Where Are All the Aliens?

universetoday.com ^ | June 20, 2013 | Fraser Cain on

[BenLurkin]

As far as we know, Earth is the only place in the Universe where life has arisen, let alone developed an intelligent civilization.

This baffling contradiction is known as the Fermi Paradox, first described in 1950 by the physicist Enrico Fermi.

Scientists have been trying to resolve this mystery for decades, listening for radio signals from other worlds. We’ve only sampled a fraction of the radio spectrum, and so far, we haven’t detected anything that could be a signal from an intelligent species.

How can we explain this?

[BenLurkin]

[NativeSon]

it's just the same as if we were alone in the universe.

most people cannot grasp the enormity of our galaxy let alone the universe. Mathematics is important here, if "tricky numbers" make sense, you're Polly not sitting out side on a cold night waiting for visitors to sneak down to make crop circles.

[smokingfrog]

Nano - Nano ...

[tanstaafl44]

over the last 50 years there have been many proposed answers to the Fermi paradox; my favorite is that no one would ever make the trip between stars unless “its” civilization developed three things; money, banks, and compound interest

[no-to-illegals]

If there were another civilized society in the universe, one has to question would they want to be found by us. Our history, of this planet, does not mimic civilization which is civilized.

[muawiyah]

We quit using analog television ~ digital emits far less energy.

Even our lighting is converting over to LED, and that will reduce visible frequencies even more. Eventually an advanced solar system wide civilization would build a roof over the whole place and even their central star would disappear.

A sufficiently active dyson sphere might glow in infrared but we'd think of it as a likely failed star!

Our local galaxy cluster has BILLIONS of what seem to be failed stars.

[BenLurkin]

If there are alien races — they are certain to be every bit as selfish, vindictive and dangerous as humans.

[American in Israel]

Where are all the Aliens?

Washington DC.

[USS Johnston]

Sheriff Arpaio keeps on pointing one out, but others keep on insisting he’s a domestic humanoid.

[no-to-illegals]

maybe and maybe not ... is fun to speculate though, then again, one has to ask is Heaven a civilization?

[Bernard Marx]

The Votans are expected to arrive sometime this year.

That must be a different ship than the Illegal Votans, scheduled to arrive in Fall 2014.

[WesternPacific]

As far as we know, Earth is the only place in the Universe where life has arisen, let alone developed an intelligent civilization.

We are probably not as intelligent as we would like to believe.

[Dutch Boy]

Or maybe we are first.

[cripplecreek]

You're thinking of illegal voters.

[DannyTN]

"Pathetic earthlings. Hurling your bodies out into the void, without the slightest inkling of who or what is out here. If you had known anything about the true nature of the universe, anything at all, you would've hidden from it in terror."

[Bernard Marx]

Ah, your Earth languages are so tricky!

[TADSLOS]

...Usually found in the Home Depot system as asteroid belts.

[mrsmith]

ONLY two possible answers (if aliens do exist):

1. They couldn’t overcome their bureaucracy and it keeps them at a low technological level- or even led to their extermination.

2. They see our beauracracy and, naturally, quarantine us until we overcome it.

[no-to-illegals]

It would be nice to assume we are first, yet for what mankind knows leaves mankind with not knowing. That assume word does get in the way. Too many variables.

[Rodamala]

I never saw that picture of Madame Speaker... in the middle of one of her cosmetic procedures! Neat!