The science behind the probability of extraterrestrials

[Drake Tungsten]

I have no idea how you came to that conclusion...

[DRoseDARs]

Originally posted by MrFun
I found some of the repitition annoying to, but not to the extent that I could enjoy the rest of the program.

Well, I can't help it if you enjoyed being talked to as if you were a toddler...

[MrFun]

Originally posted by DRoseDARs
Well, I can't help it if you enjoyed being talked to as if you were a toddler...

I said I found it to be annoying myself, jackass.

[DRoseDARs]

Aww, does baby want his bottle?

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten
I have no idea how you came to that conclusion...

It's pretty obvious, actually. If he believes life "isn't possible," in our universe, then he's essentially stating he believes the only way human life could exist here is through miraculous means, i.e. a metaphysical act of creation.

[MrFun]

Boris, didn't you know that the Bible scientifically proves that God created life on Earth?

[Drake Tungsten]

Or through an extremely unlikely, but random, series of events. You really shouldn't put words in other people's mouths.

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten
Or through an extremely unlikely, but random, series of events. You really shouldn't put words in other people's mouths.

Are you joking? He said he doesn't believe it's possible, which is totally the opposite of above. Unlikely isn't remotely the same as impossible (since unlikely still holds to there being a possibility).

I think the problem is your failing to comprehend basic words...

At any rate, the anthropic principal addresses even the "unlikely" argument, not just the "impossible" one, so I'm still not sure what you were *****ing about from the start.

[MrFun]

I think extraterrestrial life is more likely than unlikely.

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by MrFun
I think extraterrestrial life is more likely than unlikely.

It's really impossible (and I mean "impossible") to tell either way until we find it. Any "calculations" about how probable or improbable the existence of life is in our universe are simply a load of bull.

However, given that we exist, then it is reasonable to believe that extraterrestrial life exists where there are similar conditions. And it's reasonable to believe similar conditions will exist somewhere in a universe as vast as ours. But that could be so far away that we'll never know about it.

[MrFun]

Originally posted by Boris Godunov


It's really impossible (and I mean "impossible") to tell either way until we find it. However, given that we exist, then it is reasonable to believe that extraterrestrial life exists where there are similar conditions. But that could be so far away that we'll never know about it.

Just speculation/projection here though for fun -- how long do you think it would take to make any contact with another intelligent extraterrestrial lifeform? And/or to discover, non-intelligent, more primitive extraterrestrial lifeform?

I would think within the next 100 years is the shortest length of time we can expect results. Or would you think that is wholly unrealistic?

Keep in mind the extraordinary, rapid pace of our technological advancement.

[Agathon]

Don't listen to that crap. Read this book. It's at least serious.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0756755042/qid=1117767390/sr=8-4/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i4_xgl14/102-0052496-9004125?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

[Urban Ranger]

Re: The science behind the probability of extraterrestrials

Originally posted by MrFun
I thought it was fascinating.

If you liked this programme, I have just the right sci-fi book for you: Dragon's Egg by Robert Forward. It's along the same lines, but at a place extraordinarily oulandish.

Awesome book.

[Boris Godunov]

Until we figure out how a feasible means of interstellar travel would work, I think it's fair to say any extraterrestrial contact is pretty unlikely, ever.

If you think about it, the fastest we've ever gotten an object to go was the Helios satellite which orbited the sun, which traveled at about 150,000 mph. At that speed, it would take you ~11,000 years to reach the nearest neighboring star system to us, Alpha Centauri.

And then we'd have to know about just how common intelligent life might be, which we don't. My hunch is that it's not very common, but no way to tell now. But even if it is common, the distances between inhabited systems may still be too much to traverse.

[Shi Huangdi]

The Drake Equation is pretty much the standard formula used for this in determining the probability of Extraterrestials. A link to it is here: http://www.activemind.com/Mysterious..._equation.html

Bear in mind that is only for the Milky Way Galaxy. If you take into account the number of Stars in the universe and not in the galaxy, the number you start with is high enough that you end up with multiple planets with intelligent life. It makes sense, consdiering how many stars there are in the universe it would make sense that probabilistically you would end up with some other planets that support intelligent life. The problem is the Universe is so vast, we'll probably never get to communicate with them. Still it's interesting to think that somewhere in the vastness of space there is intelligent life.