"What the search for aliens can learn from life on Earth" Topic

"The Universe is a big, diverse place. The planets and moons we've observed so far have shown staggering variety, from frozen snowballs to volcanic hellscapes, gas giants to tiny moonlets. Given the diversity of planetary bodies, one could reason that if life is abundant in the Universe, it may also be extraordinarily varied. Still, the only life we know anything about is the life we have here on Earth.

With only one planet's beings to inform our understanding of life itself, are humans limited in our ability to look for and identify living things that might be totally different from the life we know? You might think so, but astrobiology — the interdisciplinary study of life in the Universe — can learn a lot from the life we see on Earth…"

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Armand

I picture cephalopod type creatures in their water filled environment suits leaving their water and flying to another water on the same planet.

Finally breaking free of their water well.

cephalopod type creatures in their water filled environment suits

How did they discover fire?
If they didn't, how did they replace it in their technological development?

I know you can ignite fire under water, but it's difficult or rather rare naturally.

(smile)

Armand

How did they discover fire?

That's the problem with thinking about aliens: we apply our development and needs to theirs.

Maybe the intelligent alien life lives where there is no oxygen for combustion. Why would fire even be part of their existence?

It's not my job to explain that, since I didn't bring it up.
It's you who is evading my follow-up question of how, in their technological development, they replaced the fire that enabled them to build the environmental suits you describe.

replaced the fire

Do they need fire? I think you are assuming a human style suit and saying the way we did it is how it has to be done.

And is it fire or heat energy that is the true need? Like I'm pretty sure aliens can locomote but they don't need legs

That's the problem with thinking about aliens: we apply our development and needs to theirs

No, that's not it.
The problem is that I am applying some simple premises of physics and materials science to a science fiction scenario.
Probably soon those of other sciences as well.

The next question is also derived from their needs and the development of environment suits.
Assuming they have water-filled environment suits, where do they get either their natural physical strength to carry all that water or what technical aids do they use to help them?

Do they need fire? I think you are assuming a human style suit and saying the way we did it is how it has to be done.

No, I'm not.
You brought it up, I'm just asking you how it works.
Did they grow the suits with some biotech?
Fine, how did they develop it?

They would learn to stay the hell away!

how did they develop it?

I wouldn't know because any explanation will be biased by our evolution. We may miss finding aliens because we are looking for a carbon based life form with bilateral symmetry.

If humans get wiped out, my money is on Octopuses they just need a few million years I think.

Mine with Dolphins….

Armand

wow. i like it. cool thnx

In a science class, our teacher, Mr. Johnson, showed us images of various planets and moons. Some were icy, while others had volcanoes or thick clouds.

He asked us, "If life exists on other planets, would it look like what we know from Earth?" The room fell silent, and then one student, Sarah, raised her hand.

"What if life there doesn't need water or oxygen? Maybe it thrives in conditions we consider deadly?" she asked.

Mr. Johnson smiled and said, "That's exactly the kind of thinking we need. Life could be very different from what we know. Astrobiology helps us imagine all possibilities."

We spent the rest of the class pondering what alien life might be like — creatures living in acidic lakes, organisms absorbing radiation instead of sunlight, and even beings existing as pure energy. It was then that I first understood how vast and mysterious our Universe is and how much more there is to learn. Later, he assigned us a homework task that I completed using eassy helper and was able to think more about this topic at home. I realized just how enormous and enigmatic our Universe is.

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