Toribash
FAQ
Advanced Search
Subscribed Threads
Today's Posts Mark Forums Read
Original Post
View Public Profile Send a private message to Odlov Find More Posts by Odlov
Active Inventory Deactivated Inventory Trade History

Jun 6, 2010 Old
View Public Profile Send a private message to Odlov Find More Posts by Odlov
Active Inventory Deactivated Inventory Trade History
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Jun 6, 2010 Old
Titan might harbor methane-based life.
NASA scientists have discovered certain properties of one of Saturn's moons which could be conveniently explained by presence of life. There are other possible explanations, but this is still pretty exciting.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0606103125.htm

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/s...urns-moon.html
Last edited by Odlov; Jun 6, 2010 at 08:27 PM.
View Public Profile Send a private message to Odlov Find More Posts by Odlov
Active Inventory Deactivated Inventory Trade History

Jun 6, 2010 Old
View Public Profile Send a private message to Odlov Find More Posts by Odlov
Active Inventory Deactivated Inventory Trade History
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Jun 6, 2010 Old
If they find life there, it will bring many scientific discoveries at once.

1. Confirm the existence of extraterrestrial life
2. Confirm the existence of methane-based life
3. Prove that life is possible without liquid water.

Would be awesome as hell
View Public Profile Send a private message to Odlov Find More Posts by Odlov
Active Inventory Deactivated Inventory Trade History

Jun 6, 2010 Old
View Public Profile Send a private message to Odlov Find More Posts by Odlov
Active Inventory Deactivated Inventory Trade History
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Jun 6, 2010 Old
Originally Posted by Reanimator View Post
Thats awesome. I wonder what they look like or if they are sophisticated and intelligent.

Nah, it would be much easier to notice sophisticated life.
If there is life there, it's probably primitive bacterium-like organisms, but even that is a huge discovery. Especially since it's in our own solar system.
View Public Profile Send a private message to Odlov Find More Posts by Odlov
Active Inventory Deactivated Inventory Trade History

Jun 6, 2010 Old
View Public Profile Send a private message to Odlov Find More Posts by Odlov
Active Inventory Deactivated Inventory Trade History
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Jun 6, 2010 Old
Originally Posted by mrninja View Post
well one of them might who knows?

Originally Posted by culapou View Post
That's Europa, not Titan.

Yeah.
View Public Profile Send a private message to Odlov Find More Posts by Odlov
Active Inventory Deactivated Inventory Trade History

Jun 7, 2010 Old
View Public Profile Send a private message to Odlov Find More Posts by Odlov
Active Inventory Deactivated Inventory Trade History
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Jun 7, 2010 Old
Originally Posted by Infernity View Post
On this planet.

Is it such a big leap that there could be organisms that exist WITHOUT needing water? I don't think so. Basing our judgements of life throughout the universe on one single planet seems like a naive decision.

It is conceivable how life could exist without water. In fact, it's speculated in the article.
It is much harder to imagine how life could exist without any liquid to transport substances and allow chemical reactions, though.

In theory it is possible for us to build a complex synthetic organism which doesn't need any liquid to sustain itself, but that doesn't mean such structures could develop on their own.
View Public Profile Send a private message to Odlov Find More Posts by Odlov
Active Inventory Deactivated Inventory Trade History

Jun 7, 2010 Old
View Public Profile Send a private message to Odlov Find More Posts by Odlov
Active Inventory Deactivated Inventory Trade History
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Jun 7, 2010 Old
Originally Posted by Pixies2 View Post
ridiculous. Water is a necessary ingredient for life. life does not exist without a stable medium in which reactions can take place, without that medium life could never exist.

Does an organism have to be strictly biological to qualify as life? With enzymes and proteins floating around in goo? I think any self-sustaining organism can qualify.

We already know that we can build very complex structures which perform numerous functions and require 0 liquid to do so. Your computer. Your iPod.
It is completely possible for a synthetic structure to be self-sustaining, have complex awareness, and so on and so forth. We are well on our way of developing such.

