Posted December 3, 2010 at 08:24 pm
But I'm not that excited. I have always had a head for science, but for some reason, I'm super apathetic about a life form that can use arsenic in the place of phosphorus in its genetic make-up. I guess I'm a little news-numbed from the last couple of decades or so. They always speak of things like "Ice on the moon!" and "Ice on Mars!" and "Life in asteroids maybe!" You never really know what to take seriously, or whether any of it will ever have any practical need to exist. Maybe it's how they sensationalize it all. I tried to find a news article on the matter, and half of the article was about 'Godzilla Vs The Smog Monster' and I don't care about that.
Maybe I'm selfish.
I guess I'm at the point in my life where I'm worried about my own mortality. In probably 50 years, I'll be dead and gone forever. I'd like to believe in Yahweh or Buddha or any other god that promises more life after this one, but I don't see it. I envy people who do have that belief, and I think it's as valid as my belief that I'll rot in the ground.
So when I think about things like new bacteria that may shed some light on the textbook definition of life, I think 'How can this ever possibly affect me?' Even advances towards the theories governing interstellar travel would be meaningless because I'll never set foot outside of my solar system, and probably not even on Mars.
The first thing I thought when thinking about this new form of life was my favorite (late) writer, Isaac Asimov. I've had an opportunity recently to listen to his books on tape, and I've rather been enjoying them. I've actually been reading his books for as long as I can remember. I started with Robots of Dawn and eventually tracked back and did the entire Robots series. I really love the idea of sentient robots like Daneel Olivaw (who was the template for the character Data of Star Trek) and their ability to not only be a tireless assistant, but also a friend of sorts. The reason the bacteria reminded me of Asimov is that, thanks to the audiobooks, I found time to "read" Nemesis, which featured a bacteria which was the first extra-terrestrial life ever found. So from bacteria I went to Nemesis, then to Asimov, then to robots.
So now, I want a robot. I blame you, NASA.
Maybe I'm selfish.
I guess I'm at the point in my life where I'm worried about my own mortality. In probably 50 years, I'll be dead and gone forever. I'd like to believe in Yahweh or Buddha or any other god that promises more life after this one, but I don't see it. I envy people who do have that belief, and I think it's as valid as my belief that I'll rot in the ground.
So when I think about things like new bacteria that may shed some light on the textbook definition of life, I think 'How can this ever possibly affect me?' Even advances towards the theories governing interstellar travel would be meaningless because I'll never set foot outside of my solar system, and probably not even on Mars.
The first thing I thought when thinking about this new form of life was my favorite (late) writer, Isaac Asimov. I've had an opportunity recently to listen to his books on tape, and I've rather been enjoying them. I've actually been reading his books for as long as I can remember. I started with Robots of Dawn and eventually tracked back and did the entire Robots series. I really love the idea of sentient robots like Daneel Olivaw (who was the template for the character Data of Star Trek) and their ability to not only be a tireless assistant, but also a friend of sorts. The reason the bacteria reminded me of Asimov is that, thanks to the audiobooks, I found time to "read" Nemesis, which featured a bacteria which was the first extra-terrestrial life ever found. So from bacteria I went to Nemesis, then to Asimov, then to robots.
So now, I want a robot. I blame you, NASA.