7/13/2004: Baited bull

[Happy Monkey]

Originally Posted by Uryoces

What I'm interested in is how we get from complex amino acids to self-replicating molecules.

What I was asking about was what you meant by saying you were one of the nutters. Because the ensuing post was decidedly un-nutterly. Asking those questions is precisely what science is all about. The primary issue is that scientists don't fill gaps in their knowledge with magic. If it is hard to understand how something happens, saying "God did it that way" answers nothing, and is in no way science.

But, it's champagne and caveats at that point, as they don't want to come accross as saying it's 'designed'.

That's the thing about self-replication. If it's possible, and the universe is big enough, it WILL happen. Being surprised that conditions appear favorable is a bit like a puddle being surprised that it fits perfectly in the hole it's in, and concluding that the hole was dug with that puddle in mind. That would certainly be possible, but it is in no way necessary or implied.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Ok, so it does happen, we find life some place else. What then? Kill it? Farm it? Eat it? What if it's badder than us? What if it's.....Muslim?

[Trilby]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Ok, so it does happen, we find life some place else. What then? Kill it? Farm it? Eat it? What if it's badder than us? What if it's.....Muslim?

I vote eat it. Unless it's got monster parts, then kill it.
Watched NOVA last night. Apparently a true alien won't have a face like the faces we see here on earth (Two eyes, two nostrils and one mouth below) because if it does have a face like ours we must share a common ancestor--it's what the dude on the show said anyway. He seemed pretty sure of himself.

[Happy Monkey]

Originally Posted by Brianna

I vote eat it. Unless it's got monster parts, then kill it.
Watched NOVA last night. Apparently a true alien won't have a face like the faces we see here on earth (Two eyes, two nostrils and one mouth below) because if it does have a face like ours we must share a common ancestor--it's what the dude on the show said anyway. He seemed pretty sure of himself.

Actually, I'd guess that it would be more likely to have a similar face than to be edible. External features are succeptible to convergent evolution (while bats and birds do share an ancestor, it wasn't one that flew) and the basic face is reasonably efficient. It would be unlikely, but not impossible for an alien to have the eyes/nostrils/mouth roughly in that orientation.

[ZenGum]

Originally Posted by Happy Monkey

SNIP

That's the thing about self-replication. If it's possible, and the universe is big enough, it WILL happen. Being surprised that conditions appear favorable is a bit like a puddle being surprised that it fits perfectly in the hole it's in, and concluding that the hole was dug with that puddle in mind. That would certainly be possible, but it is in no way necessary or implied.

That is as good an explanation of the anthropocentric principle as I have ever seen. Nicely put, HM.