Is there life on other planets?

Considering the number of stars in the universe, even if only a few of them have planets, it seems highly unlikely that Earth is the only planet supporting life.

However, it seems that all life on Earth evolved from a single ancestor, suggesting that abiogenesis is extremely rare. It is possibly so rare that it has only ever happened once anywhere?

This page is a permanent link to the reply below and its nested replies. See all post replies »

Zaphod42 · 46-50, M

On the other hand the fact that life first appeared on Earth only a few million years after it's formation would suggest that life either readily forms and thus may be fairly common, or that life here originated elsewhere and that panspermia may have spread life to any and all planets capable of supporting it.

suzie1960 · 61-69, F

@Zaphod42 That's a possibility. There could be life on other planets all originating from a single common ancestor.

SW-User

@Zaphod42 Of course the other thing is we're limited by what we see on this planet - we only really grasp any knowledge of carbon based lifeforms - there maybe others out there that we haven't got a clue about it as it is so far from our current understanding given the environment we've evolved in .

JoBlak · M

@suzie1960 God help us if they are like us all over the universe, we are hardly a wonderful species to be trusted with care of the universe.

JoBlak · M

@suzie1960 Do you think that the big bang was caused by some human in a parallel universe (man of course) fiddling with the electrics without reading the instruction book.

SW-User

@JoBlak it was more likely firing up a huge physics experiment to look for other intelligent life

JoBlak · M

@SW-User Haha! Well it proved there was no intelligent life where they were; and I hope they were not hoping to find any in our direction. Do you think that basically, the universe is this sophisticated piece of equipment and all we represent the pinnacle of intelligent life in the universe; oh dear, it is like putting macaque monkeys in charge of a hadron collider.

SW-User

@JoBlak sadly so far we have no concrete proof otherwise

JoBlak · M

@SW-User OMG. Can you imagine if we are the most sophisticated life in the whole multiverse? Doesn't bear thinking about.

SW-User

@JoBlak no.... And look at those we elect. 🤦‍♂️

JoBlak · M

@SW-User I don't even want to think about that!