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Looking For Intelligence
Calgacus writes "We've all read stories about extra-solar planets being found by gravitational wobbles. The Scotsman has a story here about a planet in the Fomalhaut system being discovered because of its wake through a dust cloud. It's further out than other recently discovered planets and astronomers are saying it means there's an odds-on chance of intelligent life being out there. If only there was more on Earth..."
This may be a stupid question, but how can they say there's a likely chance, when they haven't actually proved there's any life anywhere off-earth yet? Is this more astronomers trying to fund their projects again by mentioning the L-word?
Let's face it folks
Consider this: If we are able to communicate with extra terrestrials, odds are that they are more advanced technologicaly than we are. That being said, what if these aliens are aggressive beings that are looking for a conquest? Do we really want to make their job of finding a planet of slaves any easier?
Has anyone considered the possibility that we might be putting a big red target on our planet?
Just some food for thought
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I think it does make sense because it's more evidence that there are planets in other star systems in great abundance. It shows that there are possibly other solar systems similar to our own, which also contains large gas giants. The Earth wouldn't be detectable either with current technology at that range, but Jupiter might be. Basically this discovery provides evidence that our own solar system is not completely unique in its very existence; you have to have planets to have life (as far as we know). So while this isn't direct evidence of life, it is another piece of evidence to support the hypothesis that there are other solar systems like our own that may contain life.
6 billion isn't enough for you? grow some respect, kid.
So, if this planet is located in a comet-dust-other-space-junk belt/disk then you can imagine the devastation that planet must endure every day! We saw what happened to Jupiter when the Shoemaker-Levy comet bombarded the planet, in the system around this newly discovered planet this would most likely be a daily event, so to say that the chance of life is low is like saying that living through having an h-bomb inserted in your anus and detonated is low.
One of the large problems in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence is the preconception that any "intelligent lifeforms" would conform to the human concept of what qualifies:
.5 or 3.5 times the size of humans, and life in subterranean caves and achieved energy/sustainence from lava-flows or something similar as opposed to a solar source.
a) Life
b) Intelligence
he said there was little chance of finding life on the planet because it was under constant bombardment from a surrounding belt of comets.
In the case of (a), for the most-part we are looking for carbon-based lifeforms that function in a similar way to human beings. This isn't to say that were looking for a bipedal species with human characteristics, but that we ignore other possiblities. There could be lifeforms that are not carbon-based, as is life on earth. Indeed, a planet that is completely inhospitable to earthly life may provide what another race/species needs to exist, but is overlooked due to the fact that "we" couldn't live on it.
If that is the case, then why shouldn't there be planetary systems like our own that contain Earth-like planets?
In the case of (b), we qualify intelligence as matching a particular set of humanistic functions. Among these would be the ability to manufacture tools, buildings, monuments, etc that are recognisable to us as such.
There's no reason why (possible) life on other planets should conform to these classifications. Indeed, there could be lifeforms that are not x-pedal (have feet, etc) in nature, are
Outworldly life is greatly unknown. There's nothing to say that such life would be in any way similar to our own, and to us may resemble a rock more than a human being.
We're all limited by our own sense of being - phorm
I get anoyed by people talking about the probability of intelligent life on other planets. Frank Drake's 1961 equation, is the most famous example.
We have a sample group of 1 so far. You can't predict anything from a sample of 1. Its basic math.
As long as they don't visit the US
That's a funny crack at the US, but it's simply not true. The US holds more Nobel Prizes for sciences than any other country. The secondary school test scores could use some improvement, but University-level education is considered one of the highest in the world.
On the other hand, if your crack was some sort of political snipe at the US, then fine-- but it's funny how most people are really trying hard to get to the US.
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Ok, I know that we have found microbial bacteria in Antarctica... but take the temperatures there, and quintuple it... and you've got Pluto. Where, arguably, no life could survive past the microbial stage.
Now, go out a few million more miles, and your on one of these planets, who's temperatures make Pluto look like the Bahamas... NOW what are your odds?
The one thing that amuses me... is that the astronomers know the odds of finding life in the universe... infinitesimal, but life is out there. Yet, even when knowing this, they still hold hope of finding that life HERE in our own solar system.
Heres to the infinitely optimistic astronomer... Cheers!!!
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And then to take this proof, and amek the jump, if there are solar systems, then there should be earth like planets - that is a huge assumption. And finally, to go from solar system to intelligent life, that just took it from huge assumption, to science fiction. Not that I don't like science fiction, but not is a scientific article!
First Falcon-1 to orbit, then Falcon-9. Then I can die a happy man.
That's a funny crack at the US, but it's simply not true. The US holds more Nobel Prizes for sciences than any other country. The secondary school test scores could use some improvement, but University-level education is considered one of the highest in the world.
When you have 250 million people, you are bound to spit out a few intellegent deviants.
But have you been driving or grocery shopping lately? Have you seen the news? Do you ever wonder where News of the Wierd and the Darwin Awards get their material?
We *are* a nation of idiots. We've got some smart people here, but with so many carbon lifeforms bumping around this continent thats bound to happen.
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I think Einstein actually said, that given a fair race, light would always win. So theoretically, wormholes and warp drive is possible, because we would be making it an unfair race by taking a shortcut.
Out of Cheese Error:
Please reboot universe
Last I checked a very small percentage of americans ever graduated from collage (under 20% I think).
Most grad schools are full of foreigners.
If you want to measure the intelligence of the US public don't look at school.
War is necrophilia.
You are assuming that since we are becoming more technologically advanced, we also are becoming more morally advanced. I don't see that in history. We are not any less likely to kill one another than before. We just have more effective weapons.
So if an Alien species finds earth, that explorer and scientist crew might see money to be made by exploiting us.
Based on the most conservative estimates for variables in the Drake Equation [seti.org], odds are we're not alone.
This is not quite true. In particular, nobody has been able to build life from scratch in a lab and nobody knows the exact reaction that needs to happen.
This means, that the probability of life arising on a suitable planet (f_l) is completely unknown. For all we know, it could be so low, that it is bound to happen at the most once in the entire universe.
Personally, I don't think that this is the case, and I am eagerly awaiting the results of future trips to Mars and Europa. If they find primitive life there, then that changes a lot.
Tor
Er, wormholes aren't a SF solutions. Look up "Einstein-Rosen Bridge". The problem with such a bridge is that matter won't survive the trip.
Digging deeper into the hat of theoretical physics, we have a possible solution. What needs to be done is to thread the wormhole with something that sounds a lot like antigravity. This sounds like a SF solution, but there is no theoretical reason why a negative gravitational force shouldn't exist. Its a mathematically viable solution.
OTOH, this could be a pretty expensive solution. First you need to find or create a bridge and then stabilize it. If your race has perfected suspended animation, it might be the cheaper way to go from one system to another. Or maybe there's some other reason.
Its flawed reasoning to think "There's no ETs visiting us, thus FTL travel is impossible." Maybe we're living in the cosmic equivalent of a natural preserve. Maybe intelligence evolves beyond the need for physical bodies. Maybe there are intersteller laws against messing with the locals. Maybe hydrogen based life is the norm. Or life that can live in a vacuum. Or maybe we've just been overlooked.
Just my $.02