Posted on 11/15/2005 6:45:01 PM PST by KevinDavis
Ever wondered how life began and whether there is life on other planets? You're not alone, but the curiosity rarely turns into a career.
The UW astrobiology program gives hope to would-be professional stargazers. Astrobiology -- the study of life in the universe -- looks for scientific answers to questions like "How did life begin on this planet?" and "Are we alone in the universe?" The field builds on knowledge across several disciplines.
UW biology professor Peter Ward and UW astronomy professor Donald Brownlee believe discovering intelligent aliens on other planets is unlikely. In Rare Earth, a book the two co-authored, they say the conditions needed for complex life are so narrow that microbial life may be common, but complicated life in the universe is likely rare.
(Excerpt) Read more at thedaily.washington.edu ...
If we are ever visited by physical beings, they may have discovered the means to trans-dimensionally cross over from an alternate universe. Exploring alternate universes would take virtually no time at all and may be far more compelling to an explorer than wandering around in the vast emptiness of our own universe.
Actually, space is finite. It is defined by the universe, which is finite.
There's the rub: She wasn't complicated, she was easy.
LOL!!
Seriously, a good post.. thanks..
It illustrates what I was trying to point out, that it is as difficult (if not impossible) for other intelligent life to find us, as it is for us to find them..
I suggest the most probable possibility of an actual, physical contact is the use of some sort of "Ark", a self-contained world, a multi-generational spacecraft, coming to our solar system with another life form...
In a sense, contact being Forced Upon Us..
Such an eventuality would be "interesting" in the extreme..
Would earthly humankind be willing to share our planet with another intelligent species ??
What if interbreeding were possible? (assimilation)
What if it were not? (competition)
What social, philosophical, religious ramifications??
Would we be willing (or able) to demand they "move on", subjecting their kind to possibly another multi-generational oddysey?
Could WE be that "inhuman", in face of the fate we would be condemning them to??
It...was...a....joke. From Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
"Whereof one cannot speak, one must remain silent." Well, "must" may be a little strong, but it's still awfully good advice.
Are you gearing up to write the book on the search for ET?
Good post. My thoughts exactly, although I could not have articulated them as you did.
Maybe they were Green. Don't know if being Green would be any long term help to survival of the planet, but 200,000,000 years of dominance compared to our 2000 might dampen our enthusiasm for our own omniscience.
Wow!
Nice post!
Are you getting a chance to look at Venus and Mars or any of the meteors? Good viewing out there.
The biggest problem with the Drake Equation is its first variable: The number of stars in our galaxy. We now understand that our galaxy has a relatively narrow "habitable zone" which is needed for the evolution of higher lifeforms. Move too far in towards the galactic core and gravitational disturbances caused by the reduced distances between the stars robs potential planets of the long term orbital stability they need to evolve lower lifeforms into higher ones. Move too far out and the increased rate of star formation in the outer bands will soak your planet in radiation, sterilizing it in minutes.
The problem is that these two regions are home to the bulk of the stars in our galaxy. Remove them from the picture and you have a far smaller starting number.
The most comprehensive analysis of the question that I've read put the number of intelligent civilizations existing today at no more than 5-7 per galaxy, with 2-4 being a more probable number. When you add in a second missing Drake Equation factor, the number of communicating civilizations that achieve interstellar spaceflight, the odds of us actually meeting any of them fall to practically zero. If mankind ever meets a single extraterrestrial civilization during its time of existence, we'll be lucky. Star Trek is fiction.
I have no doubt that our infinite universe is home to countless thousands of species, but the very fact that our universe is infinite means that we'll never get to meet them.
"It...was...a....joke. From Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy"
Huh, well that's some joke. Where's the funny part? Most people believe space is infinite and I thought you made the same mistake.
Wow. Post of the month! Great reading.
I take it most British humor just goes right over your head doesn't it? Try reading Adams or Pratchett.
GReat post.
I don't think you are going to find humans bouncing around, but out in the universe we could find cells, microbes, maybe other things like missing Whitewater papers. You never know.
I personally think the Fermi Paradox is pure BS and not well thought outWe think alike. ;')
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.