The Earth is small. Many people find this hard to believe, but when you think about Earth in context, among billions of galaxies, stars, planets and an infinite universe, Earth is just a single grain of sand on the beach that is space. With this in mind, one may understandably find it difficult to believe that Earth is the only planet where life lives. Thanks to today's technological and scientific advances, much evidence has been found suggesting a high probability of life on other planets. The discovery of life on other planets has enormous implications for humanity, as it would likely provide a better understanding of what human life is, how it arose, and perhaps even understand why humans exist. possibility of life on other planets. This may be for religious reasons or because many people see it as more science fiction than science, but there is a substantial difference between Hollywood's perception of aliens and what is likely the first extraterrestrial life discovered (Borenstein). In reality, carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and a few other basic elements are enough to create the miracle of life, and these chemicals could exist in countless places other than Earth (Bryson 2). Some life forms may not even need it, like the microbe found in a California lake, which was able to survive on arsenic and phosphorus alone (Borenstein). According to Borenstein, the "life" scientists are looking for is more accurately described as a life form or microbial ooze, much like the microbes that evolved into humans through evolution. About 140 billion galaxies inhabit the universe, including between one hundred billion and four hundred billion stars on Earth... middle of paper ......rawstory.com/rs/2010/12/08/evidence-mounting -daily-proven/>Bryson, Bill. A brief history of almost everything. New York: Broadway Books, 2003. Print. Cohen, Daniel. Ancient visitors: have creatures from other planets ever lived on Earth? Garden City, NY: Double & Comp., Inc., 1976. Print. Kaufman, Marc. “Reach for the stars: it’s alive there!” Scientists are looking for evidence. McClathy-Tribute News Service. June 17, 2011: np Web. March 15, 2012. Spotts, Pete. “In the search for life, more planetary “candidates” are found. Are any of them fair? » Christian Science Monitor. September 12, 2011: np Web. March 15, 2012. “History of the Universe.” European Space Agency, 2011. Web. April 15 2012.