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Milky Way Star Births May Have Influenced Life

Posted by Hemos on from the changing-the-world dept.

eldavojohn writes "Space.com has an interesting article that speculates that the period when our galaxy was giving birth to stars resulted in huge fluctuations and impact on earth. From the article, 'Some 2.4 billion years ago when the Milky Way started upping its star production, cosmic rays — high-speed atomic particles — started pouring onto our planet, causing instability within the living. Populations of bacteria and algae repeatedly soared and crashed in the oceans.' Causes one to wonder what the probability for life arising on a planet is given that our own seemed to be in a very unique situation on many different counts."

3 of 144 comments (clear)

  1. Probability theory by PhotoJim · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Even if the chances were one in a billion or one in a trillion, the sheer number of stars and planetary systems in the galaxy (and indeed the universe) make it entirely unlikely that there *isn't* life out there somewhere. Humans seem to want to be perceived as being special on both an individual and a collective level. We don't really want to accept being common or normal or average. There is life out there somewhere. We'll never find it because of the distances involved, but I am convinced it's there. I think we beat huge odds to get here, but there are still huge numbers of other civilizations that beat similar odds.

  2. A long time ago by franksands · · Score: 5, Funny

    2.4 billion years ago, cosmic rays travelled through space to create this first post.

  3. 100 Billion by Gotung · · Score: 5, Insightful

    To borrow a theme from Carl Sagan.
    Estimations are that there are 100 Billion stars in our galaxy. Thats:

    100,000,000,000 -- Let's say 1 in ten of those are in a good region of the galaxy (not a bunch of cataclysmic crap going on)
    Thats: 10,000,000,000 -- Let's say 1 in ten of those have planets.
    Thats: 1,000,000,000 -- Let's say 1 in ten of those have a planet in the stars habitable zone
    Thats: 100,000,000 -- Lets say 1 in ten of those have adequate amounts of water
    Thats: 10,000,000 -- Lets say on 1 in ten of those simple life arises.
    Thats: 1,000,000 -- Lets say on 1 in ten of those complex life develops.
    Thats: 100,000 -- Lets say on 1 in ten of those intelligent life develops.
    Thats: 10,000 -- Lets say on 1 in ten of those advanced civilization pops up.
    Thats: 1000

    10,000,000 planets that foster life, and 1000 advanced civilizations.

    I think the chances are pretty good. :P