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2005-06-21 Home Front: Tech

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Posted by Spavirt Pheng6042 2005-06-21 00:00|| || Front Page|| [3 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Just How "Earthlike" is it?

The surface temperatures estimated for this planet - 200 to 400 degrees Celsius (400 to 750 degrees Fahrenheit)

Thats a relief and good news..not likely to find dummycrats or jehadis there.

Posted by Moon Walker 2005-06-21 03:02|| 2005-06-21 03:02|| Front Page Top

#2 "Because the planet is in a two-day orbit, it is heated to oven-like temperatures, so we do not expect life," says science team member Paul Butler of the Carnegie Institution of Washington.

Obviously this guy doesn't need any more funding since he already knows everything there is to know about everything -- I say we stop all scientific spending and just let this asswipe answer all our questions. Why the hell can't life exist in 'ovenlike' tempratures? Because they don't on earth?

Sorry but people who make broad statements like this are too closed minded. Dont forget that for most of history the earth was 'flat' (otherwise we would fall off!).

Posted by CrazyFool 2005-06-21 05:12|| 2005-06-21 05:12|| Front Page Top

#3 OK, who didn't know that, astronomically speaking, 'Earth-like' is a very, very broad term?

I mean, Christ, in our system we have Mercury, Venus, Mars, and possibly Pluto that could be classified as 'Earth-like'. It's a structural thing, not climate.

Posted by Robert Crawford">Robert Crawford 2005-06-21 08:11|| http://www.kloognome.com/]">[http://www.kloognome.com/] 2005-06-21 08:11|| Front Page Top

#4 Feeling a little cranky this morning, CF? Maybe this 'asswipe'is making 'broad statements' about not expecting life because he knows something about the chemistry of complex organic molecules and how they behave at high temperatures. He didn't say finding life was flat-out impossible. He said he did not expect to find any.

Posted by SteveS 2005-06-21 08:23|| 2005-06-21 08:23|| Front Page Top

#5 Why in the hell life can't exist in these conditions?

Because theare fundemental chemenicals in action For instance life needs a solvant, not a mere liquid, a solvant who will transport nutriments. In the earth it is water. But in that planet you don't have water but vapor, so water would not work. You need another solvant with the right physical (like fluidity) and chemical characteristic. Molten lava or rivers of lead don't work. And that solvant must be abundant enough to form oceand. Otherwise you don't play roulette enough for that very imporobable miracle (life) having sporting chance of happenning. Did I mention that water has some very sopecial characteritics like the fact it is nearly the only body (with uiodine) who has a point where it becomes lighter when coldening it. Without it ice would accumulate at the bottom of oceans thus stiffling life instead of flotaing to the surface and thus being melted by the sun. Your solvant should be better to have that property.

There are also some specvial properties in the basic molecular links in organic reactions. Plus the fact that the number of atoms who canbe a base for life is very exactly two: carbon and silicium because both can combine with electron-deficient chemicals (sorry but I don't know the english exact term) like oxygen or chlorine and with electron-exceeednt bodies like hydrogen or metals.
And thus because they have four electrons in the peripheral orbit. There are other elements with 4 electrons like germanium but they are very rare (so they will not do) and not only on Earth but, judging by the spectrographical analyis of stars, everywhere.

Posted by JFM">JFM 2005-06-21 08:48|| 2005-06-21 08:48|| Front Page Top

#6 What JFM said, and more so.

Carbon is different from Silicon in that the Si-Si bonds are much weaker than Si-O or Si-H bonds. In fact, you will never find a Si-Si bond in nature (obviously, we have made synthetics). In Carbon, the C-C bond is almost as strong as C-O or C-H, so that you can have C-C bonds in nature. So, if you want Silicon life, you need to have a planet with no free Oxygen or Hydrogen, and I think no Nitrogen. That makes it rather difficult to sustain reactions, though.

Carbon is not just one of many, or even the best, but the one and only way to form life.

Posted by Jackal">Jackal 2005-06-21 09:19|| home.earthlink.net/~sleepyjackal/index.html]">[home.earthlink.net/~sleepyjackal/index.html] 2005-06-21 09:19|| Front Page Top

#7 Ok... ok... It was a very stupid thing to say. I truey apologize. Sorry about the brain-fart.

Hmmm... this foot doesn't taste too good this morning.... I really must stop shooting my keyboard off like that.

Thanks for the correction.

Posted by CrazyFool 2005-06-21 09:31|| 2005-06-21 09:31|| Front Page Top

#8 CF

Don't worry, if I had a million dollars for each time I said something stupid I would be rich. :-)

Posted by JFM">JFM 2005-06-21 10:47|| 2005-06-21 10:47|| Front Page Top

#9 If I were stupid everytime I was rich, I'd be in Hollywood.

Posted by Chuck Simmins">Chuck Simmins 2005-06-21 11:22|| http://blog.simmins.org]">[http://blog.simmins.org] 2005-06-21 11:22|| Front Page Top

#10 without water there can be no beer, with no beer there can be no life

Posted by half 2005-06-21 12:07|| 2005-06-21 12:07|| Front Page Top

#11 I think half went straight to the essence of the thing. ;-)

Posted by trailing wife 2005-06-21 13:21|| 2005-06-21 13:21|| Front Page Top

#12 Ok, bottom line: This planet is no good, find another one.

Posted by True German Ally 2005-06-21 13:23|| 2005-06-21 13:23|| Front Page Top

#13 Which makes one appreciate how unique the earth is. Any farther or closer to the sun, or a different sun, and we would not exist.

But having expanded in this enviroment, survival in other worlds is just a matter of engineering.

Posted by john">john 2005-06-21 13:23|| 2005-06-21 13:23|| Front Page Top

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