Building Blocks of Life Detected in Distant Galaxy

scientists take another step forward, saying that amino acids essential for life on earth have been found somewhere other than earth. could this not add to the speculation that there could be intelligent life on other planets, be they advanced or not?

The discovery of an amino acid precursor in a far-flung galaxy is fresh evidence that life has potential to form throughout the universe, scientists say.

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[edit on 5/2/08 by wisefoolishness]

Originally posted by wisefoolishness
scientists take another step forward, saying that amino acids essential for life on earth have been found somewhere other than earth. could this not add speculation that there could be intelligent life on other planets, be they advanced or not?

Oh, sure. People love to speculate. But there's no reasonable model in place that adequately describes just how a lot of amino acids might get together to help create even the most simple living cell that grows and divides and evolves and does all that other stuff living things do. That whole dead chemicals magically turning into living things is a real puzzler.

So people can speculate all they want, I guess. They've been doing that ever since it was understood that some of the twinkly lights in the sky are actually planets that might be like our own. Ain't found nothin' yet, though.

[edit on 5-2-2008 by Nohup]

They aren't even talking amino acids here but amnio acid precursors.

Not only that but the galaxy in question is 250 million light-years away.

So, whatever is being observed now happened 250 million years ago.

A lot can happen in 250 million years, even life, but not necessarily.

Arp 220, at a relatively nearby distance of about 250 million light years from Earth, is a prototype for understanding what conditions were like in the early universe when massive galaxies and supermassive black holes may have been formed by numerous galaxy collisions.

chandra.harvard.edu...

www.spaceimages.com...

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