybe they begin to open their perspectives. I quote from the article here :

Father Jose Funes, a Jesuit astronomer, director of the centuries-old Vatican Observatory "As a multiplicity of creatures exists on Earth, so there could be other beings, also intelligent, created by God," Funes explained. "This does not conflict with our faith because we cannot put limits on the creative freedom of God".


N = R x fp x ne x fl x fi x fc x L
ID: 946311 · Report as offensive
Profile tullio
Volunteer tester

Send message
Joined: 9 Apr 04
Posts: 8797
Credit: 2,930,782
RAC: 1
Italy
Message 946328 - Posted: 10 Nov 2009, 7:15:59 UTC

None of you seems to know the works of Pierre Teilhard De Chardin, SJ. I suggest you to read "The human phenomenon". I have the original French edition. A collection of his works is published as "The appearance of man", Collins, 1969. He is the discoverer of the Peking man, Sinanthropus Pelorovis, whose remains were unfortunately lost or destroyed during the II World war. He died in New York in 1955 and is buried there.
Tullio
ID: 946328 · Report as offensive
W-K 666 Project Donor
Volunteer tester

Send message
Joined: 18 May 99
Posts: 19014
Credit: 40,757,560
RAC: 67
United Kingdom
Message 946400 - Posted: 10 Nov 2009, 16:41:28 UTC

ID: 946400 · Report as offensive
Profile Lynn Special Project $75 donor
Volunteer tester
Avatar

Send message
Joined: 20 Nov 00
Posts: 14162
Credit: 79,603,650
RAC: 123
United States
Message 946499 - Posted: 11 Nov 2009, 6:27:35 UTC

By ARIEL DAVID (AP) – 8 hours ago

VATICAN CITY — E.T. phone Rome. Four hundred years after it locked up Galileo for challenging the view that the Earth was the center of the universe, the Vatican has called in experts to study the possibility of extraterrestrial alien life and its implication for the Catholic Church.

"The questions of life's origins and of whether life exists elsewhere in the universe are very suitable and deserve serious consideration," said the Rev. Jose Gabriel Funes, an astronomer and director of the Vatican Observatory.

Funes, a Jesuit priest, presented the results Tuesday of a five-day conference that gathered astronomers, physicists, biologists and other experts to discuss the budding field of astrobiology — the study of the origin of life and its existence elsewhere in the cosmos.


Funes said the possibility of alien life raises "many philosophical and theological implications" but added that the gathering was mainly focused on the scientific perspective and how different disciplines can be used to explore the issue.

Chris Impey, an astronomy professor at the University of Arizona, said it was appropriate that the Vatican would host such a meeting.

"Both science and religion posit life as a special outcome of a vast and mostly inhospitable universe," he told a news conference Tuesday. "There is a rich middle ground for dialogue between the practitioners of astrobiology and those who seek to understand the meaning of our existence in a biological universe."

Thirty scientists, including non-Catholics, from the U.S., France, Britain, Switzerland, Italy and Chile attended the conference, called to explore among other issues "whether sentient life forms exist on other worlds."

Funes set the stage for the conference a year ago when he discussed the possibility of alien life in an interview given prominence in the Vatican's daily newspaper.

The Church of Rome's views have shifted radically through the centuries since Italian philosopher Giordano Bruno was burned at the stake as a heretic in 1600 for speculating, among other ideas, that other worlds could be inhabited.

Scientists have discovered hundreds of planets outside our solar system — including 32 new ones announced recently by the European Space Agency. Impey said the discovery of alien life may be only a few years away.

"If biology is not unique to the Earth, or life elsewhere differs bio-chemically from our version, or we ever make contact with an intelligent species in the vastness of space, the implications for our self-image will be profound," he said.

This is not the first time the Vatican has explored the issue of extraterrestrials: In 2005, its observatory brought together top researchers in the field for similar discussions.

In the interview last year, Funes told Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano that believing the universe may host aliens, even intelligent ones, does not contradict a faith in God.

"How can we rule out that life may have developed elsewhere?" Funes said in that interview.

"Just as there is a multitude of creatures on Earth, there could be other beings, even intelligent ones, created by God. This does not contradict our faith, because we cannot put limits on God's creative freedom."

Funes maintained that if intelligent beings were discovered, they would also be considered "part of creation."

The Roman Catholic Church's relationship with science has come a long way since Galileo was tried as a heretic in 1633 and forced to recant his finding that the Earth revolves around the sun. Church teaching at the time placed Earth at the center of the universe.

Today top clergy, including Funes, openly endorse scientific ideas like the Big Bang theory as a reasonable explanation for the creation of the universe. The theory says the universe began billions of years ago in the explosion of a single, super-dense point that contained all matter.

