jfish1936 Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 There doesn't seem to be intelligent life on the rest of the Solar System. Other stars are very far away. Travel to them would have to be at high speeds, maybe 10% of lightspeed or more. X-rays are made by sending fast-moving electrons to hit a metal target; a space ship would be a high speed target colliding with the particles in ( nearly empty ) space. Same effect -- lots of X-rays; pretty lethal over a (say) 40 year voyage; and we can't afford the fuel for a heavy lead shield. Yes, lots of SF authors have postulated ways round this; but no-one's made the ideas work yet. Could be like balloons; since air was found to have weight, the idea came that a giant copper sphere with all its air pumped out would rise was thought of : the metal weighed more than the buoyancy. Hot air, hydrogen or helium in a light bag turned out to be the answer. Maybe there's something like that yet to be found. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted February 7, 2013 Author Share Posted February 7, 2013 The OP isn't worried about it being intelligent life, or even alive life! I don't think it's just the vast distances which will make it unlikely to encounter intelligent life, time will also be a factor. If you think about how long our planet has been around (intelligent design adherents look away now) and for what a small proportion of that intelligent life has existed, several 10s of thousands of years. Now extrapolate that across the many universes and the likelihood of any other life form evolve whilst we're still around is infinitesimal. That's as good a summary as I'd come up with Max. Evidence of life is one thing, meeting intelligent life is something altogether different. Knowing that it's happened is yet another thing! Something like: Chance to encounter evidence of life this year = Chance of life occurring / chance of us spotting it / chance of us realising against: Chance of encountering intelligent life this year = Chance of life occurring / chance of us spotting it / chance of us realising * 13,700,000,000 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anarchon Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 If I remember correctly, in the first episode of the new Wonders of Life series, Prof Brian Cox mentioned that life probably came into being as a direct consequence of the laws of physics. If the conditions are just right, then it's probably a given that lifeforms will manage to evolve out of complex hydrocarbons. As such, the universe is probably teeming with life. The best candidates in our Solar System for having life at present or in the past are Mars and Europa (Jupiter moon). Mars appears to have evidence of having had liquid water on it's surface in the distant past. In the case of Europa, it's speculated that the expanding and contracting of the moon by Jupiter's tidal forces has heated up the interior of the moon and has allowed a liquid ocean to develop under it's icy surface. Whether we'll be able to detect life outside our Solar System - probably not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alchresearch Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 In today's Reg: Earth-like planets abound in red dwarf systems Slow-burning stars may host civilizations far more advanced than our own http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/02/07/kepler_red_dwarf_star/ The nearest Earth-like planet that could support liquid water may be much closer than first believed, according to new research by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. "We thought we would have to search vast distances to find an Earth-like planet," said Harvard astronomer and lead author Courtney Dressing in a statement. "Now we realize another Earth is probably in our own backyard, waiting to be spotted." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truman Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 In today's Reg: Earth-like planets abound in red dwarf systems Slow-burning stars may host civilizations far more advanced than our own http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/02/07/kepler_red_dwarf_star/ If they are that close and have intelligent life then it's strange that we havn't notices any sort of radio waves issuing from them..they may be a way behind us in technology though although you'd think if they were older then the earth then life would be more advanced there..who knows.. ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxmaximus Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 Yes I agree that time is certainly a factor too. But it's also statistically probable. But as I said, we'll probably never know. And definitely not in any foreseeable future. One would also expect that some intelligent life has existed for millions of years longer than us, this has given them the time to discover a way to travel to use, they may have already done this but because we are significantly less advanced than them they have prevented us from observing them or they just didn’t think we were advanced enough to even bother with. On a positive note a bacteria called GFAJ-1 which uses arsenic as its building block and is nothing like any other life on earth as proven that life can exist in a completely different environment to our own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackK0 Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 I do strongly believe life forms exist elsewhere the universe is way too big, It surely cannot be possible we are here alone I do not believe though these life forms will look nothing like ours.. unless there is an exact copy of Earth in a parallel universe. I cannot imagine what the other life forms may look like because it depends on what environment we find them in. Great discussion thought I just don't understand why people don't think there is any other life out there if not why don't you other than there is no evidence? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kermit103 Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 I believe that one day we will be visited by some life form from another planet, if that day is in my lifetime I will be afraid, very afraid..... http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-20003358-71.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truman Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 I do not believe though these life forms will look nothing like ours.. Does that mean they will look like us or they won't? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lil-minx92 Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 If we do discover life I hope its a proper space alien and not just some crappy bacteria. That would be a real anti-climax and I dont think I'd lose a winks sleep over it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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