Earth 2 Found?

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/stor...425?hub=SciTech

Discuss.

 

Oh thats very cool

 

this is quite interesting
im looking forward to seeing where this progresses

 

http://www.gamerenders.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=328166
posted before. Don't make 2 topics about the same thing.

 

Ah crap. Sorry. >.<

 

I don't understand why scientists think that the only planets that can support life NEED to have water on them. I mean, just because humans and the other species living on Earth need water doesn't mean that other organisms living on other planets NEED water.

 

I believe they think life needs water, because they haven't seen proof of a non-carbon based lifeform. Doesn't mean they say that a non-carbon-based lifeform is out of the question.

Our curent knowledge of materials is very limited. I believe there are thousands of different materials out there, all with their own physics rules.

The reason why we are carbon-based has something to do with the amount of electrons in the outer shell of the carbon-atom. Silicon has the same characteristics as carbon, so it's very possible that silicon-based lifeforms are out there. Íf there are more materials then we know about at the moment, then the amount of other lifeforms could be endless. Years ago we thought that oxigen was needed for lifeforms to function, now we know that it isn't needed at all, Some lifeforms even die when they get exposed to oxigen.

I don't believe there are iron-based lifeforms or waterbased lifeforms or any other materialbased lifeform outside the 14th row of the periodic system. Simply because that row has the ability to both give and gain electrons from other materials, therefore it's ideal to react to other atoms and form other composed materials.

It would even be possible that there are lifeforms on Jupiter, at least it wouldn't surprise me. But it would be too expensive and too much trouble to check every planet out there, so the scientists are focussing on the earth-like planets. The only planet suitable of lifeforms (at it's curent state) would be the moon Europa. It is covered with water, and there are plans for a mission to europa. The chance of life there would be very great.
The other planet that might had life in the past, and is still suitable to harvest life in the future (with a few adjustments) would be Mars. It lies further from the sun then earth does, but the sun is getting warmer every year (not noticable). In a few thousand years (maybe even a million) the sun would be too hot for earth to harvest life, so then mars would be a good alternative, because the climate there changed to earth-like weather.

It is great that we found a new planet, but it's also annoying, because we know it's out there, but we also know that we will never get there in our lifetime. Maybe in a few thousand years we are able to travel some distance in 10% of lightspeed, it would still take us 200 years to get there at 10% of the speed of light. Technology evolves fast, but i think this is way beyond our reach. and will continue to be for a long long time.

 

Fact is that yes silicon has similar characteristics to Carbon, however the silicon atom is about 2/3rds bigger than carbon due to it having 8 more protons, 8 more neutrons and 8 more electrons, this makes it alot harder for atoms of hydrogen to attach to it. Because the hydrogen atoms would be further away from the silicons nucleus the bonds between the Hydrogen and Silicon would be too weak.
Im not saying its out of the question to presume that silicon based life-forms exist, however based on the knowledge we have of organic chemistry, it would take something defying the laws of physics to make it. And who said that our rules of physics are 100% fact on other planets?

 

looking forward to see how this will turn out, btw LA and Kirkf: wtf

 

Yes, my knowledge of physics is rather limited, but you are right. And it's true, our laws of physics can probably be thrown away in other galaxies or even other systems in our own galaxy.
But like i said, it would be beyond our imagination if we reckon with other (unknown) laws of physics. The possibilities would be endless, too much for our mind to grasp. So i thought i made it understandable for the most of us, and used our laws of physics.
i bet there are other materials similar to carbon (not bigger, but similar). Maybe the use of electrons, protons and neutrons even only applies to our laws of physics. Maybe in another galaxy materials are build off 4 components instead of 3. There are just too much variables to reckon with.

 

All the money that gets wasted finding planets that take a billion years to visit, could be used for sick people, poverty, etc..

But no..

 

There isn't that much money involved. Take weapons, now that's a waste of money.

 

How would we have survived without weapons?

+ It costs a LOT of money, all those sattelites, scientists, nasa crap..

 

how would we have survived without weapons like mustardgass, A-bombs and exploding bullets? pretty much like we do now I'd say.
But yes space investigation may seem pretty useless now, but may prove usefull in the future in terms of minerals, technique and information.
did you know a technique to cure cancer has been developed in space because of the better enviremont for the tests?

 

LA-384 said "weapons", he should be specific.

+ All the money being wasted on "space investigation" could've been used for proper research and we'd probably be a lot better off.