What is out there ?

[Anthony Micallef]

Just because space is infinite doesn’t mean there is life out there.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermi_paradox

[Windlepoons]

I'm pretty sure we are not alone in the universe, also think that the earth will probally be long gone before any intelligent life makes it this far

There's roughly 8.7 million species on this single planet, when you consider the amount of other planets out there I personally think it's impossible that not a single one of them have any form of sentient life, some even advanced.

[Mr-B]

There was YT video linked on the YT thread I think which was all about how big space is, and it was mind blowing, it's worth a watch if you can find it.

I think there is definitely life out there as advanced as Humans if not more so but we will never know for sure, even if mankind lasts another billion years (which I don't think we will but that is another discussion altogether)

[And172940]

The intelligent life thing always makes me laugh.
There will certainly be other life forms in the universe, most of them much more intelligent than us.
In the time that us humans have considered ourselves to be intelligent, we've spent most of it trying to kill each other.
And we call ourselves an intelligent life form.

[philv]

Gary C said:

population of the universe: none.

It is known that there are an infinite number of worlds, simply because there is an infinite amount of space for them to be in. However, not every one of them is inhabited. Therefore, there must be a finite number of inhabited worlds. Any finite number divided by infinity is as near to nothing as makes no odds, so the average population of all the planets in the Universe can be said to be zero. From this it follows that the population of the whole Universe is zero, and that any people you may meet from time to time are merely the products of a deranged imagination.

Infinite number of worlds.
W% are inhabited.

infinity * w
/
100
= infinite number of habited worlds

[Dog Star]

Is there life elsewhere - I have no doubt whatsoever.

Was there life of some sort on Mars - I think there’s a very good chance.

However intelligent life from outside our solar system - have a look for the “Fermi Paradox”. It’s quite depressing reading.

We won’t see them, and they won’t see us.

[105.4]

And172940 said:

The intelligent life thing always makes me laugh.
There will certainly be other life forms in the universe, most of them much more intelligent than us.
In the time that us humans have considered ourselves to be intelligent, we've spent most of it trying to kill each other.
And we call ourselves an intelligent life form.

Define intelligent life?

Humans, yes.
Chimps or dolphins?
Cats and dogs?

Even trees growing close to each other will be aware of each other’s existence and try to grow away from each other, which I guess could be argued is a form of intelligence?

[DoctorX]

Fascinating link I found on another thread:

https://waitbutwhy.com/2014/05/fermi-paradox.html

[MYOB]

Earth culminated from the Big Bang. Apparently a very very very rare and almost fortunate explosion that is probably almost impossible to replicate again. So it's possible we are indeed the only life in existence due to the way the Big Bang occurred.

However, it would be arrogant to believe that we ARE the only form of life.

We will never really know if the galaxies are infinite either. Earth will explode by the time humans figure out a way to explore such distance!

[LeadFarmer]

There are probably more intelligent life forms in outer space than there are in Rotherham.

[john2443]

Not my theory, I can't remember where I heard it

It's quite likely that at some point, intelligent life did/does/will exist somewhere else, but -

If the big bang happened at midnight and it's now midday, then we've been here for about 6 seconds.

We know there aren't inhabited planets anywhere close so anyone travelling here is going to take quite a while to do it and the chances that they have evolved at the right time and have the means of travelling lots of light years and arrive here during those 6 seconds is fairly remote so we probably will never know the answer!

[Triumph Man]

I’ve always thought that in the vastness of space, it would be arrogant to think we are alone.

[Tyre Smoke]

LeadFarmer said:

There are probably more intelligent life forms in outer space than there are in Rotherham.

This deserves greater recognition.

Of course there is life out there. We will never knowingly encounter it.

[Drawweight]

When I was a kid I would occasionally lie on our shed roof and stare up at the stars.

I used to feel a bit sad because the reality of it is I (and in fact possibly our whole species) would live out our lifetime and die without ever knowing what’s out there.

[MikeM6]

MYOB said:

Earth culminated from the Big Bang. Apparently a very very very rare and almost fortunate explosion that is probably almost impossible to replicate again. So it's possible we are indeed the only life in existence due to the way the Big Bang occurred.

