Are We Alone?

[GrayHare]

Gustatus Similis Pullus

Perhaps fortunately, E=mc^2 all but rules out long-distance space travel of limited-lifespan beings. Since information has no mass, it is not constrained by E=mc^2 and thus FTL communication appears feasible IMO.

[robnplunder]

This will make an interesting poll. What would advanced aliens will do to earthlings once they reach earth in mass?

1) they will eradicate humans to make earth their colony or new home
2) they will harvest humans for food
3) they will help us to reach our potential, share technology. LOL. LOL. LOL.
4) they will ask us to join an intergalactic federation.

[travelover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by robnplunder This will make an interesting poll. What would advanced aliens will do to earthlings once they reach earth in mass? 1) they will eradicate humans to make earth their colony or new home 2) they will harvest humans for food 3) they will help us to reach our potential, share technology. LOL. LOL. LOL. 4) they will ask us to join an intergalactic federation.

I'd vote:
5)bring small pox like infected blankets

[Bikerdude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GrayHare Gustatus Similis Pullus

"To Serve Man, it's... it's a cookbook!"

[samclem]

Regarding physical travel/teleportation of mass, etc: If the rules we believe to day are true, it takes a LOT of energy to accelerate mass to anything near light speed. Any culture with the technology to make that energy and to make the trip would have little use for any physical thing that they'd find on earth--they'd be able to make any new elements or anything else they want.

They'd also have the technology and the know-how to understand our society and to evade being detected. Teh idea that they'd be contacting yokels out in the swamps or mistakenly crash-landing somewhere is ludicrous.

If an alien society has the ability to teleport matter or communicate faster than light, the major interest they'd probably have in earth is to study us, to see how another intelligent life form developed their knowledge and culture.

[Bikerdude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by samclem If an alien society has the ability to teleport matter or communicate faster than light, the major interest they'd probably have in earth is to study us, to see how another intelligent life form developed their knowledge and culture.

Or maybe they are just checking in to see how their experiment is progressing.

[robnplunder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by samclem Regarding physical travel/teleportation of mass, etc: If the rules we believe to day are true, it takes a LOT of energy to accelerate mass to anything near light speed. Any culture with the technology to make that energy and to make the trip would have little use for any physical thing that they'd find on earth--they'd be able to make any new elements or anything else they want. They'd also have the technology and the know-how to understand our society and to evade being detected. Teh idea that they'd be contacting yokels out in the swamps or mistakenly crash-landing somewhere is ludicrous. If an alien society has the ability to teleport matter or communicate faster than light, the major interest they'd probably have in earth is to study us, to see how another intelligent life form developed their knowledge and culture.

I am counting on physics that we don't yet comprehend that enables aliens to appear out of thin air from another galaxy. No transporter or warp speed travel needed. I am sure a race of Q exists.

[Nodak]

Quote:

Originally Posted by samclem Regarding physical travel/teleportation of mass, etc: If the rules we believe to day are true, it takes a LOT of energy to accelerate mass to anything near light speed. Any culture with the technology to make that energy and to make the trip would have little use for any physical thing that they'd find on earth--they'd be able to make any new elements or anything else they want. They'd also have the technology and the know-how to understand our society and to evade being detected. Teh idea that they'd be contacting yokels out in the swamps or mistakenly crash-landing somewhere is ludicrous. If an alien society has the ability to teleport matter or communicate faster than light, the major interest they'd probably have in earth is to study us, to see how another intelligent life form developed their knowledge and culture.

+1000

[Lucantes]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bikerdude "To Serve Man, it's... it's a cookbook!"

What a classic short story, and a great Twilight Zone episode!

[Lakewood90712]

We could be the toy of some other creatures (ending of Men in Black)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1YxBKXjULE

[martyp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by UnrealizedPotential Some people have a curiosity to explore.It is not a crime.We could learn so much from advanced beings that it could open up new countless possibilities and opportunities for us.I always am amazed at those who say we have no business out in space.To those who say that here's a question:Where do they think we are?

Regardless of what the math says about the possibility of some sort of life form in the vast universe the practical reality is that the existence of any intelligent life near enough to us for any kind of communication (based on the speed of light) is exceedingly remote. At best we might detect some fossil evidence on planets in our solar system. Or we might get a signal from space indicating the presence of life in the form of biomolecules or whatnot. Even with the remote chance we received an intelligible electromagnetic signal it would be at best a one way communication.

I'm not totally against a few people looking "out there" or asking what if questions. I'm not against a space program either. I do want a space program to address life here on earth though.

Also, we have a lot of history and a lot of people on this planet. The idea that we need help from outside seems like a waste of resources. It's not like we've exhausted our own potential.

