Jump to content
Join the Unexplained Mysteries community today! It's free and setting up an account only takes a moment.
- Sign In or Create Account -

Why are we still searching for intelligent alien life?


Eldorado

Recommended Posts

Humans have scanned and searched the heavens for signs of other advanced civilizations in the universe. And we've found nothing. Absolutely nothing. So maybe we shouldn't be so focused on intelligent life, but on any sort of life whatsoever. 

Sure, a tiny microbe may not be as exciting as swapping stories with distant aliens, but signs of non-intelligent life may be much more common, and much easier to find, in our galaxy.

Life, including intelligent life, evolved on Earth. Yet there shouldn't be anything particularly remarkable about our planet; it's just another random world in the galaxy. So if intelligent life happened here, it must be pretty common — common enough that we should be seeing signs of alien civilizations all over the place.

https://www.space.com/why-humans-search-intelligent-alien-life-SETI

  • Like 2
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Earth didn't have any signs of intelligent life until a handful of thousand years ago, when Stonehenge and other stuff was built. It is decidedly abnormal that that presented.

Edited by Ell
typo
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

according to all the conspiracies the authorities are in cohorts with alien life so why spend money on something like SETI?


 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, L.A.T.1961 said:

Its relatively cheap and the implications would be profound, so why not. :tu:

Agreed and exactly. Why not ? We know it's out there.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Eldorado said:

Humans have scanned and searched the heavens for signs of other advanced civilizations in the universe. And we've found nothing. Absolutely nothing. So maybe we shouldn't be so focused on intelligent life, but on any sort of life whatsoever. 

Sure, a tiny microbe may not be as exciting as swapping stories with distant aliens, but signs of non-intelligent life may be much more common, and much easier to find, in our galaxy.

Life, including intelligent life, evolved on Earth. Yet there shouldn't be anything particularly remarkable about our planet; it's just another random world in the galaxy. So if intelligent life happened here, it must be pretty common — common enough that we should be seeing signs of alien civilizations all over the place.

https://www.space.com/why-humans-search-intelligent-alien-life-SETI

There are current two schools of thought on this subject. In reality we have barely scratched the surface as for as looking for intelligent life in the Universe is concerned. Looking for any other form of life such as microbial, animal, or any other form requires us to actually conduct some form of on the ground investigation and so far Mars is the place we are conducting large scale investigations with probes. 

The two schools of thought concerning the existence of intelligent Alien life are the following:

1.  Fermi Paradox:  The Fermi Paradox is Neither Fermi’s Nor a Paradox - https://arxiv.org/pdf/1605.09187.pdf

2.  Drake Equation:  Drake-like Calculations for the Frequency of Life in the Universe - https://www.mdpi.com/2409-9287/6/2/49/htm

Currently the the so called Fermi Paradox has lost much favour over years as an explanation as to why we have not found intelligent life during our searches of the Universe. This is because the Fermi comments were never written up as a formal proposal to the Scientific community. While the Drake equation has been examined and even updated, by the Astrobiology and the Astrophysics communities it is currently the most excepted of the two proposals because it has been introduced in the form of mathematical equations.

 

Edited by Manwon Lender
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Ell said:

Earth didn't have any signs of intelligent life until a handful of thousand years ago, when Stonehenge and other stuff was built. It is decidedly abnormal that that presented.

Hi Ell

Depending on what your definition is I would disagree because the homo species all expressed intelligence through tool use and a million years ago H.Erectus managed to make watercraft to get to remote locations like Java.

  • Like 1
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, jmccr8 said:

Depending on what your definition is I would disagree because the homo species all expressed intelligence through tool use and a million years ago H.Erectus managed to make watercraft to get to remote locations like Java.

So true, if one could detect it.  It might require close visual observation of the globe to see the occasional boat and an even closer look to watch tools being made.  That would imply some very close long term unobtrusive observation.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, Tatetopa said:

So true, if one could detect it.  It might require close visual observation of the globe to see the occasional boat and an even closer look to watch tools being made.  That would imply some very close long term unobtrusive observation.

Hi Tatetopa

Yes if we could find a planet and had the means to observe. My comment was in reference to Ell's statement that " a handful of thousands of years and building Stonehenge and was just saying that the homo species has been intelligent for much longer than his comment implies.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 minutes ago, jmccr8 said:

My comment was in reference to Ell's statement that " a handful of thousands of years and building Stonehenge and was just saying that the homo species has been intelligent for much longer than his comment implies.

Good point, and for once true to our species name, sapiens, we could be wise without showing much superficial indication of it.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We search for both intelligent and non-intelligent signs of life.

Infact, the search for extraterrestrial microbial life is a big part of the Mars missions currently taking place.

Why should we focus on one or the other in isolation?

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Grey Area said:

We search for both intelligent and non-intelligent signs of life.

Infact, the search for extraterrestrial microbial life is a big part of the Mars missions currently taking place.

Why should we focus on one or the other in isolation?

Hi Grey

Science looks for any signs of life, that said readers in forums have special interests and are more likely to infer that one is of more significance than the other. We as a species intending on exploring space need to look for conditions that we can use to help us achieve goals so to me from that aspect microbial life is a basic requirement flora and fauna would be even better and intelligent alien life might be something that our species in space may not want to make contact with for any number of reasons.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Grey Area said:

We search for both intelligent and non-intelligent signs of life.

Infact, the search for extraterrestrial microbial life is a big part of the Mars missions currently taking place.

Why should we focus on one or the other in isolation?

Do you guys know how they are searching for life on Exoplanets and Moons hundreds of light years away?

