Life among the stars: A martian key?

A burning question exists that I think should be brought up. If Microbial life on Mars is discovered, would that mean that evolved life is definitely out there?

Here's the idea of this. 2 planets in just one solar system contain some sort of life. Now with all the "Goldilocks" planets and the exponentially large undiscovered universe. You'd think if just one solar system could have multiple sources of life, than you'd think that evolved life would definitely be out there, right?

The 95% scientist

As mentioned on another thread, there are people who are quite certain that there is some form of life on mars. So could Mars be the definite lynch pin into solving the ultimate question If we're alone in the universe?

Well it might mean that just microbial life is out there which technically means we're not alone. But the Life in which we envision such as the little green men has no real proof other than ourselves. It's not to say that such a discovery wouldn't increase the possibility that there is some form of complex life given that finding life on Mars might mean there are more chances for life to evolve. But it shouldn't be taken on as hard proof. But still it doesn't hurt to keep your hopes up!

Originally posted by IntoxicatingMadness
A burning question exists that I think should be brought up. If Microbial life on Mars is discovered, would that mean that evolved life is definitely out there?

Here's the idea of this. 2 planets in just one solar system contain some sort of life. Now with all the "Goldilocks" planets and the exponentially large undiscovered universe. You'd think if just one solar system could have multiple sources of life, than you'd think that evolved life would definitely be out there, right?

The 95% scientist

As mentioned on another thread, there are people who are quite certain that there is some form of life on mars. So could Mars be the definite lynch pin into solving the ultimate question If we're alone in the universe?

Well it might mean that just microbial life is out there which technically means we're not alone. But the Life in which we envision such as the little green men has no real proof other than ourselves. It's not to say that such a discovery wouldn't increase the possibility that there is some form of complex life given that finding life on Mars might mean there are more chances for life to evolve. But it shouldn't be taken on as hard proof. But still it doesn't hurt to keep your hopes up!

What it would potentially mean is that if there is microbial life, there is a chance (I do not know how high) that more evolved and intelligent life is a definite possibility. Let's hope that this discovery heralds in other discoveries of a greater form of intelligent life amongst the stars.

We would have to rule out panspermia, first.

It would certainly make it likely that microbial life at least is very widespread, but without a good idea of how unlikely it is for basic life to evolve into human-like intelligence, we still wouldn't be able to say with real confidence that intelligence is out there.

It would improve the chances drastically, though.

Very nice thread !
but i think there is much more then bacterial entity up there
especially underground
but that just me

thanks for sharing Madness
SNF

Evolution is a wide term...also, we don't know if we caught Mars at the beginning of life, or the ar$e end of the cycle. We could be the evolution from what started on Mars....if they find anything, that is.

Interesting topic. Have a star!

reply to post by 3Dplus


I think what happened with mars it Used to be Green, then it became what it is now but now it's starting to grow again. With the slow increase of temperature from the Sun. Too bad we won't live long enough to see it bloom

But still it is quite an interesting question in itself whether Mars is yet blooming once more or is still slowly dying, Guess it's not for this generation to know.

As has been expressed; Panspermia would have to be ruled out.

Life would need only spark on one planet, where the other neighboring planet could then be infected/seeded by the other planet where large scale events like the Chicxulub impact (not necessarily that specific event) ejected fertile material from the gravity well to find its way to Mars, or, from Mars to Earth.

Another aspect involves neither seeding the other where both receive common source material from comet material impacts rich with the soup of life.
Such comet debris could harbor life on ice from a long dead and gone planet, destroyed a billion years before the birth of our sun, to acrete into the fringes of the the dense cloud of gases and other materials that eventually became our sun, to later impact the rocky worlds of Earth and Mars, where life then sprung.

reply to post by Druscilla


That's what I was going to write. Looking at your post first saved me the bother.
Here, have a star.

reply to post by IntoxicatingMadness


S+F good question. I have 2 theories on this I think maybe life was on Mars long before it was here and maybe we came from the life on Mars as they searched our planet with their own forms of space vehicles leaving micro life here that evolved.

Also I think its possible that the planet that "Grazed Earth" forming our moon maybe we were the intruder to that planet and it had life previously thus we got our orbit. Maybe we even grazed mars at a time and it knocked us off to where we caught orbit and the moon was formed from the debris that trailed us from that graze?

I don't know a lot of things happened before we became as smart as we are and the puzzle might never be properly put together.

reply to post by IntoxicatingMadness


We were never alone. Ever.

Ok ill have to look into the whole "Panspermia" theory.
But my question with my limited knowlage:
WHY is it so frikkin impossible to grasp
the idea that LIFE could evolve on a SINGLE
planet, WITHOUT involvment form OUTSIDE
sources?

