Earth-Size planet found orbiting Alpha Centauri. Could it host life!? (Spoiler: Nope.) - Polidicks

[QUOTE=carcarcargo;38066094]Why does everyone assume Earth sized = like Earth?[/QUOTE] Any larger and it will be a gas giant. Any smaller and it can't support an atmosphere. Earth-sized planets are the best bet for Earth-like planets.

There could be larger rocky planets. It depends on what you consider earth sized.

[QUOTE=Daniel Smith;38066503]It is mathematically impossible that we live on the only planet that can support life.[/QUOTE] what math would that be

[QUOTE=Daniel Smith;38066503]It is mathematically impossible that we live on the only planet that can support life.[/QUOTE] just because it can support life doesn't necessarily mean it has life [editline]17th October 2012[/editline] [QUOTE=jaykray;38066029][url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betteridge's_Law_of_Headlines[/url][/QUOTE] Can Betteridge's Law of Headlines answer every headline ending with a question mark? Read more: [url]http://sensationalistnewsweekly.us/notactuallynews/133853l#d?=332[/url]

[QUOTE=Kalibos;38069419]what math would that be[/QUOTE] I don't know, but apparently many people in this thread do since I'm such a retard for asking the same question.

[QUOTE=carcarcargo;38066094]Why does everyone assume Earth sized = like Earth?[/QUOTE] Well it's a good indication it's a terrestrial I suppose.

[QUOTE=Used Car Salesman;38067640]This is big, we've wondered about planets around Alpha Centauri for a long time but never found any evidence. I was starting to think our nearest neighbor was just a boring binary system with a few asteroids drifting through it.[/QUOTE] i always figured [I]every[/I] star system will have planets, whether they are habitable or not, because the gravity well of any star bigger than a brown dwarf would mean that it would probably attract objects moving through space, like planetoids or what have you, or maybe gas from some old nebula that coalesces into planets as it gets moved closer together during the slow spiral into the sun's gravity well. [editline]16th October 2012[/editline] i mean im no astrophysicist but it sounds like a very silly stretch to say planets/planetoids are rare.

[QUOTE=Daniel Smith;38066503]It is [del]mathematically impossible[/del] very unlikely that we live on the only planet that can support life.[/QUOTE] fixed I mean unless you want to show me the 100% proof-positive statistics and infallible mathematic equations you're using to come to this conclusion, I think you're full of shit

I wish there was more money going towards discoveries like this.

[QUOTE=Elexar;38066006]i found the planet which was two times the size of earth and consisted 1/3rd out of diamond more interesting. whats so cool about a molten rock floating a huge star besides the fact its the same size imagine me going to africa and claiming this random dude of same size is my long-lost brother[/QUOTE] I think the more interesting part is this means Alpha Centauri - the system closest to ours - is confirmed to have a planet. (it always was likely it actually has multiple, but this is the first time we see one.

[QUOTE=Awesomecaek;38071080]I think the more interesting part is this means Alpha Centauri - the system closest to ours - is confirmed to have a planet. (it always was likely it actually has multiple, but this is the first time we see one.[/QUOTE] You mean detected one's gravity.

[QUOTE=carcarcargo;38066094]Why does everyone assume Earth sized = like Earth?[/QUOTE] Why does everyone assume the functions of life here is the same anywhere else?

Im getting some "We're the only sentient species in the universe" vibes from this thread. There's an incomprehensible amount of stars in the universe (something like 6^48) And there are just as many, if not more planets than stars. It's basically impossible that our planet had a 1 in 6 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 00 chance to harbor intelligent life. We can assume that other life is either A. Too far away to contact or even know they're there B. Not advanced enough to make contact or make themselves known to other species

[QUOTE=Spot of Tea;38073724]Im getting some "We're the only sentient species in the universe" vibes from this thread. There's an incomprehensible amount of stars in the universe (something like 6^48) And there are just as many, if not more planets than stars. It's basically impossible that our planet had a 1 in 6 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 00 chance to harbor intelligent life. We can assume that other life is either A. Too far away to contact or even know they're there B. Not advanced enough to make contact or make themselves known to other species[/QUOTE] The thing is, we really don't know just how common it is for a planet to harbor life. So far, we're the only ones that do.

[QUOTE=Splash Attack;38074417]The thing is, we really don't know just how common it is for a planet to harbor life. So far, we're the only ones that do.[/QUOTE] That last sentence doesn't make sense. We're on the only planet known to us that supports life.