Earlier this year, the Vatican also sponsored a conference on evolution to mark the 150th anniversary of Charles Darwin's "The Origin of Species."

The event snubbed proponents of alternative theories, like creationism and intelligent design, which see a higher being rather than the undirected process of natural selection behind the evolution of species.

Still, there are divisions on the issues within the Catholic Church and within other religions, with some favoring creationism or intelligent design that could make it difficult to accept the concept of alien life.

Working with scientists to explore fundamental questions that are of interest to religion is in line with the teachings of Pope Benedict XVI, who has made strengthening the relationship between faith and reason a key aspect of his papacy.

Recent popes have been working to overcome the accusation that the church was hostile to science — a reputation grounded in the Galileo affair.

In 1992, Pope John Paul II declared the ruling against the astronomer was an error resulting from "tragic mutual incomprehension."

The Vatican Museums opened an exhibit last month marking the 400th anniversary of Galileo's first celestial observations.

Tommaso Maccacaro, president of Italy's national institute of astrophysics, said at the exhibit's Oct. 13 opening that astronomy has had a major impact on the way we perceive ourselves.

"It was astronomical observations that let us understand that Earth (and man) don't have a privileged position or role in the universe," he said. "I ask myself what tools will we use in the next 400 years, and I ask what revolutions of understanding they'll bring about, like resolving the mystery of our apparent cosmic solitude."

The Vatican Observatory has also been at the forefront of efforts to bridge the gap between religion and science. Its scientist-clerics have generated top-notch research and its meteorite collection is considered one of the world's best.

The observatory, founded by Pope Leo XIII in 1891, is based in Castel Gandolfo, a lakeside town in the hills outside Rome where the pope has his summer residence. It also conducts research at an observatory at the University of Arizona, in Tucson.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hf92aHEwYT87J1XPP4JrIusKBT-AD9BSTO1G1

On the Net:
â– Vatican Observatory,: http://clavius.as.arizona.edu/vo
ID: 946499 · Report as offensive
BlackGoose05
Volunteer tester

Send message
Joined: 9 Jun 05
Posts: 205
Credit: 316,296
RAC: 0
United States
Message 946527 - Posted: 11 Nov 2009, 11:26:45 UTC - in response to Message 946400.  

Here's another news story about the Vatican "SETI project"...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33838894/ns/technology_and_science-space/

BlackGoose05

ID: 946527 · Report as offensive
Profile Bruno Moretti IK2WQA
Avatar

Send message
Joined: 15 May 99
Posts: 284
Credit: 49,167
RAC: 0
Italy
Message 946596 - Posted: 11 Nov 2009, 21:57:41 UTC


Vatican and Dalai Lama bless SETI

Om Mani Padme Hum (wisdom is in the heart of lotus).

73 & clear skies from Bruno IK2WQA - brmoret_at_libero.it
Messier 13 Astronomical Observatory, Tradate (Italy)
Founder SETI@home Berkeley's Staff Friends Club
Founder SETI ITALIA Team G. Cocconi
ID: 946596 · Report as offensive
Profile Johnney Guinness
Volunteer tester
Avatar

Send message
Joined: 11 Sep 06
Posts: 3093
Credit: 2,652,287
RAC: 0
Ireland
Message 946730 - Posted: 12 Nov 2009, 15:30:34 UTC - in response to Message 946400.  
Last modified: 12 Nov 2009, 16:30:08 UTC

The last few days the Pope has held a conference about ET.

http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_academies/acdscien/2009/booklet_astrobiology_17.pdf

Its interesting to read the program of events for the Vatican astrobiology conference, thanks for the link WinterKnight, an excellent find!

I see that one of the speakers at the conference was the SETI institutes Jill Tarter. It was a very interesting line-up of speakers.

*************************
This news story is all over the internet;
Videos;
MSNBC Video news clip; http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/33864136#33864136

Rome Reports on Youtube; Science and faith: a dialogue on finding life on other planets

News stories;
Daily Mail, England; 'ET could exist, although there's no hard evidence' says Vatican's top astronomer

Boston Herald; Vatican ponders ETs existence

Universe Today; Vatican Holds Conference on Extraterrestrial Life
***********************************

If anyone finds any Youtube videos or stuff with video coverage or interviews directly from the Vatican conference, do post the links.

Pope Benedict XVI admires the sky



John.
ID: 946730 · Report as offensive
danq
Avatar

Send message
Joined: 6 Apr 00
Posts: 9
Credit: 3,078,490
RAC: 0
United States
Message 946763 - Posted: 12 Nov 2009, 21:07:37 UTC

"The event snubbed proponents of alternative theories, like creationism and intelligent design, which see a higher being rather than the undirected process of natural selection behind the evolution of species."

