Oh, yeah, we are getting closer and closer. I remember the old Carl Sagan formula for determing whether or not there is life in the universe. That is, I don’t remember it exactly, but it goes something like this: You take the number of stars in the universe, which is like a 1 followed by about a thousand zeroes or some ridiculous number like that. Then you take the percentage of those stars which have planets. Then you reduce it to only those planets which are far enough away from their sun to basically not be on fire and those which are close enough to not be totally frozen. Beyond Antarctica frozen, deep
By the sea, by the beautiful sea//On gj1214b
space frozen is a couple hundred degrees colder than that. Then you figure out the percentage of those planets which have water and you can assume that x percentage of those planets will produce life, and on x percent of those the life actually manages to evolve intelligence and on x percentage of those the intelligent life forms manage to begin space exploration before they wipe themselves out in a nuclear or chemical war or whatever equivalent they’ve developed. That’s the number we’re dealing with.
Since he first came up with that, we have discovered that lots of stars have planets and water is abundant throughout the universe. This week came a couple of new discoveries that make extra-terrestrial life more likely. First, we know there is water on planet GJ 1214b. (It’s easy for me to remember that particular number because I grew up at 1214 Buchanan St.) How they can know this is the amazing thing to me, it has to do with light analysis, but half the time I can’t even remember if there’s water in the kettle, so determining that it exists on a planet light years away is pretty amazing.
Secondly, scientists have discovered (on Earth but, hey, it’s a beginning) life forms which are not carbon based. Seriously, there are arsenic based life forms. Probably not good for much, but it does mean that almost anything is possible. The Horta, the Tribbles and all of those Pure Energy Monsters are looking more and more plausible every day.
www.gurukalehuru.com 