Topic: Episode #315

[seaotter]

Regarding the "Life in the universe" news item.

1. I thought that, although all living things today descended from a single organism, life on Earth appeared and disappeared over and over again. It also makes sense. How would the first living thing have a good chance of survival?

We don't really know. But whatever the first "living" thing was it is thought that it was the result of selective pressure on a much larger set of self replicating chemical processes. Which I imagine your right probably happened over and over under the right conditions with the right precursor compounds, but how probable are the right conditions with the right precursor compounds?

[seaotter]

WTN: Is there some sort of honor system that prevents other people from googling the answer?  I mean, it took me all of 15 seconds to search for "homeopathic medicine" "you will be astonished at the result" and find the answer.

That's odd. Google has no results for me with those strings. I assume Evan checks WTN to make sure it isn't too easily searchable, but sometimes he misses something. You can assume lots of people will try to Google the answer, so if you find it that way it just means it was an easy one. It's a bit more satisfying, though, to get it with some more lateral searching, and even better to get it without any searching at all.

Edit: Just tried Google again and it worked. I wonder what was wrong the first time.

I love the superiority that oozes from your post. All hail the wtn king. 

[Belgarath]

Hey, I get them sometimes too!  Twice now thought it has been when they didn't announce it because they were doing TAM or some other silly thing and therefore they skipped a week. 

[Trinoc]

WTN: Is there some sort of honor system that prevents other people from googling the answer?  I mean, it took me all of 15 seconds to search for "homeopathic medicine" "you will be astonished at the result" and find the answer.

That's odd. Google has no results for me with those strings. I assume Evan checks WTN to make sure it isn't too easily searchable, but sometimes he misses something. You can assume lots of people will try to Google the answer, so if you find it that way it just means it was an easy one. It's a bit more satisfying, though, to get it with some more lateral searching, and even better to get it without any searching at all.

Edit: Just tried Google again and it worked. I wonder what was wrong the first time.

I love the superiority that oozes from your post. All hail the wtn king. 

Would you deny me my only claim to fame? 

[seaotter]

Oh no, but you must have a bit of ribbing. 

[TheOpportunist]

Great episode as usual.

Thanks for the Dr. Manhattan quote. I've actually been reading Watchmen this week (maybe I'm psychic?  ), and that's one of my favorite quotes.

[Chew]

Bob was told about the K-T boundary being renamed the K-Pg boundary. Steve mentioned it back in episode 268.

[Old Hoplite]

Now that is what I'm talking about!

Great episode. You guys are BACK.  I enjoyed Science or Fiction very much this week. Pretty much anything that involves weird insects is very cool.

Wan't there a theory at once that the midrochondria were rogue virus that entered the cell and like it so much they basically just hung out as a beneficial parasite?

[Trinoc]

Now that is what I'm talking about!

Great episode. You guys are BACK.  I enjoyed Science or Fiction very much this week. Pretty much anything that involves weird insects is very cool.

Wan't there a theory at once that the midrochondria were rogue virus that entered the cell and like it so much they basically just hung out as a beneficial parasite?

According to a recent UK TV documentary ("The Gene Code") eukariotic cells started when a bacterium somehow ended up inside of an archaea cell and survived to become a symbiote (eventually evolving into mitochondria) rather than either being killed itself or killing the host cell.

[npoljak]

I'm loving (well, you know what I mean) the news item about TCM being the number one threat to endangered animals. If anyone has any more info about Alternative medicine that threatens endangered species, I'd appreciate links and sources. In about a week I'm going to do a lecture at a local eco music festival, and cover some ecological myths while tying it in with critical thinking. I've been dying to adequately represent alternative medicine's nuttiness while not going off the "eco" topic, and this is definitely the way to go.

[Old Hoplite]

Now that is what I'm talking about!

Great episode. You guys are BACK.  I enjoyed Science or Fiction very much this week. Pretty much anything that involves weird insects is very cool.

Wan't there a theory at once that the midrochondria were rogue virus that entered the cell and like it so much they basically just hung out as a beneficial parasite?

According to a recent UK TV documentary ("The Gene Code") eukariotic cells started when a bacterium somehow ended up inside of an archaea cell and survived to become a symbiote (eventually evolving into mitochondria) rather than either being killed itself or killing the host cell.

Thanks T can always depend on your for the latest and greatest data.

[Lyk]

About the "life in the universe" thingy

I tried reading the paper but couldn't really get my head around the Bayesian statistics. Anyway - one thing struck me as odd or incorrect. Bob claimed that the anthropic principle holds for abiogenesis, as we wouldn't be able contemplate life if life hadn't come around early in Earth's history.

I fully understand the anthropic principle in terms of the fine-tuned-universe (although I had knots in my brain before it made "click") - but I don't understand why we couldn't be around if life had started - let's say - 1 billion years later (given a different path of evolution). I feel there is a non sequitur in there somewhere.

[Jeranimal]

The word "moon" if it means anything must mean at least this: looking up from the planet surface it is significant. Pluto has a 4th satellite.

[npoljak]

About the "life in the universe" thingy

I tried reading the paper but couldn't really get my head around the Bayesian statistics. Anyway - one thing struck me as odd or incorrect. Bob claimed that the anthropic principle holds for abiogenesis, as we wouldn't be able contemplate life if life hadn't come around early in Earth's history.

I fully understand the anthropic principle in terms of the fine-tuned-universe (although I had knots in my brain before it made "click") - but I don't understand why we couldn't be around if life had started - let's say - 1 billion years later (given a different path of evolution). I feel there is a non sequitur in there somewhere.

I agree. I feel this is barely scientific news-mongering... Extrapolating from a single data point? Pffft.
Who knows how long evolution of intelligent life might take in another setting, like one with fewer mass extinction events.

[Old Hoplite]

The word "moon" if it means anything must mean at least this: looking up from the planet surface it is significant. Pluto has a 4th satellite.

There is so little light at that distance, would someone standing on Pluto's surface be able to see any of its moons, except perhap Charon?  Moon, as such, cannot be a specific defination except as a natural satellite.