OK, the Kepler program in it's report released this February showed us that in the first 4 months of data collecting, the number of known planets has increased by more than 1,200 planets. That's fucking lot.

But what's even more remarkable is how many planets are near-earth size and in the Goldilocks zone of their systems. Even Sueprgiant planets in the Goldilocks zones are great because there moons may contain oceans. Europa circling around Jupiter for example would be a huge blue, liquid ball if Jupiter were circling around the Goldilocks zone of our solar system.

So my question is not really a scientific question, but merely a question to tap your 'intuitive thinking' on this matter.

When do you think proof of extraterrestrial life (whether it be germs, animals or green men) will emerge?

My hunch is that we're no more than 10 or 15 years away from this.

I think we're further off, perhaps 30-40 years. I'm just using gut instinct guided by some common sense, so take it for what it's worth.

I could see in the next decade or so we detect a sign of life from somewhere in the universe. I don't think it will be contact; I think we'll just detect something that we know (or at least highly believe) signifies life somewhere else. I think we have a greater chance of detecting nonintelligent life somewhere, which would be interesting.

JerseyKRS said:

I think we're further off, perhaps 30-40 years. I'm just using gut instinct guided by some common sense, so take it for what it's worth.

I'm not sure why I'm more optimistic either actually.

I know that , for example, on Mars there should be no methane. Methane is volatile and would be broken aπpart by the sun's rays within a few hundred years unless it is replenished. We also know that Mars has yearly methane 'blooms' around it's equator. There are only two possible ways of methane being available in the martian atmosphere--biproduct of life or some geological/volcanic method. I believe scientists will determine which of the two cause this within the next 2 years (I think I actually read it somewhere on the JPL site that we'd definitely know within the next 2 years whether it is geological or not--if not, life is the only other viable alternative. Then we would just fly a lander there to sample the soil around the methane rich areas---I'm way oversymplifying it, but I don't see why that can't be done within the next 10 to 15 years).

What I am very pessimistic about is intelligent life. I believe that it is definitely out there. But that rat Bastard Einstein has pretty much screwed us all into never being able to effectively communicating with them or going out to visit them. Fuck you, Einstein (I kid of course).

Efan said:

I could see in the next decade or so we detect a sign of life from somewhere in the universe. I don't think it will be contact; I think we'll just detect something that we know (or at least highly believe) signifies life somewhere else. I think we have a greater chance of detecting nonintelligent life somewhere, which would be interesting.

Chile, you just need to worry about the life between my legs.

I've also been reading about the Fermi Paradox, and am pretty damned near convinced that the speed of light barrier will never be broken.

According to Fermi---if you used just the technology that we are already capable of today to reach the nearest stars, within about 150 million years

we'd colonize the entire galaxy....That's using JUST the technology we are capable of whipping up today.

So, according to Fermi....Where is everybody?

The Universe (and our galaxy) is about 13 billion years old. That's more than enough time for thousands (or millions) of civilizations just in the Milkyway alone to reach space faring intelligence. And even if you factor in self-destruction, meteors, religious reasons, you'd have at least one other civilization outside our own somewhere in the Galaxy capable of colonizing the Galaxy...it only takes one...and 150 million years is no time at all in Galactic time...so where is everybody?

The sad truth of the matter is they're probably out there in droves, but nobody can figure out a way to travel these distances using a reasonable amount of energy. The economic resource required would be staggering.

We're alone even if we're not.

Isn't one answer to the Fermi Paradox that 150 million years is a long time in galactic time? Meaning, maybe the universe is far more dangerous than we've yet come to understand. There are just so many ways for life to be wiped out in the blink of an eye that we already know of. Perhaps we'll one day discover a veritable graveyard of evidence of past civilizations.

anyone who thinks they're a part of

that big picture, raise your hand...

now,

go over to the armageddon t-shirt thread.

or start a thread about you having your own

space program.

or how about "i just discovered my own wormhole"

got to politics and religion

discover why your govmt will not save

yo ass in a crisiss (sp)

and you know GOD got plans that you can't change.

APRIL FOOLS!!!

i think aliens have already made contact and are masquerading as humans in order to exploit our natural planetary resources. and maybe that's why obama can't produce a verifiable birth certificate

seriously, i think proof of life exists already. the hotly debated 'microorganisms' found fossilized on Mars:

[Edited 4/1/11 9:15am]

XxAxX said:

i think aliens have already made contact and are masquerading as humans

Well...if you believe some of the theories out there, when the planets & axis of the galaxy align on the Mayan doomsdate (12/21/12) a "gateway" could possibly open to allow intergalactic travel to/from our solar system.

So, we could theoretically only have 20 months before we have "visitors" come knocking on our door.

The REAL question then is...will these be unwanted guests?

Think of how easily the few whites that landed on the shores of America managed to expand their presence and then, thanks to superior technology, easily overcame the native populations and pushed them almost to extinction within what - 200 years?

If this really happens...whether it be on 12/21/12 or any other date...I pray to whatever Creator may have set things in motion to PLEASE let them be friendly!

SagsWay2low said:

I've also been reading about the Fermi Paradox, and am pretty damned near convinced that the speed of light barrier will never be broken.

According to Fermi---if you used just the technology that we are already capable of today to reach the nearest stars, within about 150 million years

we'd colonize the entire galaxy....That's using JUST the technology we are capable of whipping up today.

So, according to Fermi....Where is everybody?

The Universe (and our galaxy) is about 13 billion years old. That's more than enough time for thousands (or millions) of civilizations just in the Milkyway alone to reach space faring intelligence. And even if you factor in self-destruction, meteors, religious reasons, you'd have at least one other civilization outside our own somewhere in the Galaxy capable of colonizing the Galaxy...it only takes one...and 150 million years is no time at all in Galactic time...so where is everybody?

The sad truth of the matter is they're probably out there in droves, but nobody can figure out a way to travel these distances using a reasonable amount of energy. The economic resource required would be staggering.

We're alone even if we're not.

Also: Maybe the earth itself is a bit of a reply to Fermi's Paradox. This planet has an abundance of life forms--I think we've already identified a couple million species here on earth. We have life forms who live on other life forms, life forms within life forms, and life forms who need other life forms just to exist. Out of all those millions, and after billions of years of this planet's existence, only one species seems to exhibit any interest whatsoever in even looking beyond the horizon. And of course, it would appear that only one form of life on earth has the ability to figure out how to leave the planet.

So maybe there has to be a Goldilocks Zone within the Goldilocks Zone, so to speak.

Just a thought. I hope it's not too stupid a thought.