Intelligent Life?

[Jamster26]

It's been argued by people for a long time - are we 'alone' in the universe, or is something out there, existing with other life forms, from a single cell organism, to biological things like us, but are further in advance in their science and technology?

Most scientists, that I've seen, think that there is a high chance, given the size of the universe.


What do you think? Are we alone or not?

[azreal88]

Can we have an option for "life almost certainly exists in other areas of the universe, but hasn't visited"?

If so, I vote that one.

[azreal88]

Also, can we define "highest"?  Do you mean "most intelligent"?

[Le God]

You have to assume there is life somewhere.

what form it's in and whether it's visited us is another question.

[Jamster26]

Also, can we define "highest"?  Do you mean "most intelligent"?

No I didn't, I meant like top of the food chain

I'll put that poll question you requested up.

[azreal88]

No I didn't, I meant like top of the food chain

Bacteria then, I suppose. They break-down (eat) most things in the end, and they don't have specialised predators.

[DaveBWFC]

I think there must be other life forms in the universe. They could even be living amongst us now.

[azreal88]

I think there must be other life forms in the universe. They could even be living amongst us now.

Yeah, but does Amos count as 'intelligent life'?

[DaveBWFC]

Yeah, but does Amos count as 'intelligent life'?

He might be intelligent on whatever planet he's from.

[Jamster26]

I was having this debate with a few Christians whilst watching the Tottenham, Blackpool game and they just flat out, refused the idea that there is life out there. I didn't understand that at all. I don't thinks it's offensive?

[Le God]

I was having this debate with a few Christians whilst watching the Tottenham, Blackpool game and they just flat out, refused the idea that there is life out there. I didn't understand that at all. I don't thinks it's offensive?

I think it's more offensive to say there flat out isn't any life.

[azreal88]

I was having this debate with a few Christians whilst watching the Tottenham, Blackpool game and they just flat out, refused the idea that there is life out there. I didn't understand that at all. I don't thinks it's offensive?

Dogma is more important than truth, to some.

[DaveBWFC]

Offensive? How can that offend someone?

[Jamster26]

I think it's more offensive to say there flat out isn't any life.

I think its arrogance.

[Le God]

I think its arrogance.

Yeah that and stupidity.

[azreal88]

Offensive? How can that offend someone?

I think its arrogance.

That's how, Dave.  They see themselves as the sole purpose of the universe.......any other life would lessen their 'meaning'.

[Jamster26]

Dogma is more important than truth, to some.

Yes but it doesn't say in the Bible that we are the only life on earth, so I just didn't understand it, the tetchiness.

[azreal88]

Yes but it doesn't say in the Bible that we are the only life on earth, so I just didn't understand it, the tetchiness.

Dogma and scripture are two different things.  And very often, when dogma and scripture are in conflict, people choose dogma.

[DLH]

There are so many variables..

Distance away from the sun.. Collision between Earth and Theia... Composition of the planet.. Number of asteroids in the solar system.. Composition of the atmosphere and on and on and on...

Some boffin did some form of equation on this, and the chances are 0.01% over 4 billion years... However given that there are between 200 and 400 billion stars in the milky way alone, and lets say 9 planets per star, then the odds even being so small point to the chance of something else out there..

[azreal88]

Some boffin did some form of equation on this, and the chances are 0.01% over 4 billion years... However given that there are between 200 and 400 billion stars in the milky way alone, and lets say 9 planets per star, then the odds even being so small point to the chance of something else out there..

Are you talking about the Drake equation?

You don't need to account for the formation of Earth in order to say life could form.  Life doesn't have to form on a planet EXACTLY like Earth, so the collision and formation of the Earth/Moon 'system' doesn't need to be part of the calculation.

[Sluffy]

There's life out there somewhere - the place is simply too incomprehensibly massive for there not to be.

We don't even understand how the universe works yet - we reckon we do - but the facts don't neatly fit the theory (see dark matter for instance).

I know it sound's Doctor Who-ish but things like parallel Universes may even exist (see link) -

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/horizon/2001/paralleluni.shtml

So the chances of there not being other forms of live to ourselves is nil.

As for them being here amongst us - well they already are! -

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11886943

Ok, they may only be bugs BUT they aren't made up in the same way of every other life on earth, so the chances of other forms of life being out there in the universe is that much greater.

Any form of intelligence who can master the vast distances needed to visit our planet will be that much more superior in intelligence than us that they won't need to take any chances in studying us and so will never have to be close enough to earth to be detected by our most advanced defence systems let alone be cruising round Area 51, or some such place.

We are not alone but the chances are that no one will ever find it of interest to actually want to meet with us.

Oh and for the bible v evolution - see Scopes Monkey Trial -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scopes_Trial

[DLH]

Are you talking about the Drake equation?

You don't need to account for the formation of Earth in order to say life could form.  Life doesn't have to form on a planet EXACTLY like Earth, so the collision and formation of the Earth/Moon 'system' doesn't need to be part of the calculation.

No idea who the geezer is... or the equation... just going off hearing it somewhere and reading a few bits and bobs here and there.

True, but without it we'd not have formed... The collision between Earth and Theia created the magma core, due to the massive amounts of energy... without the magma core you'd not have had the greeenhouse gases in the atmosphere from the early volcanic activity and keep the heat in the atmosphere to create a planet warm enough for life to survive...

Also without the moon the earth would wobble on its axis much more than it does now, which would mean that the weather patterns would be completely unpredictable, having a massively detrimental effect on life on the planet, and its ability to survive...

I was having this debate with a few Christians whilst watching the Tottenham, Blackpool game and they just flat out, refused the idea that there is life out there. I didn't understand that at all. I don't thinks it's offensive?

It's offensive to some people, because when you get down to it Chrisitanity is a pretty arrogant religion... God allowed him's son to be killed for the sins of all Chrisitans... You start with that inflated view of a faith and its no surprise when someone says you evolved from apes, or worse still from amino acids hitch-hiking there way across the universe on a meteor, you are going to take offense...

[azreal88]

But as Sluffy's link showed, life doesn't need 'ideal' conditions in which to live.

The magma core wasn't formed by the collision the supposedly created the moon (it's generally accepted now, but I'll say 'supposedly').  Mars has volcanoes, such as olympus mons, which vent gases....the trouble is that mars lost it's atmosphere (probably when it's magnetic field failed and the atmosphere was left open to solar radiation).  There is still hope that mars may have fossilised life.  Europa is also believed to have a molten core and could have seas under it's ice-shell.

As to weather, that determines the type of life that can survive, not whether it can survive at all.

[Jamster26]

Interesting read that Sluffy So they think the Big Bang actually came from two parrallel universes, which smashed together, thus came the Big Bang? From a scientific point of view, (I'll put my religion cap away for the moment ), does that mean then, that there was perhaps life before the Big Bang? Or Maybe the big bang wasn't the beginning of everything?

Nice read.

[Jamster26]

It's offensive to some people, because when you get down to it Chrisitanity is a pretty arrogant religion... God allowed him's son to be killed for the sins of all Chrisitans... You start with that inflated view of a faith and its no surprise when someone says you evolved from apes, or worse still from amino acids hitch-hiking there way across the universe on a meteor, you are going to take offense...

Well I guess the more orthodox Christians out there who could think like this but honestly, I didn't think they were, I thought they were just like me, willing to hear other sides to theories of how things have happened and certainly not be so stubborn.