What’s Needed for Life (Revisited)

Last updated on: April 18, 2018 at 1:01 pm by Dan Peterson

What’s Needed for Life (Revisited) 2018-04-18T13:01:27-06:00 Dan Peterson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Inconceivably vast but relatively puny,
Galaxy NGC 2857 offers us a perfect view of a spiral galaxy.
Public domain image from the European Southern Observatory

The Israeli-American Gerald L. Schroeder earned B.Sc., M.Sc., and Ph.D. degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in nuclear physics and in earth and planetary sciences. He teaches today at Jerusalem’s College of Jewish Studies. The following — which should really be read in conjunction with my earlier entry titled “What’s Needed for Life” — is taken from his book God According to God: A Scientist Discovers We’ve Been Wrong About God All Along (New York: HarperOne, 2009), 78-80:

The frequency of isolated spiral galaxies is about one galaxy in ten, or 0.1
The fraction of stars in the galaxy located in a region of low local density of stars, that is, between the spiral arms and far from the galactic center, 0.001.
The fraction of stars in the galaxy located in a region of high local density of metals, 0.01.
The fraction of stars with a mass similar to the sun’s mass, 0.05.
The formation of a stellar system around the remnants of a second- or third-generation supernova within a few billion years of the most recent supernova, 0.1.
The fraction of planets that are metal-rich planets, 0.5.
The fraction of planets that have low (relative to asteroid composition) carbon content, 0.3.
The fraction of planets that have low (relative to asteroid composition) water content, 0.3.
The fraction of planets that have a molten iron-rich core, 0.2.
The fraction of planets with mass (gravity) able to hold an oxygen-rich but not hydrogen-rich atmosphere, 0.2.
The fraction of planets with continent-forming plate tectonics, 0.1.
The fractionof planets with nearly circular orbit, 0.5.
The fraction of planets approximately 150 million kilometers from a sun-like star, 0.1.
The fraction of planetary systems with huge outer planets, 0.01.
The fraction of planetary systems with no huge inner planets, 0.1.
The fraction of planets with a period of planetary rotation on the order of days, 0.5.
The fraction of planets with a moderate tilt to the planet’s axis of rotation, 0.2.
The fraction of planets with a large moon, 0.05.

Multiplying these admittedly gross, but nonetheless conservative, estimates, which are based on the conditions observed within our life-supporting galaxy and solar system and on our life-nurturing earth, the likelihood of finding anywhere in the entire universe a stellar system with a planet able to support complex intelligent life is one chance in 1018. The estimated number of stars in the entire visible universe is in the order of 1022. This indicates that in the entire universe there may be approximately 104, or 10,000, earthlike planets circling a sunlike star. These 10,000 potentially earthlike planets would be distributed among the 1011, or 100,000,000,000, galaxies in the entire visible universe. That comes out to be one earthlike planet for each 10,000,000 galaxies. The probability that any one galaxy would have more than one life-bearing stellar system is slim indeed.

Of course, this estimate relates only to the possibility of finding conditions that would nurture life once it started. We learn nothing here concerning the properties required for the inception of life. Since we have no knowledge as to how life started on earth, and started remarkably rapidly, there are no data on which to base an estimation that might indicate the likelihood of life originating on any one of those rare life-friendly planets. Considering the uniqueness of our home in space, chances are that we are alone in our galaxy and possibly alone in the universe.

One fact is certain. We live on a very special planet that circles our star in a very special way, in a universe that has all the markings of being the product of design.

Because of statements made in their unique scriptural canon, Latter-day Saints have a more optimistic perspective on the likelihood of extraterrestrial than Dr. Schroeder does. But his comments are nonetheless interesting.

Previous Post

April 12, 2018

Some Notes on English Translations of the Qur’an (Part 5)

Next Post

April 12, 2018 Ultimate Questions

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 March 2014 August 2013 February 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

True or False: James states that the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity.

Select your answer to see how you score.

FALSE TRUE