is there aliens yes or no

[NoSleep]

conditions right where? here on earth? then multiple lines did start out, & on multiple occasions. countless species of dinosaurs & who knows what else before some sort of extinction event that left only ferns & a few of the hardiest creatures. then us, busy creating our own extinction event whilst wiping out thousands of our co-species.

or elsewhere? there are some basic chemical requirements before life (as we understand it) can get going on a planet, & as well as the goldilocks band around a potentially useful star, there's also the business of a protective magnetosphere, unless we're talking about life-forms that are a good deal more tolerant of various forms of radiation than typical earth dwellers.

I think the whole 'what are the chances?' bit is redundant in the face of trying to grasp 'infinity' as a concept... in an infinite universe, there would be an infinite number of exact replicas of this planet. if there aren't, then how many are there? & how does that affect one's definition of 'infinite'?

but until I meet one in sainos, looking for corn-on-the-cob, it's tosh.

I think the point about "chances" is that all life currently on earth is related; we all trace back to a single common ancestor. Through the extinctions (of individual species) there were survivors but it's all one strand of life.

[Ferris]

I think the point about "chances" is that all life currently on earth is related; we all trace back to a single common ancestor. Through the extinctions (of individual species) there were survivors but it's all one strand of life.

Exactly this