Antarctica's Blood Falls: Extraterrestrial Life Is Possible

reply to post by Extralien


That's amazing. This is the first I've heard of this.

It's like something out of a John Carpenter film.

Guess I better watch how I present this statement as this room is slightly touchy.

For nothing more then interesting thought, someone that has a religious up bringing could look at this and make the claim that this is a sign of the end of times.

The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead man, and every living thing in the sea died.

Follow me on this for just a sec. This frozen lake which contains God knows what kind of microbes is starting to thaw and ooze out. These microbes haven't been seen in thousands or maybe millions of years. So it may be a stretch but still possible that some of these microbes are apart of the bacteria that killed off the dinosaurs and now that they are leaking into the ocean, will be what begins killing life in the ocean. Just as blood from a dead man is toxic, that substance could contain something just as toxic to the ocean. Stretch perhaps but still kind of exciting.

Thanks for entertaining that thought!

reply to post by Dermo


While i would be absolutely ecstatic if we found bacteria on another planet..Mars,titan etc I don't think that will achieve all the things you listed.I don't think for a large percentage of the population they would care much or have such enthusiasm...it would have to be large complex lifeforms or intelligent for most people to care.

Very reminiscent of the red gunk lining the cracks of Europa...

I wonder if this substance bears any resemblance to the red rain that feel on India a while back.
Have there been any tests that bear this out?

Very interesting article.

...but I don't get how a lake that has been sealed for only 2 million years would contain the "primordial ooze out which every living thing on Earth evolved."

Two million years is a very short amount of time when compared to the age of life on Earth, which is estimated to have started about 3.5 Billion (with a "B") years ago.

Two million years ago, the dinosaurs were long dead (already dead for 63 million years) and early primates that would later evolve into humans were already walking upright, using tools, and were starting to look "human-like".

Don't get me wrong -- I think this is very interesting for what it is. I just don't understand the connection between this lake sealed 2 million years ago and the "primordial ooze".


[edit on 9/15/2009 by Soylent Green Is People]

Originally posted by jkrog08
reply to post by Extralien

 

The evidence towards a commonality and ease of life throughout the Universe is now approaching staggering and undeniable. The evidence continues to mount, the odds of us being alone are BEYOND slim in my humble opinion. Thanks for sharing, S/F..

I think it is stubborn and arrogant of Man to think that this little blue marble we live on, is the only planet with life upon it, out of the Billions of Galaxies each with their own Billions of Blue Marbles. Just by playing the odds, you get Billions of Planets with Life.

reply to post by Soylent Green Is People


That is because everyone is under the assumption that we evolved from ooz, or evolved at all. I think there is definite adaptation of species, but I do not believe we evolved out of red ooz. I am sorry, but that is just too random.

reply to post by arcnaver

To repeat what Phage said in his posts above, there are hardly any reputable scientists who believe we are alone in the universe.

It is pretty much the consensus among almost all scientists that given the number of stars in the universe, there is an extremely good chance that life -- even intelligent life -- has evolved elsewhere.

There may still be some stubborn people out there, but most people DO believe life probably exists elsewhere.


[edit on 9/15/2009 by Soylent Green Is People]

Originally posted by arcnaver
reply to post by Soylent Green Is People

 

That is because everyone is under the assumption that we evolved from ooz, or evolved at all. I think there is definite adaptation of species, but I do not believe we evolved out of red ooz. I am sorry, but that is just too random.

Well, I think all life (including humans) DID start off as tiny single-celled organisms, but that is not my point, so you can choose not to believe it...

...my point is if life DID evolve from the "primordial ooze" 3.5 Billion years ago, then would why this lake -- which was supposedly exposed to the environment ONLY 2 million years ago -- contain something similar to that ooze?

The connection does not make sense considering the time scales. Life was already flourishing for about 3.48 billion years when this lake was sealed up 2 million years ago. I'm sure it has been contaminated with life much more advanced that the "ooze". I bet modern-looking fish once lived there.

[edit on 9/15/2009 by Soylent Green Is People]

reply to post by arcnaver


But it's not random...and the timescale involved is massive.Most people fail to grasp the timescales we are actually talking about when it comes to evolution.

Originally posted by Solomons
reply to post by arcnaver

 

But it's not random...and the timescale involved is massive.Most people fail to grasp the timescales we are actually talking about when it comes to evolution.

Exactly --

Consider this -- life on Earth started 3.5 billion years ago. Modern humans (us) evolved into its present species only 200,000 years ago.

