Planet HD 209458b, as photographed by
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope- a giant
gaseous planet with a hot and bloated
atmosphere that currently is evaporating into space.
Scientists at Caltech recently released studies which theorize that plants on other worlds may not be green since the color of a planet’s photosynthetic organisms depends on the type of star the planet orbits and the makeup of its atmosphere.
Scientists of course have the imagination of a houseplant. Green is a human term given to our earthbound perception of a wavelength of light which happens to fall on our own puny planet.
Any decent science fiction writer can imagine incredible worlds where plants are sentient beings that change their colors like earth’s chameleons or cosmic mood rings. How do we know for certain there are not intelligent plants on Mars right now, which wisely choose to remain invisible, knowing humanity’s penchant for eating every living thing on our own planet?
Caltech should have consulted the late great Kilgore Trout, the noted science fiction author who penned numerous stories about the fictitious planet Trafalmadore. Trout theorized that the planet’s inhabitants communicated by farting and tap dancing. Now that’s using your imagination!
Farewell Kilgore Trout, Billy Pilgrim and Eliot Rosewater… and goodbye to you too, Mr. Vonnegut. All I can add is this: “Tap tap tappity-tap BLATTTT,” which, of course, is Trafalmadorian for “Thank you Kurt, from the bottom of our colons.”
Scientists of course have the imagination of a houseplant. Green is a human term given to our earthbound perception of a wavelength of light which happens to fall on our own puny planet.
Any decent science fiction writer can imagine incredible worlds where plants are sentient beings that change their colors like earth’s chameleons or cosmic mood rings. How do we know for certain there are not intelligent plants on Mars right now, which wisely choose to remain invisible, knowing humanity’s penchant for eating every living thing on our own planet?
Caltech should have consulted the late great Kilgore Trout, the noted science fiction author who penned numerous stories about the fictitious planet Trafalmadore. Trout theorized that the planet’s inhabitants communicated by farting and tap dancing. Now that’s using your imagination!
Farewell Kilgore Trout, Billy Pilgrim and Eliot Rosewater… and goodbye to you too, Mr. Vonnegut. All I can add is this: “Tap tap tappity-tap BLATTTT,” which, of course, is Trafalmadorian for “Thank you Kurt, from the bottom of our colons.”
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