Aliens

[JOEYSHABADO]

Are there alien lifeforms out there in our galaxy who are just waiting for us to develop our aggressive instincts with technology that will be a threat to them, so that they can zap us.
ps. This is not a joke, but real science.

[Dacetine]

Whether there is alien life or not is a big question. My hunch is yes plenty of it, but very little intelligent life.

However, regardless of this it is not likely that humanity would ever be much of a threat to an alien race due to the staggeringly large distances involved. Fighting a war over galactic distances would be a logistical nightmare due to relativity and the huge time required to get anywhere (these problems are outlined nicely - albeit in sci-fi form - in The Forever War by Joe Haldeman).

[JohnDTC]

i would agree that in the infinite vastness of the universe it would be more unlikely that it wouldnt be teeming with life, i dont know why you think 'very little intelligent life' would exist, i can see no reason why intelligent life wouldnt evolve just as readily. in the 15 odd billion years the universe has been in existence i'm sure there are millions of 'intelligent' species, although not neccessarily all what we would recognise as biological.

i believe it is likely, however, that as a species we will never encounter intelligent alien life due to the sparseness of galaxies/solar systems & the massive distances involved. Our planet is such an insignificant speck i doubt anyone knows we are here, or would come looking specifically for us. i would think we'd encounter some kind of interstellar probe if anything, even then the odds are so ridiculously large.

there is an interesting theory i read about (although i forget the proffesor's name) which goes that; any species intelligent enough to develop advanced space travel etc. would also eventually inevitably destroy itself by a variety of other co-evolved apocalyptic technologies that spiral out of control, such as nano-technology , & would therefore never actually survive long enough to reach other civilisations.

[Loosehead]

I agree, definately aliens exist out there somewhere but the separation is so vast we will never meet. Looks like I'll have to go on making the crop circles myself!

[Peter Pedant]

No Joe, its not real science, its a joke

[Flurfl]

At best it is speculation and probabilties

[Thunderchild]

there r alien races out there but yes as everbody has stated up to now there is a very low probability that we will meet especially if you take into account that we may have already met them thousands of years ago and whynot we may be a planet of people cloned by god just a sientist from another planet that wanted to experiment. wouldn't our sientists do the same if they came to a planet with low level life form wouldn't they love to tamper.

we often think in too much to one extreme or another. we either think aliens r the perfect beings and friends or the worst enemys. why shouldn't they be not must different from us ? i mean we r in the same universe were u live or die according towhat you do about it !

[JOEYSHABADO]

It's not a joke, lots of things look like a joke, but when you confront those who say it is, with the facts of why you've arrived at your (at least) entertainment of the possibility, it's interesting to hear them try to refute it on objective terms. The ones I can think of are:

1) Existence of non solar system planets (Check: we've found them)

2) Existence of life outside solar system: very likely by most calculations

3) Existence of conditions that allow that life to develop into an advanced technological civilization with good radio astronomy: highly probable.

4) Chances of that civilization having developed the means to track us down and know what we're up to: very good indeed.

5) 'Natural selection' arguments: That within any universe (if there were many), non-offensive hi-tech civilizations could not allow the offensive hi-tech civilizations to reach a level where they were a threat to other civilizations.

The theory I read suggested that the chances were extremely high of us having been discovered by another civilization, and them being aware of us having aggressive tendencies, and them having possibly deployed drones near us, waiting for us to reach the level of technology where we become a threat to them.

Lots of scientific advances make those who 'laughed' at previous suggestions now the ones who are laughed at. Extra solar-sys planets? Don't make me laugh. Found them. The conditions for life to exist are very limited! Wrong. We can't overcome natural limitations of distance and the speed of light! Does anyone believe this? Look how far we got thus far.

There can't be aliens! Just because you don't see them! The universe is enormous, with an enormous number of stars. The chances of intelligent life not having evolved somewhere else, and being ahead of us at the game, are very very small indeed.

So...what's your specific objection?

[jake-the-peg]

I think most people have the same basic objection: Distance

We all reckon that there are Aliens possibly millions in our galaxy alone.

The point is the sheer distances involved are monumental. - Yes the Atlantic once seemed big but that is absolutely nothing compared to this.

Real Science says the speed of light is the limit and at that speed it would take you 4 years to reach even the nearest star. 

Worrying about agressive aliens would be like a bunch or ants on a beach in Hawaii worrying about an anteater in Africa - only perhaps a billion times further away 

[Dacetine]

Hello Loosehead... wow, another person who makes crop circles... I thought I was the only one.