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!ethan From: ethan@utastro.UUCP (Ethan Vishniac) Newsgroups: net.origins Subject: Re: Hark!, but soft... Message-ID: <865@utastro.UUCP> Date: Mon, 3-Dec-84 10:17:28 EST Article-I.D.: utastro.865 Posted: Mon Dec 3 10:17:28 1984 Date-Received: Thu, 6-Dec-84 05:07:05 EST References: <497@uwmacc.UUCP> Organization: UTexas Astronomy Dept., Austin, Texas Lines: 24 [] >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? >-- >Paul DuBois {allegra,ihnp4,seismo}!uwvax!uwmacc!dubois This is likely to remain a hypothetical question given what "instantaneously" means in the geologic record, especially for events that occurred billions of years ago. Even so . . . The obvious explanation would be that life originated elsewhere and was introduced (deliberately or through natural processes) to the Earth. More than that it would be impossible to say. It doesn't seem to me that our ignorance of the circumstances would be a plausible reason for declaring it a miracle. Of course, one might choose, as a matter of *faith*, to believe it to be one. "I can't help it if my Ethan Vishniac knee jerks" {charm,ut-sally,ut-ngp,noao}!utastro!ethan Department of Astronomy University of Texas Austin, Texas 78712