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Scientists say: Aliens more like T2 than ET
New.Com.AU ^
| July 24, 2003
| The Australian
Posted on 07/25/2003 11:54:44 AM PDT by yankeedame
Aliens more like Arnie than ET
By Leigh Dayton, Science writer
July 24, 2003
IF extraterrestrials exist they look more like the steely Terminator than cuddly ET, say scientists on a cosmic quest for smart aliens.
"The rise of the machines? There's a lot of Hollywood in there, a lot of crashing and smashing about, but it's possible," astronomer and science historian Steve Dick said of the Terminator movies.
According to his new view of ET, intelligent aliens long ago dispensed with weak flesh-and-blood bodies in favour of steel-hard sinews and silicon brains.
Dr Dick, of the US Naval Observatory in Washington, based his argument on the "intelligence principle" - when a species can improve its intelligence it will do so.
"If you don't get smarter you get left behind," Dr Dick said yesterday at the International Union of Astronomy conference, meeting in Sydney.
He said the earliest that "post-biologicals" could have evolved in the oldest and most distant galaxies was 7.5 billion years ago.
That's a mere 6 billion years after the big bang that created the universe 13.7 billion years ago.
According to Dr Dick, such superior beings would have begun existence as dim-witted primordial life, evolved into intelligent but biological lifeforms, and then made the evolutionary leap to brainy machine life.
Seth Shostak, an astronomer with the SETI Institute in California, yesterday agreed with Dr Dick, who will publish his ideas in an upcoming edition of the International Journal of Astrobiology.
"It's an idea I've been pushing for 10 years, Dr Shostak said.
"It's fairly obvious that the assumption the aliens would be soft and squishy little grey guys ... is clearly provincial. They might be grey, but they won't have big almond eyes."
Instead, Dr Shostak speculates that machine life would have a utilitarian appearance because "they don't have to appeal to mates".
As well, he predicted the machines would be compact, because their intelligence would be limited only by internal connections, running at the speed of light.
And if and when we find the new ET, will he, she or it be dangerous?
"Well, I have some goldfish, and I'm a lot smarter than they are, but I don't wake up thinking I've got to kill those guys," Dr Shostak said.
"I don't think we need to worry about the machines."
The Australian
TOPICS: Front Page News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: allyouraliens; arebelongtous; resistanceisfutile; youwillbeassimilated
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To: yankeedame
He said the earliest that "post-biologicals" could have evolved in the oldest and most distant galaxies was 7.5 billion years ago.Until they ran out of gas and died.
21
posted on
07/25/2003 12:08:29 PM PDT
by
Timesink
To: yankeedame
<
How are you Gentlemen?!!!
22
posted on
07/25/2003 12:08:50 PM PDT
by
Zavien Doombringer
(Ain't nothing worse than feeling obsolete....)
To: seleniteswells
Alien sightings fill the place vacated by Leprechauns, Giants, Centaurs and other mythical creatures in our collective imagination.
Your typical Alien Abduction is a retelling of Hansel and Gretel.....
23
posted on
07/25/2003 12:09:14 PM PDT
by
ffusco
(Maecilius Fuscus,Governor of Longovicium , Manchester, England. 238-244 AD)
To: CounterCounterCulture
Talk about a bad Driver's License photo!
24
posted on
07/25/2003 12:10:13 PM PDT
by
ffusco
(Maecilius Fuscus,Governor of Longovicium , Manchester, England. 238-244 AD)
To: yankeedame
Somebody knows all the answers to 2001.
25
posted on
07/25/2003 12:11:47 PM PDT
by
Only1choice____Freedom
(If everything you experienced, believed, lived was a lie, would you want to know the truth?)
To: HenryLeeII
Why should we believe an astronomer knows anything more about evolutionary biology than any of us?
26
posted on
07/25/2003 12:12:54 PM PDT
by
Timesink
To: seleniteswells
What about the "greys" They are not musclebound, but the most reported version of an alien worldwide. What are "greys"? Do you mean the type of alien depicted in post #15? If so, these creatures stand upright, have opposable thumbs and bi-focal vision.
27
posted on
07/25/2003 12:13:41 PM PDT
by
Drew68
To: yankeedame
They come here "To Serve Man"!
28
posted on
07/25/2003 12:15:27 PM PDT
by
djf
To: yankeedame
Hasta La Vista, ET?
To: HenryLeeII
According to Dr Dick(brain)...
To: Zavien Doombringer
Scene Mathew's apartment.
Mathew and his friends are distraught. Trying to make sense of the events of the past 2 days. Mathew listens to hs friends with growing apprehension
"That flower, where did you get that?" Elizabeth Driscoll
"Just stuck in the vase with the others." Jack Belicec
"I've seen these growing all over town. They're growing like parasites on other plants." Elizabeth Driscoll
"Put it down Jack!" Nancy Bellicec
"It's just a pod with a pink flower." Jack Belicec
"It could be toxic." Elizabeth Driscoll
"Why do we always expect metal ships?"- Nancy Belicec
31
posted on
07/25/2003 12:18:40 PM PDT
by
ffusco
(Maecilius Fuscus,Governor of Longovicium , Manchester, England. 238-244 AD)
To: yankeedame
Dr. Dick. Enough said.
32
posted on
07/25/2003 12:21:07 PM PDT
by
MrConfettiMan
(These pretzels are making me thirsty.)
33
posted on
07/25/2003 12:33:40 PM PDT
by
Consort
To: Zavien Doombringer; msdrby
34
posted on
07/25/2003 12:55:45 PM PDT
by
Prof Engineer
(I won't FReep at work, I won't FReep at work, I won't FReep at work, I won't FReep at work)
To: Cicero
If you dare to do a real scientific experiment on this thing...
you may find the evident of ET from it!!!
35
posted on
07/25/2003 1:07:36 PM PDT
by
Toidylop
To: yankeedame
To: yankeedame; hchutch
According to Dr Dick, such superior beings would have begun existence as dim-witted primordial life,Democrat voters?
evolved into intelligent but biological lifeforms,
Conservatives before Free Republic.
and then made the evolutionary leap to brainy machine life.
Conservatives AFTER Free Republic.
37
posted on
07/25/2003 1:19:51 PM PDT
by
Poohbah
(Crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of their women.)
To: Clock King
Killer Clowns From Outer Space were the best.
38
posted on
07/25/2003 1:21:27 PM PDT
by
Williams
To: yankeedame
"If you don't get smarter you get left behind," Dr Dick said"
Guess the good Dr. didn't see any episodes of Star Trek, TNG, especially the one about a species of beings going about the galaxy stealing everybody else's technology since everyone took them as low beings in the gene pool. Didn't matter that they looked, acted and thought like Neanderthals. They spent the whole time zapping poor Geordi to fix their warp drive so they could turnaround and zap the Enterprise.
To: lilylangtree
"We look for things. Things that make us go."
40
posted on
07/25/2003 1:25:26 PM PDT
by
Poohbah
(Crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of their women.)
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