That means that if the history of life on Earth was compressed into one 24-hour day, then Modern Humans began only 5 seconds ago. Furthermore, the Dinosaurs died out only 26 minutes ago.

99.99% of the history of life on Earth occurred before our species (Homo sapiens) began, and 98.2% of the history of life on Earth occurred before the dinosaurs became extinct.


[edit on 9/15/2009 by Soylent Green Is People]

Originally posted by Phage

we still refuse to accept that life exists elsewhere.

Who is "we"? Please show me a quote from a reputable scientist who refuses to accept that life exists elsewhere. Just one.

Please note: there is a difference between saying there is no extraterrestrial life and saying we have no evidence of extraterrestrial life.

I totally agree. I think the real question most scientists are asking now is, "is there 'intelligent' life out there?" It seems quite obvious that there's going to be microbial life almost anywhere that isn't at absolute zero or liquid magma. Possibly even there as well. The real question seems to lie in the evolution of these organisms. Would these same types of microbes continually evolve into a species conscious of its own existence.. Or maybe something entirety different? Or possibly not evolve at all...

Great find OP

'(edited for spelling)'

[edit on 9/15/09 by Dracan6]

Originally posted by arcnaver

Originally posted by jkrog08
reply to post by Extralien

 

The evidence towards a commonality and ease of life throughout the Universe is now approaching staggering and undeniable. The evidence continues to mount, the odds of us being alone are BEYOND slim in my humble opinion. Thanks for sharing, S/F..

I think it is stubborn and arrogant of Man to think that this little blue marble we live on, is the only planet with life upon it, out of the Billions of Galaxies each with their own Billions of Blue Marbles. Just by playing the odds, you get Billions of Planets with Life.

Or, it could very well be an act of Humility to accept God at his word and believe that the earth is uniquely created for life. Humility is the opposite of arrogance BTW. Regardless, everytime I look up at the night sky I am in awe of the infinite beauty God has created, and grateful that I can walk on, and interact with, His great handiwork. I am also grateful that I am a product of His intelligent design and creative power, vs. a happenstance product of randomness that crawled out of a slime pit and evolved to what I am today.

reply to post by John Matrix

Did God ever say life was unique to the Earth? If a person is to believe God created the entire universe, is there any reason to believe that God would have only created life on Earth? Why not other planets, too?

So at what point does it go from sane to unbelievable? Life elsewhere is within the realm of resonable a long as it's microbial? Intelligent life stretches resonable further, but having abilities or technology that surpasses our own is just unacceptable?

Don't go near that glacier it could be "The Thing." The story surrounding that ooze reminds of the story from the movie by John Carpenter "The Thing." With this mysterious primordial ooze being buried under that glacier for millions of years. It's like in the the movie when those dumb Norwegian's blew up that long forgotten glacier and unleashed hell upon their scientific expedition along with the American expedition later.

Enough of fiction imitating life, I just thought this story was interesting at how similar it is to the film. Who knows what that material is and I am intrigued. I have always been interested in Antarctica and what lies below the ice waiting to be uncovered. Thanks for sharing the story with us.

[edit on 15-9-2009 by Jakes51]

reply to post by Extralien


Very interesting read... i've never heard of these 'blood falls' before... seems to have been kept pretty quiet.... it's only for the Internet that all can see this...

S+F

Originally posted by Soylent Green Is People
reply to post by John Matrix

 

Did God ever say life was unique to the Earth? If a person is to believe God created the entire universe, is there any reason to believe that God would have only created life on Earth? Why not other planets, too?

In scripture is says, Eve is the mother of all life, not evolution.

Taken literally, earth is where physical life began. Not a single planet has been found with all the right ingredience for Eve's offspring.

Our solar system was supposedly the result of gases and various matter spinning around the sun after the big bang.......why would our ONE planet be so uniquely formed with all the right ingredience if all the ingredience were the same before the planets were formed? Did our earth just form this way by accident?

Science has proven that the earth is unique from all other planets in our solar system, and there is no reason to waste brain cells specualting whether or not the rest of the Universe might contain such planets, IMHO.

I don't say there is no other life in the Universe, but I doubt that it is physical life. I believe there is a spritual dimension that supports all kinds of spiritual beings throughout the Universe.

reply to post by SecretGoldfish


There are certain unamed people on here who have to steal the attention. As soon as someone puts up a thread , they have to add contradictory 2 cents to get that attention they lack in the real world. Its childlike actually.

Good thread and thanks for the info OP.