Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site utastro.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxj!mhuxn!houxm!ihnp4!zehntel!hplabs!hao!seismo!ut-sally!utastro!bill From: bill@utastro.UUCP (William H. Jefferys) Newsgroups: net.origins Subject: Re: Hark!, but soft... Message-ID: <866@utastro.UUCP> Date: Mon, 3-Dec-84 10:33:38 EST Article-I.D.: utastro.866 Posted: Mon Dec 3 10:33:38 1984 Date-Received: Thu, 6-Dec-84 05:07:25 EST References: <497@uwmacc.UUCP> Organization: UTexas Astronomy Dept., Austin, Texas Lines: 17 >I have a hypothetical question. If, given that life formed quickly, >the obvious conclusion is that the probability of forming life is >very high, what would the obvious conclusion be if we discovered >that life appeared to have formed even more quickly, say, >instantaneously? In the geological record, 'instantaneously' is still going to be a very long time in human terms, tens of millions of years at the least. Besides, the hypothetical is contrary to the evidence. The first evidence for life is at least some half billion years after the formation of the Earth. -- "When evolution is outlawed, only outlaws will evolve" Bill Jefferys 8-% Astronomy Dept, University of Texas, Austin TX 78712 (USnail) {allegra,ihnp4}!{ut-sally,noao}!utastro!bill (uucp) bill%utastro.UTEXAS@ut-sally.ARPA (ARPANET)