[QUOTE=Killer900;38066613]where the hell did you get that bullshit statistic from[/QUOTE] It's one of the more optimistic answers to the drake equation, but that only shows how many currently host sentient life forms capable of communicating with us. In reality there'll be a bollock-tonne more that are capable of supporting life.

[QUOTE=Splash Attack;38074417]The thing is, we really don't know just how common it is for a planet to harbor life. So far, we're the only ones that do.[/QUOTE] Considering that we now know that there is planets in nearly each and every solar system in the universe, the probability that not a single planet with the exact same composition, weight and distance from it's sun as Earth, is infinately small.

People just shouldn't say that there is definitely extraterrestrial life. We only have one sample so far of life in the universe, so we really can't make a realistic estimate as to how common it is. I do think it would be very strange however if life has only come to be on Earth.

Now all we need to do is build a ship to go there and we can win a scientific victory :dance:

[QUOTE=Raidyr;38079873]Now all we need to do is build a ship to go there and we can win a scientific victory :dance:[/QUOTE] That's going to take a while.

[QUOTE=Map in a box;38067323]I just realised, what if we ARE the only planet that hosts life? :saddowns:[/QUOTE] Well, we probably won't find out in our lifetime, and for sure we won't be able to meet up with them. So let's just say "there's life out there but there may as well not have been to us".

[QUOTE=Falubii;38079763]People just shouldn't say that there is definitely extraterrestrial life. We only have one sample so far of life in the universe, so we really can't make a realistic estimate as to how common it is. I do think it would be very strange however if life has only come to be on Earth.[/QUOTE] The odds are, literally and metaphorically, astronomically against Earth being the only planet with life. Until we find alien life, we can never be truly certain, but we are virtually and practically certain that there is life out there.

Nibiru, calling it now.

[QUOTE=Milkdairy;38066627]Wouldn't it just be a huge bummer if the life found on earth was recurring or very similar to Earth like planets? "Dear GOD we found a planet that can host life. [b]Are those cows?[/b]"[/QUOTE] [t]http://i.cubeupload.com/6nLALA.jpg[/t]

[QUOTE=Paramud;38081865]The odds are, literally and metaphorically, astronomically against Earth being the only planet with life. Until we find alien life, we can never be truly certain, but we are virtually and practically certain that there is life out there.[/QUOTE] Except not, because we don't have enough samples. It's just ridiculous when someone says, "It is literally mathematically impossible for other life to not exist." That's what you call bullshit.

About the "mathematically impossible" thing. I think there was a scientific law stating that, if there's an astronomically low chance but infinite possibility of that chance, it will exist. Assuming the universe [i]is[/i] infinite, even if the chance of life-bearing planets was one in a trillion, there would still be millions upon millions of planets. Science hasn't really figured out if the universe is infinite or not, though.

The universe isn't infinite. Also if you honestly think that we have some kind of mathematical proof that states that life must exist elsewhere, then show me. I must have missed it.

[QUOTE=Daniel Smith;38066503]It is mathematically impossible that we live on the only planet that can support life.[/QUOTE] While that's true, it should be noted that the universe places some pretty hard restraints on how far it is feasibly possible to travel with only three dimensions at your disposal. While it's certain that intelligent life does exist somewhere, it's more than likely physical meeting of two intelligent alien species is utterly impossible. I know, "blah blah people 1000 years ago didn't think sailing to the other side of the world was possible" but traveling to the other side of the galaxy, or worse yet to [I]another[/I] galaxy is so far out of reach that even envisioning the most hypothetical and outlandish way to do it is exceedingly difficult. Eeven then, that assume you even found a way to contact an alien species with FTL communication. [QUOTE=Rocko's;38066631]It freaks me out to know there is probably one species out in one of those planets looking for us. And probably will find out about us before we find out about them.[/QUOTE] I think it's more than likely that the only advanced species in the universe will probably look a lot like humans. Dolphins and whales are likely even more intelligent than chimps, and yet there are less practical things that they can apply their intelligence to because they simply don't have the ability to do so. I hate to sound like a cliche sci-fi here but I think "simian style" for land-based and "cephalopod style" for liquid-based may be the only two forms that an advanced species can manifest simply for the fact that in order to build and create, one needs a versatile body capable of creating and manipulating objects, as well as transporting oneself adequately. At least on earth, simians and cephalopods are the only two styles of animal that can sport a large brain as well as allow the creature to manipulate objects. (except for maybe corivds, but they aren't very good at it)

[QUOTE=Falubii;38082539]The universe isn't infinite.[/QUOTE] Can you prove that?

[QUOTE=Malos;38082555]Can you prove that?[/QUOTE] [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steady_State_theory]Yes.[/url]