Reply to article by: bobsbigboy41@excite.com (Mr. Williams)
Date written: 22 Sep 2004 12:00:57 -0700
MsgID:<2c627c56.0409221100.7d268bf@posting.google.com>

Actually Sage you are mistaken on the point of Earth not being rare.
If you are not familiar with the search for Extrasolar Planets, SEE

http://dir.yahoo.com/Science/Astronomy/Extrasolar_Planets/

You will find that most of the planets found are Jovian+ Mass planets
in quite different orbital positions than the gas giants that orbit
Earth's parent star.

You will also find that it is quite impossible using present day technology to
detect earth-sized planets on any star and even the jovian-sized planets can
only be detected within a few dozen light years of Earth. Just because we can't
detect them doesn't mean they don't exist.

Also you must bear in mind that the odds of finding a planet with the
same mass, atmospheric composition, water content, 24 hour period of
rotation, the same exact distance from the same type of star are
beyond slim.

Good thing too, since those things aren't a requirement for intelligent life,
much less any kind of life.

Mass will affect the evolution of life forms over generations, so will
the proportion and density of atmospheric gases. So will the period of
rotation. (night and day cycles) And so will the distance from the
parent star, depending on it's energy output of course.

It will affect it but not prevent it.

If any of this is unclear to you perhaps you should read Kim Stanley
Robinson's
Mars Trilogy, beginning with RED MARS. Though it is a work of fiction
it might help you better understand the evolution of life forms in
exotic environments.

I already understand and I do that by avoiding unscientific speculation like
fiction is.

The Sage

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"The men that American people admire most extravagantly are
most daring liars; the men they detest the most violently are
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