Quote:
Originally Posted by Wavytone
So... suppose we send a drill rig to Mars capable of drilling kilometres down.. with the only possible find being bacteria ? Is that justifiable ? really ?
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Just a couple of decades ago, we knew of no planets outside our Solar System - now we know of literally thousands, and we know that far from being a rarity, it seems to be the case that a star without planets is in fact the rarity.
We currently know of just one place in the entire Universe where life exists - right here on Earth. It might be the only place in the Universe where life exists (but I really doubt it!)
Think of the consequences if we discover bacterial life (or similar) elsewhere in our Solar System - the implication would be that life has a reasonably high probability of evolving anywhere that there is a reasonably stable environment. Then contemplate the fact that there are typically several planets (many with multiple moons) around most stars, with some hundred billion stars in our galaxy, and some hundred billion galaxies in the observable universe.
Yes, I think it's justifiable - it would be one of those events which truly change the way that we see our place in the universe.