Discovery of aliens
Discussion
Indeed because of the distances involved the chances of being in the same place at the same time are very very slim.
“Aliens” may have visited the Earth millions of years ago or might visit in the future. The chances of meeting them are almost nil as our time on Earth is all but a little flash.
“Aliens” may have visited the Earth millions of years ago or might visit in the future. The chances of meeting them are almost nil as our time on Earth is all but a little flash.
Intelligent life in the universe? I struggle to find intelligent life on my local Facebook group.
But seriously. Our current understanding of physics says nothing travels faster than light and the distances of the next nearest stars, galaxies, planets mean nothing could ever reach us in our lifetimes to know. I say our current understanding because it could be wrong, it's a 100+ year old theory and there is still plenty we don't know. We don't why gravity does what it does.
I heard Neil de Grass Tyson say that life started on Earth about as early as it could. Which suggests its not particularly hard for life to form and given the 4 main atoms that make up us H, O, C, N are also the 4 most abundant in the universe and given the scale of the universe I think its highly likely there is life on another planet. I also think its likely that even if our understanding of physics is worng, even if an advanced race can bend space time, if there is another planet with life, there are a billion other planets with life and what makes ours so interesting they will park their spaceships in our atmosphere.
I also think the public at large could not handle the impact of knowing there is another set of beings put there.
But seriously. Our current understanding of physics says nothing travels faster than light and the distances of the next nearest stars, galaxies, planets mean nothing could ever reach us in our lifetimes to know. I say our current understanding because it could be wrong, it's a 100+ year old theory and there is still plenty we don't know. We don't why gravity does what it does.
I heard Neil de Grass Tyson say that life started on Earth about as early as it could. Which suggests its not particularly hard for life to form and given the 4 main atoms that make up us H, O, C, N are also the 4 most abundant in the universe and given the scale of the universe I think its highly likely there is life on another planet. I also think its likely that even if our understanding of physics is worng, even if an advanced race can bend space time, if there is another planet with life, there are a billion other planets with life and what makes ours so interesting they will park their spaceships in our atmosphere.
I also think the public at large could not handle the impact of knowing there is another set of beings put there.
An almost infinite number of planets and an almost infinite amount of time make the Drake equation lean towards there being life somewhere and at some time on some other planet, but…
…an almost infinite distance and an almost infinite timeframe lean more heavily towards humans on earth never being able to contact or confirm life elsewhere at any time.
Interestingly Prof Brian Cox is now of the opinion that we will not find intelligent life elsewhere in our Milky Way, and we will be unable to confirm life outside our galaxy within the expected timespan of human life on earth.
…an almost infinite distance and an almost infinite timeframe lean more heavily towards humans on earth never being able to contact or confirm life elsewhere at any time.
Interestingly Prof Brian Cox is now of the opinion that we will not find intelligent life elsewhere in our Milky Way, and we will be unable to confirm life outside our galaxy within the expected timespan of human life on earth.
Seems to me there are 6 good answers to the “Fermi Paradox” (if space is so big, where is everyone?”):
1. We are alone. Intelligent life has never grown up anywhere else.
2. They’re there but they are deliberately hiding.
3. We have seen them, there is evidence and we just don’t realise it.
4. They’re there but their culture and technology does not make them visible.
5. They were there, but died out before we could see them.
6. They are there but so far away their signals haven’t reached us yet.
My view is that (1), (2) and (3) seem unlikely, but one or more of (4), (5) and (6) seem entirely possible. The universe is enormous and billions of years old and the span of time we could have detected anything and our ability to detect it is so vanishingly small.
So my belief is that there is other intelligent life out there, and probably a lot of non-intelligent life. I’m hopeful we’ll discover proof of the non-intelligent kind elsewhere in the universe in my lifetime. I’m rather doubtful we’ll find the intelligent kind whilst I’m around, but may well do in the next few million years (if we don’t obliterate ourselves first).
1. We are alone. Intelligent life has never grown up anywhere else.
2. They’re there but they are deliberately hiding.
3. We have seen them, there is evidence and we just don’t realise it.
4. They’re there but their culture and technology does not make them visible.
5. They were there, but died out before we could see them.
6. They are there but so far away their signals haven’t reached us yet.
My view is that (1), (2) and (3) seem unlikely, but one or more of (4), (5) and (6) seem entirely possible. The universe is enormous and billions of years old and the span of time we could have detected anything and our ability to detect it is so vanishingly small.
