Hunting Aliens! Life on Other Worlds

A new technique may prove whether life has existed on the planet Mars. What if we find life on other worlds? What then?

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Space
• Science
• NASA
• Mars
• Alien
• Life
• Contamination

[StaticTheBand]

I don't see why there has to be water on a planet for it to have life? I mean, just because we need water to survive, and just because we need oxygen to survive, does that mean others need it too? I'm sure if there were any other lifeforms in the universe, there would definitely be a change in the things needed to survive.

[icelandownsmorrison]

Dude, are you completly forgetting that were just a small solar system in a HUGE universe? of course theres life out there

[Crowntailluvr]

We're not finding life because we are looking for what *we* as Earth dwellers need to survive. That's the problem. We are searching in outer space for radio signals that *we* use.

If there is life more intelligent than us then they wouldn't be using our radio waves. Besides our radio waves are interfering with the delicate balance of our atmosphere. What about their atmosphere? I don't think people are looking too deeply into this subject..

[iJeaxDOTcom]

You'll find that its referred to 'life as we know it' needs oxygen and water to survive. We have yet to find any life forms that can survive without oxygen and water to start the life process, and so until we prove that wrong its safe to assume life needs oxygen and water to survive, but its not been ruled out. Its simply based on what we know about life as we know it (Aka what we refer to as life)

[NaturalUniverse101]

It's hard to believe, as violent and extreeme as outerspace is, that us or anyone else out there, could travel in space.......

not to mention, if any intelligent life out there receives any transmissions from earth, we could be extinct by then (and vise versa)

just trying to keep it real ;-)

[icelandownsmorrison]

I understand what your saying, but water is everything, no matter what

[lilshaz0]

Another is that it has capillary action that is necessary for plant life to function. I believe there is another major reason but I can't think of it right now. Basically, every living thing from humans to microorganisms, depend on water to function on Earth. That doesn't necessarily mean it is universal, but based on our current knowledge of how life works, that is the most important thing to search for based on its unique properties and availability.

[lilshaz0]

There are many reasons why water is important for life and not just because we personally need it to survive. First is that it works as an extremely effective solvent to help dissolve compounds into usable substances (why we get thirsty when we eat). Another is that it has a high specific heat and a unique property of being less dense when in its solid form which helps to regulate global temperature.

[Dudekahedron]

well i used to agree with that sort of outlook, however i took a biology course last semester and it is ridiculous how much we use water. Its in our DNA, our fat, our sugar, our cell walls, all our cell pieces, we use it to cool ourselves, to transport stuff, to grow stuff, to give birth to stuff, to warm stuff, to digest stuff and the list goes on and on, and sadly its left me with some doubts on the different ways life can work. However, nasa is investigating Methane as an alternative to h2o

[ryuBones]

The plant dies because it needs oxygen. That's what happens.

[sweetvideos4all]

Everything needs a gas to survive and since space is a vacum no gases present in it then life could not grow.