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The Red Weed is here, and Homo Sapiens rides the short bus...The Red Weed is here, and Homo Sapiens rides the short bus...

2006-06-04 - 10:09 a.m.
Anytime religious beliefs are brought into question, a lot of people get uncomfortable because they would much rather have their religious beliefs...well... not questioned, I suppose.

But what everyone seems to forget is that God is supposed to be ineffable. Completely beyond effing of any kind in fact. Don't be surprised therefore if the nature of God, and more importantly (pick your battles), the nature of Man, receives the odd surprising revelation every now and then.

For example, we recently looked at how Dolphins have names. This, combined with their great intelligence and apparent linguistic skills, suggests a level of sentience comparable to our own. If not, in fact, greater.

Christians who are reading this (probably as a punishment for something) might want to recheck the small print in the old testament about what Man has dominion over.

Genesis 1:26 "and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea.."

Dolphins aren't fish, they're mammals. Also God told Adam to name stuff, yet Dolphins apparently have their own names already. Clearly God has been keeping a spare intelligent species in his back pocket in case we jump the shark.

Now comes another fly in the ointment, ecumenically speaking. Galileo got in a lot of trouble for pointing his telescope at the sky instead of into noble women's boudoirs, because the church had a feeling that some of their 'science' might get a bit wobbly when faced with hard facts.

One of the church's great scientific truths was this planets magnificent uniqueness at the center of the Universe.

As clearer heads have prevailed over the centuries (those that weren't chopped off, anyway) we now know that we are not at the center of anything in the Universe. We have not, however been able to answer the question

"Are we alone?"

For most people the answer has always been "of course not, you blithering idiot, the universe is huge" and yet science has so far failed to provide any support to this very logical argument.

Until, perhaps, now.

Godfrey Louis presented evidence for his hypothesis in the April issue of the peer-reviewed journal, "Astrophysics and Space Science" that suggests a mysterious 'Blood Rain' that fell in India in 2001 may have come from outer space, and may, in fact, be a life form.

One of the many articles on it can be found here, but basically the Rain appears to consist of red cells that replicate, yet do not have DNA and thrive at 600 degrees Fahrenheit (that would be about 315.5 Centigrade for those of you that live outside Toyland). DNA dies around 250 degrees Fahrenheit, a few degrees over the boiling point of water.

Now since all life on earth contains DNA, and the only things that replicate on earth are living things (viruses are another topic for discussion, but they at least have DNA or RNA, which this stuff doesn't), then this 'stuff' is an anomoly.

It's ability to not only survive but actually thrive at higher temperatures certainly makes arrival by meteorite a more viable hypothesis.

We will have to wait for the Welsh scientists to confirm the findings, but if that happens, and we can finally say we have found life borne to Earth from space then that opens up all kinds of exciting new areas of questioning about the nature of all things.

And it would also tug at the sleeve of those religions that claim man is a unique and special creature.

To be fair though, he may not be unique, but the way mankind has been acting lately, I am beginning to think that maybe humans are a little bit 'special'...

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