Out of the world, into the fire

The image that wet a thousand astronomer's pants, Gliese 877. Courtesy of Trent Schindler

I know I usually focus on things on this earth, but I have to report on this. An exoplanet (out of this solar system) has been discovered that possibly has liquid water.

Imagine you were on this planet. An inhabitant, much like us, congratulates you on reaching such a distant place, some twenty odd light-years without liquid water to sustain you. You talk about his planet’s politics, a little about how his nine to five is. Then, he offers you a baloney sandwich. You take a bite, and promptly die.

What just happened? Copper poisoning.

See, planets are attributed different amounts of resources. Mars has an abundance of Iron, and Venus has too much sulfur. The point is, we are evolved to life on this planet, but no where else- Unless the planet is exactly like ours, Earth.

You don’t need to look far to find it. Cows, they do better in iron rich environments, like the American Midwest , the southern part of South America, and the plains of Europe. Sheep live better in mountainous habitats like Colorado and Greece. Why doesn’t it follow to reason that we should thrive only in the confines of planet Earth?

Sadly, although astronomers have the habit of wetting their pants every time liquid water is found outside of Earth, that may not be enough to support life as we know it. A major problem with many scientists and researchers is that they’re extensively trained in one subject, but often confused about another. (Some wags say that researchers and scientists are also not trained on how to communicate with people, but that’s neither here nor there.)

A side note- a lot has been made over the recent plagiarism spate at the Umass Daily Collegian. Being a journalist, I’m deeply disappointed that someone didn’t bother to accept that cardinal rule of journalism- Do Your Own Writing. As a biologist, I’m happy to tell you that the article in question is a pile of BS.

If you’ll recall a post I made on bacterial evolution, germs that occur naturally on piggies are probably a lot less harmful than germs that occur naturally on pigs that have also gained antibiotic resistance.

There are a few real lessons to learn here. Avoid taking other’s work and passing it off as your own, and if you eat pork, consider going free range, and cook your bacon well. You’ll thank me later on all counts.