It probably couldn't evolve on it's own, but still.
Last edited by Odlov; Jun 7, 2010 at 09:13 PM.
View Public Profile Send a private message to sirkill1 Find More Posts by sirkill1
Active Inventory Deactivated Inventory Trade History

Jun 8, 2010 Old
View Public Profile Send a private message to sirkill1 Find More Posts by sirkill1
Active Inventory Deactivated Inventory Trade History
sirkill1's Avatar
Join Date: Oct 2009
Jun 8, 2010 Old
This would deffinately shatter the worlds scientific basis for life if there is life there....

who know maybe humans will begin to try and make methane based life..... AND THEN WE WILL RULE THE WORLD! no we wont.... maybe we could find mediacl purposes for this new life form.... so many possibilities if this occurs,
🫷🦚🫸
View Public Profile Send a private message to Odlov Find More Posts by Odlov
Active Inventory Deactivated Inventory Trade History

Jun 8, 2010 Old
View Public Profile Send a private message to Odlov Find More Posts by Odlov
Active Inventory Deactivated Inventory Trade History
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Jun 8, 2010 Old
Originally Posted by Pixies2 View Post
you're changing the definition of life. life is anything that can reproduce itself and uses chemicals from the environment to sustain itself and its species' future. Can and Ipod have baby ipods?

Not really.
The word "life" is an ambiguous term with many definitions, and not just biological one. Sterile people can't reproduce - they are limited by their structure. Are they not alive? Viruses reproduce and have RNA - yet they are not considered alive by biologists. Let's say we convert human mind into digital software and upload it into computer. Will he still be classified as being alive?

It's a question of philosophy as much as biology.
Last edited by Odlov; Jun 8, 2010 at 01:30 AM.
View Public Profile Send a private message to Odlov Find More Posts by Odlov
Active Inventory Deactivated Inventory Trade History

Jun 8, 2010 Old
View Public Profile Send a private message to Odlov Find More Posts by Odlov
Active Inventory Deactivated Inventory Trade History
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Jun 8, 2010 Old
Originally Posted by Pixies2 View Post
Uploading a mind into digital software would not be life because it doesn't meet the requirements for self-sustaining processes. It merely relies on a power cord.

What if it had a fully synthetic body it could operate, and consume solar energy to power itself? Is that self-sustaining enough for you? Because it's not as far-fetched as you think. Refer to transhumanism topic.

Originally Posted by PlayerID666 View Post
lolno

"Living organisms undergo metabolism, maintain homeostasis, possess a capacity to grow, respond to stimuli, reproduce and, through natural selection, adapt to their environment in successive generations."

Standard qualifications for life.
There was some mnemonic to remember it by, but fuck that.

Yes, I am aware of the narrow biological criteria for life. What I am saying is that it is not the only one, and as we merge with our technology it will become used less and less.

Read this: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/life/#6
View Public Profile Send a private message to Odlov Find More Posts by Odlov
Active Inventory Deactivated Inventory Trade History

Jun 8, 2010 Old
View Public Profile Send a private message to Odlov Find More Posts by Odlov
Active Inventory Deactivated Inventory Trade History
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Jun 8, 2010 Old
Originally Posted by Pixies2 View Post
Not entirely...Living organisms undergo metabolism, maintain homeostasis, possess a capacity to grow, respond to stimuli, reproduce and, through natural selection, adapt to their environment in successive generations. More complex living organisms can communicate through various means.

Why are you repeating these things? Did you read my post? I acknowledge biological definition, and deem it too narrow.


Not entirely? So if you had a conversation with a 100% synthetic transhuman you would treat him as inanimate object? If we go by biological definition, he wouldn't be "alive". But you know damn well he isn't dead.
Last edited by Odlov; Jun 8, 2010 at 02:59 AM.
Reply

« Previous Thread | Next Thread »