Perhaps the reason we've only found life on Earth is because we've only been able to extensively study Earth. Just a thought. Also, you seem to be rambling with no clear point.

Oops my bad. Got Europa confused with Titan lol

[quote]Every time I hear about life or water elsewhere in our solar system, I laugh. We have been searching for decades [/quote] Longer. But what's that got to do with anything, as technology advances we are able to look better than before and that's just increasing. [quote]trying to use liquid water as a basis for life. [/quote] It's top of the list, what can we say? [quote]We have only 1 source for "life as we know it"; Earth. [/quote] I wonder why that is? Oh that's right, it is also the only planet we have been able to thoroughly examine! [quote]Just because almost every species on the planet uses liquid water, we think that life uses water. [/quote] Actually it's every species as far as my quick google tells. Any you can name? [quote]We are wrong. Life can come in many shapes, sizes, colors, and elemental makeups. [/quote] Very possible, well shapes, sizes and [b]colours[/b] is a given, but I and Stephen Hawkins for two agree on the makeup [u]possibility[/u]. [quote]Biology does not care about what we think we know. Ignoring other possibilities because they don't fit our idea of what constitutes life is only going to stunt our knowledge.[/quote] Well 'biology' certainly evolves species to suit their needs over generations. That is surely an example of biology caring what we need, ignoring possibilities that don't fit what we constitute as life... But again, me and many others agree about this 'makeup' argument. [quote] -------------------------------------------------- Some fun examples of biology givings zero shits: Scientists have found a microbe on Earth that breathes through metal. That's right, breathes through metal. Platypus: a mammal which lays eggs, feeds it young milk without a nipple, has poisonous spurs on males, and has the sense of electrolocation. Parietal eyes. Parthenogenesis in vertebrates. ---------------------------------------------------- If we look for life forms that don't fit our criteria, we might be surprised at what we would have missed otherwise. For all we know Jupiter has life forms flying around in its upper layers that we can't see but since Europa has liquid water, it gets all the focus.[/quote] Yes nature is a weird and wonderful place. There are many more interesting freaks. So I guess I agree with you but felt your rant needed... Composure. [spoiler]mostly bored[/spoiler]

Your logic is backwards. Of course Mother Nature doesn't work according to what we know. We know what we know in accordance with Mother Nature. WE KNOW life can come from liquid water because it does on earth. I could very well exist from other base compounds but we don't know that because we haven't seen it. So the question is, what is the most effecient way of searching for life off of earth? Look for liquid water. Because we know it worked on earth is could work elsewhere. And that is what is so exciting about liquid water on Mars! We now have a place that is relatively close to home that could support life!

I agree. I think the issue is that we have a better chance of discovering life in water because that's what we are familiar with. Until we have technology that makes it easier to detect life, it will be hard to find organisms existing in other mediums (such as jupiters atmosphere) because we don't understand the biology.