There HAS to be life on other planets..

[ThunderKiss1965]

I’m not talking about little green men, and I’ve never been a believer in aliens, I’ve never seen any evidence to prove to me that there are. However…there are hundreds of billions of galaxies, some say even trillions of galaxies. The odds that when the universe formed, that our planet is the ONLY one that ended up being able to sustain intelligent life would have to be astronomically high. It would almost seem impossible that what happened on on earth didn’t also happen somewhere else, or in many different places.

My thought on this is that if earth is the only place where humans ended up, you’d almost have to believe in creation to believe that.

Thoughts?

The Fermi Paradox is really interesting if your into this sort of thing. It has many different theories on the subject.

My own theory is it's very likely there is other intelligent life forms in the Universe, but the distances involved are so vast we will never make physical contact and any transmissions received will be a one sided conversation.

 

[expat500]

My own theory is it's very likely there is other intelligent life forms in the Universe, but the distances involved are so vast we will never make physical contact and any transmissions received will be a one sided conversation.

They might be so uber intelligent, we can’t even see them, given our primitive capabilities, and limitless perceptions.

 

[expat500]

How lovely that you are laughing, Unkotare. Usually you are so dour.

 

[Mushroom]

However…there are hundreds of billions of galaxies, some say even trillions of galaxies. The odds that when the universe formed, that our planet is the ONLY one that ended up being able to sustain intelligent life would have to be astronomically high

I bet there is a hell of a lot of life in the universe. Or, at least there has been once as because of the age much of it has already likely been snuffed out, and in other places it is about to come to life.

We have fossil evidence of life on our planet less than a billion years after it formed, but for it to even evolve to that point it was likely present pretty much as soon as it was possible, around 500 million years after creation. And I would not be surprised if there was life on ancient Mars (and might still live on underground in extremophiles) and possibly one or more moons in our solar system.

However, I also believe that over 99.9% of that life likely never evolves beyond the level of pond scum. Our own planet has had almost all life wiped out multiple times, and I bet in most cases that is exactly what happened long before it could even evolve to the point of multi-celled creatures. Hell, probably the worst mass extinction our planet ever had was caused by life itself.

 

[expat500]

beyond the level of pond scum.

I’m tempted to say something; but l won’t.

 

[Dr.Destructo]

Well DUH.

There is life on other planets......even in our solar system. Bacteria and microbes have been found on Mars, Venus, and around a few moons of Jupiter and Saturn.

 

[ThisIsMe]

I bet there is a hell of a lot of life in the universe. Or, at least there has been once as because of the age much of it has already likely been snuffed out, and in other places it is about to come to life.

We have fossil evidence of life on our planet less than a billion years after it formed, but for it to even evolve to that point it was likely present pretty much as soon as it was possible, around 500 million years after creation. And I would not be surprised if there was life on ancient Mars (and might still live on underground in extremophiles) and possibly one or more moons in our solar system.

However, I also believe that over 99.9% of that life likely never evolves beyond the level of pond scum. Our own planet has had almost all life wiped out multiple times, and I bet in most cases that is exactly what happened long before it could even evolve to the point of multi-celled creatures. Hell, probably the worst mass extinction our planet ever had was caused by life itself.

That’s fine, we all can have our own theories and imaginations. And for the record, I’m not arguing that I know for sure there is intelligent life elsewhere, I’m saying that with the size and numbers of the universe and celestial bodies…it’s improbable that there isn’t.


Again, if God created all of this (and I’m not saying he didn’t), then what was the purpose of creating trillions and trillions of galaxies, if earth, and humans, were only every going to be the only intelligent life?

 

[CarlinAnnArbor]

We have to remember that the farthest our radio signals have gotten up to this point is about 100 light years away and most planets are much further out than that. So, the most likely scenario is that any intelligent life forms that know of radio signals, are much farther out than the mere 100 light years and the signals would have had to been directed in their direction.

I can't imagine a superior alien race relying on radio signals for communication. They must have developed subspace communication. The Star Trek universe demands it

 

[CarlinAnnArbor]

Again, if God created all of this (and I’m not saying he didn’t), then what was the purpose of creating trillions and trillions of galaxies, if earth, and humans, were only every going to be the only intelligent life?

