Do you believe in other life in the Universe?

[jamil]

The expanding universe may well turn out to be a feature we may never adequately appreciate.

That's the thing about being a tiny spec in time. We don't know whether to appreciate the expanding universe or dread it.

 

[halfmileharry]

I don't know man, looks pretty realistic to me.

Logic says it's ............ OK, CM's a mod so I'll refrain from anymore ice cream situations.

 

[printcraft]

Logic says it's ............ OK, CM's a mod so I'll refrain from anymore ice cream situations.

For the record, I believe Churchmouse exists. There, I said it.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

Why is it always spoken about in present or future terms. Why not past? Universe is old as ****, son. Intelligent life could have came and went many times over.

Could be. Best guess is that the universe had a beginning though. If through natural means, evolution, that **** takes a ****ing long time.

If the universe had a beginning, if (big, gigantic if) macro evolution is a real thing, if matter that comprise planets had to come from exploding stars, if the universe is something like 45 billion years old and it took until about 14 billion year ago for enough of those stars to come into existence, live, die, and explode (over and over again), for enough of that matter to be produced, accumulated, and brought together to make up this solar system, I don't think there's enough time for life to have originated many many times. It seems to me it has barely had enough time to get to the point we know it once.

 

[T.Lex]

For the record, I believe Churchmouse exists. There, I said it.

I would rather live my life consistent with a belief in Churchmouse, and risk the notion that he does not exist, than to live as if he does not exist, only to find out that he does.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

I don't know man, looks pretty realistic to me.

I believe!

 

[jamil]

Logic says it's ............ OK, CM's a mod so I'll refrain from anymore ice cream situations.

I'm still wondering how CM managed to get what is obviously Ben & Jerry's rocky road through the dimension.

 

[jamil]

If the universe had a beginning, if (big, gigantic if) macro evolution is a real thing, if matter that comprise planets had to come from exploding stars, if the universe is something like 45 billion years old and it took until about 14 billion year ago for enough of those stars to come into existence, live, die, and explode (over and over again), for enough of that matter to be produced, accumulated, and brought together to make up this solar system, I don't think there's enough time for life to have originated many many times. It seems to me it has barely had enough time to get to the point we know it once.

That's really what I'm saying.

 

[KLB]

If the universe had a beginning, if (big, gigantic if) macro evolution is a real thing, if matter that comprise planets had to come from exploding stars, if the universe is something like 45 billion years old and it took until about 14 billion year ago for enough of those stars to come into existence, live, die, and explode (over and over again), for enough of that matter to be produced, accumulated, and brought together to make up this solar system, I don't think there's enough time for life to have originated many many times. It seems to me it has barely had enough time to get to the point we know it once.

Well, the Solar System is about 4.5 Billion, so that only leaves you 10 Billion to get to the beginning of the Solar System.

They have fossils that they estimate to be 3.5-4.2 Billion years old. So life popped up pretty quickly once the Earth settled down and the oceans formed.

10 Billion years is a lot of time to possibly have life somewhere in the Universe. The basic building blocks all would have been around early on in the cycle.

Plus, life could have popped up and disappeared somewhere in the 4.5 Billion years our planet has been here. Look how many times we've had mass extinctions on this planet, and we haven't gotten to the point where the Sun is going to incinerate us before blowing itself to bits yet. If we do not some day find a way off of this planet to a new one, we will disappear forever and leave nary a trace that we ever existed.

 

[halfmileharry]

I'm still wondering how CM managed to get what is obviously Ben & Jerry's rocky road through the dimension.

... and I NEVER knew CM carried AIWB. You can see the bulge on his belt line.

 

[halfmileharry]

The Kepler telescope is expected to find 150-200 earthlike planets on it's run.
Is time really a factor?
My thinking is the odds are good there's intelligent live elsewhere

 

[Birds Away]

There's barely evidence of intelligent life here.

 

[KLB]

There's barely evidence of intelligent life here.

 

[Cpt Caveman]

No

 

[BehindBlueI's]

There's barely evidence of intelligent life here.

That's why all those antennae and dishes searching for intelligent life always point AWAY from Earth.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

Well, the Solar System is about 4.5 Billion, so that only leaves you 10 Billion to get to the beginning of the Solar System.

They have fossils that they estimate to be 3.5-4.2 Billion years old. So life popped up pretty quickly once the Earth settled down and the oceans formed.

10 Billion years is a lot of time to possibly have life somewhere in the Universe. The basic building blocks all would have been around early on in the cycle.

Plus, life could have popped up and disappeared somewhere in the 4.5 Billion years our planet has been here. Look how many times we've had mass extinctions on this planet, and we haven't gotten to the point where the Sun is going to incinerate us before blowing itself to bits yet. If we do not some day find a way off of this planet to a new one, we will disappear forever and leave nary a trace that we ever existed.

Possibly. But this requires that none of the events that happened here, none of the actions humans did to one another, would have happened (or their equivalents) else where. If we're "nothing special" here as some claim, then it seems reasonable that we're here about as fast as we could get here. I suppose mathematically it's possible other places might have had a few less zigs and zags in their timelines. But again, if we're nothing special, it seem reasonable to assume they did.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Yes, but so are the chances of (intelligent) life developing.

On a related note, we often hear about challenges to religious people (Christians in particular) about what it would mean to their faith if it turns out there is other life out there. But what of the corollary?

Would atheists/non-believers feel any differently if it turns out humans are the only intelligent life and the entire universe was ours for discovery?

I don't see where it would affect either. Sort of like figuring out the Earth wasn't the center of the universe. Ideas and faiths adapt. I don't recall any guarantee we're alone, nor do I recall any guarantee we aren't.

There's likely other intelligent life out there somewhere, but does it overlap with us in terms of time and distance we can interact with? That becomes less likely. Think how long Earth has been here and what portion of that time Humans could send and receive radio. Then think how shortly after that discovery we sat on the brink of nuclear war and how easily we could have started the whole process over again. So, sure, untold vastness of space, unimaginable lengths of time...tiny blip of time we could remotely be able to interact with outsiders at or near our technology level, tiny pool of space we can gather information on.

If life is/was/will be out there but doesn't overlap with our own ability to interact with it, it's (to us) the same as not existing.

 

[actaeon277]

Time is really really long.

Distance is really really far.



That is all.

 

[jamil]

That post is very deep.

 

[KLB]

Possibly. But this requires that none of the events that happened here, none of the actions humans did to one another, would have happened (or their equivalents) else where. If we're "nothing special" here as some claim, then it seems reasonable that we're here about as fast as we could get here. I suppose mathematically it's possible other places might have had a few less zigs and zags in their timelines. But again, if we're nothing special, it seem reasonable to assume they did.

If you consider we really only took off in the last 65 million or so years ago, it is not long. Mammals haven't been the apex life form on this planet half of the time that the dinosaurs were yet.

God or nature or whatever someone might want to chalk it up to seems to like to tinker, give something a try and then wipe the slate clean for the next experiment.

We don't even know for sure that life actually started here. Maybe those early lifeforms were delivered along with the water that formed the oceans. People act like we know so much, when in reality we know very little. We have a lot of guesses, theories and hypotheses to explain things. I would venture to guess that many of them are about as accurate as the Earth is flat.