That isn't true, the Catholic Church basically invented a form of intelligent design decades before it had a name. After the geocentric days, they taught that the details didn't matter, as long as (1) it was guided/supervised by God and (2) there were two parents who had paradise and lost it through sin.
-Dan Q

danq.co

ID: 946763 · Report as offensive
Profile Bruno Moretti IK2WQA
Avatar

Send message
Joined: 15 May 99
Posts: 284
Credit: 49,167
RAC: 0
Italy
Message 947072 - Posted: 14 Nov 2009, 1:44:39 UTC




73 & clear skies from Bruno IK2WQA - brmoret_at_libero.it
Messier 13 Astronomical Observatory, Tradate (Italy)
Founder SETI@home Berkeley's Staff Friends Club
Founder SETI ITALIA Team G. Cocconi
ID: 947072 · Report as offensive
Gujiye

Send message
Joined: 22 Oct 09
Posts: 8
Credit: 4,840
RAC: 0
Norway
Message 948227 - Posted: 19 Nov 2009, 14:02:35 UTC

Greetings All!

Well I don`t know what the Bible says about alien/extraterrestrial intelligent life in our universe. But the Quran surely confirms and has predicted the existence of life,
and intelligent life in other earth like worlds/planets out there in space.

In fact the Quran even begins with first verse that Allah Is the Lord of all the worlds. Underlining "Worlds" That there are many other worlds like earth with intelligent life. Look at this youtube video for more info on this, its amazing!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYlIOqqJ6iU
ID: 948227 · Report as offensive
Profile skildude
Avatar

Send message
Joined: 4 Oct 00
Posts: 9541
Credit: 50,759,529
RAC: 60
Yemen
Message 948235 - Posted: 19 Nov 2009, 14:52:58 UTC - in response to Message 948227.  

one could see that as being different areas of the earth. we still have the old world, new world, and 3rd world. I'd assume that is similar to what is being mentioned here. Worlds denoting spheres of influence on this world


In a rich man's house there is no place to spit but his face.
Diogenes Of Sinope
ID: 948235 · Report as offensive
Gujiye

Send message
Joined: 22 Oct 09
Posts: 8
Credit: 4,840
RAC: 0
Norway
Message 948240 - Posted: 19 Nov 2009, 15:07:15 UTC - in response to Message 948235.  

No,,I don`t think "worlds" means different aspects of this world,,but in a whole word different worlds and universes that exist..


In another verse(CHAPTER42,VERSE29) it says "Among His (God`s) signs is the creation of heavens and the earth,and the living creatures that He has scattered trough them: And He has power to gather them all together when He wills"!
ID: 948240 · Report as offensive
Profile skildude
Avatar

Send message
Joined: 4 Oct 00
Posts: 9541
Credit: 50,759,529
RAC: 60
Yemen
Message 948269 - Posted: 19 Nov 2009, 16:27:54 UTC - in response to Message 948240.  

I dont see that being any different that claiming God gathers the angels in heaven and the creatures on earth. It's not describing anything related to other planet. More description of another plane of existence. the Heavens are not considered to be space but a place where GOd resides. If look at the constellations you can see shapes. Ancient man had no knowledge of stars and their creation let alone planetary creation. All that was known was that God wasn't here so he had to be out there(pointing at the sky/space). They assumed that space was the afterlife and that when we died we'd go to the stars to be with them.

I don't exactly believe the Koran was handed to Mohammed from the angel of God. I do however understand that He was a business man and as such had extensive dealings with Jews and Christians. It's not to much of a leap to see how he could have just written the creation stories in the Koran from what he was hearing from the Christian and Jewish Merchants. I bet the story of Abraham was very interesting to him.

Ok now that being said I also have a very hard time with the Bible as well. A book rife with pillaging and murder, incest, and adultery all in the name of God. How do we know God willed it? because it says so in the book. They couldn't write it if it wasn't true. could they? So if they lost a battle to the Asyrians they lost favor with God. But when they slew the Hittites they were doing Gods will. Just like Modern man, I get more than a little annoyed that one sect, race, people decide to attack another sect, race, people and claim its Gods will. Heck it still pisses me off when sports teams win a big game and their players talk about how God saw fit to make it happen. I'm pretty sure that game wasn't predicted in any holy book and God probably has bigger fish to fry than the outcome of a Baseball championship.

that being said, If God is out there he's certainly let this experiment go on long enough. Lets say He did speak to Mohammed. That still 1200 years since He's made his presence known. That's Odd behavior for someone who wants us to worship Him. Heck a visit every couple of centuries would suffice for me. And how about revealing yourself to more than 1 person during that time. It sure would be more convincing than the current state of affairs. Heck he could even settle who is right on so many religious questions. You'd think that would be a priority for him since so many people worship him in so many different ways that someone has to be wrong. unless of course he intentionally had different groups worship differently just to see how understanding and tolerant each group was of the other. Being human I can tell him. They aren't at all.

