noremaC Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 And also, let's not forget the glaring end of the world prediction that didn't come true: 1999. Ten years later we're still standing here. he predicted the "end" to be 1999 and 2012, just because 2012 is the end of the Mayan calendar or some shit and 1999 is the beginning of a new millennium Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herr Wozzeck Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 he predicted the "end" to be 1999 and 2012, just because 2012 is the end of the Mayan calendar or some shit and 1999 is the beginning of a new millennium Most historians would disagree with the notion of 2012 being the end of the world; according to them the way the Mayans saw it was the end of a cycle and the start of a new age of something. I forget the specifics. And, don't answer this question, but was Nostradamus afraid of change or something? :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esau of Isaac Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 he predicted the "end" to be 1999 and 2012, just because 2012 is the end of the Mayan calendar or some shit and 1999 is the beginning of a new millennium The Mayan calendar doesn't end in 2012; it rotates. Do we state that the world is ending because December 31st marks the "end" of the Gregorian calendar? No, because it wraps around to January 1st. In any event, it's difficult to say whether there is life outside of Earth. Life is pretty possible, especially with the fuckton of planetary bodies in our galaxy alone, but I've seen no direct evidence of life elsewhere, so it's safe to assume it's not ultra common around here. The only living things that we know of. Who are you to say there isn't something that's a complete paradigm shift away right around the next corner? It's pretty reasonable, honestly. There might be something a complete paradigm shift around the corner, but is there a reason to assume that there is? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
California Mountain Snake Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 (edited) The Earth is pretty much the only habitable planet for life-forms, unless there were other planets out there with a similar composition. Actually, determining such a thing isn't so far away. Right now astronomers can determine the chemical makeup of gas giants by measuring light which passes through them in a spectrometer. Using the same methods, an astronomer at Harvard is attempting to develop a method of measuring the sliver of light which passes tangentially through the gaseous atmosphere of a small planet like Earth, and determining the composition of the atmosphere based off the spectrometer results, even if that planet is light years away. If a reactive element is present in the atmosphere, it indicates that something on the planet is continuously producing that element in a sustained cycle, especially if the levels do not change over time. Oxygen is a very reactive gas, and if all life were to disappear from the Earth, then all of the oxygen would be gone in a very short time span, possibly just decades. So if you detect oxygen in the atmosphere of another planet, or some other reactive gas that would have disappeared in a few years through normal reactions, you may be able to assume that there's life on that planet. It's fascinating really. Edited January 26, 2009 by Black Knight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esau of Isaac Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 (edited) Actually, determining such a thing isn't so far away.Right now astronomers can determine the chemical makeup of gas giants by measuring light which passes through them in a spectrometer. Using the same methods, an astronomer at Harvard is attempting to develop a method of measuring the sliver of light which passes tangentially through the gaseous atmosphere of a small planet like Earth, and determining the composition of the atmosphere based off the spectrometer results, even if that planet is light years away. If a reactive element is present in the atmosphere, it indicates that something on the planet is continuously producing that element in a sustained cycle, especially if the levels do not change over time. Oxygen is a very reactive gas, and if all life were to disappear from the Earth, then all of the oxygen would be gone in a very short time span, possibly just decades. So if you detect oxygen in the atmosphere of another planet, or some other reactive gas that would have disappeared in a few years through normal reactions, you may be able to assume that there's life on that planet. It's fascinating really. So that is the process that is used. I was not sure exactly how they determined the composition of elements in planets, now I've got a better idea. This is really very intriguing, I should read around more about this. Edited January 27, 2009 by Esau of Isaac Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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