Given the vast distances between solar systems, the limitations of the speed of light, time dilation, the amount of energy it takes to move mass, etc. it seems to me the likelihood of ever communicating with extraterrestrials, assuming they exist, is extremely remote. Thoughts?
Sounds about right, especially in our own lifetimes.
Quote from: "Plu"Sounds about right, especially in our own lifetimes.
Agree. Not in my lifetime anywho.
:wink:
Our first contact with extra-terrestrial life will be in the form of a great plague.
If there are aliens from another world why haven't they contacted us yet? Or maybe they have, this would explain a lot about the mess we're in now. :shock:
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:-$ 8-[ :rollin: :rollin: :rollin: Solitary
I don't know why people even bother with the alien delussion. Logistically it makes no sense. If anyone could actually get here, they wouldn't be secretive about it. They would come like Columbus and plant their version of a flag.
I would imagine we would be like natives watching in wonder...."oh firestick....bad"!
People are flatout stupid to think aliens have come and just sit back and watch. What would be the point? And please Trekkies don't quote me the Prime Directive!
Well, for one, what would they want that we have that they can't get from any of the millions of planets they no doubt passed in their journey here? To come here, specifically, means they're coming for something that cannot be found anywhere else.
So the idea of conquering the place seems kinda pointless. What's the point? I would imagine that if aliens were to come, they would be silent, and they'd be here for research of some sort.
I always imagined ET's might be like zoo keepers. Watching the clever little ants running around thinking they are important to the universe. :-k
Quote from: "mykcob4"I don't know why people even bother with the alien delussion. Logistically it makes no sense. If anyone could actually get here, they wouldn't be secretive about it. They would come like Columbus and plant their version of a flag.
I would imagine we would be like natives watching in wonder...."oh firestick....bad"!
People are flatout stupid to think aliens have come and just sit back and watch. What would be the point? And please Trekkies don't quote me the Prime Directive!
It's actually The Cosmic Imperative. =P~ :lol: Solitary
They are looking for dental floss to clean their sharp pointy razor canine like vamp teeth....a whole race of vampires from er.......klechor yep klechor...
In 1500 it would have been considered impossible that we'd ever be able to communicate with the people on "the other side of the world" in real time. The known natural laws prohibited the possibility.
Just saying.
Quote from: "LikelyToBreak"I always imagined ET's might be like zoo keepers. Watching the clever little ants running around thinking they are important to the universe. :-k
I prefer to think of them as triple-breasted cat girls.
But, hey. If that's what turns you on.
Life on other planets, maybe. But as far as meeting an extraterrestrial that we might want to buddy around and drink beer with, or invite over for dinner? Don't think that's ever going to happen.
I support the idea that it's likely that there's life elsewhere in the universe. That being said, I would suspect that the VAST majority of all life in the universe is exceedingly simplistic unicellular life (if it even has "cells" at all"). After that the majority of multicellular life forms would be very simplistic "plants" and "animals", to the point that an insect would be multitudes more complicated. I'd imagine that "intelligent" life would be exceedingly rare, and that intelligent life with the physical capability to even manufacture tools would be even rarer.
Basically I imagine it being something like this:
Non-life >>>>>>>>>> Simplistic unicellular life >>>>>>>>>>simplistic multicellular life >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> complicated multicellular life >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> intelligent life >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> intelligent life with a physical capability to manufacture tools >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> intelligent life that has the technology for space travel.
Given that and the incredible vastness of the universe I would think the chances that we have ever come into contact with extraterrestrial beings to be extremely low. Like, less than a percentage of a percentage of a percentage of a percentage.
Given the history of this planet and how we were shaped, the possibility that they got here and remotely look like us is absurd.
Meeting intelligent life, even if looking at it caused our stomachs to turn, first requires that it be there, but that's not where it ends. The timing also has to be right. It has to be there while we are here. It took a billion years for life to start on earth and then another 4.5 billion or so to get where it is today. I'm not sure about those timelines, but it's something close to that.
