[ExI] Eternity in six hours: intergalactic spreading of intelligent life and sharpening the Fermi paradox

[BillK]

On Tue, Sep 10, 2013 at 12:30 PM, Eugen Leitl wrote:
<snip>
> It's not, because people who define these terms know how
> chemistry works, and have a very good idea what it takes
> to boot up self-replicating molecular systems.
>
> People who know little think that everything is possible.
> As they learn how much of possibilities have been mapped,
> they tend to prune a lot of possibilities.
>

We don't know everything - yet.

<http://phys.org/news/2013-09-quantum-tunnelling-aid-life-chemistry.html>
Quote:
New research has revealed that chemical reactions previously thought
to be 'impossible' in space actually occur 'with vigour,' a discovery
that could ultimately change our understanding of how alcohols are
formed and destroyed in space - and which could also mean that places
like Saturn's moon Titan, once considered too cold for life to form,
may have a shortcut for biochemical reactions.


BillK