• Question: If you found life on planet what would you do and why?

    Asked by Lara Drew to Alice, Bose, Christian, Emma, Steve on 7 Mar 2016.
    • Photo: Emma Dean

      Emma Dean answered on 7 Mar 2016:

      I would probably try and get as close to it as possible to investigate it, but staying a safe enough distance away, incase it squirts anything or bites.

      I would really like to take a sample of some sort. Not in a way that could cause any sort harm to the organism. I would be interested to know if it has DNA or the alien equivalent. If it does have DNA, does it share a common ancestor with life on earth? Or did it form totally independently? These questions would be great to answer, as it would give us an indication on how much life is in the universe and how easy/difficult it is for life to form.

    • Photo: Steve Marsden

      Steve Marsden answered on 7 Mar 2016:

      I’m pretty sure I’d do cartwheels. After a day or two of that, I think I’d have calmed down enough to want to know everything about it.

      Given how probable we think life is, we should have discovered intelligent life many times over by now. The fact that we haven’t is a source of little anxiety for me.

    • Photo: Benjamin Bose

      Benjamin Bose answered on 14 Mar 2016:

      After watching films like Alien I’d probably be very very cautious. I’d try to investigate but while being fully aware that the life might jump onto my face and turn me into an egg for it’s baby 😮

      But seriously, would be so cool to find life on another planet. I’d try not to disturb it and do what most researchers do when trekking through the rainforests or studying wildlife – leave it alone and try to study it with the least impact.

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