Random News not worthy of own thread

[BrasatoAlBarolo]

While an atmosphere is a requirement for many people to say, there is possibility of life. But in my view, water could mean there might have been something there. regardless of an atmosphere. Humans still have a very narrow minded approach when it comes to life on other planets. Most people will probably say, A the planet needs an atmosphere of some kind, B needs water. C needs to be fairly similar to Earth, or similar way that humans breath / eat.

If none of the above are met, then no life. But look at it this way. There is life near the bottom of the oceans, so deep, that most people didn't even realise there was until fairly recently. Because life could mean anything. Intelligent life, or single cell creatures that we might only see under a microscope. (If you seen an old film called "The Andromeda Strain" 1969. To me, we just need to broaden our way of thinking. Granted that the film was a scifi,, but it does open the prospect that just because we can't live on every planet that is out there, doesn't mean something else can't.

When we talk about "life" we usually think about "carbon-based life", which "usually" need water, an atmosphere, etc... Like you said, our definition of life is "limited". But there is another question: can we identify a different kind of life, if we see it? Would a silicon-based life form be identified as a life form? What defines something as a "life form"?

[Vertigo 7]

While an atmosphere is a requirement for many people to say, there is possibility of life. But in my view, water could mean there might have been something there. regardless of an atmosphere. Humans still have a very narrow minded approach when it comes to life on other planets. Most people will probably say, A the planet needs an atmosphere of some kind, B needs water. C needs to be fairly similar to Earth, or similar way that humans breath / eat.

If none of the above are met, then no life. But look at it this way. There is life near the bottom of the oceans, so deep, that most people didn't even realise there was until fairly recently. Because life could mean anything. Intelligent life, or single cell creatures that we might only see under a microscope. (If you seen an old film called "The Andromeda Strain" 1969. To me, we just need to broaden our way of thinking. Granted that the film was a scifi,, but it does open the prospect that just because we can't live on every planet that is out there, doesn't mean something else can't.

When we talk about "life" we usually think about "carbon-based life", which "usually" need water, an atmosphere, etc... Like you said, our definition of life is "limited". But there is another question: can we identify a different kind of life, if we see it? Would a silicon-based life form be identified as a life form? What defines something as a "life form"?

It could be something as simple as a virus or a single cell organism. Amoebas, for example, live in water and absorb oxygen from water. Not every living organism on earth requires an atmosphere.

[red assassin]

This water must be protected in some way from simply subliming off and disappearing, so it's likely that it's locked up in glass structures or some similar mechanism. This makes extraction challenging, though certainly not impossible. The quantities are also extremely small - they're talking about 0.03%, so you'd need to process significant quantities of regolith to get any water. (NASA used "one small bottle of water per cubic metre".) Might be useful for topping up a water recycling system, probably not practical for rocket fuel production.

There's no way there's life. The surface of the moon has no atmosphere, this water is not in any accessible form, and it's alternately frozen and baked+irradiated on a month long cycle. Ultimately you need some sort of mechanism for bringing the chemical components together to produce any sort of life. Liquid water is great for this, other options may exist, but a barren and inert irradiated surface is not one of them.

[Alan Phipps]

Well, you would have to have somewhere for the 'water bears' to go.

[Golden_Gonads]

Well, you would have to have somewhere for the 'water bears' to go.

Gotta have a back up controller for the spore drive.

[Gavrushka]

Maradona has successfully undergone surgery to have a clot removed from his brain.

Link.

Apparently surgeons are now debating whether to dispose of the big clot or the little one.

[Vertigo 7]

https://in.news.yahoo.com/vladimir-puti ... 22444.html

Putin says he's quitting... Taking bets he and Trump are going to frolic in the sunset together.

[matthewfarmery]

https://in.news.yahoo.com/vladimir-puti ... 22444.html

Putin says he's quitting... Taking bets he and Trump are going to frolic in the sunset together.

I bet if Trump was winning, he wouldn't have said anything. But yeah, interesting timing. But no surprise. Putin's puppet is no longer going to be in charge, so there is little choice but to go. But yeah, more proof that Putin was hoping that Trump had remained in power, and was pulling Trump's strings.

