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MineralMan

(150,972 posts)

66. The most interesting thing, I think, is that we are not observing

Tue Jun 26, 2018, 10:44 AM

Jun 2018

the universe or even our own galaxy in the present time. Everything we observe we are seeing as it was in the past. Our observations are almost entirely based on light and other electromagnetic phenomena. That means that whenever we are looking outward, we are observing things as they were in the past. How much in the past depends on the object's distance from us.

It doesn't matter what direction we choose to look. The rule is the same. We are extraordinarily limited in what we can observe in the present time. We see our universe at many different times, depending on what we are observing. The only place we see as it is right now is our own tiny planet. Even within the solar system, we look back in time. If the sun exploded, we would not know about it for 8 minutes and 20 seconds.

Our search for intelligent life elsewhere in the universe is a search into what was there, not what is there. If we actually found signs of life, and sort of real-time communication with that life would be impossible.

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New model predicts that we're probably the only advanced civilization... [View all] yallerdawg Jun 2018 OP

When you ask someone who believes in wasupaloopa Jun 2018 #1

Gamers would say, "Obviously, we're going to have to level up!" yallerdawg Jun 2018 #5

Not a gamer so you have me a bit confused wasupaloopa Jun 2018 #22

In order to reach us, they WOULD have to be tens of thousands of not Blue_true Jun 2018 #78

It's not much of a paradox from my perspective. hunter Jun 2018 #2

All one of them? LanternWaste Jun 2018 #3

This planet has seen many disruptive species come and go. hunter Jun 2018 #6

Other than some microorganisms, most species go extinct jberryhill Jun 2018 #7

Agree and disagree MosheFeingold Jun 2018 #23

"time travel is simply not possible in this universe." EX500rider Jun 2018 #42

Why bother with relativistic speeds? hunter Jun 2018 #46

Warped space zipplewrath Jun 2018 #101

Maybe the dominant civilizations of this galaxy are highly evolved plant-like species... hunter Jun 2018 #102

Death Stars zipplewrath Jun 2018 #104

I've always maintained that something is only "not possible" until someone DemocraticSocialist8 Jun 2018 #103

That's idiotic. They just don't want us to know they're out there... lagomorph777 Jun 2018 #4

No, the government keeps covering them up jberryhill Jun 2018 #8

The authors of the study are aliens; their mission to throw us off the trail. lagomorph777 Jun 2018 #9

Clever jberryhill Jun 2018 #14

Silliness. How much of the universe have we observed? Not much. brush Jun 2018 #56

Yes, that seems to be gaining ground. lagomorph777 Jun 2018 #60

Yeah, the claim is laughable. Blue_true Jun 2018 #80

That wasn't the claim, although the headline writer seems to think so. Mariana Jun 2018 #112

It is laughable. Blue_true Jun 2018 #116

If they know we are here and can reach us. Blue_true Jun 2018 #79

Maybe we're about as interesting to them as cockroaches are to us. Crunchy Frog Jun 2018 #90

Yeah, maybe. Possibly they have concluded that we are not worth their time. nt Blue_true Jun 2018 #95

"No intelligent life down there ...next planet...?" lagomorph777 Jun 2018 #100

Reptilians live among us and have an orange skin color bronxiteforever Jun 2018 #10

"...in the observable universe." kysrsoze Jun 2018 #11

Time and technology is a major factor here. haele Jun 2018 #21

Agree. There is so little we know or can see from our vantage point. kysrsoze Jun 2018 #33

+1 BannonsLiver Jun 2018 #55

Yeah I tend to agree. EX500rider Jun 2018 #43

Or we aren't able to imagine non-carbon based life mythology Jun 2018 #12

That's simply not true jberryhill Jun 2018 #19

What do you think about the recent exboyfil Jun 2018 #26

I just read it, very interesting JoeOtterbein Jun 2018 #36

Oh brilliant. Blue_true Jun 2018 #81

There are intelligent beings in the universe Turbineguy Jun 2018 #13

A wonderful novel by Cixin Liu, called The Three Body Problem, postulates enough Jun 2018 #16

I tend to agree with that also.. EX500rider Jun 2018 #44

I don't get the "paradox" in the first place-- it's like asking Columbus why he couldn't... TreasonousBastard Jun 2018 #15

The interesting thing is that exboyfil Jun 2018 #17

We drew the Powerball lottery ticket jberryhill Jun 2018 #20

You got that right exboyfil Jun 2018 #25

I have often wondered if maybe most planets where animal life develop never get beyond StevieM Jun 2018 #32

That has been speculated on as well exboyfil Jun 2018 #35

I just finished reading that Yupster Jun 2018 #48

I edited my post. I think you know what I had meant to write. StevieM Jun 2018 #62

