10 April 2015 - life in the universe 1

Jay Scott : Daily Whale : archive : 2015 : 10 April 2015

Flour, eggs, and possibly even candles were available in the Stone Age, therefore birthday cakes must have existed. It seems ironclad, don’t you think? Similarly, liquid water and amino acids and most of the ingredients of life are available in the huge universe, so we’ll be finding space microbes any year now.

clue:

I’ve always been surprised by how many people quote this “evidence” that life must be common in the universe. What evidence?

“I think we’re going to have strong indications of life beyond Earth within a decade, and I think we’re going to have definitive evidence within 20 to 30 years.” — Ellen Stofan, NASA Chief Scientist, 7 April 2015, one among many

See yesterday’s Whale on wishful thinking.

give me a clue so sweet and true