Again if God exists I beg forgiveness for this arrogance but I get a bit intolerant when He's constantly leaving messages with unrelaible crazy folks and not with me.


In a rich man's house there is no place to spit but his face.
Diogenes Of Sinope
ID: 948269 · Report as offensive
Profile ML1
Volunteer moderator
Volunteer tester

Send message
Joined: 25 Nov 01
Posts: 20147
Credit: 7,508,002
RAC: 20
United Kingdom
Message 948300 - Posted: 19 Nov 2009, 18:00:32 UTC - in response to Message 948269.  

It gets even better when the 1000+ or 2000+ years old texts are given a literal interpretation using today's language and knowledge!

Go back to the time and language for when the particular bit of whatever text was written, and you can get a very different understanding...

And there is a lot of such "misinterpretation"...

However, it seems to keep a lot of people delusionally happy in various ways.

Keep searchin',
Martin


See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)
ID: 948300 · Report as offensive
Gujiye

Send message
Joined: 22 Oct 09
Posts: 8
Credit: 4,840
RAC: 0
Norway
Message 948374 - Posted: 20 Nov 2009, 0:50:17 UTC - in response to Message 948269.  
Last modified: 20 Nov 2009, 1:06:07 UTC

Are we getting of topic? by the way there are alot of miracles in the Quran that prove its validity. The Quran challenges mankind to scientifically investigate its miracles and signs.

Besides it has been sent to mankind over 100 thousands of prophets to every nation on earth to guide them in believing one true God, sow if u missed that here`s another chance to redeem yourself.The Quran was sent as the last message in a long line of messages to mankind full of miracles for those who can see the signs, and among many of those signs lies in the stars above us and the universe and galaxies far out there in space. >http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYlIOqqJ6iU
For issue of Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him)taking stories from from the Judaism and Christianity, both religious leaders of Jews and Jesus foretold the coming of the last prophet. About God visiting earth, No this world does not befit the
Magnificence and Greatness of God to visit you, God sends messenger amongst mankind to let you know of His existence and what to do, sow that we can be tested for who truly believes or not, because we have free choice.

“And the heaven We created with might, and indeed We are (its) expander.” (Quran 51:47) That verse says as is that the universe is expanding as confirmed by scientists in early 19`th century!
I'm just putting this info here because Islam is and has always been positive to mankind's research and exploration of space in contrast to Christianity wich has from the beginning of rejected and suppressed scientists from delving into the wonders of our universe,,until now ...

The Quran is different from any other scriptures in way that it is universal in its understanding. And you understand it more of as your scientific knowledge increases.
ID: 948374 · Report as offensive
Profile skildude
Avatar

Send message
Joined: 4 Oct 00
Posts: 9541
Credit: 50,759,529
RAC: 60
Yemen
Message 948540 - Posted: 20 Nov 2009, 16:02:56 UTC - in response to Message 948374.  

And the heaven We created with might, and indeed We are (its) expander.”
Actually your assertion makes no sense. If you assume the souls being delivered to heaven by the use of Might(war) then yes heaven expands to hold all the new souls being delivered.

After all what we know of the sciences was captured in Spain from the Moors. translated from the Arabic to Spainish by Jews that understood the language. What we find is that the information that the Moors had was taken in Egypt and other areas that were held by Greeks who had brought their knowledge with them. Lucky for us the information didn't pass into eternity without being understood and used.


In a rich man's house there is no place to spit but his face.
Diogenes Of Sinope
ID: 948540 · Report as offensive
Gujiye

Send message
Joined: 22 Oct 09
Posts: 8
Credit: 4,840
RAC: 0
Norway
Message 948619 - Posted: 20 Nov 2009, 21:25:54 UTC - in response to Message 948540.  
Last modified: 20 Nov 2009, 21:27:18 UTC

The real truth is that greeks learned and sought knowledge from the ancient egyptians, from what we know of history great scientists like aristoteles and plato waited 20-30 years to get into the higher education centers of ancient egypt. That said,,,

yes Islam took over many land of ancient decent like asyrians, egypt..etc. And the islam took care and preserved ancient texts of greek, when europe fell into the dark ages.

But none of those civilizations knew or came to tha conclusion that the universe is steadily expanding like predicted in the revelation of Quran.

A little off-topic question,, I`m knew to this seti@home project,, but how do u know when its detected something out there..dos it flashes all red or just the seti ppl can detect it?
ID: 948619 · Report as offensive
1 · 2 · Next

Message boards : SETI@home Science : Vatican's first conference on astrobiology


 
©2024 University of California
 
SETI@home and Astropulse are funded by grants from the National Science Foundation, NASA, and donations from SETI@home volunteers. AstroPulse is funded in part by the NSF through grant AST-0307956.