
Proxima Centauri has a Earth-like planet - lrondanini
http://phys.org/news/2016-08-scientists-unveil-earth-like-planet.html
======
Jedd
I appreciate it's 100% speculative, as we are stuck with a sample set of only
one, but I'm increasingly of the belief that we're rare (as opposed to first
or fucked [1]).

Heavily swayed by a recent reading of Nick Lane's excellent book on
Mitochondria[2].

The fact that even our nearest neighbour _probably_ has an earth-like planet
is, from this angle, a bit depressing.

[1] [http://waitbutwhy.com/2014/05/fermi-
paradox.html](http://waitbutwhy.com/2014/05/fermi-paradox.html)

[2]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power,_Sex,_Suicide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power,_Sex,_Suicide)

~~~
thangalin
The Percolation Theory reasons that Earth might linger in an uninteresting
part of the Milky Way: its galactic backwaters. See:

* [1998] [http://www.geoffreylandis.com/percolation.htp](http://www.geoffreylandis.com/percolation.htp)

* [2014] [https://arxiv.org/abs/1404.0204](https://arxiv.org/abs/1404.0204)

~~~
sigil
That Landis paper is great, thanks.

------
deftnerd
It might have an earth-like planet in terms of orbit and composition, but I
highly doubt that it would have life on it.

Proxima Centauri is a flare-type star, meaning that it it unpredictably
brightens across its entire spectrum from infrared to x-ray. A planet would
have to have a really thick atmosphere to protect against that, and a thick
atmosphere can easily run away like Venus.

Without a thick atmosphere, any burgeoning life would have to deal with random
bursts of energy that could cause damage to that lifes equivalent of genetic
coding.

~~~
whatshisface
There's no thick atmosphere like ten feet of water.

The frequency absorption of water has a small window around visible light and
a sold wall around it. [1]

Maybe the danger of building telescopes on the surface (and the rapid
attenuation of their home medium) is why they haven't built any radios to chat
with us. ;)

[1][http://hyperphysics.phy-
astr.gsu.edu/hbase/chemical/watabs.h...](http://hyperphysics.phy-
astr.gsu.edu/hbase/chemical/watabs.html)

~~~
dogma1138
Techonlogical society can't develop under water.

~~~
kyriakos
Life doesn't always mean intelligent advanced civilisation.

~~~
dogma1138
No it doesn't, but it has to be intelligent to build telescopes read the
parent comment :)

------
jlebar
I don't think it's a spoiler to say that this is a major plot point in "The
Three Body Problem" by Liu Cixin.

------
Eliezer
WHAT. That is one implausible SF premise that just allegedly came true there.

~~~
aab0
They've refused to deny it, so they've confirmed it.

When I saw the headline, I literally went 'Oh come on!' out loud. Apparently
there's a bloody Earth-like planet _everywhere_ if even our neighboring star
has one.

------
Razengan
There's something that always seems to be overlooked by all these discussions
about the suitability of exoplanets for extraterrestrial intelligence:
_Artificial_ Lifeforms.

Say, if we humans were to build robots, with [true] AI, and they then go on to
colonize the other planets in our solar system, would a biological species
somewhere ever consider them as a candidate for life?

I mean, machines made of metal and electronics won't need any of that fancy
oxygen and water, to be able to survive on Mars or Venus or any of the barren
moons, or even float around in the upper layers of Saturn. They would be
happily carrying out all the functions we ascribe to "life" and we'd never
even think that there would be anything there.

Just look at our current space tech and industry. Robots would definitely be
cheaper for the foreseeable future because you don't need any life-support
systems, during transit or at site, just sun sun sun batteries sun.

TL;DR: The galaxy just might be full of robotic instead of biological life.

------
dogma1138
There is almost no time dilation at 50% C this is pretty awesome less than a
10 year trip if we ever manage to build even probes that can go that fast it's
pretty much a done deal.

------
roywiggins
Good enough motivation as any to go through with the Starshot idea.

[http://www.space.com/32546-interstellar-spaceflight-
stephen-...](http://www.space.com/32546-interstellar-spaceflight-stephen-
hawking-project-starshot.html)

------
mbfg
Practically the entire universe could be teaming with intelligent life, and we
would never know it, given the speed of causality, even without the expansion
of the universe.

------
wbl
Sign me up for the expedition.

------
carapace
Dibs!

(I'm sorry, I couldn't help it.)

