Earth May Harbor a Shadow Biosphere of Alien Life 267
An anonymous reader sends us to Cosmos Magazine for a speculative article arguing that a 'shadow biosphere' may exist on Earth, unrelated to life as we know it. If such non-carbon-based life were found here at home, it would alter the odds for how common life is elsewhere in the universe, astrobiologists say. "The tools and experiments researchers use to look for new forms of life — such as those on missions to Mars — would not detect biochemistries different from our own, making it easy for scientists to miss alien life, even if [it] was under their noses. ... Scientists are looking in places where life isn't expected — for example, in areas of extreme heat, cold, salt, radiation, dryness, or contaminated streams and rivers. [One researcher] is particularly interested in places that are heavily contaminated with arsenic, which, he suggests, might support forms of life that use arsenic the way life as we know it uses phosphorus."
Obligatory (Score:5, Funny)
Motives (Score:5, Funny)
Or the researcher is secretly needing arsenic to do his more brilliant colleague in the old Victorian-era way, having learnt from too many Agatha Christie novels.
Re:You know... (Score:3, Funny)
the silicone-based rock creature that Spock mind melds with to share its emo about being a rock
Silicone? OMG smart breasts!
(I think you mean silicon).
Great googa-mooga! (Score:2, Funny)
Re:You know... (Score:4, Funny)
Or Red Dwarf, "The End".
Captain Hollister: Just one thing before the disco. Holly tells me that he has sensed a non-human life form aboard.
Lister: Sir, it's Rimmer
Re:So something which we can't define... (Score:5, Funny)
After a lengthy, one-sided dialogue with the nearest rock, I conclude that your theory is false.
Re:So something which we can't define... (Score:5, Funny)
After many zen practitioners' lengthy, two-way dialogues with rocks near and far, your test criteria seem to be flawed.
Re:So something which we can't define... (Score:5, Funny)
As the Zen practicioners are indistinguishable from day-dreamers such as my 9 year old son, your refutiation is meaningless.
Re:So something which we can't define... (Score:3, Funny)
By that criteria must we also conclude that girls are not intelligent?
Re:You know... (Score:1, Funny)
Re:So something which we can't define... (Score:4, Funny)
It could've possibly gone another way, if we hadn't gotten there first?
We would have just given the non-carbon lifeforms some blankets and hoped that they hadn't discovered gunpowder yet ;)
*ba-dum pssssh*
Re:You know... (Score:3, Funny)
Kirk will lay anything.
Re:You know... (Score:4, Funny)
Oh yeah...
Re:So something which we can't define... (Score:4, Funny)
I'm pretty sure Spock talked to rocks - and Kirk may have made love to one
Re:So something which we can't define... (Score:3, Funny)
Terry Pratchett, Equal Rites
Re:So something which we can't define... (Score:5, Funny)
have they checked... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:So something which we can't define... (Score:1, Funny)
So, life that takes 50+ years to utter a word would probably be maladapted, unless it were impervious to all but major geological events.
You mean, like, rocks.
In a world of day-dreamers and zen practitioners.. (Score:2, Funny)
The meaning is you-less.