The idea in those shows is that those life forms developed on other planets, but later acquired the technology for space travel. They didn't actually form in empty space.
Newbie
The idea in those shows is that those life forms developed on other planets, but later acquired the technology for space travel. They didn't actually form in empty space.
Established Member
Hi and welcome to BAUT.
What shows? What life forms? So far, there is no evidence that any life forms exist outside our planet. If the shows you're watching imply otherwise, it is speculation, not fact and should not be taken as serious science.
To answer your question, life as we know it (carbon-based) requires a hosting environment including liquid water to survive, let alone get started. Even a large asteroid would not be adequate to host life's beginnings.
Mike
ETA: To elaborate a little, of course all discussion about life in space on this forum is speculation but we try to do it starting with a base of current scientific knowledge while keeping in mind that the only life we know of is on our planet. It's an immense universe so odds suggest that life exists somewhere else, however within reachable or even communicable distance (say 50ly) the chance of life capable of space travel is extremely low.
Last edited by Luckmeister; 2010-Nov-14 at 07:09 PM.
Established Member
Computer simulations suggest that a 'dusty plasma' might have life like properties under the right circumstances. Such a life form could exist in space.
What shows? All scifi? There are examples of scifi shows that have native-to-space life.
WRT asteroid life: its very very unlikely but some larger asteroids, and meteorites thought to be fragments of large asteroids, show signs of having both organic carbon and subsurface liquid water for a brief time after their formation.
In the case of the dwarf planet Ceres, once classified as an asteroid, it has been estimated that there might have been liquid water below the surface for billions of years, perhaps even into present time. I don't think its likely myself, but if we're speculateing I can't think of anyhthing that definately rules the idea out, off the top of my head.
Established Member
Sorry for the thread necromancy, I ran across a fully accesable copy of the paper on simulations of life-like dusty plasma crystals and thought it would be worth a posting.
http://iopscience.iop.org/1367-2630/9/8/263/fulltext
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