Science and Society

Volcanic rings of fire? Geothermal geysers? Areas as big as Yellowstone full of bubbling hot springs? All this and back pain, too? Many thanks to the scientists for their research and conclusions, Ned, but this is one time I won't "super-size" my order.

I'm with Chuck on this one too. Super Earth's? They sound cool, but the travel will be hazardous. I hate to bring up last year's wounds, but, with all the chaos going on out in space, I'll stay here, where it's reletively safe, except for the Myan calander ending.

On a more serious note, this is interesting. I didn't know Venus was less geologically active. I know Mars was, but didn't think of it's size as a factor. Very interesting.

On such a larger planet I'm sure its inhabitants would marvel out how uniquely perfect their world is for life. How small planets like Earth certainly couldn't produce any life or at least intelligent life. They'd marvel at how only with their two suns could life exist since only with the extended day could there be the right amount of warmth (avg 140F) and no cold nights to sustain life.

We thought that life couldn't exist at the bottom of the ocean, but we found it swimming around all over the place. Technology usually proves our presumptions wrong more often than not.

We only came to that conclusion based on our narrow definition. Doesn't anyone watch Star Trek? Holograms can survive on Venus.

Let's give glory to "mother earth". Let's bow down to the all wise techtonic plates and the variety of chemicals it gives us. NOT! This is an argument for Creation, not evolution. It is the way it is because God made it that way. End of story!

God didn't make Earth. God made the big bang. Then watched it like a reality TV show on Fox. Thats what happened. Creationism is an age old falacy(forgot how it's spelled) that was used to explain why everything is here. God didn't do it.

This is beginning to sound like a story I heard as a child.....I believe it was "Goldylocks and the Three Bears" This bed is just right.....and then the three bears came in, saw her enjoying the comfort of their home. They destroyed the place...just cause they could. Isnt that how it goes....its always 'too' something.

It's amazing! To those in the scientific community, people of faith are called "believers in fairy tales" over their belief in God. Yet science would have us believe that life magically formed out of "evolving complex chemistry???" You might convince me of evolution, but you'll never convince me that a non-living object can suddenly become a living object without the hand of God. How would it "know" what to do? How would it "know" to split cells? How would it
know" to reproduce? Science would have us believe that if you put a mixture of complex chemicals in a room and struck it with lightening for a billion years that some type of living creature would come crawling out....now tell me, who believes in fairy tales?

Science is just now discovering (somewhat) that the Earth is an exception to the norm! The Bible (that talks about living dinosaurs) has said this all along! We just happen to have all the raw materials that we need within arms' reach and food at our finger tips! There is no other known place in the Universe like this! ... and people actually believe this all happened by chance? Talk about believing fairy tails!

Fables and Fairy Tales … The Frogs' Complaint Against the Sun
ONCE UPON A TIME, when the Sun announced his intention to take a wife, the Frogs lifted up their voices in clamor to the sky. Jupiter, disturbed by the noise of their croaking, inquired the cause of their complaint. One of them said, "The Sun, now while he is single, parches up the marsh, and compels us to die miserably in our arid homes. What will be our future condition if he should beget other suns?' I have spoken with adults who cannot inform me how many “suns” are in our solar system. This discussion, if it is not about real-estate or land property rights, it is beyond many adults comprehension.

Science would have us believe that all of the components of this computer upon which I type could be disassembled placed in a box, shaken (Even throw a few millions lightening bolts, if you want)and in a few gazillion years will operate as it was intended by it's maker/creator. How's that again? Oh, now you say you want power to generate this creation? Here's a peanut. The human brain can function on the energy of one peanut for 24 hrs and did so upon creation (Not in a few million years with solar collectors). Take you peanut and your computer to the corner. I'll worship my God. You just have yourself. Oh, I forgot you still have you box full of bolts, nuts and diodes.

It always amazes me how easily the topic can turn from pure science to pure religion. Didn't we just go through this a couple of posts ago?
But, Ned, it's good of you to give us a soapbox and a nice, shady corner in the park.

Yea Andy, I agree. Although, I think it was partly my second posting. Oh well. In my opinion, religion has no place in science. So I still believe God just made the big bang, and thats pretty much it, he may have had other influences, but I think they're limited.

While I agree with the much of the theory of Earth being within the 'right size' zone, it applies only to human or 'humanoid' life as we know it.

