A Conversation for The Mu Arae Planetary System
Life, but not as we know it.
Argon0 (50 and feeling it - back for a bit) Started conversation Jan 19, 2010
A few times in this entry you refer to planets as not being hospitable to life. Either they are too hot, too cold, or SuperJovian (although you do add a caveat that a moon of a SuperJovian could support life)...
IMHO this should be, at the very least, phrased differently - to say "life as we know it", or even "Earthlike life".
In fact we know of several living organisms on Earth which live in extreme environments (e.g. at bottom of sea in and around hydrothermal vents, within rocks (e.g. in Antartica), etc...) - they are known as Extremophiles. These extreme environments could closely match those found on extrasolar planets, as well as other planets and/or moons within our Solar system.
And who is to say that all life has to match the blueprint for life on earth in any case. If there is sufficient energy to support chemical reactions and associated change within an environment, I can see no reason for life NOT to evolve (given time).
This is not to say there HAS to be life wherever there is sufficient energy, just that there does not seem to be a logical reason why there may not be life....
Life, but not as we know it.
Galaxy Babe - eclectic editor Posted Jan 19, 2010
Hi Argon0 
Thanks for taking the time to read my article and bothering to comment
I've added "as we know it"
Nice to *see* you again.
GB 
Life, but not as we know it.
Argon0 (50 and feeling it - back for a bit) Posted Jan 19, 2010
I didn't even realise you wrote this GB!!!
Nice to contribute... Interesting article!
Just saw this on the BBC home page, and my curiosity was aroused.
Nice to *see* you too.
Life, but not as we know it.
zaney_the_viper Posted Jan 21, 2010
I wonder what life would be like, evolving on other planets. It's not like the life here is the only type that would "work" on our planet. And think- with a whole new planet, we may well have to redefine life. Scientists right now don't count viruses as alive. 
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Life, but not as we know it.
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