Topic: A different planet project

[Flisch]

I can imagine what you're thinking at the moment: "WTF, not ANOTHER planet project, we already have two!!!"

But this won't be like the other two ones. Sagan 4 and Drake 3 both are "normal" planets, but I thought about how cool it would be with a planet not like the earth or like the other two, but a planet which is very different, just like a gas giant or a planet were the water is hold under a shield of ice (for example europe). Another examples are aurelia and blue moon from Extraterrestrials.
The circumstances on these planets are more interesting for life to evolve. Thats why this project won't be similar to the other two, but it will be very different.
The procedure will be similar to the other two though. The first thing this project needs are people, who have a good knowledge about evolution and who can illustrate their creatures good enough. And Members of Sagan and Drake: Don't be afraid, because this project won't be as fast as the other two (maybe just one generation per week, two at the most) so you can take part at both projects (if you have enough time and if you feel like it).

The users, who are interested in this can either PM me or just post it into this thread (but plz PM me after the thing started). Simultanously we need a planet, so you can post ideas for "different" planets here into this thread, later we can make a poll, which planet we will take.
My suggestions:
- gas giant (like jupiter)
- a planet with only water on it (but a solid core)
- a planet with a frozen surface but a liquid core (europa)
- a planet which orbits the sun in such way, that one side is always directed to the sun and the other side is never directed to the sun

I think that was it for now. I'll be glad, if some people like this idea.

[Daan]

I support the idea! I like Extraterrestrial

[Gunner]

Binary Star System/Planet
Ring planet
unstable gas cloud
asteroid
And....
I'd love to help!

[Genesis]

Sounds intresting, with a slower pace I might actually be able to fit it into my schedule.
And for a few suggestions....
A moon/ no atmosphere.
Or
Having it grow on a planet with sapient creatures already.
Or
It could be an abandoned planet of a high tech race that suffered some massive extinction.
That should help thought.

[Flisch]

Ohh...erm...with "different" i meant, that the cirumstances for the life on this planet is different, so that there can creatures evolve, which would've not evolve on a normal planet.
And why should the life on ring planets or on planets in binary systems should look different?
Also i think that life on an asteroid would be too limited to be interesting.
(Btw: What is an unstable gas cloud?)

Mmh...also a moon without atmosphere would be difficult.
To the other two ideas (from Genesis): I wanted to start this project like the other two ones...with one cell.

But these suggestions are good, even if they aren't that I had in mind though. Please post more ideas.

[Slartibartfast]

I'd like to see something besides Carbon-Water based life.  Here are some plausible suggests I've borrowed from StarHero.

Carbon-Ammonia:
On very cold planets with substantial amounts of liquid ammonia, life forms similar to carbon-water organisms can evolve using ammonia as a solvent instead.  Carbon-ammonia beings require a temperature range of -80 to -30 degrees Centigrade and a methane-ammonia atmosphere.

Carbon-Methane:
On still colder worlds where methane exists in liquid form, it is possible to have life forms made of carbon molecules in a methane medium. Methane-based life requires extremely cold temperatures between -180 and -160 degrees Centigrade and a planetary atmosphere rich in methane and hydrogen.

Fluorine-Silicon:
Organisms with a complex body chemistry based on fluorosilicone compounds can evolve on extremely hot planets with fluorine and carbon dioxide atmospheres.  They require a temperature range of 400 to 500 degrees Centigrade.

Fluorocarbon-Sulfur:
Where liquid sulfur is present, on planets with a temperature range of 150 to 400 degrees Centigrade and atmospheres poor in oxygen but rich in fluorine, life forms based on fluorocarbons and sulfur can evolve.  Such organisms actually release oxygen from carbon dioxide to make complex fluorocarbon molecules.
Related thoughts.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-02/uoca-sfa021506.php

Although there are more than 100 combinations of nucleic acids in nature, terrestrial life constructs all of its proteins from only about 20 of them, suggesting a single origin for life on Earth.  If the DNA in an alien organism was even slightly different than the DNA in life on Earth, with a different suite of nucleotide bases to encode genetic information, we probably wouldn't be able to recognize it.

Give me some of that action!  More than one origin, now we're talking.

You've seen this right?
How Aliens Work  7 pages of sweet, simple science.

If Life Endures Earth's Coldest, Hottest and Weirdest Places, Can it Survive Mars, Titan or Beyond?


I'll find more ideas later. . .

[p-luke]

How about a very rocky planet, with near nihil-plant life, and instead of large water oceans, it has huge oceans of Kwik (not sure of the english translation of the word, but its the only metal that is liquid at room temperature).

[Slartibartfast]

How about a very rocky planet, with near nihil-plant life, and instead of large water oceans, it has huge oceans of Kwik (not sure of the english translation of the word, but its the only metal that is liquid at room temperature).

Mercury.

But these could work too.

Liquid Elements
There are two elements that are liquid at the temperature technically designated 'room temperature' or 298 K (25° C) and a total of six elements that can be liquids at actual room temperatures and pressures.

Bromine (symbol Br and atomic number 35) and mercury (symbol Hg and atomic number 80) are both liquids at room temperature. Bromine is a reddish-brown liquid, with a melting point of 265.9 K. Mercury is a toxic shiny silvery metal, with a melting point of 234.32 K.

