Slashdot Mirror


Plasma Comes Alive

j_hirny writes "So, it seems that the widely acclaimed theory of how life begun, during hundreds of millions of years is, at least, not the only one which is being researched. As New Scientist report, a physicist managed to create life-alike beings made of plasma. They can replicate, grow and duplicate. They don't have amino-acids or DNA strains, of course, yet they may reveal something new about life's beginnings."

3 of 267 comments (clear)

  1. Plasma Aliens by Zarkonnen · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This is interesting in the light of speculation about life-forms living on the surface of suns. (As described, for example, in David Brin's Sundiver.)

    Considering that a the surface of a sun itself consists of plasma, it's not improbable that spheres like in the experiment get formed there all the time. The question is whether there is any way those spheres could attain a more complex form of internal organisation, or if they remain stuck at that basic level.

  2. Re:No by NickFitz · · Score: 5, Interesting
    ...pathetic excuses for people with a dark soul that has been invaded by satan to replace God with primitive ideas

    What, like ignoring the intellectual faculties given you by the Creator in favour of slavish devotion to some ancient collection of fairy tales?

    No offence, but experiments with plasma aren't anything like as primitive as some of the things my Christian friends believe, such as the two creation myths in Genesis (although they never seem to have noticed that there are two, they just run with the cute serpent story).

    Just my $0.02. You may now inform me that I am damned.

    --
    Using HTML in email is like putting sound effects on your phone calls. Just say <strong>no</strong>.
  3. Ball Lightning by God+of+Lemmings · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Gee. Why am I not surprised by this. Perhaps because I've heard of ball lightning ages ago. I find it odd that this article on Sanduloviciu doesn't even mention anything about it either.

    More interesting references.
    http://www.amasci.com/tesla/balligntn .txt
    http://www.eskimo.com/~billb/tesla/ballgtn.h tml

    --
    Non sequitur: Your facts are uncoordinated.