OT: Clearly they have not played SEIV

[Gryphin]

A lite article about the uniqueness of Earth

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5594683/

Flip a coin. Heads, Earth is a common sort of planet. Tails, and ours is as unusual as a coin landing on edge. That's about the state of knowledge for scientists who ponder the question of our planet's rarity.

[Aiken]

I like the logic of this article: "Our instruments are not advanced enough to detect Earth-sized planet near distant star. Therefore where is no planets similar to ours in the Universe and we are alone. Furthermore, we are going to develope new groundbreaking theory which will explain our insinuations perfectly".
Cheap reading.

[Gandalf Parker]

Hmmm if they find that our type of solar system is only formed if something like a comet hits the big ball in mid-forming... then it would be rare. But even a small percentage would be alot of planets. It would just be rough on our desires to find a colonizable planet anytime soon.

But thats just the colony thing. It has little to do with the chance of life. The chances of finding life like ours, even on a planet like ours, is even slimmer than the image that article paints. The chance of a life form forming which so strongly requires elements which cause its death (water/iron/oxygen=aging) must seem very strange to the universe.

[narf poit chez BOOM]

Originally posted by aiken:
I like the logic of this article: "Our instruments are not advanced enough to detect Earth-sized planet near distant star. Therefore where is no planets similar to ours in the Universe and we are alone. Furthermore, we are going to develope new groundbreaking theory which will explain our insinuations perfectly".
Cheap reading.

Seconded.