At the end of the day, its good riddance to both of them.

[felter]

Putins decision which has not been verified has nothing to do with the US election or anything to do with Trumps outcome. If it is true which we actually don't know it is at this time and if it does happen, Putin has been preparing for it for probably well over the past year, as he has been arranging it so that he cannot be prosecuted for anything after he quits. This is something Trump should also have been doing instead of constantly making more and more enemies that want to see him go to jail.

[berth]

If we lose Trump and Putin the 2021 is certainly looking up (probably).

Elderly couple make a shed-load of cash from some old trash left to them: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-b ... m-54842558

[felter]

I just want to say, YAY Cummings is getting the boot.

[felter]

So to continue on with my above post. Dominc Cummings the man who put himself above every other person in the UK, when he ignored government advice while we were in the first lockdown and travelled while being infected with the virus, and our great leader, none other than Boris (Bozo the Clown) Johnson had absolutely no problems with him doing so. Well it looks like Cummings was given the boot for calling Bozo's fiance, Princess Nut Nuts. I shed you not, he called her Princess Nut Nuts in a text which was shown to Bozo. So it was perfectly okay to potentially kill the other minions of the UK, but he will be damned for calling Johnson's fiance stupid names. We now know where Johnson's priorities lie.

[Vertigo 7]

So to continue on with my above post. Dominc Cummings the man who put himself above every other person in the UK, when he ignored government advice while we were in the first lockdown and travelled while being infected with the virus, and our great leader, none other than Boris (Bozo the Clown) Johnson had absolutely no problems with him doing so. Well it looks like Cummings was given the boot for calling Bozo's fiance, Princess Nut Nuts. I shed you not, he called her Princess Nut Nuts in a text which was shown to Bozo. So it was perfectly okay to potentially kill the other minions of the UK, but he will be damned for calling Johnson's fiance stupid names. We now know where Johnson's priorities lie.

So now you need to tell him how COVID could impact his gf

[BrasatoAlBarolo]

I think it's very serious calling "princess" someone who isn't, in the UK.

[Alan Phipps]

That is true, especially if the someone is male. Don't hang around if you do.

[BrasatoAlBarolo]

EU budget funding stopped by Hungary and Poland veto.
https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-in-c ... t-hold-up/
The budget and recovery budget was a € 1.8 trillion plan, which included the € 750 billion "recovery fund" related to Covid pandemy.
The two vetoeing countries refused to accept the fact the funds were linked to the respect of the rule of law clause, which they refuse to be included in the plan.
The rule of law is a specific set of rules EU countries would have needed to respect in order to be granted the funds.
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/legislat ... ficiencies

The proposal lays defines generalized deficiencies as regards the rule of law as including in particular endangering the independence of judiciary, failing to prevent, correct and sanction arbitrary or unlawful decisions by public authorities, and limiting the availability and effectiveness of legal remedies.

[burger1]

It looks like gog and Geforce Now are teaming up and allowing some gog purchased games on Geforce Now. Cyberpunk 2077 and Witcher 3 might be the first games.

https://mobile.twitter.com/goggalaxy/st ... 5801020657

[pjknibbs]

The Arecibo radio telescope, which was damaged during storms a few months ago and was scheduled to be demolished, has jumped the gun and collapsed of its own accord:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-55147973

Lot of firsts in radio astronomy owe themselves to that place, sad to see it go.

[felter]

The Arecibo radio telescope, which was damaged during storms a few months ago and was scheduled to be demolished, has jumped the gun and collapsed of its own accord:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-55147973

Lot of firsts in radio astronomy owe themselves to that place, sad to see it go.

Scott Manley has a video out showing video footage of the collapse. It was pretty spectacular to say the least and amazing that no one was injured in the collapse.

[CBJ]

I'm officially disappointed in the quality of the BBC's reporting today. To accompany an article entitled Beavers, burpees and bread: 2020's most-searched they've used a stock image of a marmot. I mean, how hard can it be to find a picture of a beaver? Yes, yes, no sniggering in the back row, please.