Mars rover is frozen in place following software error

Re:Mars rover is frozen in place following software error by mnemonicsloth on Friday January 24, 2020 @06:16PM (#22143286)

You're right that fossil fuels are contingent. They exist because of a big evolutionary coincidence that might not be repeated on other worlds.

It's possible, though, that aliens might not need fossil fuels to get to space. If they had more efficient photosynthesis, for example (ours is <5% efficient), living plants could have the energy content of gasoline. They might eat gasoline. All their fuel usage would be carbon neutral (CO2 pulled out of the atmosphere). They would be way ahead of us.

Or it's possible that we're the most advanced because fossil fuels are necessary and nobody else got them.

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Re:Mars rover is frozen in place following software error by Brave-Steak on Friday January 24, 2020 @07:13PM (#22143586)

Wait, can you elaborate on that? Cursory glance at google suggests there can be sufficient other sources of hydrocarbons aside from dinosaurs being wiped out by a meteor.

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Re:Mars rover is frozen in place following software error by aaronblohowiak on Friday January 24, 2020 @07:58PM (#22143868)

Plants evolved lignin well before fungus figured out how to break it down. That gap in time is when most of our coal was formed.

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Re:Mars rover is frozen in place following software error by zepto on Friday January 24, 2020 @07:12PM (#22143575)

How efficient would these plants need to be?

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