Has NASA Made First Contact?

[thenumberthirteen]

Since when? That's news to me. Extra-terrestrial life? I thought it'd be in the papers.

it was a couple years back, scientists found a meteor from mars that had bacteria
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/6660045/Bacteria-from-Mars-found-inside-ancient-meteorite.html

i think theyve found some on titan too

No. They thought they may have found fossil bacteria in a rock, and the media blew it out of proportion. It turned out to simply be a geologic phenomenon. And we haven't been to Titan yet.

Probably primitive bacteria.

Not awesome, still a giant leap.

NOT AWESOME???!!! Proof of life beyond our own? How is that not the most ground breaking and awesome discovery in the past 1000 years? If you are not in awe from the prospect of Alien life then you are the most cynical person I have met. If there was verified proof of alien bacteria I would break down and weep in joyous wonder.

To add to the growing list of Sci-Fi based possible announcements maybe they've found a message in the Cosmic Background Radiation that points to inteligence from the beginning of time and space.

we knew about alien bacteria for years. it isn't alien bacteria.

Since when? That's news to me. Extra-terrestrial life? I thought it'd be in the papers.

since we found bacteria on earth. to announce we found "special alien bacteria" is to announce "we found turds in the sewer". its commonplace basic life and not really surprising. the only thing that would be surprising would be alien animals.

I actually LOLed. Finding alien bacteria would be the most surprising discovery ever. What makes it so mundane?

Bacteria is basic life. Basic life is practically everywhere however more complex alien life such as a fish or an animal hasn't been found yet. To be surprised about bacteria is like traveling from America to the UK and being surprised they have electricity and toilets. Its mundane.

Umm... Bacterial life hasn't been found anywhere but Earth.

As far as we know life evolved once in the Universe and finding Bacteria is like finding they have Toilets and Electricity in a magical castle under the sea. You understand what they are, but you damn well weren't expecting it.

so you're saying that in the grandness of space bacteria can't evolve? We haven't explored a single bit of space so you can't say "bacteria is rare in space". Hell NASA is being dismantled next year so our chances of exploring anythings is next to nothing.

Of course they can, but so far we have found no evidence of life possibly living outside earth, and the discovery of that would be a defining point in human civilisation.

right because humans are the only ones arrogant enough to say they are the only ones in the universe.

Precisely.

 

[Trekna]

Since when? That's news to me. Extra-terrestrial life? I thought it'd be in the papers.

it was a couple years back, scientists found a meteor from mars that had bacteria
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/6660045/Bacteria-from-Mars-found-inside-ancient-meteorite.html

i think theyve found some on titan too

No. They thought they may have found fossil bacteria in a rock, and the media blew it out of proportion. It turned out to simply be a geologic phenomenon. And we haven't been to Titan yet.

Probably primitive bacteria.

Not awesome, still a giant leap.

NOT AWESOME???!!! Proof of life beyond our own? How is that not the most ground breaking and awesome discovery in the past 1000 years? If you are not in awe from the prospect of Alien life then you are the most cynical person I have met. If there was verified proof of alien bacteria I would break down and weep in joyous wonder.

To add to the growing list of Sci-Fi based possible announcements maybe they've found a message in the Cosmic Background Radiation that points to inteligence from the beginning of time and space.

we knew about alien bacteria for years. it isn't alien bacteria.

Since when? That's news to me. Extra-terrestrial life? I thought it'd be in the papers.

since we found bacteria on earth. to announce we found "special alien bacteria" is to announce "we found turds in the sewer". its commonplace basic life and not really surprising. the only thing that would be surprising would be alien animals.

I actually LOLed. Finding alien bacteria would be the most surprising discovery ever. What makes it so mundane?

Bacteria is basic life. Basic life is practically everywhere however more complex alien life such as a fish or an animal hasn't been found yet. To be surprised about bacteria is like traveling from America to the UK and being surprised they have electricity and toilets. Its mundane.

Umm... Bacterial life hasn't been found anywhere but Earth.

As far as we know life evolved once in the Universe and finding Bacteria is like finding they have Toilets and Electricity in a magical castle under the sea. You understand what they are, but you damn well weren't expecting it.

so you're saying that in the grandness of space bacteria can't evolve? We haven't explored a single bit of space so you can't say "bacteria is rare in space". Hell NASA is being dismantled next year so our chances of exploring anythings is next to nothing.

Of course they can, but so far we have found no evidence of life possibly living outside earth, and the discovery of that would be a defining point in human civilisation.

right because humans are the only ones arrogant enough to say they are the only ones in the universe.

The arrogance lies assuming something is one way because you haven't been proven otherwise. Life, any life, is and would be an amazing find. Where there is bacteria there is the chance for more complex forms to eventually come (no time soon mind you.) I'm wondering if they're placing any thoughts on how life will evolve. While many people say there is no reason for life to be bipedal or humanoid in any form... There's a reason that it worked here, It could work elsewhere.

Anyway... As long as it's not Minbari I'm good... you don't eff with the Minbari.

 

[Jewrean]

"that will impact the search for evidence of extraterrestrial life." just means they have a shiny new 'something' which is 1.1 times better than the technology that preceded it.

 

[Reaper69lol]

Probably primitive bacteria.

... still awesome.

Agreed, I don't expect anything more than that really, but hey who knows. Either way it's still very impressive.

 

[RobCoxxy]

I for one, am hoping for the discovery of:

That or some f*cking Prothean ruins.

You bastard! Now you've gotten my hopes up.

>

My work here is done.

I think we should find turians. I like turians.

