Alien Life in our Solar System

I'm relatively new to this whole idea about life being on other planets in our Solar System. I was going to be an astronomy major in college, so this type of thinking is still kind of hard to get to understand. If I would have brought this idea up in my college classes, I would have been laughed at.

If you are familiar with John Leer, then you have an idea of what I'm talking about. John among others states his opinions on the matter clearly and believes that it DOES exist.

What do you think of life being not billions of miles away (maybe), but right here in our very own neighborhood?

It is more than likely since we are a perfect example of life existing here at all. Our planet is home to a mind boggling amount of life forms. If here why not on a sister planet? We are just under the impression that ours is the most suitable conditions for supporting or birthing life at all. Just look to our interpretation of our distant past. we seem to think that the earth was only capable of supporting life untill recently (relatively speaking)
We do know that many species have died here, why not think then that maybe we are not alone or were not alone at some time. Some think mars to have been earth like. Maybe it was and the civilizations there went underground, here or else where in our solar system. Maybe they "gave" us this planet because we were weeker and wouldnt survive like them on more hostile worlds in our solar system. It could be that life is not alien but comes from a common ancestor. It would make sense for our world to be reflective of what our solar system is capable of producing.

double post

[edit on 20-8-2007 by newyorkee]

I personally believe microbial life exists in the oceans of Europa. The same conditions exist there as the deep underwater volcanic vent in our oceans (no sunlight, extreme heat and pressure), where we find a vast array of life. It will be a challenge to bore through so many kilometers of ice to get there, but I'm pretty sure NASA is working on it at the moment. As far as advanced life evolving and still living in our solar system (not UFOs from other places, which I think we can safely say exist) I'm not so sure.

reply to post by newyorkee


Yeah, that's seeming to be true about Mars. Evidence of water and all. If there's liquid water, there's life. But actually studying planets, it seems to me like life here alone is very delicate and just came about by happenstance.

And I'm not eliminating the possibility of there being more life in our Solar System, but for happenstance to happen another 1 time out of only another 7/8 planets seems so exponentially small to me.

This is why John Lear is so damn interesting to me. He is really challenging me to look outside of what I have always learned and has been accepted for astronomical sciences.

reply to post by lightworker12


Yes, Europa is something entirely different. There is very strong evidence for liquid water being there. And like I've said before, liquid water=life. Microbial life would be probable, but if you think evolution, maybe something big or more complex would have evolved under the ice after being there for so long. Just a thought, but possible I think.