Stephen Hawking; Aliens Likely to be Hostile.

[dps]

Yes really. The process of diffusion is universal. Insects on Earth live with the same surface area to volume restrictions as insects on Vega 4.

It's easy to change the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere or in the sea.  However, past a certain size, active respiration is required.

Yeah, which answers Grey Fox's question--the theory is that the oxygen concentration at the time they lived was higher, which allowed then to attain a greater body size.

I think the point here is that you're not thinking hard enough.  Try being less stupid, and your problems will become much more manageable.

If he was less stupid, he might have noticed that Tim's post he was responding to didn't mention size in the first place.

[garbon]

They could be beings we can barely percieve (different molecular structures and densities, for example) and we could be sharing a planet with them without even knowing.

We'll only know when it happens.

And how do you propose that we would suddenly *know* this?

What is it?

[garbon]

What ever happened to that game? You know the one were you were supposed to build alien life from scratch and evolve; and was the most hyped game in Christendom?

It was no Sim Earth. Why it wasn't even Sim Farm.

[lustindarkness]

Movies and internet tells us that aliens are evil. If/when we find them, we must attack first, they will do the same if they find us first.

[Siege]

So, are you guys saying that sentient insects like in Starship troopers are not possible?

What about biotechnology, like organic lasers and shit?

[The Brain]

So, are you guys saying that sentient insects like in Starship troopers are not possible?

What about biotechnology, like organic lasers and shit?

I know for a fact that an organic battering ram is possible.

[garbon]

Batten down the hatches!

[Josephus]

What ever happened to that game? You know the one were you were supposed to build alien life from scratch and evolve; and was the most hyped game in Christendom?

It was no Sim Earth. Why it wasn't even Sim Farm.

No, no...Spore,  I remember now. What ever happened to that?

[Barrister]

What ever happened to that game? You know the one were you were supposed to build alien life from scratch and evolve; and was the most hyped game in Christendom?

It was no Sim Earth. Why it wasn't even Sim Farm.

No, no...Spore,  I remember now. What ever happened to that?

It was kind of meh in the end.

[sbr]

What ever happened to that game? You know the one were you were supposed to build alien life from scratch and evolve; and was the most hyped game in Christendom?

It was no Sim Earth. Why it wasn't even Sim Farm.

No, no...Spore,  I remember now. What ever happened to that?

It was kind of meh in the end.

That's what she said.

[Habbaku]

No, no...Spore,  I remember now. What ever happened to that?

Giant letdown, from what I recall.

[Jaron]

What if a giant race of turtle-men invaded the Earth?

[Barrister]

What if a giant race of turtle-men invaded the Earth?

The giaant ants of Brest-Litovsk would save us!

[Neil]

So, are you guys saying that sentient insects like in Starship troopers are not possible?

Something insect-like that is large would have to have a very different structure, much closer to that of other large animals.  Also, the relatively thin legs wouldn't be able to support a body that, because it is covered in armour, would be very heavy.  Virtually every system would have to be much more complex.

[Neil]

What ever happened to that game? You know the one were you were supposed to build alien life from scratch and evolve; and was the most hyped game in Christendom?

It was no Sim Earth. Why it wasn't even Sim Farm.

Sim Earth.  Now there's a game I'd love to see updated.  There aren't many programs I can run to simulate a prehistoric Earth.