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Oxygen-free animals
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William Rothamel Send message Joined: 25 Oct 06 Posts: 3756 Credit: 1,999,735 RAC: 4 |
Very good insight and most relevant to the thread on why we haven't found any intelligent life as of yet. Could creatures of a liquid planet develop intelligence and machines that would allow them to communicate electronically. |
SciManStev Send message Joined: 20 Jun 99 Posts: 6651 Credit: 121,090,076 RAC: 0 |
Intelligence can be difficult to quantify, as we use ourselves as a basis for comparison. Dolphins and whales may have a higher intelligence than humans due to their large brains and problem solving capability, but they are adapted to a marine enviroment. They can succeed very well in that environment, but have no need to develop a civilization, although they do have families and groups. It has been demonstrated that some orangutangs and sea lions can out score some human in certain memory and association tasks. The early earth atmosphere was mostly methane, and early micribial life ate the methane and produced oxygen as a by product. Even today there are microbes living on black smokers at the bottom of the ocean in temperatures that would instantly destroy life we are more familiar with. Given the huge variety of forms life can take if given the right conditions, it would seem feasable that not only would life not be such a rarity in the universe, but due to the extreme numbers of stars and planets, the odds are that there are other societies that have developed technologies. The odds are greater based on what we see on earth, that intelligence can take many forms, and tends to adapt to a particular environment. One thing that came to view on another thread, is that outside of the few signals we ourselves have sent into space, the earth is mostly invisible to others in the bandwidth we are searching for ET in. If ET is observing frequencies other than what we are using due to the quietness of the bandwidth, then we may be detectable within 75 or so light years, whenever we started radio broadcasts. Much farther than that and earth is mostly invisible, so one could ask why would ET broadcast their existance when we on earth do not. The chance of a technologically developed civilization is certainly there, and worth searching for. It's a bit like playing the lottery. The chance of winning is small, but the payout can be huge. Steve Warning, addicted to SETI crunching! Crunching as a member of GPU Users Group. GPUUG Website |
JLConawayII Send message Joined: 2 Apr 02 Posts: 188 Credit: 2,840,460 RAC: 0 |
I saw this story here http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/58154/title/Briny_deep_basin_may_be_home_to_animals_thriving_without_oxygen I'm rather disappointed in the utter shock displayed by many scientists upon making such a discovery. While it's certainly an amazing find, why did you not think that you would eventually find something like this? Far too many people are firmly attached to a "reality" that is based upon the thoughts and perceptions of those that came before them. I guess this sort of attachment is necessary for most people, as it keeps them from going completely over the edge into total lunacy. It also keeps people from thinking far "outside the box" as it were. They should take note that the most innovative minds in the history of humanity had no such reservations. |
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