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Hugabear

(10,340 posts)

46. I'm sure intelligent life exists elsewhere, but it's a lot less common than we think

Sun Jun 9, 2013, 12:14 PM

Jun 2013

From what I've been reading lately, our existence is due to a very unlikely set of circumstances.

Without our moon, it's doubtful that complex life ever evolves. But our moon also very unique. It didn't form the same way other moons in our solar system did. Our moon was the result of a cataclysmic collision between our planet and another proto-planet. Without that collision, our planet would have a much less dense iron core, less gravity, etc. We probably wouldn't have tectonic plates. Without our moon, we wouldn't have tidal forces.

There's an awful lot that had to happen just right for life to evolve past the microbial stage. It's a lot more than just having the right size planet in the right place.

I'm sure it has happened elsewhere, just because of the overwhelming vast size of the universe. But I do believe that complex life is a lot rarer than we might think.

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Do you believe there are species that have mastered FTL travel? [View all] Twofish Jun 2013 OP

Probably. Laws are meant to be broken. NYC_SKP Jun 2013 #1

I thought you said "limited current suppositories" cliffordu Jun 2013 #34

Those, too, brother. NYC_SKP Jun 2013 #36

Any truly intelligent interstellar traveling species would avoid us like the plague. hobbit709 Jun 2013 #2

Yes, I think so. After all, everything is impossible until someone does it. Glorfindel Jun 2013 #3

I think there may be and I think it would behoove us not to attract their attention Fumesucker Jun 2013 #4

Space, the final frontier.... Buzz Clik Jun 2013 #5

Common sense... fadedrose Jun 2013 #6

I don't know. LWolf Jun 2013 #7

Quantum interaction: 10,000 times faster than light warrior1 Jun 2013 #8

My own speculation would be that there are possible pasts, just as there are possible futures. hunter Jun 2013 #51

Yes, Thompson's Gazelle Bluenorthwest Jun 2013 #9

This message was self-deleted by its author JaneyVee Jun 2013 #10

No, but I believe that there are esseentially immortal species that do interstellar travel. FarCenter Jun 2013 #11

Duh. Stargate travel. Apophis Jun 2013 #12

I believe the human race is alone. sellitman Jun 2013 #13

How can you be so arrogant to believe that RebelOne Jun 2013 #16

How can you be so arrogant to believe that the we are an intelligent species? FSogol Jun 2013 #18

Touche burnodo Jun 2013 #20

How do I nominate this for a DUzy? Shankapotomus Jun 2013 #21

You just did. nt longship Jun 2013 #22

I would use the word technological species exboyfil Jun 2013 #48

I'm sure intelligent life exists elsewhere, but it's a lot less common than we think Hugabear Jun 2013 #46

That's just the anthropic principle. Marr Jun 2013 #63

You misapply the anthropic principle. GreenStormCloud Jun 2013 #92

I think Adams was using the puddle metaphorically. Marr Jun 2013 #94

And I continued the methaphor. GreenStormCloud Jun 2013 #106

Correction - probably quintillions of stars. closeupready Jun 2013 #57

I have yet to see ANY evidence to the contrary sellitman Jun 2013 #130

I don't think it's a belief to say there are other intelligent species in the universe burnodo Jun 2013 #19

Fully agreed. lumberjack_jeff Jun 2013 #55

squid...and i think that's obvious. nashville_brook Jun 2013 #14

You fool! You're going to get us all killed! Orrex Jun 2013 #39

Nonsense. But you might want to lose the red shirt... pinboy3niner Jun 2013 #80

i've worked out a deal with my squidy space brothers nashville_brook Jun 2013 #128

I have no opinion on that, and wouldn't speculate. MineralMan Jun 2013 #15

The DU hosts appear to believe that FTL travel is more likely than Wellstone being murdered. Nye Bevan Jun 2013 #59

Absolutely. My cat routinely teleports herself out of the kitchen if I happen to drop a dish. tanyev Jun 2013 #17

I don't believe FTL is possible mick063 Jun 2013 #23

We already know that it is possible. Twofish Jun 2013 #24

Harness the power of an entire star? mick063 Jun 2013 #29

No, not an entire star. Scroll down to my reply to longship. Twofish Jun 2013 #30

Indefinite human lifespan will probably be achieved long before FTL / generation ships MillennialDem Jun 2013 #97

Nnnnnope. cherokeeprogressive Jun 2013 #25

I doubt it. longship Jun 2013 #26

Not quite. Twofish Jun 2013 #27

Maybe dilithium crystals will do it. ;) longship Jun 2013 #32

None of that breaks any current understanding of relativity. Twofish Jun 2013 #43

Well then, that's good. longship Jun 2013 #45

No way to know treestar Jun 2013 #28

If we don't bomb ourselves back to the stone age. If we don't decide that feudalism......... wandy Jun 2013 #31

I have thought this very thing for years. I speculate that beings may have to evolve to a state that Lint Head Jun 2013 #33

Going from Point A to Point B faster than light leads to time travel paradoxes, no matter how... Silent3 Jun 2013 #35

This is not true. Twofish Jun 2013 #42

You're missing the big picture, where more than one person has a warp drive at the same time. Silent3 Jun 2013 #50

Wow... because I think we are looping in #2.... n/t nebenaube Jun 2013 #76

Yes. Democrats often hit those speeds when reversing previously held convictions. nt Demo_Chris Jun 2013 #37

No, and same for time travel too. Sorry. hunter Jun 2013 #38

I believe that the peregrine falcon has been clocked at over 200 mph. Orrex Jun 2013 #40