I think any alien ecosystem exboyfil Jun 2018 #63

There are numerous findings in the opposite direction. lagomorph777 Jun 2018 #40

Nice response exboyfil Jun 2018 #41

Obviously science is endangered right now. lagomorph777 Jun 2018 #50

I think there may be life out there but SonofDonald Jun 2018 #18

One problem with every probe we send out is fuel is exhausting. Blue_true Jun 2018 #85

they'll just be dead cold metal things SonofDonald Jun 2018 #97

life is tough on type 13 planets 0rganism Jun 2018 #24

If what we got going on is considered "advanced civilization," please stop the planet... malchickiwick Jun 2018 #27

Kind of a stretch to call us advanced get the red out Jun 2018 #28

I would never have gussed there were this many skeptics Runningdawg Jun 2018 #29

Since when is the probability of extra-terrestrial intelligent life a political issue? jberryhill Jun 2018 #30

Political? Runningdawg Jun 2018 #34

I think Carl Sagan has been mugged exboyfil Jun 2018 #37

You're confusing arrogance with skepticism BannonsLiver Jun 2018 #54

Calling one viewpoint "wrong" is rather pointless, given that we have no evidence Oneironaut Jun 2018 #83

Intelligent species would run the other way from our madness... BlueJac Jun 2018 #31

You know what you do when you find a wasp's nest exboyfil Jun 2018 #38

Time is the key variable regarding this. Saboburns Jun 2018 #39

The human strain is around 13 million years old. Blue_true Jun 2018 #86

Which is sort of depressing Proud Liberal Dem Jun 2018 #45

In other words... We're the first. We need to start acting like it. ck4829 Jun 2018 #47

Thinking we're the first and only is silliness beyond belief. brush Jun 2018 #57

I'm just going with the research in the moment, we may not be the only civilization ck4829 Jun 2018 #58

Depends on what you define as "the observable universe" jberryhill Jun 2018 #67

Get to the point. Do you believe Earth is the only place in the universe/multiverse with life? brush Jun 2018 #69

I have no reason to believe either way jberryhill Jun 2018 #70

So many words to say you're not sure. brush Jun 2018 #71

I don't know why you feel the need to be insulting jberryhill Jun 2018 #72

I don't get why a simple answer takes so much...oh never mind. brush Jun 2018 #73

People are different jberryhill Jun 2018 #74

Not so. Blue_true Jun 2018 #88

From all practical points. Blue_true Jun 2018 #87

You may have a point the way we're plowing thru the planet... brush Jun 2018 #96

Actually the OP says the we are likely the only civ in the Milky Way galaxy (in the text)... Persondem Jun 2018 #99

That really is a terrible headline, isn't it? Mariana Jun 2018 #113

I don't think it is fair to say that it is anti-science to consider the possibility that we are StevieM Jun 2018 #106

At one time the Earth was thought to be flat and the Sun revolved around it. brush Jun 2018 #107

That's exactly my point. People just thought they knew the truth even though they were StevieM Jun 2018 #108

And for the musical explanation, Staph Jun 2018 #49

Self replicating probes could potentially travel forever. rickford66 Jun 2018 #51

It seems to fail to factor in the possibility of interstellar and intergalactic travel gulliver Jun 2018 #52

I call bullshit. triron Jun 2018 #53

I know! yallerdawg Jun 2018 #59

When? jberryhill Jun 2018 #68

For thousands of years and it has not stopped. triron Jun 2018 #92

So if you see something and don't know what it is... jberryhill Jun 2018 #111

The paper actually says "30% chance of being the only intelligent life in this galaxy" muriel_volestrangler Jun 2018 #61

We went from Sagan's notion of probability-based certainty... yallerdawg Jun 2018 #65

We are intelligent? OldEurope Jun 2018 #64

The most interesting thing, I think, is that we are not observing MineralMan Jun 2018 #66

Maybe the only way to travel to other parts of the universe is to actually leave the universe StevieM Jun 2018 #76

True, and vice-versa, an alien viewing our planet from millions of light-years away would see Oneironaut Jun 2018 #84

The thing about you MM. Blue_true Jun 2018 #91

Actually, observations of stars very near us are good. Blue_true Jun 2018 #93

That's fine. Don't want to be right next door to the Klingons meadowlander Jun 2018 #75

Wow, what a bold statement. Blue_true Jun 2018 #77

It's faith based reasoning either way jberryhill Jun 2018 #82

The amount that we know about our own Galaxy is but a tiny speck. Blue_true Jun 2018 #94

The point is... yallerdawg Jun 2018 #98

I think that sounds idiotically provincial. Crunchy Frog Jun 2018 #89

If we don't stop climate change then we will never have the tools to search for anything StevieM Jun 2018 #105

No. The planet's gone through much more dramatic climate change than this. Crunchy Frog Jun 2018 #109

You might want to read this article. StevieM Jun 2018 #110

Here's a simpler way to look at the problem. The_jackalope Jun 2018 #114

Nuclear power. (eom) StevieM Jun 2018 #117

I don't consider us an advanced civilization. roamer65 Jun 2018 #115

They watch us and say DiverDave Jun 2018 #118