I had no idea

[james_davis_nicoll]

As pointed out in email, JEP on evolution.

Comments

[daveon.livejournal.com]

Well, that was Hoyle's preference. It might be, although I suspect that life, for various values there of, probably is pretty damn common . Intelligent tool using life, much, much less common.

[heron61.livejournal.com]

Given that either life evolved essentially as soon as Earth cooled sufficiently to have liquid water, and there's at least arguable evidence that Mars had or has life, either panspermia is correct or life evolves quite rapidly (at least on a Deep Time scale). Of course, rapidly on a Deep Time scale basically means less than 100 million years. I'm also expecting the universe to be teaming with non-intelligent life.

[neowolf2.livejournal.com]

The alternative explanation for the rapid origin of life on Earth is that the conditions for which OoL were possible only last a short time. So, if life is to originate at all, it must happen quickly.

If Mars has life, we can't rule out the possibility (the probability, actually) of contamination from the early Earth (or vice versa). There were lots of impacts in the early solar system, which would have sent lots of rocks into solar orbit to carry simple cells back and forth.

[rpresser.livejournal.com]

Please forgive me, but I am unreasonably amused by your remarkably apropos typo ("teaming" instead of "teeming"). All the universe's non-intelligent life teamed up against us ... quite a picture.