[UnrealizedPotential]

Quote:

Originally Posted by martyp Regardless of what the math says about the possibility of some sort of life form in the vast universe the practical reality is that the existence of any intelligent life near enough to us for any kind of communication (based on the speed of light) is exceedingly remote. At best we might detect some fossil evidence on planets in our solar system. Or we might get a signal from space indicating the presence of life in the form of biomolecules or whatnot. Even with the remote chance we received an intelligible electromagnetic signal it would be at best a one way communication. I'm not totally against a few people looking "out there" or asking what if questions. I'm not against a space program either. I do want a space program to address life here on earth though. Also, we have a lot of history and a lot of people on this planet. The idea that we need help from outside seems like a waste of resources. It's not like we've exhausted our own potential.

Well,have ever considered the possibility the powers that be have allready made contact with intelligent beings much more advanced than us and not told us?I have.I agree there is probraly no other life in our solar system besides Earth.There's a chance though.Our current knowledge of how the Universe works could be wrong.If that is true then that would open up a wide range of possibilities that we currently don't consider possible.The most obvious is faster than light travel.You seem to be looking at what is possible based on what we think we know to be true about the Universe.I am looking at things based on all possibilities.If you are happy with our World then that is fine.I am not .I want more.Anything could be possible because we do not know what is out there.

[martyp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by UnrealizedPotential Well,have ever considered the possibility the powers that be have allready made contact with intelligent beings much more advanced than us and not told us?I have.I agree there is probraly no other life in our solar system besides Earth.There's a chance though.Our current knowledge of how the Universe works could be wrong.If that is true then that would open up a wide range of possibilities that we currently don't consider possible.The most obvious is faster than light travel.You seem to be looking at what is possible based on what we think we know to be true about the Universe.I am looking at things based on all possibilities.If you are happy with our World then that is fine.I am not .I want more.Anything could be possible because we do not know what is out there.

Really? I give up in the face of such logic.

[34rlsa]

Interesting topic.

I wonder what the correlation is to believing in ETs verses believing in a deity.

Can anyone prove the existence of either...

Can anyone disprove the existence of either?

Alien inter galactic travel at a thousand times the speed of light?

A supreme being... Creator of the universe?

Is one more plausible than the other?

[Gumby]

It has been my experience that discussions of religion rarely end well.

[Lucantes]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gumby It has been my experience that discussions of religion rarely end well.

for either side!
But what about alien religions?

[FUEGO]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 34rlsa Interesting topic. I wonder what the correlation is to believing in ETs verses believing in a deity. Can anyone prove the existence of either... Can anyone disprove the existence of either? Alien inter galactic travel at a thousand times the speed of light? A supreme being... Creator of the universe? Is one more plausible than the other?

Well, we have thousands of deities right here on Earth. Obviously other planets have a similar number.

[FUEGO]

Maybe all those extraterrestrial intelligent life forms observe the Prime Directive to not interfere with other primitive forms of life (like our own here on Earth).

They might have figured out we're here, but decided out of altruism (or whatever they call it on their planet) to leave us alone. Or maybe we are like dust mites to them. Barely worth observing or paying attention to at all.

There's certainly a possibility that the other intelligent life forms out there could be 10x or 100x smarter than us and hence consider us barely self-aware, barely intelligent creatures.

[MooreBonds]

Quote:

Originally Posted by UnrealizedPotential Well,have ever considered the possibility the powers that be have allready made contact with intelligent beings much more advanced than us and not told us?I have.

I highly doubt we initiated contact, given that our signals were limited to radio broadcasts over the past 100 years, and given how weak those signals would be 100 light years out.

So the only way contact could already have been initiated would be if they visited us. And an alien race would either be hell-bent on dominating us, or be friendly. If the former, we would already know they are out there. If the later, I would assume they would already have made their presence known as well.

What evidence do you have that they already have visited/contacted us, other than a 'feeling'?

Quote:

Originally Posted by UnrealizedPotential Anything could be possible because we do not know what is out there.

...as well as the possibility that we are, indeed, alone. If self-replicating life forms are so easy to create, then why aren't scientists making them in the lab? Why isn't there a kit you can buy your child to 'make your own amino acid chains and simple life forms' at home?

This planet does have many characteristics that we don't realize how beneficial and 'unique' they are - like the special role that water plays, in terms of its physical properties: it's less dense when a solid, so it takes a long time for bodies of water to freeze solid, and water is extremely aggressive and will dissolve many compounds (making it far easier for chemicals to distribute around). And if the earth were at different distances from the sun, things would have turned out much differently due to the impact on water. Then there's the beneficial effects of the moon with tides.

It's not an automatic given that there is a large amount of water in other solar systems even present at all, nor is it a given that the water would settle or be 'delivered' via comets to the planets that are at the right distance from the star, given the star's solar output, nor of the gases in the atmosphere to keep the planet in a temperate equilibrium.

And don't forget the huge benefit of the Earth's magnetic field (due to the molten iron core). This helps shield the planet from dangerous solar particles that would make the planet nearly inhospitable to land-based life as we know it. It's not a given that other planets would have similar magnetic shield protection from their star.

[martyp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MooreBonds Why isn't there a kit you can buy your child to 'make your own amino acid chains and simple life forms' at home?

This would actually be fairly easy to do. See this page about the iGEM Foundation at MIT.

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