Wow, I feel like I am following Ferrous around now.
I will still agree with your proposition, though.
I would even go so far to say that it is likely that there is or has been other intelligent life out there somewhere. I will also agree the evidence for visits to this planet of the type claimed by (way to) many is very poor.
Of course there is non earth based life , to think other wise would be grossly arrogant of humanity. There was a search for life on earth (TV program) in inhospitable places such as the cones of semi active vocanoes where the water acidity was so high nobody thought anything could live there .Places where it was so cold scientists found life (albeit in basic bactierial forms) and places where there was no sun light (which people used to think was THE power source of all life) such as the deep oceans there was life on volcanic vents . So water + some form of energy = life (though maybe not your independance day (film) type aliens). Now in our very own solar system theres this moon called Europa that has thick sheets of ice and its speculated maybe there is life under the ice.
I assume that there are aliens visiting us all the time. But they are shaped like roaches, and easily squashed, so we never try to connect on an intellectual level.
There once was a cockroach Max Headroom
Who wanted to visit my bedroom
I squashed him at once
For he looked like a dunce
But actually he was an alien that could have given us the formulae for cold fusion if I hadn’t booted him into the Deadroom.
Try searching the net for the Drake Equation
When it comes to ETs, it’s the latest sensation
The chances, it seems
Based on grandest extremes
Leads the hopeful to have a high expectation
To the quest of “are we alone?”
In this universe, vast it has grown
Many times have I thunk
That it’s probably all bunk
But let’s throw SciFi writers a bone
I have never understood this argument. How can you say “of course, there is alien life” when we simply do not have enough information to make an intelligent answer to the question?
The universe is huge, and with the multitude of galaxies, each containing millions of stars, many with planets, I feel sure that there’s life elsewhere, but that’s mere conjecture based on no evidence. The best evidence to show that life is possible elsewhere is that we’re here. On the other hand, Earth is the only life-bearing planet out of nine in the solar system.
Even if life is relatively common, the physical limitations of the universe ensure that we will never be able to visit any other races Out There. For all we know, there are many life-bearing planets in our galactic neighborhood, but none of them have developed intelligence. We have yet to pick up any alien TV shows or radio broadcasts, which doesn’t bode well for the chances of sentient life anywhere close by.
The universe has been around for a while,
Life too, on earth, but not for as long.
How do they compare? I don’t know, we’re not done.
But if we should make it another million years
Before petering out, we’re a short bang
In a long pause of empty silence.
What I’m trying to say is aliens: sure.
Plenty of planets can produce life,
But why should their bang and our bang coincide?
We can find dead aliens, aliens can find dead us,
Unimaginable coincidence if we coincide.
This galaxy’s an empty neighborhood?
Agreed, the sign of civilization is this:
Broad cast electromagnetic waves that would
Stand out from the background hiss.
From some distant star: ‘Jerry, Jerry, Jerry!’
But these alien missives fly to, and past,
At light’s fastest speed, they donot tarry.
How long have we sat in wait for outerspace telecasts?
Not long, and so the absence we see out there
Might have been under one century, not so serious.
If only Marconi had listened with more care,
He might have caught the final 'cast: Survivor: Sirius.
In culture more advanced in age than ours
Neutrino beams are the latest rage, their powers
Are greater far than electromagnetic:
Earthlings are really rather pathetic.
One day on the beams we’ll hear, I think,
“Earth, you are the weakest link: Bye-bye!”
As has been said, given the size & possibilities in the universe, there’s a good chance that there is E.T. life. We can’t quantify the probability due to the uncertainties of the Drake Equation and the fact that we haven’t even figured out abiogenesis on Earth yet.
It’s possible there is no other life, but to me, that seems highly unlikely for the reasons everyone has stated.
People who are convinced that there is no E.T. life are usually clinging to some modern version of a geocentrist “humans are the center and the purpose of the universe” mentality. Or perhaps they’ve never given it much thought to begin with. Not enough people look upwards & ponder such big questions.
Actually the physical limitations of the Universe aren’t that restrictive. If I had a spaceship capable of generating one G of acceleration for thirty days the relativistic time dilation would be sufficient for me to go anywhere, pretty much, in the Universe. If I also get to decelerate at one G for thirty days I would be able to stop and visit. The drawback is I don’t get to send any information back to Earth in a timely manner, and while I’ve been away on my little jaunt the Earth will have experienced a time passage of millions and millions of years.
[QUOTE] Originally posted by geepee
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Well I’d say it more like water + some form of energy = life in a lot of places on Earth. The idea that our little corner of the Universe is typical of the whole is generally referred to as the Principle of Uniformity (not the Geologic one). If there IS life on Europa that would be evidence that, at least, life on Earth is not unique. But scientifically, the amount of evidence we have for life outside of our Solar System is nil.
There’s a terrific article in Scientific American, this month or last, that postulates the first civilization to start colonizing the Galaxy would spread faster than life elsewhere would evolve. Thus you basically get to “take over the Galaxy.” Maybe we’re just to first to have evolved a technological civilization.