In today's video games, is there "life" among the stars in their world?

Only if the Creator wills it

 

[ThisIsMe]

In today's video games, is there "life" among the stars in their world?

Only if the Creator wills it

We’re not in a video game

 

[expat500]

We’re not in a video game

Maybe we are. Like the Truman Show.

 

[CarlinAnnArbor]

We’re not in a video game

Are you sure we aren't "trapped" in a universe created by God?
He revealed the purpose of the stars in heaven. If you reject that ONE purpose that's up to you. But it is something to consider

 

[Fort Fun Indiana]

Are you sure we aren't "trapped" in a universe created by God?
He revealed the purpose of the stars in heaven. If you reject that ONE purpose that's up to you. But it is something to consider

Here we see why religion is not going anywhere any time soon. It appeals to the ego. How self flattering to believe the entire universe was created just for us.

 

[Resnic]

There could be other life but the distance might be too great.

There is an idea of infinitely big and infinitely small.

Say the human body has living cells next to each other, they don't touch but they are very close. But if you view them from a sub atomic particles viewpoint they can't even be viewed individually, let alone together.

To us earth could be huge but we could in the grand scheme of things be no more than less than a sub atomic particle in the cosmos. We would have other planets with intelligent life but we're so small the distance is vast we have no way of knowing they exist.

Similar to how a fly in California could never understand there is another fly in Florida. The distance is so massive even in their entire lifetime they couldn't travel 1/1000th of a way there. But for us, we hope on a plane and can see both of them before the sun goes down that day.

But there is also the fact that maybe we are it, we don't know. All we know is what we have taught ourselves, and the majority of things about what's beyond our planet are just guesses. We only know a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of what's out there

 

[Mushroom]

That’s fine, we all can have our own theories and imaginations. And for the record, I’m not arguing that I know for sure there is intelligent life elsewhere, I’m saying that with the size and numbers of the universe and celestial bodies…it’s improbable that there isn’t.

The thing is, it requires so much for a planet to last long enough for that to even happen.

Our own planet is lucky. We live in what is called the "Goldilocks Zone", so we have what is believed to be the optimal conditions for life to originate in and flourish. And even with that, life multiple times has damned near been wiped out, from life itself on at least two occasions, to impact events. Not to mention what a planet would get in a more active part of their galaxy like random radiation blasts, something we thankfully avoid by being in a quiet little backwater of the Orion Arm. We really are in a remote part of our own galaxy.

And even more important, due to a fluke of early development of the solar system, we got a "Super-Sized" core. Where as our nearest cousins of Mars and Venus have either a dead core or one only kept alive by tidal stress because it is so close to the sun, ours is still active and protecting our atmosphere and life with radiation belts that deflect most of what the sun emits that would be fatal to life. We were lucky, because when Theia hit us some 4.5 gya, it blasted off the crust to form our moon, but their core merged with our own to form a super core that is still highly active to this day, and will remain so even when the sun goes Red Giant and consumed our planet. The core will literally live longer than the planet would.

And this is what I base my belief on that the majority of life never developed much past "pond scum", as most would likely go the way of Mars (which I do believe once had life). The smaller core cools, the radiation belts diminish, and increased radiation along with the solar winds removing the atmosphere put an end to life on the surface. However, as I also stated I do believe that life still exists on Mars. But in the form of extremophiles, only existing underground in their own little ecosystems. Condemned to never evolve much past what they were like when they became trapped, closed ecosystems which remain small in numbers, utilizing what little geologic forces are still present in addition to their own life-death cycles to barely remain in existence.

And in the last half century or so, we have only started to scratch the surface of extremophiles on our own planet. And they exist in environments that at one time was thought to be impossible for life. However, we also know that they almost never evolve past what they were when they entered that environment. And if anything, "devolve" to remove traits that are not beneficial in the little area they live in.

 

[scruffy]

I encourage everyone to gain a modern understanding of probability.

Especially when it comes to life. Catalysts are abundant in nature, and for example, change the probability of peptide bonds forming in seawater by 10 BILLION times or more.

There is science attached to this. Neither probability nor biochemistry are simple and easy. If I tell you there is a nucleophilic attack on the A site or the P-site, you have to know what the vocabulary means.

