There are heartbeats in our oceans.
The breath of life rides our sky.
We are seed crystal to the stars.
We are rare earth.
Rare Earth
What if we are the only ones? There are billions and billions of suns to be sure, but what if complex life forms that rise above single cell status are an anomaly, not a conclusion? Published six years ago, Rare Earth by Donald Brownlee and Peter Ward offered an 'outside the box' explanation of complex life, changes over time and the necessary parameters to sustain life once it has appeared.
With a renewed
interest in exploration of terrestrial real estate outside our atmosphere, the idea of rare earth and what conditions are needed to sustain life should be entered into the record for review and discussion. This five part
dialogueis a good start. What if we are the only ones? Does it change our world view and add extra incentive to maintain this blue jewel we call home? Or do we concede defeat now and give it up for one last grand display of nuclear fireworks? Are we seed crystal destined to bring the spark of life to this universe or just another burned out hole in the fabric of time? Some thoughts for a rainy afternoon on a water planet that so far has kept its oceans. Mars was not so lucky.