3 ms·

it's more interesting if they're not that different from Earth life. many species of fungi, bacteria, and lichen can survive in space. it's not just tardigrades

it's more interesting if they're not that different from Earth life. many species of fungi, bacteria, and lichen can survive in space. it's not just tardigrades. they're not a fluke; they're part of a pattern. I think it's extremely likely that we'll not only find life is very common, but that many species found on earth are also found on other planets.

jvm___ 3y ago
Rocks and dust, from what we've seen so far are governed by the same rules of physics for their size and composition. Will life obey the same rules?
empyrrhicist 3y ago
Species? Surely they would diverge over the timescales involved...
- tessierashpool 3y ago
  species is probably the wrong word. maybe genus or phylum. apologies for the rusty biology. but sharks have been sharks for 400 to 450 million years. I'm sure sharks are terrestrial in origin, but that's an intergalactic timescale during which very little evolutionary change occurred, or was necessary, for a particular category of creature. maybe tardigrades have been tardigrades for 450 million years too.
- keepamovin 3y ago
  And maybe evolve into the dominant life or civilization. It may turn out that upright bipedal “5 star” form is very conserved in advanced civilizations. So maybe you have the Lion people planet, the lizard people planet, the wolf people planet. We are the chimp people planet haha :)
  - Tao3300 3y ago
    We're the lizard people planet that appears to be a chimp people planet.
    - spacecadet 3y ago
      lol but why trade being lizard people for chimp people? are we ashamed?
    - midoridensha 3y ago
      No, we're the chimp people planet that's been taken over by disguised invaders from the lizard people planet. They even made a TV show about this back in the 1980s, called "V".
      - Tao3300 3y ago
        Exactly
        keepamovin 3y ago
        Hahaha. Maybe, maybe. But what if (at least some of) the lizard people are actually not from another planet but are from an alternate timeline dimension of Earth where the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event didn't happen and it was reptiles that evolved into a "humanoid" 5 pointed upright form? o_O

jvm___ 3y ago

Rocks and dust, from what we've seen so far are governed by the same rules of physics for their size and composition. Will life obey the same rules?

empyrrhicist 3y ago

Species? Surely they would diverge over the timescales involved...

tessierashpool 3y ago
species is probably the wrong word. maybe genus or phylum. apologies for the rusty biology. but sharks have been sharks for 400 to 450 million years. I'm sure sharks are terrestrial in origin, but that's an intergalactic timescale during which very little evolutionary change occurred, or was necessary, for a particular category of creature. maybe tardigrades have been tardigrades for 450 million years too.
keepamovin 3y ago
And maybe evolve into the dominant life or civilization. It may turn out that upright bipedal “5 star” form is very conserved in advanced civilizations. So maybe you have the Lion people planet, the lizard people planet, the wolf people planet. We are the chimp people planet haha :)
- Tao3300 3y ago
  We're the lizard people planet that appears to be a chimp people planet.
  - spacecadet 3y ago
    lol but why trade being lizard people for chimp people? are we ashamed?
  - midoridensha 3y ago
    No, we're the chimp people planet that's been taken over by disguised invaders from the lizard people planet. They even made a TV show about this back in the 1980s, called "V".
    - Tao3300 3y ago
      Exactly
      - keepamovin 3y ago
        Hahaha. Maybe, maybe. But what if (at least some of) the lizard people are actually not from another planet but are from an alternate timeline dimension of Earth where the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event didn't happen and it was reptiles that evolved into a "humanoid" 5 pointed upright form? o_O