Me too. I want my own Garrus-like sidekick. FOR REALS.

 

[Digikid]

Watch it be real life VULCANS!!!!

 

[Duffeknol]

Probably primitive bacteria.

Not awesome, still a giant leap.

I'm among the unfortunate that just cannot get interested in such discoveries... I mean, bacteria... Yaaay.... *cough*

Thank goodness not everyone here is a giant nerd.

That one little post of mine has been quoted so many times now with like 'OMG U JUST DONT COMPREHEND SUCH IMPORANTCYYY OMGGGG'

 

[Lance Arrow]

It takes light approximately 4 years to travel from Sol to the star closest to us.
It takes light approximately 100,000 years to travel the radius of the Milky Way galaxy.
There are approximately 100 billion galaxies in the universe, and each galaxy is quite a bit more than 100,000 lightyears apart.

My points are these:
a) there is definitely other life out there
b) the likelihood of actually finding it during the tiny duration of its existence is almost zero

Sorry, but I seriously doubt that NASA have made any sort of 'first contact'.

Yep, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to agree with that. The universe is so incomprehensibly large and life, let alone sentient life, is spread so thin.

A man can dream, though..

 

[Elburzito]

I wonder if it contains instructions to build a machine that appears to do nothing on the outside, but will send a person several thousand light years. Preferably containing Jodie Foster.

MASS EFFECT!

 

[Harbinger_]

Probably primitive bacteria.

Not awesome, still a giant leap.

NOT AWESOME???!!! Proof of life beyond our own? How is that not the most ground breaking and awesome discovery in the past 1000 years? If you are not in awe from the prospect of Alien life then you are the most cynical person I have met. If there was verified proof of alien bacteria I would break down and weep in joyous wonder.

To add to the growing list of Sci-Fi based possible announcements maybe they've found a message in the Cosmic Background Radiation that points to inteligence from the beginning of time and space.

Pretty sure that the last Mars Rover already found bacteria... On Mars. Anyway thats what I remember anyway. To be honest microbes or yet another planet that 'could' support life is not worth a press conference. If anything someone at NASA has a sense of humor and will probably cry space-wolf. Please no internet memes, I know I set myself up for one.

 

[Uber Waddles]

Theres no hard proof that life can exist anywhere else in the universe, other then "we live on Earth, and thats a planet! Life on teh marz!". And while its nice to dream, until we actually find hard evidence of other life (and Im not talking about microbes), Ill have to wave the "You're not a scientist, don't pretend like you are because you watched a special on Discovery Channel" flag.

This announcement could be anything. Plans to start working on a warp drive (which I expect would end with catastrophic results), announcement that Einstein was wrong and it is possible to travel faster than light speed, a deep space telescope, a planet that's comparable to Earth in location and may hold water... Or something completely stupid thats more than likely a waste of everyones time except for like 4 scientists.

Either way, until I see hard proof that we are not alone in the universe, Im just going to imagine we are. The chances of life occuring is so low, SO many things had to be done, and be done RIGHT, that even the vastness of the universe doesnt yeild anything like Earth.

 

[thenumberthirteen]

Why are people on this forum not impressed by the possibility of alien microbes? We haven't found them yet and if we do it will revolutionise biology.

 

[TailstheHedgehog]

I'm betting it's either that primitive bacteria mentioned earlier or water on some planet in the millions-lightyear-away nebula, if it's anything groundbreaking I really hope aliens never get a hold of Hollywood movies, are seriously offended, and shoot lasers at our capital cities.

 

[RIOgreatescapist]

Wow that predator image really got me planning scenarios there..

 

[logiman]

2010: The Year We Make Contact

now that`s freaky -_-

 

[8-Bit Grin]

I'm gonna throw two words out there.

"Space. Cavemen."

 

[Unknown_101]

Yeh they have found life out there thats why they are not replacing the shuttle the new constitution. instead have ordered a ***unpronounceable in English*** class deep space scout space ship from the Peri Omega ship yards. in exchange for most of the brain cells in politicians minds, since they where not using them anyway.

The new space ship is scheduled to arrive in 2012, how ever if it fails to arrive we get a free inter-universe gate that travels to a world where everyone is named Garry and apples taste like cheese. The new ship will be named Enterprise to the star trek Geeks at NASA where given the right to name it.

This new ***unpronounceable in English*** class ship will join a fleet of short range reckon vessels from the moons of Alpha Omicron 12-B that are stored in a secret base in the Atlantic Ocean.

 

[Kron_the_mad wants to be deleted]

It'll probably be frozen space flu or something lurking in a comet somewhere very very far away.
or they'll reveal that the earth didn't originate in this solar system but was transported fully formed by dinosaurs and their superior ancient technology and as proof they'll throw mars at something using unearthed Dino-tech(tm).

hope whatever it is happens to be something cool.

I thought NASA were gearing down anyways....

 

[CaptainCrunch]

If NASA really found intelligent life, I'm quite certain they wouldn't announce a press conference on their website only (which disappeared from the front page in a day or so), to appear on their streaming video service and cable channel only.

If they found evidence of extraterrestrial bacteria, it would likely be in the form of hydrocarbon gases in the atmosphere of an exoplanet, which does not conclusively prove life exists on other planets - just that it MAY have existed.

Considering the study of exoplanets is based on impossibly small measurements of the brightness of stars, it's a really big leap to say they've found fully-formed life on other worlds.

 

[Clockwork Scarecrow.]

Maybe it's linked to the possibility of single or multi-cellular organisms on one of Saturn's moons.