Is E.T. out there?
According to Car Sagan and others the universe could well be teeming with intelligent life but how likely is that really and, even if it is, how likely is contact? And will it ultimately solve our problem of being, in a sense, cosmic orphans?
A plausible response to this question is that, at this stage of cosmic history, we are probably contactable but so far we haven't heard anything neither has anyone answered our own plaintive call first transmitted in the '70's. My guess is that SETI won't pick up much beyond static and pulsars.
On the other hand, suppose there is many civilisations out there and we all make contact and form a sort of Universal Community of Intelligent Life - what then? Will we feel isolated and alone in our universe thinking that we are the only universe in the larger multiverse with intelligent beings and so on in whatever hierarchy of superverses follows that, each level with the same problem. We might encounter exotic, advanced and enlightened beings but ultimately they would be finite like us. Would they and we then be creatures looking for a creator maybe?
Even if there is life out there it is probably much more advanced or much simpler than us. The chances that it is just at the stage of radio astronomy and nuclear power like us are slim. In both cases, contact will probably not happen. And if there is alien life that is comparable to us in development and technology, it is probably so far away that we will never make contact in the near or distant future possibly never. Put positively, the chances that we will contact alien life that is intelligent, local, bevolent and that wants to talk to us are tiny.
But E.T. might still call. Some scientist are optimistic that alien life might overcome the odds and make contact with us, even sooner than we think.It might be easier to assume though that it's mankind on earth, God in heaven and that our major journey is life on this planet and that resources should not be put into this wild goose chase when a third of the world is starving. Who can say who is right?
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21 Comments
(1) Solar systems. Solar systems are densest in the heart of the milky way. Alas the closer you are to the heart of the milky the denser the radiation, which is inimical to life as we know it. Earth is in one of the tiny minority of solar systems on the periphery of the milky way.
Incidentally astronomers have only discovered one planet potentially capable of supporting human life - and it is some ten million light years away. We ain't going to colonising the stars any time in the near future!
(2) There is no signs of intelligent life. No radio activity, unidentified aircraft etc. If there is life out there, it seems to be at much more primitive level of development.
Of course we can postulate the existence of silicone-based forms, forms of intelligence and communication wholly different from our own, and who - if they have found a way of travelling through space - can do so without detection. Who knows?
The way life started on Earth may seem a miraculous chance but when examined it turns out to be rather simple and easy. That we on our planet haven't encountered other examples of life elsewhere is quite likely to be because of our inadequacies in perceiving the universe. The 'Milky Way' is just one galaxy among many and we do not know how many.
It seems to me, though, that our greatest problem in understanding the universe is that there are aspects which the human mind simply is not able to understand.
It seems between your comment and my post that we have covered all the bases for the possibilty of intelligent organic life. You raise an interesting possibility for sillicon based life as opposed to carbon based like us. It's possible that one day such life may arise here but the thing to note is that organic life came first, evolving from the 'stuff' of the universe and then later created machines/computers/AI which might evlove one day into a distinct, self-aware, intelligent life form. Hard to see how machines could do this on their own though or simply get started so no organic life elsewhere in the universe might mean no electonic life either - possibly.
lennich,
The way life started here was a bit of a miracle and is a bit of a mystery still. The origin of life and and how you go from complex molecules but essentially inanimate matter to the first cells and life as we know it is not fully worked out yet as far as I know. You're right to say that the universe is vast and that there is much that the finite but evolving human mind cannot grasp or fathom. But the arguments put forward by Aonghus and I are still valid - from what we do know - and contact does indeed seem improbable.
Earth developed intelligent life - there are few that do not live in padded cells that would dispute this.
There are 400 billion stars in this galaxy and at least 150 billion galaxies that we know of - now that's a shit load of petri dishes...
So far we have examined potential for intelligent life but have made no comment on the psychology of intelligent life.
Let me elaborate:
(1) If I was a part of a culture advanced enough to fold space and travel between stars, would I be interested in earth in anything but a natural history kind of way? No, I think not. Natural historians, the professionals at least, will explain that they go out into the wilds to document events. They NEVER interfere. Why should an advanced race be any different?
(2) The galaxy we reside in is billions of years old, as is our planet. What are the chances of any close star system harbouring intelligent life at roughly our stage of evolution? Sod all. All will be above or below. To either, we are beneath contempt.
(3) Even if an extra-terrestrial intelligent race was totally benign and interested in the 'uplift' of new self-concious races, do you think for a minute it would come near a race as sick and twisted as humans? Have a look around you - would you chance getting infected with this?!?
In short, I believe that, if we think we are unique, we are both deluded and arrogant to the nth degree. We simply cannot be the only ones out there. But we will remain in isolation until we either work out our aggression permanently or advance sufficiently to become even a mild threat. In the latter case, you can look for an extinction event by another's hand - you don't think the dinosaurs really took the hit by accident, do you? In this case, contact is not improbable, it is almost certain.
And primitive in relation to what? Seems like we're top dog on this particular rock to me - and as it's the only inhabited rock around, I guess that makes us the most sophisticated species in the universe. I'm feeling a nice, warm fuzzy glow, just thinking about it.....
And where did you find out that there are no inhabitable planets?
Listen man, if it happened once (and it has, hello!) then it will have happened trillions of times out of that lot. Bear in mind it's had 10,000,000,000 years to do so. There is not a chance in hell that we are alone. God, there's probably life in the sun by now.
Life is a disease and the entire multi-verse is gonna catch it. But humans won't be allowed out of this system alive.
"but going through a wormhome is the equivalent to being fed through a mincer. So I've been told, anyway." By who? Hmmm? The same guy that said there are no inhabitable planets? (Guess what? We're on one.)
I should 'fess up - I've just checked and I got the distance wrong: it's a mere 20.5 lightyears away.
Now you say we have a habitable a mere 20.5 LY away? Strewth that's close. Bang goes your billions to one :) This should make it, lessee, erm, 120 to 1?
Chanty, I gave the dino's their due earlier ;c)
"Earth-like planet find 'imminent'
Astronomers say they are on the verge of finding planets like Earth orbiting other stars, a key step in determining if we are alone in the universe.
Astronomers are confident over finding new Earth-like planets
Astronomers say they are on the verge of finding planets like Earth orbiting other stars, a key step in determining if we are alone in the universe.
A top Nasa astronomer and other leading scientists say that within four or five years they should discover the first Earth-like planet where life could develop, or may have already.
A planet close to the size of Earth could even be found this year if preliminary hints from a new space telescope pan out.
At the annual American Astronomical Society conference in Washington this week, each discovery involving so-called "exoplanets" - those outside our solar system - pointed to the same conclusion: quiet planets like Earth where life could develop are probably plentiful, despite a violent universe of exploding stars, crushing black holes and colliding galaxies.
Nasa's new Kepler telescope and a wealth of new research from the suddenly hot and competitive exoplanet field generated noticeable buzz at the convention.
Scientists are talking about being at "an incredible special place in history" and closer to answering a question that has dogged humanity since the beginning of civilisation.
"The fundamental question is: are we alone? For the first time, there's an optimism that sometime in our lifetimes we're going to get to the bottom of that," said Simon "Pete" Worden, an astronomer who heads Nasa's Ames Research Centre.
"If I were a betting man, which I am, I would bet we're not alone -- there is a lot of life."
Even the Roman Catholic Church has held scientific conferences about the prospect of extraterrestrial life, including a meeting last November."
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