Moontanman

This site goes with that last pic.... http://io9.com/5784971/how-to-create-a-scientifically-plausible-alien-life-form Doesn't that alien in the last picture in post #6 remind you of how the Martians from Stranger in a Strange Land were described?

Are you saying that life is rare or complex life is rare?

A recent thread on aliens and UFOs is what make me bring this up. In that thread the aliens look like ... us... in fact blond haired blue eyed... us... In many if not all close encounters of the third kind the aliens are always humanoid, some are distortions, some are so much like us they could walk the streets of any city and draw no attention (other than their other worldly good looks) . This one thing is what pretty much derailed my own enthusiasm for UFOs as alien space craft. I felt like there was no reasonable way even one alien race would look like us much less all of them. But there are other schools of thought. http://www.space.com/6978-aliens.html We can, in a thought experiment, give some parameters that would have to present on an intelligent being that lived in an earth like environment. I'm not sure non earth like environments can even support complex life but would an earth like environment with complex life necessarily produce a humanoid shape due to the pressures of developing a large brain, manipulative organs (hands) Eyes optimally placed, four limbs, upright posture to free the hands. Would the pressures of developing tool using intelligence result in a more or less humanoid shape?

When science fiction was new most aliens were hideous monsters come to kidnap our daughters for mating experiments or creatures just like us that came to kidnap our daughters for mating experiments... But there are schools of thought that suggest that intelligent aliens might really be humanoid although that really doesn't pin down their looks we can say humanoid but humanoid covers a lot of ground and chances are there resemblance to use would be not much better than one head on top of it's body, two arms and two legs and torso. Not likely to be able to walk unnoticed at the beach for sure. This idea of alien intelligence being more or less human shaped in based on the idea that animals that specialize in similar things evolve into similar shapes. Shark or fish shape has evolved in many creatures from dolphins to sharks to ichthyosaur, to big game fish, to some marine crocodiles the streamlined works well due it's environment shaping their form. Would intelligence's from another planet be humanoid for the same reason, is it possible that environmental pressure and natural selection would drive intelligent tool using being into the humanoid shape.... Then it could be that the humanoid shapes is totally random and aliens could be shaped like sea urchins... What do you think? Alien intelligence's that look more or less human, or should we expect alien intelligence's to be any shapes that worked for them and intelligence can come in any shaped creature ...

A laser powerful enough to vaporize that size hole would have disintegrated the tree....

Where'd you get my Mom's picture, now the black helicopters will be coming for you, do you hear them yet?

Maybe we need to equate wanting an assault gun with having a small penis... that might do the trick...

I hope it is just a prank, hard to believe someone really believes that stuff... I guess we'll know tomorrow...

I hate to say it but the phase change that would have to take place in the USA for this to happen is not going to happen. Right now states are arming teachers and school officials. Not the reaction of an informed and reasonable populace ..

I could live with that to a great extent, but I am rather more reasonable than most...

Depends on how reasonable Americans will be when you tell them they cannot defend themselves with a gun... not many I am betting... guns are seriously part of our culture, to ignore that means you ignore a large number of the population... I'm not saying it's right or wrong it's just the reality of the situation...

I was under the impression that all guns had been banned in the UK

As long as humans are reproducing with variation evolution goes on...

I'm not so sure about that rigney but I see no reason to argue the point. Monsters have always been with us...

The fact that the DNA in question seemed to indicate a half human half ape type deal it makes the DNA highly suspect, but I will wait for clarity one this when the results have been checked independently...

Post 27 in this thread rigney...

How about showing how physicists support your religion instead of just making an unsupported claim...

Just signs would not have helped in this instance, the kid was familiar with the school, his mom had taught there, he was a local and would probably have known if the sign was fake... Hey rigney, were you there during that school mass murder in 1927?

School mass murder in 1927... http://news.yahoo.com/mass-school-bombing-1927-puts-sandy-hook-context-185608674.html Took me by surprise, i had no idea it had happened back then...

Now they are blaming it on violent video games... http://news.yahoo.com/shooting-renews-argument-over-video-game-violence-162448882--finance.html

So you are basing this on predictions by Billy Meier? One of the most infamous UFO hoaxers of all time? Must be true, but I live on the East Coast... time for you boys on the West Coast to start loading up and head for the hills... less than 48 hours to go....

but you have failed to make a connection between the two, show me an interpretation by the scientists involved that support your position directly... I must have missed that one...

Well then in two more days we'll know if this is true or bullshit... exactly when was this prediction made?

Ok, I can accept that... I can also accept that, in fact being confidant can indeed get you through some tough spots where being timid marks you as a target, something i taught both my sons.. I find myself the position of defending something I do not agree with here, I really do think that guns should be more tightly controlled, I'm not sure as to how and to what extent but I cannot support free access to guns by just anyone...

Immortal, my beliefs do not figure into this, you provide empirical evidence and I'll look at it, so far you have failed to do so... The best you have done so far is very weakly circumstantial at best...