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San Francisco, 12:48 PM
Sun Nov 8
11 posts in the last 24 hours

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  • posts about #extraterrestrial more →

    Sugar Molecule Could Point the Way to Alien Life

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    Dsmvwl  Admin  Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×
    Image of Meirelle Meirelle
    11/26/08

    In reply to Sugar Molecule Could Point the Way to Alien Life
    So we've discovered a planet full of cotton-candy aliens?


    Cool. Can I eat them?

     Reply
    Meirelle was starred Meirelle was unstarred
    Image of BongoFury BongoFury
    11/26/08

    In reply to Sugar Molecule Could Point the Way to Alien Life
    we've discovered the planet Candyland.
     Reply
    BongoFury was starred BongoFury was unstarred
    Image of Grey_Area Grey_Area
    11/26/08

    @BongoFury: I hope Galactus isn't diabetic.
     Reply
    Grey_Area was starred Grey_Area was unstarred
    Image of NotChoinski NotChoinski
    11/26/08

    In reply to Sugar Molecule Could Point the Way to Alien Life
    Great. The entire galaxy is full of carbs.
     Reply
    NotChoinski was starred NotChoinski was unstarred
    Image of NotChoinski NotChoinski
    11/26/08

    @NotChoinski: This is going right to my thighs.


     Reply
    NotChoinski was starred NotChoinski was unstarred
    Image of Smeagol92055 Smeagol92055
    11/26/08

    In reply to Sugar Molecule Could Point the Way to Alien Life
    Hi. I know next to nothing about Astronomy and whatnot.


    How the hell did they find sugar on a planet 26,000 light years from Earth? Wouldn't you actually have to have a sample of something to determine what it is? Someone help me out here.

     Reply
    Smeagol92055 was starred Smeagol92055 was unstarred
    Image of Mathmos Mathmos
    11/26/08

    @Smeagol92055: spectroscopy
     Reply
    Mathmos was starred Mathmos was unstarred
    Image of Grey_Area Grey_Area
    11/26/08

    @Mathmos: Ok, layperson attempting a definition here.

    Using spectroscopy means the light passing through or reflected off a particular substance can be analyzed by its color. Right?

    So how much of this molecule have they found; Is there a huge sugary cloud out there or traces in some nebula or a Jovian-type planet's atmosphere? Could it be a single candy bar melting on an alien windowsill?


    Curious dropouts like myself would be very appreciative of any gleaned knowledge.

     Reply
    Grey_Area was starred Grey_Area was unstarred
    Image of Indigen Indigen
    11/26/08

    @Smeagol92055: Magic.


    Really. This sort of science is ultimately only supported by the fact we can't prove it, so may as well go along with it. Sure, sugar, why not. In ten thousand years when we go there and find it was actually salt, or crystals, or Ted Danson in a tricorn hat, then we know we were wrong.

     Reply
    Indigen was starred Indigen was unstarred
    Image of Grey_Area Grey_Area
    11/26/08

    @Indigen: This is why Hard-SF-only fans rag on the rest of us dopes. The science is real, it works. We just have to stop being lazy and do a bit of research.
     Reply
    Grey_Area was starred Grey_Area was unstarred
    Image of Smeagol92055 Smeagol92055
    11/26/08

    @Grey_Area: I'm researching, I'm researching!!!
     Reply
    Smeagol92055 was starred Smeagol92055 was unstarred
    Image of Grey_Area Grey_Area
    11/26/08

    @Smeagol92055: Cool. Tell me what you find out, I'm too lazy!
     Reply
    Grey_Area was starred Grey_Area was unstarred
    Image of corpore-metal corpore-metal
    11/26/08

    @Grey_Area: Hear, hear! And it really isn't that inaccessible or impenetrable. There are zillions of good books written for the general public that explain even the most abstract and remote discoveries that science is making every day.
     Reply
    corpore-metal was starred corpore-metal was unstarred
    Image of Grey_Area Grey_Area
    11/26/08

    @corpore-metal: Thanks for the contribution! This was getting too silly even for me.

    So can they tell how much of this sugar is out there and narrow down the location or is it one of those light cone things?
     Reply
    Grey_Area was starred Grey_Area was unstarred
    Image of Grey_Area Grey_Area
    11/26/08

    In reply to Sugar Molecule Could Point the Way to Alien Life
    Does the illustration remind anyone else thinking of the ancient Micronauts comic book?
     Reply
    Grey_Area was starred Grey_Area was unstarred
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