22 replies to this topic

[SpleenBeGone]

http://www.scientifi...ess-slime-molds

Basically, if you take a map, and put food sources as cities, slime mold will replicate, near perfectly, the train systems in the US, Europe, Tokyo, and Canada.

[Matty_poo]

man, even slime molds are better at planning trips than me. Pretty awesome find there boss.

[Calvary]

Oh good, now protists are more intelligent than I am. I'm on a downward spiral, dudes. xD

Seriously though that's fucking amazing!

[Silver_rose]

It's very cool

Although I don't know how they would define it as intelligent, as humans we can hardly, accuratly define intelligence ourselves.

But if it turns out it is self aware then that's a significant discovery.

[Affray]

I remember finding that a little while ago.
Clever things out there.

[Bowsette]

And they manage it without spending months drawing up plans, then arguing costs, then redrawing plans, then changing plans, then arguing more costs...

Protist for president

[Diabolical_Jazz]

...and the chances of finding intelligent life on other planets rise once again.

[Matty_poo]

...and the chances of finding intelligent life on other planets rise once again.

The odds of intelligent life not existing somewhere out there in the universe are astronomically low actually.

[Silver_rose]

The odds of intelligent life not existing somewhere out there in the universe are astronomically low actually.

Umm.... Not really...

Intelligent life it's probably very likely we wont ever find, considering the universe is (by our current understanding) ad infinitum.
Life on the other hand, just simple organisms is likely.
Considering the steps it took to take to the point of what we consider "intelligence" even though we can't properly define it, it significantly lowers the chance of ever finding intelligent life.
If this redefines what we actually consider intelligence that that chance increases. But what is to say this slime mould is intelligent? It's possible that it's ability to find the quickest route is encoded in it's DNA to pick up on markers in protiens and carbohydrates that we can't examine ourselves. Ok so maybe that could be defined as intelligence... Or is it defined as instinct?

Inteliigence more delves into philosophy than science. Philosophy drives me nuts, asks more questions than it answers... It's fine if you can't answer a question, it's when you can't find the answer to the question and therefor need to ask more questions, really gets to me.

[Coconut Man]

I'd find this cool but it depends.....

Did they use a print-out of Apple maps?

[Diabolical_Jazz]

The odds of intelligent life not existing somewhere out there in the universe are astronomically low actually.

Right, but *finding* it is more difficult the more rare it is. And the more avenues that intelligence could potentially evolve along, the less rare it is going to be, as intelligent species can potentially evolve in systems that we previously thought were inhospitable to 'advanced' forms of life.

Umm.... Not really...

Intelligent life it's probably very likely we wont ever find, considering the universe is (by our current understanding) ad infinitum.
Life on the other hand, just simple organisms is likely.
Considering the steps it took to take to the point of what we consider "intelligence" even though we can't properly define it, it significantly lowers the chance of ever finding intelligent life.
If this redefines what we actually consider intelligence that that chance increases. But what is to say this slime mould is intelligent? It's possible that it's ability to find the quickest route is encoded in it's DNA to pick up on markers in protiens and carbohydrates that we can't examine ourselves. Ok so maybe that could be defined as intelligence... Or is it defined as instinct?

Inteliigence more delves into philosophy than science. Philosophy drives me nuts, asks more questions than it answers... It's fine if you can't answer a question, it's when you can't find the answer to the question and therefor need to ask more questions, really gets to me.

I didn't mean to say that the slime mold was intelligent. I meant to suggest that it (or things like it) has the potential to evolve into an intelligent creature in systems that we might have considered inhospitable to intelligent life.

Also, the chances of intelligent life not-existing-at-all *are* pretty low, to my understanding. Other planets have had as long to develop as the Earth, and intelligence is a highly beneficial trait. There are other species on Earth that come shockingly close to exhibiting humanlike intelligence. It seems reasonable to assume that as long as there are other places in the universe that can support life, then intelligence will likely evolve on those planets to some degree or another.

[Matty_poo]

Oh I never statedthat we would find it, I believe we will, but no facts there. Just saying how enormous the universe is and how many worlds there are orbitting stars, it's likely life is out there somewhere.

Did they use a print-out of Apple maps?

every thread huh?

[Silver_rose]

It seems reasonable to assume that as long as there are other places in the universe that can support life, then intelligence will likely evolve on those planets to some degree or another.

