literature

You Just Don't Know

Deviation Actions

GloryAngel's avatar
By
Published:
118 Views

Literature Text

It bugs me when they say a planet can't have life because it's not like Earth. Heck, there are places ON  Earth that we previously thought uninhabitable but are actually teeming with life. Humans live in a relatively narrow spectrum; most animals can handle more temperature variations/etc. Radiation is a notable one. For example: there are animals that can handle radiation better than we can. This is kind of an urban legend about cockroaches; While they can resist more than we can, they're not impervious. While humans can handle about 400 rads cockroaches can handle about 3,200 (that's about EIGHT TIMES what humans can handle).

We've found hundreds of exoplanets ranging from giant balls of gas to chunks of rock.  In all that everybody can't just assume there's really nobody out there. Personally I think we're looking in too narrow a spectrum. As far as I know, SETI (the Search for Extra Terrastrial Intelligence) is looking more for signs of CIVILIZATION. Sure, civilization would certainly be indicative of life, but there was life long before there was civilization. Just look at fish: they don't seem to have civilization of any kind, but they're definitely alive. While civilization definitely equals life, life doesn't necessarily equal civilization. Even if there WAS an advanced alien civilization, we might not even recognize it.

Who's to say they'd even be macroscopic (visible to the naked eye)? For the better part of Earth's history, life was microscopic. The reason life ended up becoming  macroscopic is because the bigger organisms could eat more/protect themselves better. Even to this day, some of the most successful life forms on Earth live and thrive in places we used to believe uninhabitable. Our bodies are no exception; our digestive systems are teeming with (good) bacteria.

The point is: don't make assumptions. Life isn't just 1 thing.
© 2014 - 2024 GloryAngel
Comments2
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
CyborgArmGun's avatar
*claps* I like this a lot, very good points :D