From: animated silicon love doll (cheshire@velvet.net)
Date: Sun Jan 27 2002 - 13:20:29 MST
2002.01.26 17:47:49, Doug Jones <djones@xcor.com> wrote:
>Curious but quite possibly pointless- that chlorophyll is the dominant
>photosynthetic compound on the surface of the earth today is an accident
>of history. If the green slime hadn't poisoned the atmosphere two
>billion years ago, rhodopsin would be *the* signature of a living
>planet. To expect that independently evolved life in another solar
>system would use the exact same chemical pathways as on earth is
>provincial thinking in the extreme.
but that's no reason for us to not look for the signatures of the same chemical pathways
as on earth. just because no other planet will have necessarily evolved it doesn't mean
no other planet ever has or ever will evolve somewhat parallely (is that a word?) to earth.
granted, we should look for other chemical signatures, too - but since we know this one,
we might as well use it.
cheshire morgan. we all create life, some of us with wombs,
some with smiles, some with patient hands.
we are all gods, if we choose to be.
-kitten.
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