Antarctic lake's clue to alien life

I agree. Who knows where "life" can be found after finding life on earth in such remote desolate areas that there shouldn't be. I think (just me) that there likely IS life everywhere in the universe...we just dont look for it the right way.

First of all, how could we possibly be certain that ALL life breathes oxygen, needs water, requires food....we cannot IMO. so if it should not be the case, the possibilities are limiteless...

2nd, We look for physical life, either microbial or humanoid or reptilian.....what if this "life" is energy and not physical? Yes I do mean just like ghosts/spirits....looking for physical proof would be pointless as there would not be any.

So I think that life is out there for sure but we are probably too materialistic & violent for them to show themselves to us....one day we will get our answer.

Again this is just MY own opinion/idea on the subject and in no way do I have proof of this...just my little hamster spinning his wheel up there!

reply to post by bottleslingguy


It is entirely possible that both are likely reasons as to how these bacteria came to be ! Either they just spontaneously emerged there or they were carried via panspermia !

Both are just equally as interesting ways for them to appear !

Originally posted by SLAYER69

Originally posted by magma

Life is probably everywhere in the universe. Just not in the forms that get represented by Hollywood.
But then of course there is the THING, which ironically enough came from Antarctica I think.

Agreed.

I remember reading about how some scientist theorize that some form of gas filled floating life that could resemble a jelly fish type creature could possibly evolve in gas giants atmospheres similar to how sea life developed in the oceans here on Earth.

Also, The THING didn't come from Antarctica but rather was found there at a crash site of an alien spaceship.

edit on 27-11-2012 by SLAYER69 because: (no reason given)

Our own atmosphere could hold life also. i think the explanation of birds for this sighting is silly.

On September 5, 1891, the Crawfordsville Journal reported that two ice delivery men sighted "a strange phenomenon" that hovered in the air above their location, describing it as a "horrible apparition" that "filled them with dread." A similar sighting was reported by a Methodist pastor and his wife. The Crawfordsville Journal described it as "about eighteen feet long and eight feet wide and moved rapidly through the air by means of several pairs of side fins. It was pure white and had no definite shape or form, resembling somewhat a great white shroud fitted with propelling fins. There was no tail or head visible but there was one great flaming eye, and a sort of a wheezing plaintive sound was emitted from a mouth which was invisible. It flapped like a flag in the winds as it came on and frequently gave a great squirm as though suffering unutterable agony."

en.wikipedia.org...

We tend to limit what life can be like under different circumstances. Given enough time, life may spring up in some unexpected places. Elements could be utilized in untold ways.

reply to post by Zcustosmorum


"Lake Vida, the largest of several unique lakes found in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, contains no oxygen, is acidic, mostly frozen and possesses the highest nitrous oxide levels of any natural water body on Earth. "

when the rave start? ^^

i love hearing this kinda stuff, but what happens when we release to much of it and we find out dinosaurs were not wiped out by a big rock in sky but weird microbes ^^

reply to post by Oannes



"We tend to limit what life can be like under different circumstances. Given enough time, life may spring up in some unexpected places. Elements could be utilized in untold ways. "


from one extreme to the next, we have things living in volcanoes, bottom of the ocean, in frozen lakes, and now space as well with the test they did recently at space station. excuse me, inner orbit station ^^

There is no indication that these microbes are any different from all other life found on this planet. In other words they will be part of the animal tree that branched off thousands of years ago when the ice formed there. Don't mistake this for spontaneous creation of life that's not part of the existing family tree of life.

reply to post by Agit8dChop


I agree completely! I get tired of them saying life cannot be somewhere because we couldn't survive there, I find that incredibly arrogant, they should say life as we know it.

It actually isnt that strange when you think about it. Lifes mission is to adapt and survive no matter where it is, great find.

Life adapting to an extreme environment and life forming in that same extreme environment is two very different scenarios.

Although the conditions were right for life to form here on earth with its mix of warmth, organic chemicals/compounds and other important conditions that would make it easy for life to form, it is different in the case of a place like the lake mentioned in the OP.

In other words life formed in the comfortable conditions on this planet and THEN spread and adapted to the other harsher regions of earth.

It's not impossible for weird forms of life to form in those extreme conditions but It is by far more likely to happen in a scenario such as earths "primordial soup".

This news is not surprising we have found life on this planet in different but similar in the extremities of the OP scenario.


-Alien

Such lifeforms are also know as extremophiles, i.e. living organisms that are able to survive in extreme conditions and even without oxygen.

See Wikipedia