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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