Hypothetically could life exist in other parts of the univer

[Question]

Universe?

Ive met many people who will immediately say something along the following lines :

"You believe in little green men from mars too?"

"Hey guys we got a UFO nut!"

"Yea and im one of them.I fly around in my little saucer kidnapping people to have sex with them at night"

Really whats the problem of at least some form of sentinient life being able to exist somewhere else?

Why couldnt it happen?Space is vast.The laws of stastics say that somewhere there has to be a planet with earth-like living conditions with the potential of life.

Which brings me to the related questions :

-Why cant life exist without oxygen/water/etc?In theory,couldnt life have evolved to adapt to a planet without oxygen?For example couldnt there be life that breaths in nitrogen?

-Do you think it is possible that humanity did not start on its own?That we were helped along by aliens?That perhaps they kickstarted our evolution somehow?Ive read a few serious scientific articles that state this is a serious possibility,after all there are gaps in human history we dont know much about,and where humanity suddenly make incredible leaps in technology.I refer to pyramids for instance.

-Ive also read serious scientific articles that state among other things,that the moon is actually a gigantic dead spaceship that has been proven to be hollow,and that the craters resemble "bunker buster" explosions.......on a gigantic scale, that there was another planet but it was somehow destroyed to form the asteroid belts we see today(this one deciphered tons of crpytic passages about the planets waging war and one being destroyed,followed by scientific explanation on the asteroid belts) . Could this be possible?

 

[Dragonetti]

Yea and im one of them. I drive around in my little car kidnapping people to have sex with them at night

 

[Mikey]

Re: Hypothetically could life exist in other parts of the un

the moon is actually a gigantic dead spaceship that has been proven to be hollow

Hmm, good size and shape for a space ship!

 

[Dragonetti]

It was in StarWars (tm)! Look at the DeathStar (tm)!

Seriously, I've always thought life could have evolved to breath other substances than oxygen, and grow away from a water dependency.

 

[Lukus]

Re: Hypothetically could life exist in other parts of the un

-Ive also read serious scientific articles that state among other things,that the moon is actually a gigantic dead spaceship that has been proven to be hollow,and that the craters resemble "bunker buster" explosions.......

Please look up the words 'serious' and 'scientific', and get back to <s>the alien-loving discussion forum from whence you came</s> us.

 

[Murdoch]

Luke is right Question. What are you smoking? Or at least tell us when you are drinking and typing.

The moon is the leftovers of when proto-planet impacted our proto-planet billions of years ago. That impact left all the heavy metals including the radioactive ones that heat the core now, giving us the magnetic field and thus allowing it to retain an atmosphere.

And it is possible that life could have evolved in any number of locations, given enough time. But planets in solar systems in galaxies like ours are a rare find. Astronomers calculate that few planets are stable long enough to support the evolution of higher life forms. So the number of other life-sources is gonna be very small, the number of ones evolved to sentience orders of magnitude smaller.

 

[The Vault Dweller]

Oh I'm pretty sure aliens and intelligent life exist in other areas. Why?

1. Its too big. What a waste of space to have only us in it.

2. Look online. I'm pretty sure half the freaks you'll meet arent from this planet to begin with.

Like that one guy from from my other thread who made plushies.

Sincerely,
The Vault Dweller

 

[Sovz]

then whAt do you call Romanians?

 

[Dapper Dan Man]

then whAt do you call Romanians?

Shark bait?

 

[The Vault Dweller]

then whAt do you call Romanians?

Their the experimental group that has all the variables tested on them. Everyone else is in the un-adultured control group.

Sincerely,
The Vault Dweller

 

[TorontoReign]

Everyone knows what the moon really is.... the Death Star.

 

[alec]

Re: Hypothetically could life exist in other parts of the un

Really whats the problem of at least some form of sentinient life being able to exist somewhere else?

There's no problem. The universe is probably full of life, but the chances of having two "highly" intelligent lifeforms in that universe at the same time are probably very small. It takes millions of years for life to evolve into complex sentient beings, but it probably only takes a few millennia for those beings to disappear again (war, disease, natural disasters...).

Why couldnt it happen?Space is vast.The laws of stastics say that somewhere there has to be a planet with earth-like living conditions with the potential of life.

I doubt you need earth-like living conditions to get some sort of life, although it's obvious that it helps. I think the only really necessary thing is water. I'm pretty sure there's even life on one of the other planets and moons in our own solar system. There's this moon called Europe (I think) that consists of not much more than water (covered with ice). There's a pretty big chance some sort of primitive life exists in those deep oceans. I doubt it'll be able to talk and invade Earth, though.

Why cant life exist without oxygen/water/etc?In theory,couldnt life have evolved to adapt to a planet without oxygen?For example couldnt there be life that breaths in nitrogen?

Life on earth began in the seas and oceans, thus it seems logic that life somehow likes/needs water. Don't ask me the specifics, google it or something. I do remember reading that oxygen is not a prerequisite for life, though. Nor is carbon. Silicium would do just as well.

