General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: New model predicts that we're probably the only advanced civilization... [View all]lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)1. Phosphorus - TWO studies done so far on TWO nebulae. Really, does that seem statistically significant to you? Another way to view is that 50% of nebulae studied have plenty of phosphorus. Which might be replaceable by Arsenic anyway.
2. Eccentricity. Yes, selection bias, and a bit of eccentricity may be perfectly fine.
3. Hot Jupiters. Definitely high selection bias here. They are so much easier to find. We probably had a hot Jupiter for a while. Actual Jupiter probably moved around a lot in the early solar system. That probably helped shape the solar system to suit our needs, and yes, appears may be common.
4. Special gyroscope moon. Moons themselves may be great candidates to expand the pool of habitable bodies. Look at Europa and Enceladus! They are warmed by interaction with their planets. Given the very wide range of multi-star systems out there, I expect multi-planet-moon situations are also common and varied, offering numerous additional ways to spawn life. I don't think we're capable of detecting most of those yet.
5. The outer reaches of the Milky Way are by far larger than the inner reaches. Not as dense, but that's a good thing.
6. We (or our successors such as insects) could accomplish a lot in 2 billion more years - getting to multicellular "wasted" most of the previous time.
Type III? That's not necessary for discovery of life.
And I also dispute the claim that we are an advanced civilization. I'll believe that when we oust Trump.