3 hours ago, jmccr8 said:

Hi Grey

Science looks for any signs of life, that said readers in forums have special interests and are more likely to infer that one is of more significance than the other. We as a species intending on exploring space need to look for conditions that we can use to help us achieve goals so to me from that aspect microbial life is a basic requirement flora and fauna would be even better and intelligent alien life might be something that our species in space may not want to make contact with for any number of reasons.

 

Edited by Manwon Lender
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Manwon Lender said:

Do you guys know

Hi Manwon

 I am one guy that answers for myself so what other guys think is what they think. I am not preaching a pov and just making observations based on my experience on life no matter how flawed others may think they are as it is a part of humans think limited as that perspective may seem 

10 minutes ago, Manwon Lender said:

they are searching for life on Exoplanets and Moons hundreds of light years away?

The fact that they do is inspiring and I have not made comets that would indicate that I see it as less than. Life is life and we use that to exist and is why we are still here.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, jmccr8 said:

Hi Manwon

 I am one guy that answers for myself so what other guys think is what they think. I am not preaching a pov and just making observations based on my experience on life no matter how flawed others may think they are as it is a part of humans think limited as that perspective may seem 

The fact that they do is inspiring and I have not made comets that would indicate that I see it as less than. Life is life and we use that to exist and is why we are still here.

I am very sorry if you took my comments as being offensive in some way, I certainly did not intend for the question asked to be viewed that way. I was serious and making light of anything you said.

So what did I say that offended you?

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, Manwon Lender said:

I am very sorry if you took my comments as being offensive in some way, I certainly did not intend for the question asked to be viewed that way. I was serious and making light of anything you said.

So what did I say that offended you?

Hi Manwon

You did not say anything that I would feel defensive about so there is no offense and sorry if you took it that way

You have lived one kind of life and so have I just like the rest of the members here. At times I am more relaxed about how I respond and many times do not make comments that will distract from the flow of conversations going on. I don't depend on people to answer for or support me or what I say so stand alone.

i see people as extensions of myself each carrying a part of what I am so see all people as my equal no matter what they think, You have talents and so do I and everyone else on this planet. We depend on each other to furnish the lives we desire and fame and wealth is not my goal in life nor am I asking anyone to live the same kind of life as those conditions have many variables that create different outcomes of experience.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 minutes ago, jmccr8 said:

Hi Manwon

You did not say anything that I would feel defensive about so there is no offense and sorry if you took it that way

You have lived one kind of life and so have I just like the rest of the members here. At times I am more relaxed about how I respond and many times do not make comments that will distract from the flow of conversations going on. I don't depend on people to answer for or support me or what I say so stand alone.

i see people as extensions of myself each carrying a part of what I am so see all people as my equal no matter what they think, You have talents and so do I and everyone else on this planet. We depend on each other to furnish the lives we desire and fame and wealth is not my goal in life nor am I asking anyone to live the same kind of life as those conditions have many variables that create different outcomes of experience.

That is fine, I have enjoyed our conversations and I didn't want to cause any drama that would ruin that. 

:sk

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Look up at the night sky at all those stars. If you can get up high enough to see above the smog and light pollution it’s endless with stars. Out of all of those imagine the ones you can’t see that are further away. We may not be alone in the universe but we are far enough apart we may never know.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, jmccr8 said:

H.Erectus managed to make watercraft to get to remote locations like Java.

They probably simply walked to what's now Java:

Map-of-Sundaland-and-adjoining-islands-s

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Manwon Lender said:

Do you guys know how they are searching for life on Exoplanets and Moons hundreds of light years away?

The perseverance mission, one of its primary goals is to search for signs of life, present or past.

https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/
 

There has been a sample of an asteroid returned to earth by Japan.  NASA is launching a mission to Europa in 2024 to analyse the conditions on the moon for life, as it is apparent the moon has a subsurface ocean.  That is a very exciting mission.

https://www.nasa.gov/europa

As for technical specifics into how any analysis occurs, I suspect it involves microscopes and spectroscopy, but I don’t know the full details, but beyond my expertise if I am honest.

 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

54 minutes ago, Grey Area said:

The perseverance mission, one of its primary goals is to search for signs of life, present or past.

https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/
 

There has been a sample of an asteroid returned to earth by Japan.  NASA is launching a mission to Europa in 2024 to analyse the conditions on the moon for life, as it is apparent the moon has a subsurface ocean.  That is a very exciting mission.

https://www.nasa.gov/europa

As for technical specifics into how any analysis occurs, I suspect it involves microscopes and spectroscopy, but I don’t know the full details, but beyond my expertise if I am honest.

 

 

Current Astronomers are able to measure the gases that make up a planets atmosphere. Each element absorbs light at specific wavelengths unique to that atom. When astronomers look at an object's spectrum, they can determine its composition based on these wavelengths. The most common method astronomers use to determine the composition of stars, planets, and other objects is spectroscopy. The main gas they are looking for in the atmospheres, is Carbon Monoxide in large quantities, because if they find C02 in large quainities its almost certain that the planet has life. So basically without or with only small amounts of C02 there is no life. 

Peace. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Millenniums ago someone said the same about building houses/shacks/whatever you want to call them when there was caves available.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Finding any kind of extraterrestrial life would be exciting. We will most likely find non-intelligent life first because it takes that extra step for life to be sentient and there is a theory that most intelligent species will wipe them self out and that’s why we don’t see others. Of course it’s possible they could contact us first or we could detect ruins of a civilization.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Why are we still searching for intelligent alien life?

Maybe because we lost hope for ever finding Atlantis or Nessie?

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.