Slashdot Mirror
NASA Finds Family of Habitable Planets
coondoggie writes "NASA's star-gazing space telescope continues to find amazing proof that there are tons of habitable planets in space and we have only scratched the surface of what's out there. The space agency said today its Kepler space telescope spotted what it called its first Earth-size planet candidates and its first candidates in what it considers to be the habitable zone, a region where liquid water could exist on a planet's surface. Kepler also found six confirmed planets orbiting a sun-like star, Kepler-11. This is the largest group of transiting planets orbiting a single star yet discovered outside our solar system."
I suppose the Earth being potentially borderline habitable may have something to do with the apparent lack of evidence of extraterrestrials. A planet that is too friendly to life may not have had the 6+ mass extinctions and rapidly changing environment that helps drive evolution. One that's borderline habitable like ours (assuming the assertion in your link is true) keeping life for as long as it has might be a tremendous fluke.
It's not for a lack of trying... Generally, "habitable" and "promoting complex life" are probably two different things (for one, comfortably habitable (by the criteria from my link) planets might be, from certain point on, way too active for stable complex ecosystems). And "promoting intelligence" - another thing. "Leading to technological civilization" - yet another. That might be enough of an explanation. We're here for a blink of an eye, so far.
One that hath name thou can not otter
Venus is basically the same size as the Earth.
Earth's mean radius is 6,371 km. Venus' mean radius is 6052 km.
The masses are also similar, as are their compositions.
A more likely control on whether plate tectonics may be initiated is the existence of liquid water at the surface and within the lithosphere of the planet in question. Water greatly reduces the yield strength of plates (by as much as 62% when going from low to moderate temperatures compared with a drop of only 39% for dry olivine). So, while plate tectonics seems to be necessary for life, water (necessary for life) may be necessary for plate tectonics. Venus is just at the range from the Sun where it could have lost all of its water too quickly for plate tectonics to initiate (especially if it lost the water long before the planet was mostly still molten).
We are alone. There is no proof to dispute this statement. Theories, hopes and dreams do not equal proof. The universe exists for the sole purpose to serve as a backdrop for humanity.
Quantum physics shows us that the universe behaves differently when it is observed by us than when it is not. This phenomenon appears to suggest that our physical universe exists solely for our benefit so that our limited minds can perceive and comprehend reality in a coherent and predictable manner.
Jesus was a compassionate social conservative who called individuals to sin no more.