How did that lifeform get to that location?
Should that lifeform be returned to earth for study?
2007-03-06 14:17:16 · 2 answers · asked by Megan D 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
Well, it would need to fit some basic characteristics of life. On Earth, living things have a metabolism, they respond to stimuli, and they reproduce. We can't expect the same things out of something on another planet, but I'd say that if it was natural and performed some kind of function (movement, metabolic processes, reproduction), we could classify it as life. It probably got to that location naturally, arising from abiotic molecules like we did. It definitely should be returned to Earth for study, because it would be pretty sweet to see how life would differ on other planets, and we could learn a lot from it :)
2007-03-06 14:37:19 · answer #1 · answered by Natalia 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
By earth standards, something is alive if it consumes energy (in one form or another), grows, reproduces, and dies. Any object matching these criteria would be considered alive on another planet. If this lifeform isn't indigenous, then it must have gotten there by some kind of spaceship. It would have to go through one hell of a quarantiine to get back to earth (especially the US) to be studied. I think INS would have a thing or two to say about it. Like where's its passport and visa?
2007-03-06 22:41:56 · answer #2 · answered by misoma5 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