Hypothetically, it has not yet been disproven that life cannot [or do not] exist on worlds like Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Io, Europa, Titan, Neptune, or even 51 Pegesi.

We are carbon-based life- which seems to be the dominant type on Earth and Earth-like environments. However, we have found silicon-based life thriving below the Earth's surface.

As the search for extraterrestrial life continues, we shouldn't discount non-humanoid life in the process. The best way to find out- start colonizing!

@Daleri:
The Bible also says insects having 4 legs or pi being exactly 3 so I wouldn't hold it next to a science textbook

I wish I could find Isaac Asimov's article "The Judo Argument" online somewhere. If all those who so adamantly believe in God and creation would read it with an open mind (not likely), they might come to realize just how ridiculous their arguments in favor of the existence of God really are. He also wrote an article in which he details how the development of complex life forms from the primordial ooze is far more probable statistically, than life not forming. I can't remember the name of that article, and it's possible that this was part of "The Judo Argument". At the end of "The Judo Argument", Asimov stated that, while he didn't believe in God, if someone could come up with scientifically verifiable proof of the existence of God, he would be the first to start spreading the word. In virtually every instance, believers resort to circular logic to 'prove' the existence of God. Let's see if my comment doesn't bring some of these arguments out :-).

I applaud K Thibault's post. Why does extraterrestrial life have to be humanoid? This is just one more example of humankind's utter arrogance, to believe that intelligent life has to be humanoid, and carbon-based.

I agree completely, Andy. It's our "humano-carbon-centrism" that makes us think that "life" can be only humanoid and carbon-based. But I think the jury is still out about the other adjective you used in your final sentence, at least when it comes to life on Earth.

Do the gravitational pull and thickness of the atmosphere have any relationship to the period of plant and animal gigantism pre and post the purported asteroid impact wiping out the leaf-eaters?

Rob
Re: "Do the gravitational pull and thickness of the atmosphere have any relationship to the period of plant and animal gigantism pre and post the purported asteroid impact wiping out the leaf-eaters?"
Changes in the Oxygen content of the atmosphere can affect invertebrates, allowing them to grow larger (giant bugs and their sea dwelling relations) and warmth can affect the growth of fish, amphibians and reptiles. There is no argument about the existance of an asteroid (so it isn't purported) but the effect it had on the planet is in question by some scientists - ie. did it cause the KT extinction, aid in the cause or was it only a local effect. The same goes for Gerta Kellers hypothesis on the Deccan Traps, both merit study. Atmospheric density my also have some influence but I was not aware of any claim to chanes in gravity. Please enlighten.

Rob
sorry about the typos, I have a new G11 keyboard that is arranged slightly differently than my old one and has no home markers.

Maxify55
I think someone built mine that way.

Observation: Thus far we actually have not detected earth-sized planets only very large rocky planets and gas giants. I would think that such postulation is somewaht premature.

Ned
How about adding a spell check button like some of the other talk back sites have. My old eyes miss a good many of my typos and I hate presenting a post with spelling errors.

Here's a classical conundrum for anti- Darwinists to wrestle with: it can safely be said there has never been 'nothing' [Sartre's 'neant'], for if so we wouldn't be here. If 'being' is perpetual it could not have been created. No creation, no creator. You can't escape by claiming God acted before 'being' because God herself is 'being'. To assign Her any progenitive role us to assert an infinite regression of distaff homunculi, functioning exactly like the pre-DNA 'spermatozoon-inside-the-man-inside-the spermatozoon'. Remember, Aquinus rebuted all his clever proofs of God's existence. Unravel this 'Gordian' & be proclaimed 'magister philosophiae'.

Only in America can the dead draw a larger pay check than the living and lifeless bodies cost thousands to be put in the ground. Humans now contemplate going to other planets to in all probability distroying other worlds. We must be abe-normal and if so doomed to our inability to unite and work with each other. We may dream but [our dreams] will never come true.

Well it is true we humans are screwing ourselves out of a planet! The poor of the world will never learn it is a waste to have to many children. The middle class having 1.2 children and the wealthy adopting. Birth is a messy thing you know. If all stoped having children there would be enough for all to eat and survive. Oh! what will the poor do for recreation? Let them eat Mc Donalds! The wars will end and the young will not be used for cannon fodder