I suppose, but I guess my argument isn't so much that there isn't. It's just considering the universe is infinite, it's unlikely we'll find it and therefor be unable to confirm there is intelligent life out there.
There are arguments that state that when considering the randomness of natural selection and the circumstances it takes to reach our level of intelligence, there's a chance that our intelligence is a one off, statistical improbability.

Personally, I would love for us to find intelligent life on another planet, it would change so much in science.
I just don't think there's much of a chance.

[Coconut Man]

every thread huh?

Okay, please take a trip somewhere (decent distance) with Apple maps, see how accurate it is.

[Affray]

I suppose, but I guess my argument isn't so much that there isn't. It's just considering the universe is infinite, it's unlikely we'll find it and therefor be unable to confirm there is intelligent life out there.
There are arguments that state that when considering the randomness of natural selection and the circumstances it takes to reach our level of intelligence, there's a chance that our intelligence is a one off, statistical improbability.

Personally, I would love for us to find intelligent life on another planet, it would change so much in science.
I just don't think there's much of a chance.

Who is to say that an intelligence born of another planet would be even remotely similar to our own.
Everything on Earth has basically the same format, just in different shapes and styles
I imagine that any sort of life formed on another planet, in another galaxy (potentially), of a completely different set of chemical/elemental components, and probably in a severely radical environment compared to ours would almost definitely be so amazingly foreign in construct that we wouldn't even know what to do with it.

So perhaps our specific brand of intelligence is a mathmatical anomoly, but when you add in the potential for intelligence to pop up in other formats, an infinite amount of potential formats, those odds go up exponentially.

[Silver_rose]

So perhaps our specific brand of intelligence is a mathmatical anomoly, but when you add in the potential for intelligence to pop up in other formats, an infinite amount of potential formats, those odds go up exponentially.

Agreed, entirely.

Everything on Earth has basically the same format

Erm... Please elaborate? Because I am not entirely sure what you mean by that, exactly.

[Diabolical_Jazz]

There are arguments that state that when considering the randomness of natural selection and the circumstances it takes to reach our level of intelligence, there's a chance that our intelligence is a one off, statistical improbability.

I've never heard those arguments, but I don't have any tendency towards that line of thinking. I mean, natural selection is random, yes, but there are a few traits that are common to a large number of creatures. A large portion of life on earth is ambulatory, for example. Low-level intelligence is an almost universally useful trait, and once a species starts selecting for intelligence, then it shouldn't be too uncommon for that race to continue to evolve further intelligence. The limiting factor, as I see it, would be the ability to use tools. Dolphins are plenty smart, but they can't use tools on account of they have no hands.
But I'm pretty sure there are evolutionary solutions to that conundrum that I can't even think of.

As far as whether or not we'll ever encounter intelligent life... I suppose that depends on whether or not we destroy ourselves before we develop faster-than-light travel.
There are actually some pretty sound theories on faster than light travel out there right now. I was reading, a few months ago, about a theoretical Alcubierre Drive with an oscillating... something. <_< Anyway, it brought the whole concept within the scope of conceivable amounts of energy. In *theory* we could invent a faster-than-light drive soon.

So yeah, recycle. You might get to meet aliens.

[Affray]

Erm... Please elaborate? Because I am not entirely sure what you mean by that, exactly.

We are all carbon based, everything living on Earth.
With the exception of that one bacteria that they found in those acid lakes that are arsenic based, but we've touched on that elsewhere.

So everything has the same base components, and thanks to our common ancestry we all share roughtly the same wiring in many respects.
All plants came from the same original plants, all mammals came from common ancestors, so naturally we are all formatted the same way on a very basic level. Brains, nervous systems, pulmonary system, the whole lot, we share with pretty much everything on Earth. Plants expluded, but they all have their own systems. We are all basically the same, but with innumerable generations of change and adaptation we have diversified and become unique. But everything still has that common starting point.

[Silver_rose]

So everything has the same base components

Are you talking about the elements which are found in every living organism, or are you referring to DNA? Because as you pointed out there are already exceptions to the rule.

[Affray]

Are you talking about the elements which are found in every living organism, or are you referring to DNA? Because as you pointed out there are already exceptions to the rule.

Yes, but exceptions don't necessarily ruin the integrity of the whole.