New "Drake Equation" Selects Between Alien Worlds

An anonymous reader writes 'A mathematical equation that counts habitats suitable for alien life could complement the Drake equation, which estimates the probability of finding intelligent alien beings elsewhere in the galaxy. That equation, developed in 1960 by US astronomer Frank Drake, estimates the probability of intelligent life existing elsewhere in our galaxy by considering the number of stars with planets that could support life. The new equation, under development by planetary scientists at the Open University in Milton Keynes, England, aims to develop a single index for habitability based on the presence of energy, solvents such as water, raw materials like carbon, and whether or not there are benign environmental conditions.'

Comments

Seems silly

[ruiner13]

based on the presence of energy, solvents such as water, raw materials like carbon and whether or no there are benign environmental conditions

Aren't there extremophiles on Earth that already lack some if not all of these attributes? Really, the presence of energy seems like the only real requirement for life here on Earth. Who knows what other extremes may lurk extra terrestrially.

"as we know it" clause

[Thanshin]

Hopefully they've detailed somewhere that they're only taking into account the habitability by known possible life forms.

There's no way of knowing whether there's an intelligent life form we've not detected yet, in this very planet. For as much as we know, Earth itself could be a "cell" of a galactic sized life form that has stars as neurons and light as nervous signals.

What about Earth's sidekick?

[MollyB]

I'm no expert, but isn't our "planet" really a binary system, since the Moon contributes so much to the habitability of the Earth by stabilizing our rotational axis?

I realize the precision needed to detect the tiny wobble of an exoplanet is beyond our present capacity, but shouldn't our search planning include factors like the above (if they don't already)? I'd greatly appreciate an informed opinion on this.

Re:What about Earth's sidekick?

[natehoy]

How about an uninformed one?

We honestly don't know the conditions under which life could form. About the only thing that is certainly required is some source of energy, and even that doesn't necessarily need to come from sources we'd recognize. Of course, finding "life as we know it" is the most efficient because we'd be the best equipped to recognize it and possibly communicate with it. Finding "life as we understand it" would be somewhat less easy and less likely to communicate with, and "life as we can't possibly imagine it today" would probably just remain undetected. Do you KNOW if that shade of blue in your drapes is intelligent? How would you be equipped to recognize its motivations? You'd just think of it as a shade of blue and move on. Meanwhile, it's laughing at me. Maybe I'm the only one who can tell it's intelligent, or maybe I'm overdue for the yellow pill today.

So a detail like a moon, while important to some of the habitability concerns of our own oxygen-breathing selves, and especially important to species that have come to depend on the tides, is probably very unimportant in terms of the development of a life form. It may, however, be somewhat important if we find a dozen Earth-like planets, because picking the one with a moon might increase the chances of finding life ever so slightly similar to our own. Or it may turn out to be too insignificant a detail to even consider.

The moon is vital to the survival of many species on this planet, but certainly not all. And if the moon had never existed, there's a very good chance something alive would have evolved on this planet. It might or might not be exactly what we ended up with today, but there'd probably be something posting on slashdot right now (though it might be called tentaclesquib). :)

Re:The answer is...

[Fred_A]

Well, intelligence is relative. Compared to what we evolve into in the next ten million years we probably AREN'T intelligent.

But what about the dolphins?

Very unlikely that there will be any dolphins in 10 million years...

Now cockroaches...

Re:The answer is...

[Zontar The Mindless]

According to Wikipedia, it's more like 25% of men and 15% of women. What studies provide figures that differ by that much?