Neither man or the Earth is going to be here forever. It's possible that somewhere else in the universe, intelligent life has come and gone, before the Earth even formed, and it's possible, actually likely I think, that after the Earth and any intelligent life is long gone, other planets will be just forming, and a few will eventually have intelligent life for a brief time in eternity.
I can't help but think that before the end of the universe, intelligent life will have kept popping up and disappearing rather continuously in different locations at different times. I'll also guess that at some time or another two forms of life will probably meet each other, and most likely both forms will reside in the same planetary system.
But who really can ever know? Mostly, it's just fun to think about.
Quote from: "SGOS"Meeting intelligent life, even if looking at it caused our stomachs to turn, first requires that it be there, but that's not where it ends. The timing also has to be right. It has to be there while we are here. It took a billion years for life to start on earth and then another 4.5 billion or so to get where it is today. I'm not sure about those timelines, but it's something close to that.
Neither man or the Earth is going to be here forever. It's possible that somewhere else in the universe, intelligent life has come and gone, before the Earth even formed, and it's possible, actually likely I think, that after the Earth and any intelligent life is long gone, other planets will be just forming, and a few will eventually have intelligent life for a brief time in eternity.
I can't help but think that before the end of the universe, intelligent life will have kept popping up and disappearing rather continuously in different locations at different times. I'll also guess that at some time or another two forms of life will probably meet each other, and most likely both forms will reside in the same planetary system.
But who really can ever know? Mostly, it's just fun to think about.
Yes, I envision life blinking in an out of existence across the universe on a scale of billions of years.
Back when I was a kid my father explained why the chances of us communicating with extraterrestrials bordered on impossible and the chances of humans traveling to another solar system was almost as unlikely. It was like being told there was no Santa Claus for a kid back in the 70s who was into UFOs, Space 1999, Star Wars and In Search of... .
Quote from: "mykcob4"I don't know why people even bother with the alien delussion. Logistically it makes no sense. If anyone could actually get here, they wouldn't be secretive about it. They would come like Columbus and plant their version of a flag.
I would imagine we would be like natives watching in wonder...."oh firestick....bad"!
People are flatout stupid to think aliens have come and just sit back and watch. What would be the point? And please Trekkies don't quote me the Prime Directive!
You don't think aliens would have the equivalent of anthropologists who would probably wish to observe without contaminating the culture they were studying? I think attempting to anticipate the motives of aliens whose existence is dubious at best is a little premature. So saying that they haven't been visiting because X reason completely ignores Y and Z.
Quote from: "NeoLogic26"You don't think aliens would have the equivalent of anthropologists who would probably wish to observe without contaminating the culture they were studying?
We do. Did that stop the exploiters?
Winners in the evolutionary race are likely to be the same all over.
QuoteWinners in the evolutionary race are likely to be the same all over.
Actually winners in the evolutionary race don't generally build civilizations, let alone ones that span across the stars. We have no idea what it'd take for a species to be able to build and maintain a galactic empire. There's no reason to believe they're just like us. Maybe they started that way, but I don't see human beings as they are right now running a galactic empire. We can't even live together on a single planet without constantly murdering each other.
Quote from: "the_antithesis"Our first contact with extra-terrestrial life will be in the form of a great plague.
This is actually a fairly likely scenario.
Hundreds of years ago settlers in new lands brought new bacteria with them that completely decimated local populations, due to them having no antibodies to protect themselves against disease that their ancestors had never been exposed to. If this is the case for bacteria we've never been exposed to from other parts of the world, it is a very realistic possibility for bacteria from other parts of the universe.
Assuming they are equal enough to our biology that they can actually affect us. The settlers that moved to the new lands came from the same strands of life as the native life there, we can't be sure that any life from across the galaxy we encounter can even survive in our bodies.
Quote from: "Plu"Assuming they are equal enough to our biology that they can actually affect us. The settlers that moved to the new lands came from the same strands of life as the native life there, we can't be sure that any life from across the galaxy we encounter can even survive in our bodies.
