The geological search for ancient life frequently zeroes in on fossilized organic structures or biominerals that can serve as “biosignatures,” that survive in the rock record over extremely long time scales. Mineral elements such as sulfur are often formed through biological activity. Microbes can also produce a variety of telltale extracellular structures that resemble sheaths and stalks.
However, according to new findings published in the journal Nature Communications, carbon-sulfur microstructures that would be recognized today by some experts as biomaterials are capable of self-assembling under certain conditions, even without direct biological activity. These “false” biosignatures could potentially be misinterpreted as signs of biological activity due to their strong resemblance to microbial structures. (1)
Life which is not life.
Isn’t that the norm?
Matter is matter. It can never by anything else. Looking into rocks for bio-signatures is as silly as looking in a silicon diode for traces of conscious intelligence.
Hm…
Perhaps not the right example.
Too many people are stupid enough to actually believe that computers have or could have “consciousness” like we do. But again, what is the actual difference between a rock and a computer? Complexity? What is the difference between us and a computer? Complexity? What is life is not that intangible thing which cannot be articulated in materialistic terms and, thus, gets all modern scientists run into a dead end when dealing with consciousness? Harmonia Philosophica has argued for a long long time against the dogmatism of materialism. Let us not fool ourselves: no matter how many arguments one postulates, he will never persuade those who are already persuaded.
Look into the rock.
Search for… life.
Look hard.
(Someone is laughing at you. Pay no attention)
Keep your eyes on the rock.
Hey!
I said!
Your eyes on the rock!
There there!
It is moving!
No?
Never mind!
(It must have been the wind)
It will move now!
Eyes on the rock.
On the rock!
Waaait for it…
Waaait…
Huh hmmm…
Feeling sleepy.
Waiit for it…
The roc…
This is just amazing! You might like my blog. I’m a Lifestyle and Philosophy blogger! Thanks!