Comments on: Have astronomers found chemical precursor to life in gas clouds? http://www.kurzweilai.net/have-astronomers-found-chemical-precursor-to-life-in-gas-clouds Accelerating Intelligence Thu, 23 May 2013 04:16:50 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: Duane Kuss http://www.kurzweilai.net/have-astronomers-found-chemical-precursor-to-life-in-gas-clouds/comment-page-1#comment-87435 Duane Kuss Tue, 15 Jan 2013 20:27:26 +0000 http://www.kurzweilai.net/?p=176473#comment-87435 The natural flow of the universe lies in the law that all things exist with self actualizing purpose and are unified with other entities in the constant movement toward the creation of even greater complexity. Reality is purely a moment in time where what you perceive is given a story of meaning and purpose. The natural flow of the universe lies in the law that all things exist with self actualizing purpose and are unified with other entities in the constant movement toward the creation of even greater complexity.

Reality is purely a moment in time where what you perceive is given a story of meaning and purpose.

]]> By: ErikSMeyer http://www.kurzweilai.net/have-astronomers-found-chemical-precursor-to-life-in-gas-clouds/comment-page-1#comment-87053 ErikSMeyer Mon, 14 Jan 2013 20:32:55 +0000 http://www.kurzweilai.net/?p=176473#comment-87053 I don't know, it seems to be that we could do more to sustain actual life we know about here on Earth, since we get so excited about the possibility of alien conditions making life marginally more possible than thought wherever else. How many animal species stand on the verge of needless extinction because of loss of habitat brought about by human over-expansion? I care a lot more about lions and elephants than I do about the possibility of coming across some unimaginable and likely highly hostile/toxic extraterrestrial life form. It seems to me that everyone gets all worked up about the idea of alien contact because they think the aliens will 1. Be more advanced/"superior" to humans, and 2. Have all kinds of wonderful technology that 3. They are eager to share (for reasons that are wholly mysterious to me) When seems more likely: if alien life exists at all (within meaningful proximity), it will 1. Contain within it microbes against which we have no defense (resulting in mass human death on exposure ), and/or 2. View humans as a threat/target for exploitation, once aware of our existence If you ever did make "contact" you'd probably just disturb a mass of creatures who hate you and decide they want you dead. I suppose they might keep copies of some of your machines around, which would be good enough for most of the singulatarians... I don’t know, it seems to be that we could do more to sustain actual life we know about here on Earth, since we get so excited about the possibility of alien conditions making life marginally more possible than thought wherever else.
How many animal species stand on the verge of needless extinction because of loss of habitat brought about by human over-expansion?
I care a lot more about lions and elephants than I do about the possibility of coming across some unimaginable and likely highly hostile/toxic extraterrestrial life form.
It seems to me that everyone gets all worked up about the idea of alien contact because they think the aliens will
1. Be more advanced/”superior” to humans, and
2. Have all kinds of wonderful technology that
3. They are eager to share (for reasons that are wholly mysterious to me)

When seems more likely: if alien life exists at all (within meaningful proximity), it will
1. Contain within it microbes against which we have no defense (resulting in mass human death on exposure ), and/or
2. View humans as a threat/target for exploitation, once aware of our existence
If you ever did make “contact” you’d probably just disturb a mass of creatures who hate you and decide they want you dead.
I suppose they might keep copies of some of your machines around, which would be good enough for most of the singulatarians…

]]> By: nfordkrz http://www.kurzweilai.net/have-astronomers-found-chemical-precursor-to-life-in-gas-clouds/comment-page-1#comment-87001 nfordkrz Mon, 14 Jan 2013 16:41:51 +0000 http://www.kurzweilai.net/?p=176473#comment-87001 There are places on Earth where we never thought life could exist until we found out that it does. There are places on Earth where we never thought life could exist until we found out that it does.