No, simply for the reason that I have no reason to believe that. ZombieHorde Jun 2013 #41

I'd say most UFO's are optical illusions. gvstn Jun 2013 #44

I am not saying Roswell was real but ... former9thward Jun 2013 #72

yes, and I think there are many things we don't have a clue about yet quinnox Jun 2013 #47

In short, yes. Savannahmann Jun 2013 #49

I know far too little to rule it out. But the idea of aliens is really kestrel91316 Jun 2013 #52

Don't believe anybody has mastered perpetual motion either. dimbear Jun 2013 #53

No. 'Cuz we're alone. n/t lumberjack_jeff Jun 2013 #54

So you don't think there's even microbial life anywhere else in the entire universe? /nt Marr Jun 2013 #64

I think microbial life is probable. lumberjack_jeff Jun 2013 #67

Hmm, well-- we're operating from same complete lack of evidence, so... Marr Jun 2013 #70

True. The complete lack of evidence makes even microbial life a wild-assed guess. lumberjack_jeff Jun 2013 #74

I read something once that said, with only the technology we have today... Marr Jun 2013 #78

You hit on the BIG question. GreenStormCloud Jun 2013 #82

Absolutely, yes. Given the immensity of the universe, I have no doubt of it. Akoto Jun 2013 #56

I don't know, we can only perceive of about 30% of the known universe. Rex Jun 2013 #58

No evidence at all that the have. Or that there are any other living beings. I like evidence. n-t Logical Jun 2013 #60

Considering that in my lifetime of seventy + years, I have seen so much of what Cleita Jun 2013 #61

If such a thing is physically possible, I have to think it's been done *somewhere* in the universe. Marr Jun 2013 #62

Fermi Paradox lumberjack_jeff Jun 2013 #75

Not necessarily. It's a very big place, after all-- and very old. Marr Jun 2013 #77

The Fermi Paradox contains one fatal flaw. Xithras Jun 2013 #98

You argument has a fatal flaw. GreenStormCloud Jun 2013 #112

Nonsense. lumberjack_jeff Jun 2013 #122

"We" is not "Them" Xithras Jun 2013 #124

This is the part of the argument I love. lumberjack_jeff Jun 2013 #126

And yet... Xithras Jun 2013 #127

The flaw in your argument: GreenStormCloud Jun 2013 #129

Id like to but i cant yet. Notafraidtoo Jun 2013 #65

Yes. Street Preachers. Jamastiene Jun 2013 #66

I know nothing about physics. johnp3907 Jun 2013 #68

No. It's impossible. alarimer Jun 2013 #69

http://phys.org/news/2013-06-quantum-teleportation-atomic-distances.html nebenaube Jun 2013 #79

No. Twofish Jun 2013 #81

Most people a thousand years ago would have said putting a human on the moon is impossible. Incitatus Jun 2013 #83

Once upon a time a jetliner flying through the air was "impossible" Marrah_G Jun 2013 #93

There is a difference between... GreenStormCloud Jun 2013 #120

I sincerely doubt we are unique in the universe. dipsydoodle Jun 2013 #71

Yes. And they travel trillions of intergalactic miles... SidDithers Jun 2013 #73

No evidence that any have mastered it. Why would anyone believe it? Faith? eom yawnmaster Jun 2013 #84

If some UFO's are built by humans... ZX86 Jun 2013 #85

Yes...the more background I do onto the future nexus world nadinbrzezinski Jun 2013 #86

If they did, why stop here? nt rrneck Jun 2013 #87

Of course tova Jun 2013 #88

In the whole universe then multiplied by all possible universes, yeah. TheKentuckian Jun 2013 #89

Do you think some of these aliens are using chemtrails? Ian David Jun 2013 #90

Where are they? GreenStormCloud Jun 2013 #91

I disagree some species in the galaxy has discovered it at this present moment. It's possible yes, MillennialDem Jun 2013 #95

Universe or galaxy? GreenStormCloud Jun 2013 #107

Regarding leaving Earth, I was simplifying things for making my point of MillennialDem Jun 2013 #110

Think exponentially, not linearly. GreenStormCloud Jun 2013 #113

That's making a buttload of assumptions (pun intended) MillennialDem Jun 2013 #114

Your post #95 already assumes C & D. GreenStormCloud Jun 2013 #116

Ah the Fermi paradox nadinbrzezinski Jun 2013 #111

I believe they are there, but confined to their own planetary system. GreenStormCloud Jun 2013 #117

I know there so much we don't understand about physics nadinbrzezinski Jun 2013 #118

If FTL is possible, do you think we would be the first in our galaxy to find it? GreenStormCloud Jun 2013 #119

Alas the Fermi paradox nadinbrzezinski Jun 2013 #121

You ducked the question as I posed it. GreenStormCloud Jun 2013 #123

You are assuming colinization. nadinbrzezinski Jun 2013 #125

I'd say your pizza delivery happened quickly, but not remotely close to FTL...nt SidDithers Jun 2013 #96

My amazing powers of precognition have once again served me well. Orrex Jun 2013 #100

Amazing. Are you a wizard?... SidDithers Jun 2013 #101

The best part... Orrex Jun 2013 #103

I'm sure they'll be back... SidDithers Jun 2013 #104

I'll bet that he travelled here from the future Orrex Jun 2013 #105

I think time travel is easier than FTL. sofa king Jun 2013 #99

Well, for one thing, I wouldn't call them "species." ananda Jun 2013 #102

I'll tell you yesterday KamaAina Jun 2013 #108

If there are Proud Liberal Dem Jun 2013 #109

A sequal to ID could be really interesting. GreenStormCloud Jun 2013 #115