X-Message-Number: 21625
Date: Sat, 19 Apr 2003 12:28:01 -0700 (PDT)
From: Doug Skrecky <>
Subject: Rare Earth

In Message #21613 Thomas Donaldson <> wrote:
> The point here is simply that whenever we can look at the problem
> more closely, we find even more limitations on the number of possible
> places where intelligent life could evolve. These problems look to
> me like they will continue to occur: the locations for intelligent
> life get scantier and scantier.
>
   A great book on the topic of intelligent life in the galaxy is a book
entitled: "Rare Earth". This explains why complex life is uncommon in the
universe.
   The lastest Scientific American magazine details a theory of
why such complex life took so long to develop on earth, and elucidates
one possible key factor that needed to intervene about 750 million years
ago to make this happen.
   Some had thought that earth may become uninhabitable for complex life
in just another 100 million years or so. The lastest on this topic
suggests organisms such as plants may eke out a living for as much as
another billion years on earth before perishing.
   Looks like there's lots of free real estate out there in the galaxy for
the taking...

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