| HigHurtenflurst said: Indeed that is possible. (though I personally think a planet being in a stable well protected environment would be a catalyst to more evolved forms rather than a stagnating effect... yes adversity often breeds diversity, but in a microbial world spreading across the face of a planet would help things along) In terms of time constraints, red dwarf stars (which I believe make up 60-70% of our galaxy in terms of number of stars) are more likely to have planets in favourable conditions for billions of years, though I am unsure whether the decreased energy output of the star is likely to slow down or aid any kind of evolution. Of course you are correct that I am basing this on how life may have developed here, with amino acids forming DNA etc... if life is ultimately information storage (like DNA) then I imagine there are other better ways for life to form too. All we have are loose theories. |
True for life as we know it you do need quite a long stable period for oxygen levels to build up, with a decent energetic output from the star to support photosynthesis. (photsynthesis is still possible around red dwarfs, yet likely a slower process)
We've also found life that doesn't depend on oxygen and can survive deep under water near geothermal vents through chemosynthesis. It doesn't sound like a likely place for intelligent life as we know it, fire has been an essential tool for our own development after all. Yet an atmosphere of a entirely different chemical composition might eb able to support life too.
There is an estimate of about 60 billion habitable red dwarf star planets in our Galaxy, with Red dwarfs able to last for trillions of years. Seems likely that some life may have come out of that. It could be that intelligent life developed around a red dwarf may view our sun as too dangerous, with too much radiation flooding it's planets.
So much to discover, we know nothing :) Why does it all have to be so far away.
There's still plenty to discover on our own planet anyway. The bottom of the ocean and the center of the earth seem further away then mars.
