"Invisible" <voi### [at] devnull> wrote in message 
news:4d3dac89$1@news.povray.org...
>
> On the other hand, I'm still at a loss for how to include all this 
> interesting stuff without the simulation slowing down to the point where 
> it's slower than *actual* evolution...

I remember my high school chemistry teacher once taking the time to mention 
"how improbable we are".  When you consider everything from getting ANY type 
of life started in the first place, right up until the point where sentient 
life develops, it really makes you think.  I've even heard it said that 
without the moon, there is no chance that humans would have developed, since 
it has often protected us from asteroid impact.  Every time organisms 
started evolving to a certain level, BANG!

Anyway, yes.  There are so many things to consider that it really makes you 
wonder if we actually are alone in the universe.  Perhaps the odds of life 
evolving to this point are 1x10^21 to 1.  I'd like to think that's not the 
case, but it does make me wonder.  At that point, it becomes more of a 
philosophical issue, rather than a scientific one.  At this point, we have 
"one in a row" to work with, which really doesn't help very much.

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