Jimmimac posted this link to me... well worth a read ~ http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/070814_plasma_life.html

Funny this Russian scientist has trouble defining what so many others have defined for millenia: Traits of Living Organisms.

Plasma is an infinitely fascinating thing, and its entrancing movements within a plasma sphere seem almost organic, sensuously alive.  Still, when I read scientific papers like this it makes me wonder how some scientists get funding for their work and/or are permitted to publish.  The Russian author, while not specifically arguing that plasma may be alive, posits that because it can spontaneously organize injected particles into helices and, according to him, reproduce, that it might rework our definitions of what life is.  Nature is full of higher order structures - what natural structure around us is not composed of fractals, for instance?  To claim that simply because helices in plasma resemble the overall shape of DNA (nevermind the individual nucleotides or information contained therein that we must rework our definition of life is purely a ploy for publicitiy based on circumstantial evidence.

Shostak's publication is an example of great experiments producing really interesting data, but pretentious and maniacally over-reaching in discussion.

Doesn't rule out the possibility, though.

Possible Cause : Mutant X in motion......here i'll hear Richi restarting the space Gum of another topi LOL

The voice of reason, glad I posted this here though 'cos Rich has put the article in perspective, at least for me.

I got to thinking about your suggestion for an update on the NASA website Rich, I wish they'd do something about updating those ceramic heat shield tiles on the shuttle... nerve wracking every time the darned thing leaves the launch pad.