Life out there

[Michael Stone]

Do you believe in aliens? Life on other planets? Extraterrestrial civilizations? Do you think they visit us or are they out there waiting for us to visit them? What do they look like? What do they believe in? How do you think our first contact with them should be done?

Personally I think it will be much like Star Trek from the human side of things, albeit technologically less advanced, but the alien side will be far less interesting. Probably microbes, plants, fossils. Boring experiments, tedious routines. Much like life today, except in space. No glorious battles, no fascinating discoveries.

What's your opinion?

 

[ebusinesstutor]

We know there are lots of other planets(1800+ confirmed plus 4600+ candidates). It seems nearly every system has at least some planets.

Given there are lots of planets and life sprung from common chemicals, I think the chance of life elsewhere is overwhelming. If we could suddenly detect whether there was any life anywhere in the universe, I would bet my life on a positive result.

Having said that, I think intelligent life might be somewhat less common but I still think there is other intelligent life on planets in our galaxy.

I don't think they have visited us yet - or at least I haven't seen any real evidence yet. So I think it will be a while before we are able to visit or are visited.

But detection of intelligent life is more of a possibility and would love it it happened in my lifetime.

 

[C.E. Gee]

Do you believe in aliens? Life on other planets? Extraterrestrial civilizations? Do you think they visit us or are they out there waiting for us to visit them? What do they look like? What do they believe in? How do you think our first contact with them should be done?

What's your opinion?

Not only do I believe in intelligent life on other planets, I have reason to believe there may be intelligent life on this planet.
The aliens have known about us for many millennium, are waiting to reestablish contact when we cease being so barbaric.
Might be awhile.

 

[Michael Stone]

We know there are lots of other planets(1800+ confirmed plus 4600+ candidates). It seems nearly every system has at least some planets.

Given there are lots of planets and life sprung from common chemicals, I think the chance of life elsewhere is overwhelming. If we could suddenly detect whether there was any life anywhere in the universe, I would bet my life on a positive result.

Having said that, I think intelligent life might be somewhat less common but I still think there is other intelligent life on planets in our galaxy.

I don't think they have visited us yet - or at least I haven't seen any real evidence yet. So I think it will be a while before we are able to visit or are visited.

But detection of intelligent life is more of a possibility and would love it it happened in my lifetime.

I suppose like anything else, there are different classifications of intelligence. An interesting simple list:

http://skyview.vansd.org/lschmidt/Projects/The Nine Types of Intelligence.htm

Imagine a race that doesn't understand science or math but produces fantastic art and music, or a species that understands philosophy but is confused by puzzles.

And I think those aliens are in for a long wait.

 

[Ihe]

What about the Fermi Paradox? By now, we should've gotten a peep out of them at least. We' re definitely not a threat to them, if they are advanced enough to find us and travel to us. I very much doubt the zoo hypothesis (where we are being groomed in a way, observed until the aliens consider us "ready" to show themselves). No logical reason for that. Why groom possible competitors? Maybe life is not as statistically possible as we think.

 

[Michael Stone]

Maybe we'll be the first to get out there and find them. We can be the speculation of alien conspiracy theorists.

 

[Edward M. Grant]

What about the Fermi Paradox? By now, we should've gotten a peep out of them at least.

Yes. Intelligent life can colonize the galaxy in a few million years with only technology we can forsee.

The odds that all other intelligent life in the galaxy only developed spaceflight in the last few thousand years so we haven't run into them yet seem remote, at best. So my bet is that we're the first... and, if we're the first to develop spaceflight, odds are there won't be a second before we've taken over the galaxy.

 

[RotNiC]

Do you believe in aliens? Life on other planets? Extraterrestrial civilizations? Do you think they visit us or are they out there waiting for us to visit them?

I believe life on other planets probably exists or has existed, extraterrestrial civilizations are possible, and they probably have not visited us and probably aren't aware of us.

How do you think our first contact with them should be done?

I have no opinion about that. I'm pretty confident that no "first contact" will happen within my lifetime, so I really have no stake in what human civilization does when it happens.

 

[hscope]

I flip the question and wonder how anyone can believe life only exists on earth. From the little I know about the universe, and the fact that everything in it appears to be made out of the same 'stuff,' there is absolutely nothing special about our planet and no reason to believe that the universe isn't actually teaming with life. Other life forms may even be close by, watching us and easily hidden from our 'primitive' civilisation and technology.
Of course, this does support the premise of my next novel...

 

[Edward M. Grant]

I flip the question and wonder how anyone can believe life only exists on earth.

