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Not necessarily. While it is true that we are finding far more planets than we ever thought was possible, damn few of them (so far) are within the "Goldilocks Zone" where water can remain in a liquid state and can support life.
The Drake Equation, for example, assumes that if a star has planets then at least two of those planets will fall within the "Goldilocks Zone." That assumption has proven to be false. We have found well over 500 planets within the last decade, and fewer than five of those planets fall within the "Goldilocks Zone."
Does extraterrestrial life exist? I am absolutely certain that it does. Is there another advanced alien civilization co-existing in our galaxy? I seriously doubt it.
Our solar system is 4.8 billion years old, but the Milky Way is over 13 billion years old. Which means that there is a gap of over 8 billion years before our solar system existed that other intelligent life could have developed in the galaxy. There may have been advanced civilizations in the Milky Way galaxy that existed billions of years before ours, or even hundreds of millions of years before ours, but for one to exist at the same time as us seems highly improbable.
One in 100 planets would still amount to quite a number of potentially life-supporting planets
I guess the big problem for aliens as well as for us is distance.
Why do you assume that alien civilizations millions or even billions of years ago ceased to exist? I think if they were so advanced as to be able to leave their own planets, they might have survived somewhere else, maybe even on earth Oh, sorry, that was from the series The Event
It's the distance issue that dissuades me. I believe it possible, even likely, that there could be life out there, even intelligent life. But the distances involved are huge, and the time required even at light speed enormous. I do not believe Earth has ever been visited by aliens.
The worm holes you refer to are mathematical constructs only. Not only that, but those equations prove that worm holes are inherently unstable and could only last nanoseconds before falling apart. Bending or folding space would require more energy than an entire galaxy of stars can provide. These theories are fantasies, or more appropriately, science fiction, nothing more.
Are you sure that it would require the energy of the whole stars in the galaxy? I had read that some believe the answer lies with dark energy (or dark matter don't recall which). As for the worm holes it depends on what type you're speaking of; Schwarzschild wormholes are very unstable but there's another they call Traversable wormholes which could theoretically allow travel through space.
Last edited by Canaan-84; 09-12-2011 at 02:34 PM..
I certainly do not mean life as we do not know it, that would be silly.
Going by the only example I have, 99.9% of all the species that have ever existed on this planet have become extinct. There is no reason to believe the same would not be true on other planets.
But those that came before us were not as intelligent as we were and they did not have advanced technologies we have today that would help us survive. Also, if those civilizations had develop space travel they could have easily relocated.
It's the distance issue that dissuades me. I believe it possible, even likely, that there could be life out there, even intelligent life. But the distances involved are huge, and the time required even at light speed enormous. I do not believe Earth has ever been visited by aliens.
Are there any fundamentally new space travel technologies being developed? Judging from the news, it seems we have not really made real progress during the past 20 years. The Russians have technical problems, space shuttles are no longer in use... There are even experts saying we have to abandon the international space station because it can no longer be reliably serviced...
Are there any fundamentally new space travel technologies being developed? Judging from the news, it seems we have not really made real progress during the past 20 years. The Russians have technical problems, space shuttles are no longer in use... There are even experts saying we have to abandon the international space station because it can no longer be reliably serviced...
Perhaps the military has made advancements? Don't they usually have technology that's 10-20 years more advanced that what we see in the public? If I'm not mistaken the military was using a prototype internet a decade or two before it become available to us. They also already have robotic arms (for those who lack arms) which they have tested on people, though they have not been made available to the public yet.
Perhaps the military has made advancements? Don't they usually have technology that's 10-20 years more advanced that what we see in the public? If I'm not mistaken the military was using a prototype internet a decade or two before it become available to us. They also already have robotic arms (for those who lack arms) which they have tested on people, though they have not been made available to the public yet.
Maybe. But I doubt they are much further than what we already know.
In terms of space travel the whole world should work together and make it a truly human endeavor
I have a friend who tells me America should not continue with the space program but should instead be content to solving the problems of human hunger and misery here on Earth. What remains confusing to me is this friend has at least one PhD in science.
Unfortunately for the U.S., if we continue down the same economic road as we are now travelling, the technology to ease human misery will never be a possibility.
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Oh, sorry, that was from the series The Event 
