a slightly diffrent question

[Rastaman]

just wondering

[redstar2000]

I voted "no idea" because we don't have any evidence yet.

From what I've read, it appears that biological life is quite common in the universe...at least all the indirect indicators point in that direction.

But consider a little math. The earth is 4.8 billion years old.

Humans are 150,000 years old.

Technological civilization (radio) is less than 100 years old.

That suggests that 0.00003 percent of all planets will have intelligent life.

And only 1 out of every 480,000,000 planets will have intelligent technological life.

That's the bad news. The good news is that planets are common as...well, dirt. Our galaxy probably has a couple of billion or more. Most are lifeless--too hot, too cold, no atmosphere, wrong kind of atmosphere, etc.

A few will be "lucky".

I think what we'll ultimately discover is that intelligent life with technological civilization is very rare...maybe only a half-dozen or a dozen varieties per galaxy.

But I think it's almost certainly there.

And, of course, there will be considerably more intelligent pre-technological life that we can (and should&#33 educate. The human of 25,000 years ago was almost certainly just as "smart" as the modern human...had they been "taken in hand" by a technologically-advanced civilization, they could have learned--in a generation or two--to be technologically advanced themselves.

As a species, we may be doing something like this within a few tens of thousands of years.



The RedStar2000 Papers
A site about communist ideas

[Exploited Class]

I think it, mathematically, at least, very probable that there is some type of intelligent life. We are just an awesome universal mistake of correct combinations to support our life.

Of course Earth is what happens in an oxygen, nitrogen atmosphere. I am sure through trial and error of evolution, hydrogen or other types of elements could be used to processed to support life.

The moon IO within our own solar system could support life and Mars might have. They might not have been successful from our standards, but if they do then we could be looking at just not planets but also all the moons (satellites) within the universe.

We are also on the younger arm of the universe, so when you look at what we have done within just a 100 year period, a race that has a 6 million year jump could already be going through stages we can't even comprehend.

Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clark makes me think of all the possibilities I never would have dreamed of.

We might even be considered "Stupid" and our glorious IQ of 150 might be laughable in other parts of the universe. There might be aliens that when they reproduce they pass all previous knowledge to their off spring. Exact brain path transference.

There isn't a question of IF, but a question of WHERE, intelligent life within the universe lays. Also, how to communicate with them, discover them and a plethora of other things to question, like will they be in our string of existence with only the ability to communicate with us using gravitrons.

So many possibilities.

[MiDnIgHtMaRaUdEr]

Argueing this is like debating the color of the core of the sun. There is no way to know unless you go there, and no matter what you say, you cant absolutely possitively without a doubt say what it is. But for the sake of my opinion. I think the universe is infinate, and there is more out there, which we will see soon as there is a bigger telescope in space. Where there is infinity, there are infinate possibilities. If you throw a bucket of pennies up in the air enough times, eventually they will all come up heads.

[Rasta Sapian]

I beleive the universe in finite, with an interconnectiveness of time & energy. It is the path of reality that leads us to the eternal relm of existance.

p.s. what happened to you today, was ment to happen, that is reality!

[ComradeRed]

redstar, i agree with your reasoning and logic; however, your taking into account only this galaxy, instead of countless other galaxies out there. The calculation didnt include the probability of silicon life forms, however other than that it was a very concise arguement.
Exploited Class,[/QUOTE]I am sure through trial and error of evolution, hydrogen or other types of elements could be used to processed to support life.[QUOTE] i have studied very hard the origin of life and creation of life (scientfically, not religiously) and most theories on the creation of life requires hydrogen and water. silicon life

[Looter]

I think the universe is finite but it has no end. Lots of intelligence out there. You guys forget about Iron and Hydrogen based life forms.

[Jesus Christ]

I don't see why there couldn't be other intelligent life out there.

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

And, of course, there will be considerably more intelligent pre-technological life that we can (and should&#33 educate. The human of 25,000 years ago was almost certainly just as "smart" as the modern human...had they been "taken in hand" by a technologically-advanced civilization, they could have learned--in a generation or two--to be technologically advanced themselves.

I have a couple of reservations about this. What about culture shock?
And remember most pre-technological societies were superstitious. It will be easy for us if we are seen as gods and angels, (Although we must later discourage that) but it will be much harder if we are seen demons & devils.

[sickofyou]

if so...


;(gods must be crazy. sick

[RedAnarchist]

no such thing as god, sickofyou

[Elect Marx]

Originally posted by Looter@Jan 11 2004, 08:32 AM
I think the universe is finite but it has no end. Lots of intelligence out there. You guys forget about Iron and Hydrogen based life forms.

Hydrogen!? Made of gas? Or liquid?

[sickofyou]

Tru. Im not false or denying Ånothing

[Don't Change Your Name]

I think we will know this some day. After all, it wasn't a long time ago that we didnt have our technology. If we continue at our learning speed we will find out many things in the next years. But things like space, time, and capitalism will have to be challenged before we can understand everything.

[RedAnarchist]

Maybe there is sentient life out there. What then? Do we become friends with them, trading cultures, languages, goods and services? Who knows. The important thing to realise is that there is a large possibility of there being some sort of life out there. There are as amny stars in the sky as there are bits of sand on the Earth -and each of those stars has a number of planets orbiting it. So we should come up with some sort of contingency plan for IF they come to us, or IF we find them first.

[Raisa]

Originally posted by MiDnIgHtMaRaUdEr@Jan 1 2004, 11:02 PM
Argueing this is like debating the color of the core of the sun.

I dont KNOW anything, so thank goodness this poll asked me what I believe instead.

I think that in the right scientific situation there could be other life in the galaxy just like on our planet.
Why not?

[Raisa]

Originally posted by XPhile2868@Dec 17 2004, 11:45 AM
Maybe there is sentient life out there. What then? Do we become friends with them, trading cultures, languages, goods and services? Who knows.

I think it depends what situation we are in right now, Xphile.
Right now, we call each other aliens when we are from other countries.
Maybe when the world has it's shit together we can be friends with the aliens, but now we cant even be friends with each other.

[FatFreeMilk]

I voted "no idea" because we don't have any evidence yet.

What about area 51 and UFO's and stuff? And all those countless accounts of alien abductions (though, I'm sure quite a few of those people are full of shit and would most definitley enjoy an anal probing by anyone/thing).

Even if the odds are tiny, the universe is way too big for it to be impossible. All the stars in the sky have their own planets, and there are like billions X A LOT of stars around us where life may be lurking.

[Dr. Rosenpenis]

But consider a little math. The earth is 4.8 billion years old.

Humans are 150,000 years old.

Technological civilization (radio) is less than 100 years old.

That suggests that 0.00003 percent of all planets will have intelligent life.

And only 1 out of every 480,000,000 planets will have intelligent technological life.

How exactly did you arrive at this conclusion?
To get the ratio of planets hosting intelligent life to those not hosting intelligent life, wouldn't it be necessary to know how many planets we're talking about?

I also obviously answered 'no idea'. It would be a complete assumption otherwise.

I would be pretty excited to learn about any kind of life outside the earth, though. Intelligent or not. Just imagine...

[h&s]

What about area 51 and UFO's and stuff? And all those countless accounts of alien abductions

Please don't tell me you believe any of that shit.