Okay so there was this really neat planet about 20 light years away from us that was sitting in it's star's habitable zone. Then, the scientists studying it said that it was merely solar activity and that was a big bummer for everyone. Well now it's back baby!!! It really does exist. 'Habitable' planet GJ 581d previously dismissed as noise probably does exist
This is why I absolutely cannot wait for them to launch the James Webb telescope. It will open up so much more for exoplanet research. They even claim to be able to snap a picture of an exoplanet with that thing. Now we all know that it won't be pretty detailed pictures like we can get from our own solar system but even a tiny speck in a picture would be fascinating to me.
If there is one planet per solar system which enables intelligent life then we're talking about billions of them just in our galaxy. If it's only 1 out of 1000 solar systems then there might be millions of potential for intelligent life in our galaxy. Intuitively it seems if intelligent life can exist in this solar system then why not most other solar systems? I think this is the bigger question; why would intelligent life 'not exist' in other solar systems? And, they are experiencing the same issues we have on Earth which is sending very powerful radio waves and light and/or detecting the same from other solar systems. If we built a 500 mile diameter antenna on Earth perhaps we will detect some neat stuff but until then we just keep hoping. Since Paul Allen just discovered the Japanese war ship maybe Mr. Allen will soon find an alien signal...it will be worth it just to see how Earthlings behave...
Yup! We have a lot to look forward to. Well, we did send a message to that system, not that particular planet though. There's a very small chance that if anyone is there in that solar system, having the right technology, and attentive, we may hear back from them in 40 years. That's probably correct. We don't have a very good planet classification system. Most of the extrasolar planets are either large earths or small neptunes. They don't even distinguish between whether they have water or not, or whether they are gas giants.
Given millions to billions of years of evolution, even on a planet that does not contain what we believe to be the essentials of life, seems to me some forms of life can develop. We know what can develop on Earth with it's geology/atmosphere but why not other forms of life with geologies we can't yet imagine? Like Pizza The Hut? Maybe carbon-based forms of life are the only ones which can advance? All I know is in our society today, so many people are biased against others solely on the color of their skin, so how will they behave when forced to share bar stools with a silicone lizard?
Do we even know how far our strongest radio waves can travel? And in 'travel' I mean with enough power left they would be easily detectable with the typical receivers we have today?
Well I heard it was just a few light years, and I did a search on the internet and someone had an answer. Check out the first, best answer in this question: How far can radio signals *actually* travel through space?
The problem with life based on other chemistries is that carbon is very unique. Even elements that are similar to carbon rarely form long chain molecules that are necessary for life, and their bonds are much weaker than carbon. The other problem is Fermi's Paradox is really bad if you allow for other life chemistries.
It all seems quite arbitrary and luck...we in our time period and unique technology today are searching for other's unique technology in a moving time period of their own existence dating 100's, 1000's, millions of years from us. I'm sure many civilizations might prefer to remain anonymous and are not purposely sending out 1,000,000MW of broadcast power transmissions? If we do discover a structured signal perhaps 100 light years from us, since we won't be able to carry on a conversation, IMO there will be more skepticism resembling today's conversation on global climate change. It's those damned light-year distances that we're dealing with...
Maybe there can be hybrids of carbon and silicone...like Pamela Anderson. Fermi's Paradox is null and void once another intelligent species is discovered...
You can imagine the aliens looking through their telescopes at Earth and saying "Well there can't be any life there. It's not nearly cold enough to have liquid methane and there is hardly any sulphur in the atmosphere. Next!"
Ther is life right here in our solar system...between Titan and Europa, we will eventually find it and it will not be anything like what we bare used to.
Well, silicon (silicone is the type of rubber) doesn't have the exact same chemical properties as carbon. Very unlikely to have silicon based life forms outside of the Horta. - - - Updated - - - Yes, we have a pretty good idea. It's not a complex formula.
Ohh the Pamela Anderson card, I hate when that happens. Actually the element is silicon, not silicone (silicone generally contains carbon)...which as Ms. Anderson may know is a bit different. Once another intelligent extraterrestrial species is discovered, I'll be glad to discount the paradox. Until then I'll ponder whether an intelligent species exists on Earth.
Before people get too exited there are something like 200 different variables (that we know of the list keeps growing) that are required for life to form. Among them are the obvious things like being the correct distance from the sun and water but also you need a moon as well as giant planets in the solar system in order to sweep up comets and asteroids. I think even tectonic activity and a spinning metal core are also needed if I recall. And if you are talking about an advanced civilization of course you need a male and a female wearing leaves to start it all up.
You mean....Life as WE know it. In the last hundred years, even this arbitrary and terribly limited criteria has dramatically changed.
Extremophiles, deep sea vent life, Antarctic bacteria....and a very many more: "the bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans can withstand about 2000 times the dose of ionising radiation that would kill a human, making it the most radiation-resistant organism known. A blast like that shatters the bacterium's chromosomes, but it can repair itself within hours. That kind of resistance to radiation is likely to be important on worlds that don't have a thick protective atmosphere, such as Mars." http://www.newscientist.com/article...rms-in-the-universe-part-ii.html#.VQmaTY5_BtM I do not believe I mentioned anything about Carbon...though it may not be a requirement.
Yes...correct...it is silicon...thanks. Speaking of 'intelligence' on Earth or another planet, I think in SETI it's generally defined as a civilization who can transmit and receive radio signals...therefore are detectable and can communicate on some level. But this very low level of aggregate intelligence we have on Earth probably will have a very difficult time dealing with the realization of extraterrestrials. I pity the ET fools who eventually visit us and try to figure out 'who's on first'? I also think that there's a 50-50 chance of visiting ET's being peaceful, and if so, we'd better be very careful who we ping and invite...
