Your point is well taken. See below for some thoughts... Nick Zentena wrote: > > On June 1, 2003 07:56 am, Keith Whaley wrote: > > I just did look it up. Thanks. > > > > http://www.activemind.com/Mysterious/Topics/SETI/drake_equation.html > > > > Redoing the existing formula's default parameters to some a bit less > > optimistic, I come up with 200 possible communicating life forms within > > OUR galaxy... The downloaded formula says 2400. I'm less optimistic. > > I'm actually of the view the Drake equation is too pessimetic. It's too > human. Counting only plants like Earth.
"Planets like earth" is pretty egocentric, I'll grant you. Of course it assumes a carbon-based life form, when we know others can exist. It asumes a very narrow temperature range of say -40 to +130 degrees F. as it's habitable range. We all now know that the bacteria living in the vicinity of those spewing volcanic vents on the deep ocean floor thrive in an unimaginably hostile environment! Yet they live and actually eat a lot of the poisonous elements and compounds down there. They've modified their body chemistry to be able to utilize chemicals that would kill a human in a hurry! Who knows what other sort of "life" exists on our earth, that we still are ignorant about? What about the alternate, long ago proposed in sciene fiction novels, such as silicon based forms? Some of the arguments seem pretty plausible... We've broken rocks apart and found living 'things,' whatever form they take, bacteria or yeast, lichen...whatever. Still, living inside solid rock! I just read something the other day about tons of bacteria (and virii?) from outer space raining down on the earth regularly. What about that? >From where? Who says so? I'm really curious about that! If true, then it ought to put the capper on any thoughts of earth-based life being our exclusive property. What a ball of snakes THAT presents! > The real question is why would they want to talk to us. I would guess that trait - curiosity - would be fairly universal. They probably would be glad to have their pre-conceived notions about other worlders confirmed: ugly, hostile and ignorant. <g> But beyond that confirmation stage, who CARES what such a [shudder!] creature thinks? > Nick keith
