OT: Carbon Dioxide races -> known vs unknown -> terraforming mars -> is or is not

Fyron · #19 July 16th, 2003, 08:52 AM

There are no natural elements that we do not know (unless one of those ~180 proton (or was it 240?) theoretical elements somehow formed in some place in the universe, but it would certainly not be conducive to life). There are only so many ways elements can bond together, and I think every possibility (or at least eveyr possibility that has a remote chance of being useful to any sort of organism) has been seen in nature or made in laboratories.

Splitting atoms releases so much energy that a naturally evolved lifeform would certainly not be able to handle it.

Of course there are other ways of extracting energy from molecules (and atoms, but atomic energy is a bit much for natural organisms). Most of them are either too innefficient to sustain complex organisms, or they are too destructive (such as splitting atoms).

Matter is fundamentally ordered (in some ways). All pieces of matter with X protons share identical properties. They take on variations, such as isotopes (different decay rates, different masses) and ions (different charges). But, their fundamental properties are still essentially the same. Carbon 14 is nearly identical to Carbon 12, with only relatively minor differences. This is why there is no such thing as "different gases" and "different matter". It is the same everywhere in the universe, barring anti-matter, which we do not know if it even exists in nature. Any statements about it beyond the basics of what antimatter is (according to theory, I do not know if any has yet been made in labs) would be pure speculation.

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Originally posted by Suicide Junkie:

quote:
It is done in complex organisms such as humans as an extreme backup (such as during very heavy, prolonged excercise), but it is not effective for very long.

Say what?
I think you mean "during short bursts of heavy activity" such as sprinting and weight lifting.

That is what I meant, yes.

[ July 16, 2003, 07:55: Message edited by: Imperator Fyron ]