I love this kind of stuff.

It is really one of the coolest things ever. Second to how every element beyond hydrogen and helium exists because stars exploded.

Sea snakes freak me out. Land snakes do too. Sea snakes have a whole extra dimension of mobility. That is just not okay with my lizard brain. (Planet Earth reruns)

I wonder is why we always define the parameters of Places Life Can Exist based on just what we're used to seeing here.

It narrows down the targets for search. Since we already know that like can exist within our parameters, we look for places that match up with us, increasing our chances of finding life.

gorilla pets human

It all could have gone so wrong. Our primate cousins scare the bejeesus out of me. Especially when their gaze is fixed right on the camera. It's like they're saying, "you guys are such fucking jerks."

For the record, this is my favorite kind of buffistas conversations. Especially the "texting" and "squid have 4g?" insertions.

It's not quite Dogs in Elk, but it will do.

I love you guys.

My brother and I just had a drunken convo about quorum sensing, bacteria and cancer and the mice I helped him irradiate yesterday to undo the tumors inflicted on them ( they were cute and had personalities. #93 was a whiney badass. It's for cancer curing, wee warrior mice!)

Anyway....

I love sciency stuff!

I also love my family but they are driving me crazy after only 2 days. My mother won't stop talking and my father can't hear. And I am far too accustomed to spending most of my time alone with the cats.

silverbacks are scary like woah. apes in general I have no desire to be near. monkeys are a whole different vibe.

I just reread Dogs in Elk. Fucking hilarious. I sort of miss Table Talk.

It narrows down the targets for search. Since we already know that like can exist within our parameters, we look for places that match up with us, increasing our chances of finding life.

Actually I understand why we focus on Earth-like because that could lead to us-like. Though I think that if we can't communicate with a cuttlefish, actual aliens won't be any easier. But my main issh is that the science I read and watch seems to posit that life and evolution only could get going in Earth-like worlds. That could be a translation between actual science and Nova though. I mean there are ice worms and critters who live near black smokers and use no sunlight, I think it might be possible for other places to surprise us. If life exists beyond us, I think the possibilities are actually endless. Which is so cool.