Extrasolar Planet Could Harbor Life

BlueMorpho writes with a link to a Space.com article about a recently discovered extrasolar planet that may be able to harbor 'life as we know it.' Orbiting around the star Gliese 581 is a small rocky ball that might have the same liquid ocean and drifting continent configuration we're familiar with. The find may be unique in all of space exploration as this planet appears to be within a habitable band of temperatures for life, and is categorically not a gas giant. "The bottom line is exciting ...The conditions for life could be there, but is life itself? As yet, there's no way to know unless the planet has spawned beings that are at least as clever as we are. As part of the SETI Institute's Project Phoenix, we twice aimed large antennas in the direction of Gliese 581, hoping to pick up a signal that would bespeak technology ... Neither search turned up a signal."

Oh my god, it's full of dupes.

[ColonelPanic]

This is categorically amazing! Gliese 581 has not one, but *two* planets capable of sustaining life as we know it!

The best neighbors...

[Chysn]

...are the ones you can't see even with a telescope.

The trouble is

[zappepcs]

"The bottom line is exciting ...The conditions for life could be there, but is life itself? As yet, there's no way to know unless the planet has spawned beings that are at least as clever as we are. As part of the SETI Institute's Project Phoenix, we twice aimed large antennas in the direction of Gliese 581, hoping to pick up a signal that would bespeak technology ... Neither search turned up a signal."

emphasis mine

The trouble is that despite the planet's title sounding like a science fiction title, the former residents of Gliese 581 were at least as clever as we are, and the planet is currently recovering from a complete nuclear winter...

Space/Genetic Exploration

[spentmiles]

I wonder what we'll find fist: a) A planet as inhabitable by us as Earth. b) A way to genetically modify humans to adapt to currently inhospitable conditions. Maybe we'll be able to breath sulfurous air, like that found on XJ93832, which is otherwise a resort planet. I've been doing my own experiments with a homemade dutch oven. My subject/wife is quite an innovator. I think she's been altered at the genetic level several times.

Re:The best neighbors...

[Anonymous Coward]

Unless they are porn stars with broken shades

Re:The best neighbors...

[TheMadcapZ]

I hope your neighbor turns out to be the goatse guy!!!!

Complete and Utter Failure

[Rauser]

"We twice aimed large antennas in the direction of Gliese 581, hoping to pick up a signal that would bespeak technology"

The first interspace wardriving attempt thus ended in failure. The Gliesians must be hardwired.

Get Your Gear and Pack Up the Mules, Maw!

[Anonymous Coward]

WE are goin to tha new werld fer huntin' season!!!!!

Floatin' fish er gud eatin!

Re:No Signals != No Life

[Timesprout]

we are more likely to find single cell organisms who haven't quite figured out how to build a radio tower

Or maybe President Bush [slashdot.org] was just visiting when they listened for signals.

Re:Quick...

[PixelScuba]

And now... Deep Thoughts ...by Jack Handey.

"I can picture in my mind a world without war, a world without hate. And I can picture us attacking that world, because they'd never expect it."

Re:No Signals != No Life

[markbt73]

The secret is to bang the rocks together, guys.

uh-oh

[jollyreaper]

God help those poor bastards if they've got oil.

Re:Oh my god, it's full of dupes.

[u-bend]

OMG!!! Pink pony life forms?! In Soviet Russia, new extra-solar dupe life form overlords welcome you!

They had their firewall on.

[140Mandak262Jamuna]

No wonder SETI could not get any signal from them. They learnt their lessons. Last time they visited us on the Independance Day we uploaded a virus into their system. So they just set their modem "To ignore pings from the WAN side."

Let's be real...

[__aaclcg7560]

Gliese 581 is, as astronomical distances go, relatively close: only 20 light-years away. It's one of the few star systems which, if inhabited, might provoke conversation. A simple exchange, along the lines of "how are you?" followed by "fine, and you?" would require a mere four decades. Tedious, but not unthinkable.

The actual exchange...

EARTH: How are you?

GLIESE 581: Sorry, we don't need Viagra. You can try the next planet over.

Re:Space/Genetic Exploration

[Control Group]

There's a flip side to this, of course. I have a strong suspicion that, were we ever to encounter life anywhere else, we'd turn out to be horrifyingly allergic to everything there.

Re:kill the aliens

[Ihlosi]

kill the little green men, wipe them out, colonize.

Well, I'm pretty sure the little green men will do one of the following:

a) Disable our colony ships main computer with a computer virus written quickly by one of their hacker geniuses and then hit it with a nuclear warhead while our colonists are waiting for Windows to boot up again.

b) Find out that a very common, harmless (to them) substance on their planet is highly toxic to us humans and douse any unwelcome visitor with it.

c) Realize that their equivalent of the common cold is a deadly plague for humans.

d) Send in the little green men in black to take care of the human invasion, then mind-wipe any innocent bystanders.

e) Travel back in time and keep Earth from forming.

Re:Complete and Utter Failure

[infinite9]

The first interspace wardriving attempt thus ended in failure. The Gliesians must be hardwired.

Nah, they're just using appletalk just like Jeff Goldblume said. (hachoo)

Re:The trouble is

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes we do.

Re:The trouble is

[flyingsquid]

They've already visited. And they are more clever than we are. They don't try to post witty comments on /.

Or maybe they don't want to communicate with us because they read slashdot.

Re:The Real Question Is...

[kennylogins]

If they're anything like us, they may have detected us about 35 years ago, but cut funding on the transmitter to build interstellar nukes. Cause yuo know, there's only one way to be sure.

Re:The trouble is

[BakaHoushi]

To quote Calvin and Hobbes, "I think the surest sign of intelligent life in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us."

Seriously, if I were of a peaceful, technologically advanced society, I wouldn't want to communicate with Earth, either. Worst case scenario, the less friendly humans get ahold of alien technology and we start mucking up OTHER species' homes.

Re:Afraid

[lahvak]

If they are really clever, why would they watch our TV?

Re:The trouble is

[russ1337]

Seriously, if I were of a peaceful, technologically advanced society, I wouldn't want to communicate with Earth, either. Worst case scenario, the less friendly humans get ahold of alien technology and we start mucking up OTHER species' homes.

Not to the Corporations rushing to patent alien genes and technology... no matter how loud the aliens call 'prior art' or obvious.

I just hope the only time we hear from an alien race is when the earth is about to be destroyed to make way for an intergalactic highway and we failed to read the notice posted on some obscure planets noticeboard.

That means...

[Mahjub Sa'aden]

That means we'll have to go there twice?

Dammit. I've only got one FTL drive, and it took me a good twenty-five years of watching Star Trek to build that one!

Re:The trouble is

[BakaHoushi]

Alpha Centauri is NOT "some obscure planet." Honestly, if you Earthlings can't be bothered to take an interest in local politics, I've no sympathy at all.

Re:Afraid

[rmadmin]

Thats theft of service! The MPAA and FCC would be all over them! :)

Re:The best neighbors...

[Warg! The Orcs!!]

"Hey, check this out - I've discovered a black hole....."

Re:Space/Genetic Exploration

[Anonymous Coward]

Ahhh, but you forgot that amino acid B-N26, which the Gleise 581c predator secretes in its saliva, is left-handed folding, so it has the same effect as 13M (100%) sulfuric acid...