Do you think we will discover life somewhere other than earth in my lifetime?

[Curt]

Do you think we will discover life somewhere other than earth in my lifetime?  I'm 39 years old.  Would love to see this occur in my lifetime. When I say life I do not mean little green men running around but at least life at a Bacterial level that I would imagine may exist in liquid water on Europa for example.

[Tank]

I really hope we do. Preferably in the next 20 years as I'm 57. Instrumentation will be the key, in particular spectrometers and precesses that allow the light passing through the atmosphere of an exoplanet to be analysed in detail. The gas composition of a planet can be an indicator of the presence life processes. As far as intelligent aliens are concerned that's a whole different ball game.

What do you think will happen? 

[Dave]

I look forward to hearing an oxygen rich atmosphere has been found on another planet - an almost certain indicator of life.

[Curt]

I really hope we do. Preferably in the next 20 years as I'm 57. Instrumentation will be the key, in particular spectrometers and precesses that allow the light passing through the atmosphere of an exoplanet to be analysed in detail. The gas composition of a planet can be an indicator of the presence life processes. As far as intelligent aliens are concerned that's a whole different ball game.

What do you think will happen?

Do you have any idea how likely it is this type of Instrumentation will be developed in the near future?  I'm not familiar with that technology at all.

[Davin]

It's not very likely. But it gets more likely with each advance in space observation technology.

[joeactor]

Put me on the "hope it happens" list... not sure how probable it is, though...

[No one]

Well,  life is extremely unpredictable and can end in the blink of an eye. So, anyone's lifetime can end in the next few seconds, which almost certainly ensures that life outside of earth would not be discovered in said lifetime.

Also, alien life be discovered, and that discovery being disclosed to the general population, are two entirety different things.

[xSilverPhinx]

It's not very likely. But it gets more likely with each advance in space observation technology.

This is my opinion as well.

I think that in order to say that life exists with some degree of certainty in our lifetime we would have to send an uncontaminated probe to another planet or moon in our very own solar system, capable of analysing soil, water or air samples and sending the data of positive results back to Earth. That would be the quickest, and even so, it could take many years depending on where the probe is sent.

You can analyse atmospheres of interstellar bodies or calculate the probability of exoplanets or exomoons harbouring life but they'd just be possibilities until some more substantial evidence is found.

*Edited for clarity.

[Claireliontamer]

I kind of hope I'm proved wrong but I don't think we will.  The problem is the massive size of space and the time it takes to explore.

[xSilverPhinx]

I look forward to hearing an oxygen rich atmosphere has been found on another planet - an almost certain indicator of life.

Is it?

If a planet is so close to it's star then it could be heavily radiated with ultraviolet light, which breaks water (relatively abundant in the universe) into oxygen and hydrogen. Planets may exist where hydrogen, with less mass than oxygen, can escape an atmosphere but the oxygen can't, leaving an oxygen-rich atmosphere but with no life.

Also, when simple life arose on planet Earth they were most likely oxygen-intolerant anaerobes. O₂ is such a vicious molecule that it takes a bit of evolving in order to deal with it, and even so, it eventually gets the best of us.

[Tank]

I look forward to hearing an oxygen rich atmosphere has been found on another planet - an almost certain indicator of life.

Is it?

If a planet is so close to it's star then it could be heavily radiated with ultraviolet light, which breaks water (relatively abundant in the universe) into oxygen and hydrogen. Planets may exist where hydrogen, with less mass than oxygen, can escape an atmosphere but the oxygen can't, leaving an oxygen-rich atmosphere but with no life.

Also, when simple life arose on planet Earth they were most likely oxygen-intolerant anaerobes. O₂ is such a vicious molecule that it takes a bit of evolving in order to deal with it, and even so, it eventually gets the best of us.

Oxygen is obviously very reactive and gets removed from the atmosphere by reacting with iron and such. But you're quite right there would be circumstances where oxygen would not be a reliable indicator. Methane is another element associated with life processes.

[Tank]

The future of spectroscopic life detection on exoplanets

[xSilverPhinx]

Methane is another element associated with life processes.

And volcanoes?

[Tank]

Methane is another element associated with life processes.

And volcanoes?

Don't know. Apparently methane is quickly absorbed chemically and has to be replenished by life processes.

[Icarus]

I posted elsewhere, in the what are you reading thread, a rather scholarly exposition about this subject. The book: Goldilocks and the Water Bears by Louisa Preston is brimming with this kind of subject matter.  The difference is that ms. Preston is a highly credentialed British Astrobiologist. This is her field of endeavor.

^^ Oxygen is not necessary for life forms, nor is a narrow range of temperatures or radiation limitations. We humans have a bit of difficulty imagining  life forms that do not comply with that which earthlings can conceive of. 

Besides all that; God works in mysterious ways.......