1Star
1Planet, and life evolves.
Is THAT impossible.???

This is not fact its only theory.

"Every atom in your body came from a star that exploded. And, the atoms in your left hand probably came from a different star than your right hand. It really is the most poetic thing I know about physics: You are all stardust. You couldn't be here if stars hadn't exploded, because the elements - the carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, iron, all the things that matter for evolution and for life - weren't created at the beginning of time. They were created in the nuclear furnaces of stars, and the only way for them to get into your body is if those stars were kind enough to explode.... The stars died so that you could be here today."

Life is probably pretty common out there I think personally. I think the real question should be who made the first electrons or what ever to create the big bang after all its only like two electrons or something crashing into each other at light speed we are already trying to recreate the same thing basically with particle accelerators.

If the big bang was really just an explosion its nothing that intelligences can't recreate even artificial intelligence.

I like to say that everything you imagine can be brought into reality and my proof of this would be saying take a look around you everything you look at was once someones imagination and eventually it was brought it into reality. Seriously everything you imagine can happen its just not all possible to do yet. I honestly think that there is nothing that intelligence can't conquer.

I personally believe there is other races out there billions of years ahead of us and I believe that they probably have mass created big bangs all over the place. Why go planet to planet terraforming them to create life when you can create a whole universe one after another? Multiverse why not? Why only have one?

Gods create gods or intelligent life creates intelligent life either way they are both the same, intelligence is god like.

Short answer in my opinion is: Yes.

Long answer, I believe the simple fact that there is another planet besides ours in this universe, let alone systems, galaxies, etc. is proof enough that intelligent life is elsewhere in the universe. I don't believe that nature is so wasteful as to create an entire universe simply for us meat bags on stupid little earth. I would like to get into this idea a little further but someday I plan to make a thread on it.

Originally posted by IntoxicatingMadness
A burning question exists that I think should be brought up. If Microbial life on Mars is discovered, would that mean that evolved life is definitely out there?

All you could say is that there are two planets with life on them. Because of their proximity, it would be difficult to rule out that they somehow contaminated each other. We know there are Mars rocks on Earth, and probably vice versa. In no way does it become possible to logically extrapolate from this limited case that there is life anywhere else in the universe.

No life discovered on Mars, anyway.

reply to post by Blue Shift


I am not so sure. I think even in the case of panspermia where Earth seeded Mars or vise versa, you could then make the case that it is possible for the original planet to be seeded from a distant planet via astroids or even that astroids could seed other distant regions from earthly materials. I know I did a horrible job of explaining that. What I mean is though that if it was proven to happen with Earth and Mars, it is not illogical to assume it could happen on a much larger scale. It wouldn't logically prove it, but it seems it certainly wouldn't prove it illogical. In fact I think it would tend to lean more towards the possibility of life in other places then not.

reply to post by Miccey


Of course it is possible that life only sprang up on this 1 planet, that is certainly what "most" people believe now. However I personally think it is highly unlikely, not because of religious reasons but because of logical ones. I don't think it does any harm to investigate other possibilities though, and in fact I think it is harmful to not contemplate other possibilities.

Maybe Something may have happened to Mars. Maybe Mars was a holder of life And a catastrophic event on Mars

1. Took out any surface life that we know of
2. Sent rocks from Mars to our Earth in which where they began to populate Earth.

There is no proof to this other than it being a Barren wasteland on the surface but it's an interesting prospect nonetheless.

reply to post by IntoxicatingMadness


Id say we are looking at a"Goldilocks" and the three bears scenario.

The human race is the first bear and the bear cant say another bear exists out there until he finds the bear.

If he finds in his solar system another planet with a bear, then its strong evidence that other life may exist randomly in the galaxy. The only way to make it conclusive is to find the third bear on a planet in a different solar system.

One is concidence, twice is random, and three times is conclusive.

Kinda off subject here but Seti is always setting up satellites so they can listen for a radio signal from an "alien" planet which is laughable.. Also radio signals just turn into static after 1 light year so it always makes me laugh when they say some alien civilization may be watching some old 'I Love Lucy episode'. I think Seti knows FULL well there never gonna find anything this way.. The key is beams of light and picking up signals that way.. Something the NSA learned back in the late 50's..

here's a excellent story about beams of light being watched now by Harvard's observatory. Hopefully the government stays out of it.. ufocasebook.com/alienbeam.html

reply to post by IntoxicatingMadness


While it is probable that life exists outside of our planet I find it hard to think about. When I think about the vastness that is the universe, I feel small but I also feel special that I am who I am where I am at this particular time in history. Its all too much. Too large.