To intelligently discuss biochemical evolution, one must be aware that there are TOPOLOGIES associated with the interaction of random generators. This means dynamics, catastrophes, and criticality. One can not simply multiply probabilities, such a thing "almost never" works in real life.

Earlier I provided a simple example of a fungus that lives on a criticality shelf. This is life, this is how it evolves.

 

[San Souci]

Maybe we are. Like the Truman Show.

Bogus. Jim Carry is a Butthead. Never thought he was funny. Just lame.

 

[expat500]

Bogus. Jim Carry is a Butthead. Never thought he was funny. Just lame.

It was merely an analogy. Nothing really to do with Jim Carrey.

l don’t think he’s funny either, But that’s a whole different discussion, if you want to go down that road.

 

[ThisIsMe]

The thing is, it requires so much for a planet to last long enough for that to even happen.

Our own planet is lucky. We live in what is called the "Goldilocks Zone", so we have what is believed to be the optimal conditions for life to originate in and flourish. And even with that, life multiple times has damned near been wiped out, from life itself on at least two occasions, to impact events. Not to mention what a planet would get in a more active part of their galaxy like random radiation blasts, something we thankfully avoid by being in a quiet little backwater of the Orion Arm. We really are in a remote part of our own galaxy.

And even more important, due to a fluke of early development of the solar system, we got a "Super-Sized" core. Where as our nearest cousins of Mars and Venus have either a dead core or one only kept alive by tidal stress because it is so close to the sun, ours is still active and protecting our atmosphere and life with radiation belts that deflect most of what the sun emits that would be fatal to life. We were lucky, because when Theia hit us some 4.5 gya, it blasted off the crust to form our moon, but their core merged with our own to form a super core that is still highly active to this day, and will remain so even when the sun goes Red Giant and consumed our planet. The core will literally live longer than the planet would.

And this is what I base my belief on that the majority of life never developed much past "pond scum", as most would likely go the way of Mars (which I do believe once had life). The smaller core cools, the radiation belts diminish, and increased radiation along with the solar winds removing the atmosphere put an end to life on the surface. However, as I also stated I do believe that life still exists on Mars. But in the form of extremophiles, only existing underground in their own little ecosystems. Condemned to never evolve much past what they were like when they became trapped, closed ecosystems which remain small in numbers, utilizing what little geologic forces are still present in addition to their own life-death cycles to barely remain in existence.

And in the last half century or so, we have only started to scratch the surface of extremophiles on our own planet. And they exist in environments that at one time was thought to be impossible for life. However, we also know that they almost never evolve past what they were when they entered that environment. And if anything, "devolve" to remove traits that are not beneficial in the little area they live in.

So it is your belief that it is impossible for intelligent life to have developed anywhere in the entire universe?

That’s fine, I find it not likely, but I can’t prove it either way. That’s why this is a good discussion, everyone has their own ideas and inputs. Mine are merely based on odds. Not science or quantum physics, just probability.

 

[Mushroom]

So it is your belief that it is impossible for intelligent life to have developed anywhere in the entire universe?

Now where did I ever say that?

Do not try and make claims to things I never said, that is a guaranteed fail. I said what I said, and I meant exactly what I said.

However, I do believe that life even evolving to the point we have is almost impossible. It has only happened for us through extreme luck and good fortune, and can literally be wiped out tomorrow. One simply has to look back in the geological record of our own planet to see that. Or that of Mars, which we now know for a fact once had large oceans, but is now a barren wasteland. But also, realize that "almost impossible" is still a freaking huge number. If only a single planet is able to evolve to even the level of homo sapiens in a each galaxy, that is still over 2 trillion planets.

There are after all an estimated 1 septillion stars in the universe.

That is 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 stars. So is there intelligent life somewhere else out there? By the odds, more than likely there is. Not that it matters, because if there was such a planet with a lifeform in the Andromeda Galaxy, we would never be able to talk to them. Because for us to get a message now, they would have had to have sent it when humans had evolved as far as homo habilis, and had finally discovered how to make a crude stone tool.

And if they sent one then and we got it now, odds are they no longer exist. And they sure as hell would not exist by the time a response got back to them.