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Unexplained Mysteries Discussion Forums > Unexplained Mysteries > Extraterrestrial Life & The UFO Phenomenon
DEBUNKER
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Please hang up and try again Ganja.
Atheist God
Many people ponder what an extraterrestrial may look like. Realistically however we haven’t got the slightest idea to what an alien will look like. The perceptions of such beings as portrayed in the media are not really diverse enough. When I watch a sci-fi television program or movie I notice all aliens are portrayed with a human appearance. This is an outright wrong assumption in regards to a possible alien intelligence. Realistically it goes against Darwin theory of evolution which basically states that the development of a species is quite random.

Let’s start first with what an intelligent species would need in order to progress and become a technologically advanced species. First off they need some sort of eyes or sensory organs that would allow them to sense the environment around them. Second they need some sort of limb or limbs that allow them to change the environment around them. For example tentacles or fingers etc. would allow them to grasp tools and build what have you not. Third they need to be able to comprehend and manipulate their environment and they also need to understand how things work. An example would be finding fire and realizing that it could keep you warm, cook your food, burn you and defend you against a predator etc. Fourth they need communication and some type of society. Language is defiantly one of the keys to a species progressing technologically.

In regard to what conditions would allow an intelligent species to evolve currently is based on the human perception of how the universe works. The only thing we really seem to look for are Earth type planets and hydrogen based radio signals. However this may not entirely be accurate as the only life we know of as of today are the ones here on Earth. Now what is life developed that did not require a nitrogen/oxygen atmosphere? Or perhaps not even require water for example. Well it is a possibility but until we find them it will continue to puzzle researchers for many more years to come.

The fact is when it comes to an alien life form is that they are incomprehensible to humans. This for the simple reason that no one has ever been witness to such a creature, it is defiantly a possibility that an intelligent species could have a humanoid shape. This however is a very slim possibility. It is more likely that an alien species will be unlike anything we find here on Earth. Although I won’t rule out the humanoid appearance I can say that we far more likely to encounter life very different to us in appearance.

Water in fact may not be needed for life likewise with oxygen. On Saturn’s moon Titan it is thought life may exist due to the liquid pools of ethane and possibly methane. The moon also contains almost all the necessary building blocks that could create highly organized organic compounds and possibly life. Even here on earth we have found life living in liquid Co2. Until we actually encounter alien life it will continue to remain a mystery to human beings. Life may exist in the blackness of space or on worlds we have previously ignored or never thought to have had life. One thing we have learned is that the universe is full of mysteries that still have yet to be solved.

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Sry bout that my connection screwed up at the same time i hit submit.
DEBUNKER
Is carbon really so special, or did it just get lucky here on Earth? If you have a periodic table handy, youll note that the element situated under carbon is silicon, which also has four electrons in its outer shell. Ergo, silicon might also seem to be an obvious basis for life.

Silicon may be carbons chemical cousin, but its a poor relation. Because the silicon atom is larger, its bonds with other elements are weaker. While carbon hooks up with two oxygen atoms to make carbon dioxide, a nice waste product for both humans and SUVs, the silicon equivalent, silicon dioxide, quickly assembles itself into a crystalline lattice. Its better known as sand, and would make exhaling a gritty experience.

If thats not enough to dissuade you from silicon, consider this: theres just a lot more carbon around. Cooked up in the searing interiors of stars, the cosmic abundance of carbon is more than ten times that of silicon. And by the way, if silicon is a distant second in the biology sweepstakes, the elements under it in the periodic table germanium, tin, and lead are worse. Theyre less abundant, and less inclined to make biologically interesting compounds. The sole known example of tin-based life occurred in The Wizard of Oz, and it suffered from lack of lubricant. laugh.gif

Mr.Cope
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