I'm not saying that we can be sure it will, I'm saying it is a realistic risk.
There is also the risk of extreme allergic reactions to things which may not be able to biologically harm us as a disease but may be so alien as to prompt our bodies to reject them.
Biological contamination from new life, and contamination of new life by ourselves and anything we may bring with us is a huge risk.
Quote from: "GSOgymrat"Given the vast distances between solar systems, the limitations of the speed of light, time dilation, the amount of energy it takes to move mass, etc. it seems to me the likelihood of ever communicating with extraterrestrials, assuming they exist, is extremely remote. Thoughts?
Space is too vast and relativity is too restraining. If other civilizations are out there, which I do suspect, we're never going to meet them unless someone invents a warp drive. And maybe not even then.
QuoteI'm not saying that we can be sure it will, I'm saying it is a realistic risk.
That, it certainly is. It'll definately be something we'll need to look out for if we contact other species, and I'm hoping other species contacting us are careful in that regard as well, if there ever are any.
Quote from: "Plu"QuoteWinners in the evolutionary race are likely to be the same all over.
Actually winners in the evolutionary race don't generally build civilizations, let alone ones that span across the stars. We have no idea what it'd take for a species to be able to build and maintain a galactic empire. There's no reason to believe they're just like us. Maybe they started that way, but I don't see human beings as they are right now running a galactic empire. We can't even live together on a single planet without constantly murdering each other.
What I meant by "same" is that they're all likely to be the ones to take advantage of everything they can. That's how they get to be the winners.
Quote from: "SGOS"Meeting intelligent life, even if looking at it caused our stomachs to turn, first requires that it be there, but that's not where it ends. The timing also has to be right. It has to be there while we are here. It took a billion years for life to start on earth and then another 4.5 billion or so to get where it is today. I'm not sure about those timelines, but it's something close to that.
Neither man or the Earth is going to be here forever. It's possible that somewhere else in the universe, intelligent life has come and gone, before the Earth even formed, and it's possible, actually likely I think, that after the Earth and any intelligent life is long gone, other planets will be just forming, and a few will eventually have intelligent life for a brief time in eternity.
I can't help but think that before the end of the universe, intelligent life will have kept popping up and disappearing rather continuously in different locations at different times. I'll also guess that at some time or another two forms of life will probably meet each other, and most likely both forms will reside in the same planetary system.
But who really can ever know? Mostly, it's just fun to think about.
I quite liked that post, it was thought-provoking. I had considered the time aspect in terms of other species being at different stages of development, possibly even totally undeveloped single-cell organisms, and of course the common sci-fi, super advanced aliens, but I hadn't considered that it is entirely possible, almost probable that if other life does occur, that it might be at a time completely separate from ours.
Quote from: "SilentFutility"Quote from: "SGOS"Meeting intelligent life, even if looking at it caused our stomachs to turn, first requires that it be there, but that's not where it ends. The timing also has to be right. It has to be there while we are here. It took a billion years for life to start on earth and then another 4.5 billion or so to get where it is today. I'm not sure about those timelines, but it's something close to that.
Neither man or the Earth is going to be here forever. It's possible that somewhere else in the universe, intelligent life has come and gone, before the Earth even formed, and it's possible, actually likely I think, that after the Earth and any intelligent life is long gone, other planets will be just forming, and a few will eventually have intelligent life for a brief time in eternity.
I can't help but think that before the end of the universe, intelligent life will have kept popping up and disappearing rather continuously in different locations at different times. I'll also guess that at some time or another two forms of life will probably meet each other, and most likely both forms will reside in the same planetary system.
But who really can ever know? Mostly, it's just fun to think about.
I quite liked that post, it was thought-provoking. I had considered the time aspect in terms of other species being at different stages of development, possibly even totally undeveloped single-cell organisms, and of course the common sci-fi, super advanced aliens, but I hadn't considered that it is entirely possible, almost probable that if other life does occur, that it might be at a time completely separate from ours.
Hey, thanks! :-D