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edmartin101's avatar

Does anybody believe there is life in other planets just like earth?

Asked by edmartin101 (776points) April 23rd, 2008

The Universe seems infinite and there are many solar systems so I imagine the right conditions exist for other planets to have life just like we do on earth. Is there any evidence of this? If not, what are chances we can discover this even by accident like it usually happens.

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10 Answers

Allie's avatar

There’s evidence to suggest there may have been life on Mars. So it wouldn’t surprise me if there was somewhere else, too. But maybe not just like Earth.

Upward's avatar

I’m not so sure we’ll ever find it, but I personally believe universe is populated with all sorts of life. After all we are talking about billions of other solar systems!

wildflower's avatar

I remember hearing a quote that goes something along the lines of:

It’s hard to imagine life on other planets, but even harder to think we’re the only ones – I can’t remember who said it or exactly how it goes (if someone knows, please tell me).

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sccrowell's avatar

Absolutely!!
We are here, are we not? It would beyond astounding. I was told once, when I asked this very question, although worded differently. The odds, that we’re the only planet with life among the entire universe would be terribly impossible. There has to be life on other planets. Whether that means something that we we would classify as animals or sentient beings, or just bacteria, is beyond me. But I’m sure that there’s gotta be something.

The possibility or life is endless and our scope of what can potential harbor life (carbon based, H20, etc.) is extremely narrow and only able to reference what very little we know and understand about life in reference to the universe. I agree 100%. To say the least, not only did I see and witness as well as photograph an aircraft of which I have never seen the likes of, so did many others. Perhaps, I took it a little further by contacting the F.A.A. & N.A.S.A. Well, that’s enough said, except for. We’re very stupid for the most. Trying to tackle the universe and existence is like a toddler attending an MIT calculus class.

To sum it up. Earth and everything about it, is very unusual and unlikely. I think this beautiful video explains what I mean.

David Deutsch: What is our place in the cosmos? http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/47

gorillapaws's avatar

When I learned about the organisms that live in the volcanically active parts of the Mid-Atlantic ridge that survive in 100’s of degrees and breathe sulfur, I decided then that there is no way we are alone in this universe. If life is adaptable to such ridiculously harsh conditions then the likelihood that it exists in at least one other place has to be pretty damn high.

Is it possible to run computer simulations combining known rates of evolution and the statistical likelihood that planets will be within the “sweet spot” distance from their star (i.e. not too hot, not too cold, and not too big or small). Clearly there would be a MASSIVE margin of error there but I still think it would be doable wouldn’t it?

@Saveone it’s cool if you’re a born again and that influences how you respond to questions like these, but people don’t like being preached to, so don’t tell me to “stay rapture ready” with your nonsensically incoherent response to the original question. It’s tacky and really reflects badly on yourself and your faith in general.

sawyer's avatar

Absolutely. I think it would be very errogant of the human to think nothing else existed besides us.

TrenchMouth's avatar

To answer your question directly: Yes, there are plenty of people that believe there is life on other planets.

I personally believe that there is life out there somewhere. I don’t know if it is exactly what people are looking for, but I would be satisfied with simply finding some simple life form else where. That would be reason enough to believe in more complex stuff we won’t have the opportunity to detect.

esayexohen's avatar

have we ever found life or evidence of life on any other planets? No. I think we recently sent a vehicle to Mars which is checking dirt samples for any evidence of past microscopic life or evidence of water, etc. but Mars is as far as we’ve made it.

but is there a chance that some life may exist somewhere out there? yea, sure. especially when you think that all our sun is is a star and then you think of how many countless stars there are out there and then how many planets are within reach to breed life on those planets….at least somewhere. Because space becomes too lonely to think that we’re all alone. But who knows?

But I doubt we’ll find anything out at least in any of our lifetimes. Especially when you think that with the speed of light being the “speed limit” so to speak of our universe, and the next closest stars besides the sun being 16, 68, and 108 light years away…....
I don’t really see it happening soon.
at least from our end since we haven’t made it past Mars yet.

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