A chance for survival

Human beings are far and away the most intelligent creatures on the face of the earth. For that matter, most scientists are inclined to agree with Stephen Hawking, the world's current Einstein, that we are probably the most advanced intelligent life in the entire universe. Hawkings discounts suggestions that UFO's contain beings from outer space. “I think any visits by aliens, would be much more obvious, and probably also, much more unpleasant," he says.

Personally, I think that Hawkings is wrong as far as intelligence in the Universe is concerned. It seems more than likely that there are countless life forms with intelligence so far beyond our own that, just as ants can't see people, we can't detect them. This idea is supported by the irrefutable fact that we are on the 'knee' of an exponential progress curve that will take us to the stars in within this century – if we don't kill ourselves first.

Who would have dreamed, only a year ago, that we would be able to manipulate the DNA of algae to make it secrete a hydrocarbon-like liquid that can power cars and planes without modifying their engines? Yet super-scientist Craig Venter, the man who mapped the entire human Genome only a few years ago, is now only 18 months away from producing a clean algal biofuel that will rid the atmosphere of carbon dioxide and make the entire oil industry redundant before the year 2012.

Being smart doesn't guarantee our long-term survival however. In fact, the reverse could be true. Jellyfish, not man, might well be alive long after all other multi-celled creatures, including ourselves, have been killed off by the by-products of the advances we create with our superior 'intelligence'.

Most species of 'jellies' have no brains at all – nor stomachs, kidneys, liver, lungs, or other vital organs either. Except for one advanced killer jelly, they don't even have hearts. What they do have though, is the ability to live in waters too polluted to sustain more complex life forms. They are the only creatures that can live happily in water saturated with carbon dioxide, and survive for extended periods without oxygen. They have already proved their survivability through more than 540 million years and all five of the great mass extinctions of life on earth, including the last one, which bumped off the dinosaurs.

Most jellyfish spawn thousands of offspring when threatened or killed. One species is biologically immortal and will live forever, unless physically destroyed. You have to admit those are pretty impressive survival skills.

As far as I can see, humanity's only hope lies with the unlimited genius and vision of the amazing Craig Ventor, and his bid to replace the oil industry with algae secretions.