James Webb Telescope

I kinda wish journalists would avoid using the word “signal”. I don’t see that word used by NASA. They say that the telescope saw photons from a distant star. To me, a signal means some form of communication, whereas what we are seeing is natural light emitted from a star.
 
Puppycow said:
I kinda wish journalists would avoid using the word “signal”. I don’t see that word used by NASA. They say that the telescope saw photons from a distant star. To me, a signal means some form of communication, whereas what we are seeing is natural light emitted from a star.
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I think mankind has been fooled into hoping there are bigger fools out there.
No, the buck stops here.
One impossible big bang.
One impossible collection of 4 amino acids.

Let us enjoy singularities!!
 
Samson said:
I think mankind has been fooled into hoping there are bigger fools out there.
No, the buck stops here.
One impossible big bang.
One impossible collection of 4 amino acids.

Let us enjoy singularities!!
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I think you have been fooled into thinking that this planet is the only one in the entire universe with life.
 
shemp said:
There is no planet in the universe with intelligent life, including this one.
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ScottyBeamEarth.jpg
 
Samson said:
The anthropic principle is what I have in mind

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropic_principle

I bet James Webb will resolve this by failing to find atmospheres like our's, but it will be more interesting if I am wrong.
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You might be right that the 4 amino acids that are the basis for all life on earth are the only possible basis for life anywhere. And RNA/DNA may be the only workable replicators. But I don't think that precludes the possibility that these same molecules could have independently occurred on many other similar planets to earth.
 
Puppycow said:
You might be right that the 4 amino acids that are the basis for all life on earth are the only possible basis for life anywhere. And RNA/DNA may be the only workable replicators. But I don't think that precludes the possibility that these same molecules could have independently occurred on many other similar planets to earth.
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Not sure what amino acids or nucleotides have to do with the anthropic principles but you probably mean 4 nucleotides, not 4 amino acids?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nucleotide
 
Is it only me?

Every time I see the title "James Webb Telescope" I think "Jonathan Livingstone Seagull".

I expect it is only me. Well, maybe not now. But I expect it was.
 
slyjoe said:
Everybody else thinks of Jonathan Livingston Seagull.

So it is only you.
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Yeah, but you forget what the effect of the Cortona lockdown has, even on seagulls.
So, Jonathan Livingstone Seagull, would be most appropriate for him now.
 


Here's some food for thought while we wait for the telescope to cool down and get prepared and focused and calibrated.

The title of this video is "Fermi Paradox: The Impossible Earth hypothesis"

I thought it was interesting at least. It doesn't really suggest that there is a correct answer, but talks about various ideas that have been proposed as possible answers.
 
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