Do you think it is possible that humanity did not start on its own?That we were helped along by aliens?That perhaps they kickstarted our evolution somehow?Ive read a few serious scientific articles that state this is a serious possibility,after all there are gaps in human history we dont know much about,and where humanity suddenly make incredible leaps in technology.I refer to pyramids for instance.

The way you put it, it sounds stupid, because it's ludicrous to think that spaceships can travel such humongous distances through space. The idea that life started elsewhere and got to earth somehow, isn't so stupid. I've read serious scientific articles that play with the idea that life could have been something like a "germ" that got to earth via a comet/meteorite and evolved here because the conditions where excellent. Do not forget that comets consist largely of ice, that they can travel enormous distances without having to worry about running out of fuel for a long long time and so on. And yes, these were serious scientific articles.

Ive also read serious scientific articles that state among other things,that the moon is actually a gigantic dead spaceship that has been proven to be hollow,and that the craters resemble "bunker buster" explosions.......on a gigantic scale, that there was another planet but it was somehow destroyed to form the asteroid belts we see today(this one deciphered tons of crpytic passages about the planets waging war and one being destroyed,followed by scientific explanation on the asteroid belts) . Could this be possible?

There probably was an extra planet in our solar system once, located betwixt Mars and Jupiter. The remains of it would explain the enormous asteroid belt that is located there. All the rest is bullshit.

 

[Per]

Re: Hypothetically could life exist in other parts of the un

The universe is probably full of life, but the chances of having two "highly" intelligent lifeforms in that universe at the same time are probably very small.

Not if you literally mean the entire universe, which contains uncountable galaxies. If you narrow it down to our galaxy it may well be so.

I do remember reading that oxygen is not a prerequisite for life, though. Nor is carbon. Silicium would do just as well.

I think the notion of silicon-based life is still extremely speculative.

Ive read a few serious scientific articles that state this is a serious possibility,after all there are gaps in human history we dont know much about,and where humanity suddenly make incredible leaps in technology.I refer to pyramids for instance.

I doubt what you read was seriously scientific. Things that are said to represent inexplicable leaps in technology aren't. Saying they prove the existence of aliens is just a standard argument from (feigned) ignorance.

The idea that life started elsewhere and got to earth somehow, isn't so stupid. I've read serious scientific articles that play with the idea that life could have been something like a "germ" that got to earth via a comet/meteorite and evolved here because the conditions where excellent.

This is much less likely than life having just started out here, though. Rather than explain anything, the comet theory adds one more thing to be explained.

There probably was an extra planet in our solar system once, located betwixt Mars and Jupiter.

Rather it was never formed in the first place, because of orbital resonance with respect to Jupiter.

All the rest is bullshit.

Indeed. Sounds like Sitchin and/or Velikovsky.

 

[alec]

Re: Hypothetically could life exist in other parts of the un

The universe is probably full of life, but the chances of having two "highly" intelligent lifeforms in that universe at the same time are probably very small.

Not if you literally mean the entire universe, which contains uncountable galaxies. If you narrow it down to our galaxy it may well be so.

No, I mean the "entire" universe (after all, that's the meaning of universe, eh). It doesn't change a thing. The chance of having two intelligent lifeforms -- lifeforms that ask themselves the question "Is there another intelligent lifeform out there?", performing a search for that lifeform (with radiotelescopes and stuff), sending out encrypted messages and so on -- existing at the same time in the universe is minute. I read about that in some Carl Sagan book. He gives a better explanation than I do, though. Anyway, the chance is practically nihil, IIRC.

I do remember reading that oxygen is not a prerequisite for life, though. Nor is carbon. Silicium would do just as well.

I think the notion of silicon-based life is still extremely speculative.

As is most of this stuff.

There probably was an extra planet in our solar system once, located betwixt Mars and Jupiter.

Rather it was never formed in the first place, because of orbital resonance with respect to Jupiter.

There are different ideas about that asteroid belt. I know of one that states it's debris of a planet that was trying to form, but couldn't because of Jupiter's gravitational forces. Another one states it might have been a planet that blew to smithereens after crashing into one of Jupiter's moons or vica versa. It's all extremely speculative, isn't it?

 

[Per]

Re: Hypothetically could life exist in other parts of the un

I read about that in some Carl Sagan book. He gives a better explanation than I do, though. Anyway, the chance is practically nihil, IIRC.

That would surprise me a bit, since Sagan was very chummy with Frank Drake of "Drake equation" fame, which (the equation that is) when loaded with (what was then believed to be) a range of reasonable probabilities yields an average number of highly advanced civilization in a single galaxy of 0.001-1,000,000. Even if you enter extremely pessimistic values and end up with a small fraction you still get a very large number when multiplied with the number of galaxies in the universe, which is mind-bogglingly large (and mind-boggle squared if certain inflationistic Big Bang hypoteses are correct). In order to get only one civilization in the universe you'd have to believe it's so unlikely as to not really be happening.