I don't think anyone's said that. It's intelligent, technological life we (well, I) don't believe in. Non-intelligent, non-technological life is probably widespread.

Other life forms may even be close by, watching us and easily hidden from our 'primitive' civilisation and technology.

How do you hide a civilization that's capable of engineering on a galactic scale?

Yes, they could all be weirdos who think it's OK for most of the resources of the galaxy to be wastefully burned in stars to blast light into empty space. But that seems... unlikely.

 

[Michael Stone]

Maybe the reason "they" haven't contacted us is because they are intelligent.

 

[Jussslic]

I think Pushing Ice was the book that really drove home for me how much of an extraordinary coincidence would be required for two intelligent races to run into one another at a similar point in their development arc. We're not just separated by incredible distances, but also by vast gulfs of time.

So I think intelligent life is probably out there, and I would bet there are little local pockets that resemble the system-wide civilization in 2312. It would be awesome if we lived in a Larry Niven style galaxy, but if we did I think we'd have found some shred of evidence at this point. Until there is evidence to the contrary, Fermi's galaxy is quietly compelling.

But we haven't been looking very long, and the scope of our search has been very narrow. So it's really pretty impossible to draw any conclusions at this point.

 

[Michael Stone]

I wonder if the greater the intelligence, the less likely for coincidence. Intelligence, resourcefulness, inventiveness have all overcome great obstacles in the past. No reason to believe that trend will not continue.

First contact with aliens. What to say? How to approach? Who to send? Military or no? Politicians or scientists? Linguists or mathematicians? One person or a group? First words or first response?

How would you lay out a protocol for first contact?

 

[Ihe]

How would you lay out a protocol for first contact?

I believe--if what I read time ago is true--the UN has cooked up first contact protocols already. I don't know if it's accessible to the public though.

 

[Michael Stone]

My first contact protocols:

1) Establish a perimeter, as much for the protection of the aliens as for the public.
2) No military presence. If they have the technology to cross light years, they can probably defend against a couple of tanks.
3) Three person team: A linguist, a scientist and an experienced ambassador/diplomat. Genders should be mixed.
4) Gifts: Always a welcome ice-breaker. I suggest chocolate cake, root beer and French fries.
5) Bring a puppy. Everyone loves puppies.
6) Smile, but don't bare teeth.
7) Try not to react to any nudity. Aliens might not wear clothing.
8) Be prepared to go aboard their ship.
9) Probes might be a form of communication. Relax and go with it.
10) Understand that this is a different culture and it may take time. Be patient.

 

[Bodhi]

I think it's incredibly important to start with the idea that things exist, the universe is, because we perceive it.
We've achieved the status where we drastically influence our environment over time and we understand consequences.
We also can reproduce ourselves and our culture (through school and family).
You ask about the "life" out there. I point you toward the cultures here, some are more alien to me than I would imagine animals from another planet would be.
I thought about the concept "Eternal Return". If space is infinite and time is infinite, then a world exactly the same as ours will repeat itself over time.
We have very primitive ways of communicating right now, sending electromagnetic waves through the air and electric signals through wires to form words (symbols) and pictures.
I think we yet have breakthroughs in what "space" and "time" represent to our consciousness. Once we breakthrough, I think communication will become easier with life in other solar systems. If we do communicate, I'm not sure physical interaction beyond the nominal "man on the moon" space mission will be rewarding to our species.

 

[Stephen Palmer]

I think Pushing Ice was the book that really drove home for me how much of an extraordinary coincidence would be required for two intelligent races to run into one another at a similar point in their development arc. We're not just separated by incredible distances, but also by vast gulfs of time.

Well said.

 

[Justin Swanton]

The existence of life off-planet rests on the principle that the genome sequence of a double helix DNA strand came into existence entirely through spontaneous generation and subsequent mutation. If this is the case then of course there is life out there, since in such a vast planet-filled universe there is bound be a few earthlike worlds capable of harbouring living organisms.

But since we have only an incomplete understanding of the fantastically complex programming structure of DNA whilst knowing nothing about its origins, the paragraph above remains a hypothesis.

 

[Michael Stone]

Incredible distances, vasts gulfs of time, incomplete understandings. In my opinion, these are things that an intelligent species would be aware of, take into account when exploring and, given time and ingenuity, eventually and gradually overcome.

 

[BAYLOR]

Considering the size of the universe I think it's reasonable to assume that there is life on other worlds. It may well be that we might find evidence of life somewhere else in our solar system. On Mars and and Jupiter's moon Europa perhaps?