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Major new exoplanet findings to be announced next Monday

I wonder how many million planets it will take before the people who are always looking away from Earth realise they're on the most amazing planet in the galaxy.

Umm how the F would you know?

I was wondering the same thing.

This is how alien stories were invented in the first place. Because we're all wondering what's out there. If we only looked at our immediate surroundings, humans would still be living in trees. It's our curiosity that got us this far, and will get us even farther.

+ eleventy leven.
 
I wonder how many million planets it will take before the people who are always looking away from Earth realise they're on the most amazing planet in the galaxy.

Umm how the F would you know?

I was wondering the same thing.

This is how alien stories were invented in the first place. Because we're all wondering what's out there.

Not exactly. All stories and visuals in science fiction are based on Earth and humans. Every science fiction story is not really wondering what's out there but only extrapolating what's already here on Earth. Star Trek with forehead-of-the-week humanoids. All designs in Avatar are based on Earth sea-life.
 
When a head of state schedules something regarding space, then it would be time to pop the champagne.
I haven't heard a head of state announcing anything besides new missions, but the last time they briefed a head of state before announcing something, it turned out to be bleach in space. So heads of state don't seem to deliver. :(


Actually, the announcement that we had was much much more fascinating than any one involving a head of state ever.
 
And how, exactly, does Sector 7's religious belief negatively impact you, Fang? Could you explain which of your rights was violated by his post being present on this board?

It doesn't negatively impact on me in any direct sense although mass religious belief is another matter and where did I say that it did have any kind of impact on me at all? Or where did I mention my rights being violated? Sector 7 is entitled to believe in a load of old cobblers and also to post on this board about magic and bronze age fairy stories to his hearts content I believe I have the same right of comment.

But why must you bash his beliefs? I don't see him taking shots at yours.
 
And how, exactly, does Sector 7's religious belief negatively impact you, Fang? Could you explain which of your rights was violated by his post being present on this board?

It doesn't negatively impact on me in any direct sense although mass religious belief is another matter and where did I say that it did have any kind of impact on me at all? Or where did I mention my rights being violated? Sector 7 is entitled to believe in a load of old cobblers and also to post on this board about magic and bronze age fairy stories to his hearts content I believe I have the same right of comment.

But why must you bash his beliefs? I don't see him taking shots at yours.

It's a discussion forum, people post their thoughts and others comment on them, Sector 7 is free to post his reaction to my post but so far he seems above the fray probably says something positive about his character.

Sector 7 exposed his religious beliefs on a discussion board in a thread related to scientific endeavors ergo they are up for discussion, it's not like I went onto a Christian discussion board and started criticizing peoples beliefs . Also I didn't bash his beliefs I state a fact, the fact is his beliefs are ludicrous and not supported by objective reality, just like or actually worse than the poster who is sure that the earth is the most bestest planet in the megaverse.

If I had seriously stated that the reason to be interested in the search for other planets is because some of them must have been seeded by The Preservers from Star Trek I think my comment would be fair game for criticism. Well guess what all deities have exactly the same amount of evidence for existence.
 
It doesn't negatively impact on me in any direct sense although mass religious belief is another matter and where did I say that it did have any kind of impact on me at all? Or where did I mention my rights being violated? Sector 7 is entitled to believe in a load of old cobblers and also to post on this board about magic and bronze age fairy stories to his hearts content I believe I have the same right of comment.

But why must you bash his beliefs? I don't see him taking shots at yours.

It's a discussion forum, people post their thoughts and others comment on them, Sector 7 is free to post his reaction to my post but so far he seems above the fray probably says something positive about his character.

Sector 7 exposed his religious beliefs on a discussion board in a thread related to scientific endeavors ergo they are up for discussion, it's not like I went onto a Christian discussion board and started criticizing peoples beliefs . Also I didn't bash his beliefs I state a fact, the fact is his beliefs are ludicrous and not supported by objective reality,

No, you stated your opinion of his beliefs. And you did it in a douchey manner. Atheists who want to be critical of religion and have a chance of a civil conversation with the faithful would do themselves a favor to discern the distinction.
 
Well guess what all deities have exactly the same amount of evidence for existence.

Well, technically, for the The Preservers you need to squeeze the seeding of the galaxy, the pre-seeding evolution of The Preservers and the post-seeding evolution of the human race (4 Ga), all into just 14 Ga, and you have to take into account the change of the ratio between the rate of seeding and the rate of evolution and factors like the abundance of heavier elements.

Other deities exist outside and before the universe, thus their deeds are not limited to 14 Ga, so they might be slightly more plausible. So don't diminish my belief that we're all living on the Hirogen's holodeck... I mean, just how else can you explain World War 2?
 
Interestingly, you have the same amount of evidence for E.T.

Maybe we don't have direct or indirect evidence for the existence of another concrete instance of life, but I don't think that's the only kind of evidence you can have on the matter.

The existence of the human race is evidence that the frequency of civilizations in the universe is non-zero. The basic understanding of how the mankind evolved is evidence that the frequency is probably high enough for at least one more to exist. That's evidence for E.T. life in my book, or if you don't like to call it that, it's evidence that strongly supports the possibility of such life.

P.S. Gods are extraterrestrial life and as such evidence for them would be evidence for E.T. life as well, so I wouldn't put an equality between the two numbers even if I had zero knowledge on the matter.
 
I wonder how many million planets it will take before the people who are always looking away from Earth realise they're on the most amazing planet in the galaxy.
To explore other planets is to better understand our own.

You at least understand what I'm saying, without the knee-jerk brainlessness of other responders.

Not their fault you don't adequately explain yourself.
 
I believe I can be justified in saying that there is no best place in the universe.. Its all opinion.

Venus IS the best btw..
 
The existence of the human race is evidence that the frequency of civilizations in the universe is non-zero. The basic understanding of how the mankind evolved is evidence that the frequency is probably high enough for at least one more to exist. That's evidence for E.T. life in my book, or if you don't like to call it that, it's evidence that strongly supports the possibility of such life.

You can't calculate a probability on that one. In short, we don't know jack shit about how and why life formed on this planet, so no serious scientist can tell you how probable alien life is.

What if it takes an entire universe to form life on one planet? What if we are the first planet with life on it? What if we are the last? We don't know anything about it. We have only one single sample of life in the universe. You can't calculate a probability based on one sample, especially if you don't know much about that sample.
 
You can't calculate a probability on that one. In short, we don't know jack shit about how and why life formed on this planet, so no serious scientist can tell you how probable alien life is.

The transition from “we don't know jack shit” to “we can't calculate the probability” is a gradual one. I agree we're not even at “we can't calculate the probability”, but we're not at “we don't know jack shit” either.
 
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