[extropy-chat] Scientists Confront 'Weird Life' on Other Worlds

[Robert J. Bradbury]

On Thu, 13 May 2004, Jose Cordeiro wrote:

> http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/astrobiology_nrc_040507.html
> Scientists Confront 'Weird Life' on Other Worlds
[snip]

which is better accessed at:
http://www4.nationalacademies.org/webcr.nsf/0/B175F23C70CDA7F885256E82005D88F9?OpenDocument

I've gone through the project description and who is attending the
meetings.  It isn't very interesting except for those focused on
developmental paths or strategies to get close to where we already
are.  They don't even begin to deal with the issue of how screwed up
the project title, "The Limits of Organic Life of Planetary Systems" is.

"Organic" (if its based on carbon -- can easily include nanotechnology
derived machines such as diamondoid but could not include life based
on silicates or other element combinations).  If its based on "living
organisms" then probably forms of artificial life and self-replicating
machines can be brought into the picture.  Etc.  Limiting things to
"planetary systems" is silly because advanced civilizations will likely
do away with them.

And so on and so on...

Jose -- as an aside NASA is trying to integrate some of the sciences in
their studies of this (chemistry, biochemistry and geophysics mainly) but
*unless* they integrate computer science, neuroscience, anthropology,
sociology and aspects of astrophysics (to name a few) the job is going
to be botched.

Robert