Poll Is there a test for alien life?

[think]

A review of the criteria for something to be life or biological : from this link -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life

[from the wiki] The current definition is that organisms maintain homeostasis, are composed of cells, undergo metabolism, can grow, adapt to their environment, respond to stimuli, and reproduce.​

where does the artificial development we create ... go beyond life as well?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turing_test

Because we know the double helix spiral that our dna form is controlled by the kind of micro-gravity waves in particle physics that would align the atoms like this here or on any planet ... the physics remains constant and stable enough to create/cause/ recreate similar creations everywhere ... from time to time. --- right?

What else do we know? about aliens about us about us as aliens?

//aside//
was going to do this poll in some scifi area thread or a trek thread relative to trek but this might be more personal then not. so rather then TNZ and get weird comments as well I chose mmm to (at this point I clicked the back button and lost all my choices in the poll... damn) except the question itself.
//end aside//

 

[USS Triumphant]

Any life of non-terrestrial origin is alien. So we've probably already encountered that, by generations of bacteria that we took with us to the moon. And eventually, we will probably BE alien life, once we've colonized other worlds in the system, and *especially* if we genetically adapt ourselves to suit those environments.

But I think what most people consider really "alien" is life that's lineage has its origin somewhere other than Earth. And to determine that, the easiest way would be if the material for replicating the pattern is something other than the four molecules that we use for DNA. It would be a dead giveaway. BUT, it doesn't work the other way around, unfortunately, because form may follow function, and it's possible that life that developed elsewhere *could* use the same molecules.

 

[urbandefault]

New species go undiscovered every day. Who knows whether everything that lives here originated here?

That said, if it was born on earth it ain't alien.

 

[Captain pl1ngpl0ng]

Who knows whether everything that lives here originated here?

Tardigrades are a good example

It make no sense that any earth creature would develop the ability to withstand temperatures down to
−272 °C wich is 2 degree colder than the average temperature of empty space between celestial bodies in outer space, and at the same time would have no problem with being violently boiled at 150 °C.
And add to that, survive radiation at doses hundreds of times higher than what would kill anything else on this planet, and also cryosleep without food or water for several decades.... They also do survive in the the vacuum of outer space, we tested that... So these things must have hitchhiked here on a meteorite!

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Yes, it's called the ESL course.

 

[think]

Could a sentient computer pass for alien consciousness? Maybe?

 

[Spot261]

Could a sentient computer pass for alien consciousness? Maybe?

Only if the computer was built in space

 

[USS Triumphant]

Could a sentient computer pass for alien consciousness? Maybe?

If you're looking to talk to something self-aware with a non-human consciousness, check this out:
http://earthtrust.org/archive/delphis.html

 

[Doom Shepherd]

Because we can't know how alien alien life can get, we can't always know what to look for.

Probably a good rule of thumb would be something like "if it reacts to a number of stimuli, it might be alive." (I'm sure someone will immediately find an exception to this - after all, some rock crystals and chemicals react to light - which is why I said "a number" and not "a.")

But there might always be something so alien that it doesn't perceive us or anything we recognize as stimuli in any way.
In which case it's probably alien enough that we won't be able to establish communication or a common frame of reference.

 

[Timelord79 (he/him)]

I think I heard Neil deGrass Tyson talk about alien life being made of silicon, since it‘s so similar to carbon.
It can do virtually the same things.
If we encountered a silicon based lifeform it might not look like a rock creature, but it would be different enough and still fulfill all our criteria for life.

 

[Gary7]

Very strange poll by the OP... I don't know quite how to read it.


Well, I think if we as the supreme inventor species on this planet invent a life form, it could be considered alien. Because it didn't naturally form on this world. Recall how a species from one continent can visit another and start colonizing. It would be considered alien in the beginning, as it didn't form naturally in the new continent.

I wonder if a silicon based life form could exist and thrive in the same atmosphere as carbon based lifeforms. I imagine that if ultimately it is possible to have silicon based lifeforms, scientists will be able to create them in an isolated specialized environment. The fail safe would be their inability to survive in our environment. If they escape, they die.

I fully believe that the humanoid could very likely be the common form for sentient life. Compared to other creatures, we have bodies with far more energy devoted to our brains than any other. And we've sacrificed body protection for that -- no coat of thick hide and hair/fur, no claws, no razor sharp teeth. Intelligent species require a large portion of their food intake to power mental function. And based on the progression we've seen, future humans would have relatively small, frail bodies protected by sophisticated technology. I think we'll eventually become cyborgs, as we invent sophisticated bio-compatible devices to replace key vital functions. Imagine a plug-in-play kidney, liver, or pancreas. We've created artificial hearts, but there's the power and bio rejection challenges... eventually we'll overcome that.

What is life? It's complicated to define. But at the very core, it should be self-perpetuating. The computers we've created thus far are not self-perpetuating. They are so incredibly primitive right now compared to how they will be in the future. I liken what we've achieved to partial brain fabrication. We've essentially simulated and significantly enhanced a mere fragment of neural function. It's far from self perpetuating and sustaining, coupled with original complex thought. I think we will achieve it one day. Quantum computing or something equivalent will be the key. Once we get over the power problem, and have very low cost power sources, we're going to see robotic domestics in many places. That'll be the platform... and then with sufficient sophisticated computer programming, we'll see something like Commander Data finally appear. It will be alien. But it will be wonderful. I seriously do not think AI will conclude that human beings are parasites that must be eradicated. That's a human projection.

 

[trekkiedane]

Poke it with a stick.

If it reacts (in a way that suggests it doesn't like it) it's most probably alive.

 

[tharpdevenport]

Poke it with a stick.

If it reacts (in a way that suggests it doesn't like it) it's most probably alive.

"Poke it With a Stick or: How trekkiedane Started an Interstellar Incident"

 

[UncleRogi]

Yes. We save people. THAT is human

 

[SPCTRE]