The Allen telescope array will comprise 350 telescopes listening for ET signals
Posted on 08/23/2010 5:52:33 AM PDT by decimon
A senior astronomer has said that the hunt for alien life should take into account alien "sentient machines".
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That has led to a hunt for life that is bound to follow at least some rules of biochemistry, live for a finite period of time, procreate, and above all be subject to the processes of evolution.
But Dr Shostak makes the point that while evolution can take a large amount of time to develop beings capable of communicating beyond their own planet, technology would already be advancing fast enough to eclipse the species that wrought it.
"If you look at the timescales for the development of technology, at some point you invent radio and then you go on the air and then we have a chance of finding you," he told BBC News.
"But within a few hundred years of inventing radio - at least if we're any example - you invent thinking machines; we're probably going to do that in this century.
"So you've invented your successors and only for a few hundred years are you... a 'biological' intelligence."
From a probability point of view, if such thinking machines ever evolved, we would be more likely to spot signals from them than from the "biological" life that invented them.
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(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
Bio-degraded ping.
350 telescopes waiting for busy signal.
Maybe the human race should not be searching for life beyond our planet.
We might not like what we find.
There's an implication here that the 'biological' aspects will go away and that only the sentient machines will be left. Skynet, anyone? If this guy believes that we will invent thinking machines in this century, then I think he is implying that we are about to be obsolete. Sounds like a Leftist wet dream.
We might not like what we find.........
I’m sure they will be compassionate masters.
We can all be Eloi!
It’s pretty obvious that “life” is, in and of itself, a machine. Plus, it has a fascinatingly complicated ability to make self-repairs. It probably has the ability to jump from universe to universe as the budding proceeds unhindered through eternity.
It's not like we can hide anymore. If ET was wondering we removed all doubt about our existence in 1945. We and the Russians sent stronger and stronger signals for the next two decades. We sent everything from DC to visible light and beyond....
Now that is a scientific endeavor worthy of my Tax Money.
I for one welcome our alien overlords.
THX THX.
Silly people. The fallen angels have been in daily contact with the shadow government for decades.
Both factions of humanity grow to despise the other.
Ought to point those things at the Capitol and see if they find any intelligence there!
Yep, just another job Americans won't do...
Huge waste of time
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