What is out there ?
Discussion
Indeed. I suspect that there may be loads of planets with life out there, but it is largely academic because the distances involved are too great to travel. The fact that our skies aren’t teeming with aliens suggests that the limitations around the speed of light are pretty much universal, and that no one has worked out how to avoid the challenges of long distance space flight.
Another thing that could be worth considering is that intelligent life doesn't necessarily mean that they have to be using radio, or other forms of technological communication. The ancient Egyptians were intelligent, as were the Aztecs, the Romans etc. Maybe civilisations out there have stayed at that level, to be honest the advances we have made since then have led to destruction of rainforests, depletion of natural resources and the potential to eventually make the planet somewhat unlivable. You might surmise that the truly intelligent beings are the ones that live in harmony with their surroundings and aren't constantly coming up with new and exciting ways to destroy it
rxe said:
Indeed. I suspect that there may be loads of planets with life out there, but it is largely academic because the distances involved are too great to travel. The fact that our skies aren’t teeming with aliens suggests that the limitations around the speed of light are pretty much universal, and that no one has worked out how to avoid the challenges of long distance space flight.
The world is in a mess. I imagine any lifeforms could never make contact until we are at a stage, where we are much more enlightened. Religion is still massive, imagine aliens saying hello, and half the world suddenly realises their religious text misses them out, and just might have not been written by God.We have what 50 years of any decent tech development, add another 500 years and we probably can't imagine the future possibilities of travel etc
Edited by anonymous-user on Sunday 21st February 12:53
Mr-B said:
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 this is the one you refer to. It kind of makes you realise how vast 'out there' likely is.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoW8Tf7hTGA&ab...
Fermit and Sexy Sarah said:
Mr-B said:
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 this is the one you refer to. It kind of makes you realise how vast 'out there' likely is.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoW8Tf7hTGA&ab...
The Spruce Goose said:
people think is an edge to the universe, there isn't, it has expanded in all directions infinitely. How can we visualise this, we just can't understand it. That is why shapes that we recognise are used but they are not the true representative.
Well that all depends 
There, probably, is a measurable limit to the current size of the physical universe. Which also, possibly, might be in the shape of torus, so that if you travel far enough, you will end up back in the same place. Of course the universe is expanding, and what there probably isn't a limit to, is the size of the space (for want of a better word) that the universe is expanding into. But what the universe is expanding into, isn't space. At least not in any sense that we can quantify.
Either way, mind blowing and largely inconceivable to our puny brains.
Waitforme said:
Fermit and Sexy Sarah said:
Mr-B said:
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 this is the one you refer to. It kind of makes you realise how vast 'out there' likely is.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoW8Tf7hTGA&ab...
MYOB said:
Waitforme said:
Fermit and Sexy Sarah said:
Mr-B said:
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 this is the one you refer to. It kind of makes you realise how vast 'out there' likely is.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoW8Tf7hTGA&ab...
Fermit and Sexy Sarah said:
Ain't it just. What gets me, every time I see it, is the time the video states it would take us to travel the length of our universe. 279 BILLION light years. Doesn't half make you feel small, grain of sand on a beach small
Yes, but to be fair, there's a fair bit of assumptions made towards the end of the video as it's guess work as we have not discovered very much (if anything) outside of our own universe. But yes, it does a good job to demonstrate how insignificant we are in the great scheme of things. The Spruce Goose said:
deckster said:
You jumped on somebody for daring to suggest that Penrose might be wrong. The article you quoted actually suggested that Penrose was probably wrong, as well.
That aside: yes of course, you're absolutely right. What we perceive is the thinnest of veneers over a huge sea of unknown. But that's why it's all so exciting!
I think it fair that the theory by a highly decorated quantum theorist, respected in his many fields isn't just called ''bThat aside: yes of course, you're absolutely right. What we perceive is the thinnest of veneers over a huge sea of unknown. But that's why it's all so exciting!
ks..''The premise of his thoughts came from when he was a brain researcher and came up with the theory of that consciousness arises from quantum-mechanical processes. The same quantum-mechanical processes that are in the universe. Not a full on believer of Panpsychism, but similar thoughts.
''It acts according to a theory we don’t yet have.'' He said.
ks in just the same way that one can categorise the idea of quantum consciousness as bks as well. They're both metaphysical woo.This is also interesting when applied to the aforementioned Fermi Paradox....
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Filter
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Filter
McGee_22 said:
Avi Loeb (Harvard Prof of Astrophysics) points out the Drake equation requires active communication which is a pretty narrow demand. If our interest is in learning if life has arisen elsewhere, we’d do better to look for passive signatures such as atmospheric anomalies or Dyson spheres, and relics such as floating space junk which may have landed on planets in our solar system over the aeons. Massively widens the breadth of possible life you could capture, and the time over which you’re looking.After all, we’d never have found dinosaurs by listening for them...
I am convinced we will eventually find complex life within this solar system,probably some sort of shrimp around a thermal vent on europa or one of Jupiters other moons. It'll be mundane, but different due to gravity and environmental differences. And once we discover that, we will know that life will exist throughout the universe. How can it not?
bmwmike said:
I am convinced we will eventually find complex life within this solar system,probably some sort of shrimp around a thermal vent on europa or one of Jupiters other moons. It'll be mundane, but different due to gravity and environmental differences. And once we discover that, we will know that life will exist throughout the universe. How can it not?
Life exists in the universe, bacteria, fungi have been shown to survive in space. DNA has shown to form in space in simulations.The question is intelligent life
The Spruce Goose said:
bmwmike said:
I am convinced we will eventually find complex life within this solar system,probably some sort of shrimp around a thermal vent on europa or one of Jupiters other moons. It'll be mundane, but different due to gravity and environmental differences. And once we discover that, we will know that life will exist throughout the universe. How can it not?
Life exists in the universe, bacteria, fungi have been shown to survive in space. DNA has shown to form in space in simulations.The question is intelligent life
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