New planet found in position to foster life

[Skymon876]

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/09/29/tech/main6912468.shtml?tag=stack

WASHINGTON (AP) - Astronomers say they have for the first time spotted a planet beyond our own in what is sometimes called the Goldilocks zone for life: Not too hot, not too cold. Juuuust right.

Not too far from its star, not too close. So it could contain liquid water. The planet itself is neither too big nor too small for the proper surface, gravity and atmosphere. It's just right. Just like Earth.

 

[Xylo]

Pretty cool stuff.

I wonder, though, if we were to investigate this planet for life...how would we, humans, do it?

 

[pixelsmith]

Pretty cool stuff.

I wonder, though, if we were to investigate this planet for life...how would we, humans, do it?

land on the planet and poke stuff with a stick.

 

[tyder001]

I doubt we find life "out there" but we will see. Maybe.

 

[Angel of Ioren]

I doubt we find life "out there" but we will see. Maybe.

It would be astounding that in the entire universe we would be the only planet with life.

 

[pixelsmith]

It would be astounding that in the entire universe we would be the only planet with life.

That we can see anyway. What if other life forms do not reflect light?

 

[Angel of Ioren]

That we can see anyway. What if other life forms do not reflect light?

Dude, you just blew my mind....

 

[Xylo]

land on the planet and poke stuff with a stick.

Thanks pixel, first laugh of the day. (End of the month at work is a PITA.)

 

[tyder001]

It would be astounding that in the entire universe we would be the only planet with life.

Well, so far...go good. 8)

 

[Ron Collins]

Pretty cool stuff.

I wonder, though, if we were to investigate this planet for life...how would we, humans, do it?

It would be an unorganized, disjointed, and frustrating affair. Multi-leveld competition between corporations, universities, and nations would quickly throw the entire discovery and its research into a knee-jerk "First to Publish" type environment rife with wrong data. It would take decades to setup controls and procedures and get everyone to agree on them. In our zeal we would absolutely introduce foreign contaminants to that environment and cause an untold numbers of other issues. In short it would a huge fuster-cluck.

Just my pessimistic opinion and perhaps some insight to my take on the UFO phenomenon's observable diversity (if the ETH were to be the answer for the phenomenon).