[extropy-chat] Confirmation of microbes in Mars meteorite

[Robert J. Bradbury]

On Thu, 29 Jan 2004, Russell Evermore wrote:

> [snip] Despite the "God of War" mythology (which does tend to explain a
> few things) the possibility that two independent instances of genesis might
> arise in a single star system seems more than a little disturbing. The Fermi
> Paradox looms up in our faces and we must contend with interstellar
> predators, duplicitous Visitors, imminent self-destruction, or doorways
> leading to parallel universes, miniated with apparently compelling moral
> imperatives to step into them.

Are you crazy?  (Regarding stepping into parallel universes without
knowing what is there first?)

There isn't a real problem with life starting on both Mars and Earth --
but the difference between 3 billion years and 500 million years (the
time differences between life and higher life) would suggest that you have
a 1 in 6 chance of having the environment last long enough to evolve higher
life forms.  So the probability of many of the questions/fears/situations
cited would seem to be low.

Robert