Do you think we will find life elsewere in the Solar System

[radioactive]

for all we really know we may have already came across it and not realised it I remember a tv program explaining just how difficult it could be to sent robotic probes even onto earth in various places and not be able to detect life even though there may be quite a bit

anyway for those of you sitting on the fence (WHO PUT IT THERE?) Lol

[mark RD]

The question was 'in the solar system'.

Life in the solar system - No.

Life outside our own system - More than likely.

Will we see it within 20 years - probably not. The distances involved are too great.

But wouldn't it be cool if we did

:oops: :oops: got carred away there

[Naz]

I believe that there is a strong likelyhood of life somewhere in the universe, whether we will regonise it, is another matter, we seem to be fixated on carbon based life.

Also how soon we meet up the "aliens", be they complex or simple single cell is another matter giving the size and distances involved.

One day they might just land on the White House lawn, then Hollywood might be proved right and not the science. LOL

nabban

[OXO]

One day they might just land on the White House lawn, then Hollywood might be proved right and not the science. LOL

I got a picture of Mars attacks then :shock:

James

[Naz]

I saw a programme on telly the other night about how aliens were already here. I think it was called something like Men In Black. I thought it was a spoof, but by the end I was totally convinced.

nabban

[radioactive]

I just thought I would drop this link into the forum here its on the topic of astrobiology so its within the topic boundries

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewnews.html?id=1098

[Mike Godfrey]

I think I'm in the minority on this one-

I think the chances of any life in the solar system is unlikely.

One major reason (I might be wrong here-Hey ....I'm new :?)is that we have a molten core that is flowing and produces a current which protects the Earth from radiation and stops the atmosphere from getting to thin (Mar's core apparently stopped rotating and no longer protects the planet from solar radiation etc).I don't know if theres another planet in the solar system that has a molten core and is warm enough to allow liquid water?

I might be wrong I'm hanging out for a monolith.

[tom.yates]

It would be very sad to think we are alone in the vastness of space :stars:

[FLO]

... we have a molten core that is flowing and produces a current which protects the Earth from radiation and stops the atmosphere from getting to thin (Mar's core apparently stopped rotating and no longer protects the planet from solar radiation etc). I don't know if theres another planet in the solar system that has a molten core and is warm enough to allow liquid water?

Mike,

This is all new to me; can you post a link to more on this subject please; it sounds very interesting

[Mike Godfrey]

Hi Steve ,

these ideas come from a book I read which is a bit controversial written by one of the astrophysicist's who discovered the Galactic Habitable Zone,Guillermo Gonzalez-called 'The privileged planet' - a excellent book .

Heres a interesting link to one factor re life in the cosmos rather than locally in the solar system: http://www.arn.org/docs/news/lookingforET031501.htm. This essay is interesting however at the risk of incurring the moderators wrath I must warn you that Guillermo Gonzalez supports Intelligent design and so for some religion might be inferred! :nono:

They'd be wrong buts thats another story for another forum.

[radioactive]

... we have a molten core that is flowing and produces a current which protects the Earth from radiation and stops the atmosphere from getting to thin (Mar's core apparently stopped rotating and no longer protects the planet from solar radiation etc). I don't know if theres another planet in the solar system that has a molten core and is warm enough to allow liquid water?

Mike,

This is all new to me; can you post a link to more on this subject please; it sounds very interesting

Mike you do agree that mars did have a magnetic molten core hence an atmoshere should have existed there so now that its proven beyond doubt that life on earth started really quite quickly after the earth was formed then surely life could have also started on mars given that a lot of life sustaining coditions were being met once upon a time ok so no to finding life there but maybe yes to past life

Yes or No matey?

[Mike Godfrey]

Hi Radioactive,

Mars had a molten core I think, because it shows evidence of a magnetic past in paleomagnetic fields in rocks... one of the probes saw that -so it had a possible habitable past.

its possible but there are other factors that needed to be in place apart from a molten core such as plate tectonics for recycling of nutrients .I'm no expert on Mars but I think the rotational tilt is more extreme than earths -plus theres no comparable moon to ours near Mars-our Moon stabilises our planets tilt reducing the temperature extremes we would experience.

Also earths diameter is larger than Mars -smaller planets don't have the gravity to hold onto there atmosphere.

Its interesting stuff. :shock:

[FLO]

This is interesting:

http://stargazerslounge.co.uk/index.php?topic=3885.0

[Ant]

The trouble is that we have difficulty in acceptinf some of the more wacky idea's about what life needs... We always seem to base it upon the Earth (only main source of reference). But the fact is we haven't got a clue about what other types of life require for survival.

I think that the chances of life in our solar system is very high - OK it may be bacteria etc - but that still counts.

Inteligent life is another story all together. Whats inteligent life? Like us? or would say the Dolphins count? if so who's to say whats under the ice of Europa - there is no doubt that there is liquid water there and the surface shows cracks that have been repaired etc. So the Oceans of Europa are warm enough (through tidal pulls) to liquify.

The same goes for IO, active volcanos. Must have a molton core interior. Does this mean that there are magnetic fields protecting IO from the solar wind and radiation from Jupiter? Maybe? Maybe not?

We also witnessed during the A bomb test that there were animals that survived a direct blast and all the radiation that went with it! Cockroaches were one of a number...

So,

Life in the solar Sytem - YES, IMO highly likely

Inteligent life in the solar system - I suspect NO, but definitions would help.

Inteligent life elsewhere in the galaxy - 100% yes.

Ant