However, it would be arrogant to believe that we ARE the only form of life.

We will never really know if the galaxies are infinite either. Earth will explode by the time humans figure out a way to explore such distance!

Whilst the big bang may be very rare, it only needed to happen once to allow the entire universe to become. The universe is vast, some believe infinite although it is also expanding, and everything in the universe comes from the single point of origin.

The laws of physics are universal across it and so the conditions for life the same wherever. So the fact that there is life on this planet means it is possible, and so given the scale of the universe, probable that in identical conditions life will be present.

In addition to that, a planet orbiting a sun in the Goldilocks zone is not the only place life can be found, as heat generated from the gravity of a black hole or even a larger planet, may be enough to sustain some form of life.

Unless there is some form of intervention that only allowed life to be on earth (which we can discount as so improbable as to be virtually disproven), there is no reason for us to be alone.

Therefore, one big bang is sufficient to create a universe that is most probably full of life, however, whether it has other intelligent life is a bigger question.

Humanity may very well not be around long enough to see the end of our planet, let alone be able to find other intelligent life, so we may never know. Or we might be lucky and catch a glimmer of life elsewhere.

[105.4]

Tyre Smoke said:

LeadFarmer said:

There are probably more intelligent life forms in outer space than there are in Rotherham.

This deserves greater recognition.

Of course there is life out there. We will never knowingly encounter it.

Having previously run a pub in Eastwood Rotherham, I can concur

[TwigtheWonderkid]

Gecko1978 said:

I have always assumed if the universe is as big as we think then odds are there are other life forms. Though they could have litetally evolved and died out millions of years before us.

Yes, time is the enemy.
The universe is close on 15 billion years old. And it will carry on for trillions of years. The Earth is just 4.7b years old, and only has another 5 billions years before the sun swallows us up. So this planet will only exist for a minute fraction of the universe's life. Within that minute fraction, is an even tinier fraction, which is the period humans will exist and be in a position to record and monitor any meeting with another life form.

So the chances of other life may be good, but the chances of us and them coinciding in time and meeting, nil, or very close to nil.

[PopsandBangs]

Of course there is something out there, but if you look just how completely random human and animal and plant life is (just think about the human brain for a minute and what it does/can do for a pile of mush... what the actual fk??!) "it" could be an infinite number of things. Some sort of intelligent gas that communicates and lives and works together, or some other such unfathomable and literally unimaginable force or life form, totally beyond our ability to comprehend. Something that we just cannot even begin to imagine, as it doesn't fall within the realm of what our minds can even picture or theorize. Something not even physical or made of anything we would consider "matter".

There might even be "life" on the moon or Mars for all we know, but its beyond what we can see or detect with our capabilities!

It is also just as likely that there are human beings exactly the same as us I reckon, trillions and trillions and trillions and trillions of lightyears away somewhere.

I have come to the conclusion that its just even worth thinking too much about - could cause a black hole to appear in the brain and swallow itself

Edited by PopsandBangs on Friday 19th February 09:09

Edited by PopsandBangs on Friday 19th February 09:16

[Gary C]

hucumber said:

bigandclever said:

That’s debatable. Not by someone with my tiny brain, mind.

It isn't debatable, its an untrue statement

Woooosh !!!!!

Have you never read Hitchhikers ?

[J4CKO]

My theory is I am a Boltzmann Brain and all this is a freaky fully formed but false memory that I happened into being with, I will only exist for an instant but with the vagaries of space time it feels like 50 years so far.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boltzmann_brain

So this is all false, and other incidences of the same phenomena will be having quite different experiences, I feel like I have free will and autonomy but that is only an impression as the memories play out in a pre ordained fashion that was defined when I came into existence, including this post.

It always amazes me that our only documented experiences with alien life forms involves them picking on lone Americans in deserted corn fields, then, after coming all that way fixating on their arses, doesn't add up. If a lifeform can travel across the vastness of space fast enough to visit earth they have enough tech to download some info and work out our physiology. After all that travel their first thought is to inspect Billy-Joe Jimbobs rusty sheriff badge ?