]]> By: Joel C. http://www.kurzweilai.net/have-astronomers-found-chemical-precursor-to-life-in-gas-clouds/comment-page-1#comment-86986 Joel C. Mon, 14 Jan 2013 15:56:33 +0000 http://www.kurzweilai.net/?p=176473#comment-86986 We don't know enough there is to know. We're still looking and someday we will come across a silver bullet that will tell us exactly what led to life on Earth. We don’t know enough there is to know. We’re still looking and someday we will come across a silver bullet that will tell us exactly what led to life on Earth.

]]> By: GatorALLin http://www.kurzweilai.net/have-astronomers-found-chemical-precursor-to-life-in-gas-clouds/comment-page-1#comment-86963 GatorALLin Mon, 14 Jan 2013 14:53:22 +0000 http://www.kurzweilai.net/?p=176473#comment-86963 Space seems to be a very sterilizing environment.... if there are meteors that help spark life other places, then where is it? Why nothing on Mars for example that had an atmosphere and had liquid water on the surface likely for billions of years and would have been hit by many of the same meteorites over billions of years. Why no life on any of the moons, or any other planets in our solar system (yeah, I know, we are not done looking). If you are just a bit too close an orbit to the sun you burn up life, if you are just a bit too far away you freeze solid. If your planet size is too big you are a gas like planet. If your planet does not have a liquid core then you likely don't have a shield for protecting against solar radiation, if you don't .... (keep doing this for about 30 - 50 more things). I don't want to come off negative. but I am a firm believer in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rare_Earth_hypothesis Space seems to be a very sterilizing environment…. if there are meteors that help spark life other places, then where is it? Why nothing on Mars for example that had an atmosphere and had liquid water on the surface likely for billions of years and would have been hit by many of the same meteorites over billions of years. Why no life on any of the moons, or any other planets in our solar system (yeah, I know, we are not done looking). If you are just a bit too close an orbit to the sun you burn up life, if you are just a bit too far away you freeze solid. If your planet size is too big you are a gas like planet. If your planet does not have a liquid core then you likely don’t have a shield for protecting against solar radiation, if you don’t …. (keep doing this for about 30 – 50 more things). I don’t want to come off negative. but I am a firm believer in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rare_Earth_hypothesis

]]> By: GatorALLin http://www.kurzweilai.net/have-astronomers-found-chemical-precursor-to-life-in-gas-clouds/comment-page-1#comment-86957 GatorALLin Mon, 14 Jan 2013 14:39:21 +0000 http://www.kurzweilai.net/?p=176473#comment-86957 I guess that I have never been a fan of thinking that comets or meteors could deliver the building blocks of life after being super heated and likely exploding a they hit another planets surface or burn up mostly as they enter a possible atmosphere. I am a bigger fan of having a 3rd Gen star like earth and a rocky planet like earth with all the building blocks already there. I think there are likely a few dozen Goldilocks or more conditions that must be in place (or done in a specific order) and likely takes millions and millions of years to get going.....and then a billion or so more years to develop.... if you lose your sun during that time, or lose your atmosphere or a dozen other bad things happen during those few billion years..... game over. I always heard the idea that earth was a hot mess during the first few million years, but what if that was not true....what if there was surface water on earth from the very start? see more here http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/01/10/169047159/the-oldest-rock-in-the-world-tells-us-a-story?utm_source=NPR&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=20130111 I guess that I have never been a fan of thinking that comets or meteors could deliver the building blocks of life after being super heated and likely exploding a they hit another planets surface or burn up mostly as they enter a possible atmosphere. I am a bigger fan of having a 3rd Gen star like earth and a rocky planet like earth with all the building blocks already there. I think there are likely a few dozen Goldilocks or more conditions that must be in place (or done in a specific order) and likely takes millions and millions of years to get going…..and then a billion or so more years to develop…. if you lose your sun during that time, or lose your atmosphere or a dozen other bad things happen during those few billion years….. game over.

I always heard the idea that earth was a hot mess during the first few million years, but what if that was not true….what if there was surface water on earth from the very start? see more here http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/01/10/169047159/the-oldest-rock-in-the-world-tells-us-a-story?utm_source=NPR&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=20130111

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