Video of The Great Debate - Are We Alone? A scientific public debate on the search for ET.

[Better Believe It]

The Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence
The Great Debate - Are We Alone? - Geoff Marcy and Dan Werthimer
Recorded Friday, April 30, 2010

SETI@home Chief Scientist Dan Werthimer participated in an exciting public debate with planet-hunter and skeptic Geoff Marcy on April 30, 2010 on campus of the University of California at Berkeley. The topic: "Are We Alone?" covered the range of issues related to the search for extraterrestrial life.

Science Fiction portrays our Milky Way Galaxy as teeming with advanced civilizations engaged in interstellar communication, commerce, and occasionally star wars. If so, great Galactic societies anticipate offering membership to Earth. Back in our real universe, extraterrestrial life has proved elusive. None has been found. The arguments for and against technological life in the Galaxy have sharpened in recent years. Evidence abounds on Earth of the hardiness of life even in extremely harsh environments. Other evidence suggests the Earth may be a rare type of planet, unusually benign for life as we know it. Evidence on both sides is mounting. Which one is right? There can be only one answer: Either the Milky Way is teeming with technological life or it isn't. Renowned SETI scientist Dan Werthimer will debate planet-hunter and skeptic, Geoff Marcy.

See the debate video at:

http://seti.berkeley.edu/the-great-debate

[meow mix]

1. why does life have to be restricted to the milky way? or even to our own universe...

i dont get that

[Better Believe It]

2. It doesn't have to be. There are a few hundred billion Galaxy's in our universe.

And there could be an infinite number of other universes.

[Marr]

3. Personally, I've no doubt that there's other life in our galaxy.

Even if the conditions that allow for life to develop are very rare, the number of stars is just so vast that the right conditions are bound to come up a lot.

Is there other life that possesses intelligence like our own? That's a very different question. Technological societies may have short lifespans, and we're awash in time as well as space. Even if technological civilizations last for a hundred thousand years on average, we could still be looking at a galaxy that's chock full of extinct civilizations, none of which ever existed at the same time.

[damntexdem]

4. First we'd better search for terrestrial intelligence.

Or I guess SETI may just want to find intelligence SOMEWHERE and has given up on earth. ;-)

[Better Believe It]

6. We're mere infants in the cosmos but if we somehow manage to not destroy Earth we will grow up to be

civilized and adult intelligent beings!

[Rosco T.]

5. I think this quote says it best....

"I'll tell you one thing about the universe, though. The universe is a pretty big place. It's bigger than anything anyone has ever dreamed of before. So if it's just us... seems like an awful waste of space. Right?"

- Dr. Ellie Arroway (via Carl Sagan), Contact