So my belief is that there is other intelligent life out there, and probably a lot of non-intelligent life. I’m hopeful we’ll discover proof of the non-intelligent kind elsewhere in the universe in my lifetime. I’m rather doubtful we’ll find the intelligent kind whilst I’m around, but may well do in the next few million years (if we don’t obliterate ourselves first).
I'd be amazed if there isn't plenty of it out there.
I'll also be amazed if we ever get to chill with them.
And since we can't even communicate with other mammals on our own planet, or Japanese people, I dunno what we'd say to each other.
Hopefully some equations or something.
Maybe some day one of them will read this. High five from the deep past.
I'll also be amazed if we ever get to chill with them.
And since we can't even communicate with other mammals on our own planet, or Japanese people, I dunno what we'd say to each other.
Hopefully some equations or something.
Maybe some day one of them will read this. High five from the deep past.
My theory is that the universe is teaming with intelligent and non-intelligent life but travel or communication across the distances involved is for all practical purposes impossible. It makes me sad that we will probably never know what’s out there. I think it’s clear from the sheer diversity of animal life on earth that alien life will be shockingly unfamiliar to us. I also imagine other habitable planets will be beyond what our imaginations can conjure up.
We are monkeys, we evolved on a little planet. We cannot comprehend what is really out there. Life in forms that we cannot understand and don't even fit with our term of ''life''. Life evolved in nebulas, stars black holes, who knows. The problem with humans is we think we know it all, hubris.
Least not forget life most likely evolved from a chemical processes, non life. Rocks that become ''alive'' could exist, in a state we just can't understand.
Atoms, molecules could have ''consciousness'', communicating, excreting.
Star Consciousness: An Alternative to Dark Matter
https://www.centauri-dreams.org/2012/06/13/star-co...
Least not forget life most likely evolved from a chemical processes, non life. Rocks that become ''alive'' could exist, in a state we just can't understand.
Atoms, molecules could have ''consciousness'', communicating, excreting.
Star Consciousness: An Alternative to Dark Matter
https://www.centauri-dreams.org/2012/06/13/star-co...
Edited by Cockaigne on Sunday 21st May 23:58
Cockaigne said:
We are monkeys, we evolved on a little planet. We cannot comprehend what is really out there. Life in forms that we cannot understand and don't even fit with our term of ''life''. Life evolved in nebulas, stars black holes, who knows. The problem with humans is we think we know it.
Least not forget life most likely evolved from a chemical processes, non life. Rocks that become ''alive'' could exist, in a state we just can't understand.
Yes I agree. Life out there could be unfathomably different to what we understand to be a life form.Least not forget life most likely evolved from a chemical processes, non life. Rocks that become ''alive'' could exist, in a state we just can't understand.
Edited by AudiMan9000 on Monday 22 May 06:51
AudiMan9000 said:
Yes I agree. Life out there could be unfashionably different to what we understand to be a life form.
We search for life similar to ourselves. We need to search for life totally different to ourselves.this is from 2003
''Physicists have created blobs of gaseous plasma that can grow, replicate and communicate – fulfilling most of the traditional requirements for biological cells. Without inherited material they cannot be described as alive, but the researchers believe these curious spheres may offer a radical new explanation for how life began.''
https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn4174-plasma...
Cockaigne said:
We are monkeys, we evolved on a little planet. We cannot comprehend what is really out there. Life in forms that we cannot understand and don't even fit with our term of ''life''. Life evolved in nebulas, stars black holes, who knows. The problem with humans is we think we know it all, hubris.
Least not forget life most likely evolved from a chemical processes, non life. Rocks that become ''alive'' could exist, in a state we just can't understand.
Atoms, molecules could have ''consciousness'', communicating, excreting.
Star Consciousness: An Alternative to Dark Matter
https://www.centauri-dreams.org/2012/06/13/star-co...
Arguably they may be, just on a timescale incomprehensible to us.Least not forget life most likely evolved from a chemical processes, non life. Rocks that become ''alive'' could exist, in a state we just can't understand.
Atoms, molecules could have ''consciousness'', communicating, excreting.
Star Consciousness: An Alternative to Dark Matter
https://www.centauri-dreams.org/2012/06/13/star-co...
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