I also strongly doubt Sagan would have championed SETI with such vigour if he'd been convinced we are alone. Do dig up that reference and smite me with it, though.

Another one states it might have been a planet that blew to smithereens after crashing into one of Jupiter's moons or vica versa. It's all extremely speculative, isn't it?

It is, but that doesn't mean all hypotheses are equally strong. That an object would shatter in the vicinity of Jupiter and somehow end up in orbit as the asteroid field would likely require divine intervention; there just isn't any way to describe how that would come about. That material from the primordial nebula would fail to assemble in this area and end up as it is today, however, makes so much sense that it'd be harder to explain why it would not come about.

 

[Lazarus Plus]

Technically, the population of the universe is zero. Not only are we alone, we are non-existent!

(infinte planets dividing finite habitable planets = so close to zero it makes no difference.)

 

[Flop]

Technically, the population of the universe is zero. Not only are we alone, we are non-existent!

(infinte planets dividing finite habitable planets = so close to zero it makes no difference.)

First you'd have to prove that the universe is infinite, and even if you do that you'll then have to prove that the number of habitable planets is not (which, as far as I can see, would be impossible).

 

[alec]

Re: Hypothetically could life exist in other parts of the un

I read about that in some Carl Sagan book. He gives a better explanation than I do, though. Anyway, the chance is practically nihil, IIRC.

That would surprise me a bit, since Sagan was very chummy with Frank Drake of "Drake equation" fame, which (the equation that is) when loaded with (what was then believed to be) a range of reasonable probabilities yields an average number of highly advanced civilization in a single galaxy of 0.001-1,000,000. Even if you enter extremely pessimistic values and end up with a small fraction you still get a very large number when multiplied with the number of galaxies in the universe, which is mind-bogglingly large (and mind-boggle squared if certain inflationistic Big Bang hypoteses are correct). In order to get only one civilization in the universe you'd have to believe it's so unlikely as to not really be happening.

I also strongly doubt Sagan would have championed SETI with such vigour if he'd been convinced we are alone. Do dig up that reference and smite me with it, though.

Aw, damnit you're right. I thought the Drake equation gave a number for the complete universe, but now that I've read up on it, it apparently only deals with the Milky Way. Hm. Well, the Drake equation gives you the number 10, though (the last factor deals with a technological civilisation), and Sagan says that N=1 is just as reasonable. The possibilty that we are the only technologically advanced species in this galaxy is pretty big. A species that is even more advanced is probably even zero, because they would have better methods and techniques to search for other life and try to communicate with it, and IIRC no one has ever tried to contact us (except for that LGM thingy in - what was it? - the sixties).
Anyway, all this is - again - highly speculative. One can never be sure about these things. For most (if not all) factors of the Drake equation, we can only fill in non-exact numbers (jeez, does that sound right, "non-exact"?).
I'll rest my case by saying that even if the universe is crawling with intelligent and highly advanced species of life, we're still goddamn lonesome. Plus, the chance of ever getting in touch with one of these lifeforms is, imo, highly unlikely.

 

[DirtyDreamDesigner]

NO! It's the vulcans, they are keeping us in the dark! There are civilizations all over the place, thousands upon thousands! But the vulcans don't want us to know until we've invented warp!







Could happen...

 

[Ashmo]

NO! It's the vulcans, they are keeping us in the dark! There are civilizations all over the place, thousands upon thousands! But the vulcans don't want us to know until we've invented warp!

I see someone has been watching that crappy wanna-be StarTrek series too much.

:: pulls out a NCC-1701-D plastic model and smites DDD with it ::

As for the initial question -- life is likely. Intelligent life is likely as well.

It's just very unlikely that there's any intelligent life out there that could ever get anywhere close to us in a timeframe it would deem worth it (worldships my ass -- they have to be bored like hell if they came up with an idea like striding the universe in search for life at some speed slower than light). It's also very unlikely either lifeform would ever find out about -- let alone FIND -- the other one.

If you swallow your speciecism a bit and forget about the irritating concept that humans are the best thing nature could come up with (after all, mankind didn't develop in a straight line either, we just cut off the branches at some point or another), "intelligent" ("sentient" is a theological term at best, don't bother including a concept we don't even partially understand yet in an already complex discussion) life isn't all that unlikely. All that is needed is the possibility for larger organisms to come into existence, which requires some chemical reactions / God's saliva / magic that result in the creation of basic single-cell organisms and thus proper conditions for all that to occur.

Hell, they already found dead basic organisms on Mars. If Mars wouldn't have killed it off early (guess the whole temporary habitat wasn't stable enough) it could have developed into something more complex over the millenia.

It is indeed very unlikely that there isn't / wasn't / never will be any other intelligent lifeform similar to us in other places in the universe.
Considering the time evolution can take, tho, I'd be surprised if mankind ever bumps into any alien lifeform more complex than bacteria.