Francium, cesium, gallium, and rubidium are four elements that melt at temperatures slightly higher than room temperature. Francium (symbol Fr and atomic number 87), a radioactive and reactive metal, melts around 300 K. Francium is the most electropositive of all the elements. Cesium (symbol Cs and atomic number 55), a soft metal that violently reacts with water, melts at 301.59 K. The low melting point and softness of francium and cesium are a consequence of the size of their atoms. In fact, cesium atoms are larger than those of any other element. Gallium (symbol Ga and atomic number 31), a grayish metal, melts at 303.3 K. Gallium can be melted by body temperature, as in a gloved hand. Rubidium (symbol Rb and atomic number 37) is soft, silvery-white reactive metal, with a melting point of 312.46 K. Rubidium spontaneously ignites to form rubidium oxide. Like cesium, rubidium reacts violently with water.

http://chemistry.about.com/library/weekly/blliquid.htm

Edit: Actually, none of those are very good solvents so they wouldn't work.  They could still be around in massive quantities though.

[Hydromancerx]

All i have to say is it will be difficult to make a realistic planet if it is extreeme. Thats one reason Sagan 4 was modeled after Earth. We did not even know and still do not know how well this experiment will work even with an ideal planet. In short best of luck to you on this but your making it very hard for yourself. I would sudgest tryong a normal planet first then work your way to a harder planet.

[Flisch]

@Slartibartfast: Mmh...life based on other than carbon-water would be too difficult, and even if the organisms are based on something else, I think they would still look quite similar to carbon-water life.

All i have to say is it will be difficult to make a realistic planet if it is extreeme. Thats one reason Sagan 4 was modeled after Earth. We did not even know and still do not know how well this experiment will work even with an ideal planet. In short best of luck to you on this but your making it very hard for yourself. I would sudgest tryong a normal planet first then work your way to a harder planet.

1. I find it funny, if someone says, that other planets are extreme, or that the earth is ideal for life, because only because we know life from an earth-like planet it isn't a proof, that earth has the best requirements for life. Ever thought about that the earth could be extreme?
2. This all is the more or the less just for fun. Sure, we (should) try to make this as realistic as possible, but if we never try to figure out or just to think about things we don't know, then we would still sitting in a cave around a fireplace (or not even that). [AND NOBODY WOULD KNOW ABOUT SPORE]
3. No one knows how life on other types of planets looks like. So, no one can tell us we're wrong.


By the way: It's interesting how many people are having suggestions (which is very very good) but more volunteers are even better ^^.
@ The members of Sagan & Drake: This project is very slow, because it's harder than a "normal" planet and to give you more time to think about your creature because of this reason and of course it is very slow to allow you join in if you have time and you want to, because it would be a pity if some of you who are having good knowledge about evolution aren't in this project.

[Mr. Consideration]

The Planet Baltha
The planet Baltha is a small planet, which is covered in many scars. It is a planet witha  very large and slow ellipsis orbit, meaning its years are equal to 360 earth years. As the orbit is in an ellipsis, for there are 90-earth year long season, which has caused glaciers to quickly form and melt, covering the planet with scars. As the scars are quite deep and more or elss untouched by the sun, the majority of icy material and water is in these "scars". The majority of the scars are many kilometers deep. The planet spins very quickly on it's axis, and whenever an area faces away form the sun, the water and icy material freeze, and the temperature in the cracks plummet, whilst the surface remains temperate.
Free-thaw weathering and erosion has forced the surface of the planet to be smooth, as most of the rocky material is in the form of small pebblles in the cracks.

Scientists predict that any life on Baltha would have to have ingenious ways to move quickly in and out of the cracks and to survive extreme temperatures, as when the planet draws close to the sun the surface is immensley hot, whilst it is away it is freezing.

You Like?

[Flisch]

Yeah a very good idea...more like this.

[Hydromancerx]

@Slartibartfast: Mmh...life based on other than carbon-water would be too difficult, and even if the organisms are based on something else, I think they would still look quite similar to carbon-water life.

All i have to say is it will be difficult to make a realistic planet if it is extreeme. Thats one reason Sagan 4 was modeled after Earth. We did not even know and still do not know how well this experiment will work even with an ideal planet. In short best of luck to you on this but your making it very hard for yourself. I would sudgest tryong a normal planet first then work your way to a harder planet.

1. I find it funny, if someone says, that other planets are extreme, or that the earth is ideal for life, because only because we know life from an earth-like planet it isn't a proof, that earth has the best requirements for life. Ever thought about that the earth could be extreme?
2. This all is the more or the less just for fun. Sure, we (should) try to make this as realistic as possible, but if we never try to figure out or just to think about things we don't know, then we would still sitting in a cave around a fireplace (or not even that). [AND NOBODY WOULD KNOW ABOUT SPORE]
3. No one knows how life on other types of planets looks like. So, no one can tell us we're wrong.


By the way: It's interesting how many people are having suggestions (which is very very good) but more volunteers are even better ^^.
@ The members of Sagan & Drake: This project is very slow, because it's harder than a "normal" planet and to give you more time to think about your creature because of this reason and of course it is very slow to allow you join in if you have time and you want to, because it would be a pity if some of you who are having good knowledge about evolution aren't in this project.

Ok that makese sense of doing ti slowly. And as for lnowing vs unknowing thats the whole point. We do know the chemestry and physics, thus if you made a creature on an extreem planet their chemestry and physiscs would have to follow the same rules. As for the biology, well thats up in the air sicne we do not have examples.

[Slartibartfast]

How's this project going?  More ideas follow.

Alternative biochemistry

Non-cellular life

Iron-sulfur world theory

Look what I found: Epona.   These guys have been playing a world building game since 1993!

[Hydromancerx]

How's this project going?  More ideas follow.

Alternative biochemistry

Non-cellular life

Iron-sulfur world theory

Look what I found: Epona.   These guys have been playing a world building game since 1993!

Nice links but Eponia i have been following sicne maybe 1996. I do have some fan art on my site too


It was a cool project but not much infor is on it. BTW thats where i got the idea of the bubbleweed.