Are we alone ?

[ludwig]

See here
http://www.bbc.com/fu...ny-alien-worlds-exist

[starone]

Sorry ludwig, all I got from your link was a short article telling me that the site was not available from the UK.

[excelsior-1]

not accessible from the uk.

however, my view is .. no.

if this is the only planet with sentient life in all of creation - then what a waste.

[bookbinder]

I got the same result as Starbuckone.

[woofgang]

well I'm not, I have got two dogs sitting on me.

[starone]

I cannot believe we can possibly be alone. When you look at the immensity of space it is completely logical to assume there are many more habitable planets somewhere. Not necessarily to life in the same form as we are but definitely something, or someone.

[Bazile]

No - the almighty is looking around as well

[ChuckFickens]

No, I don't think we are.

I also find it a bit illogical that we assume just because we are carbon based and require water to live that all possible life in the universe would be the same.

[ChuckFickens]

I think you're in the wrong section, Bazile...

http://www.theanswerb...ion-and-Spirituality/

[ludwig]

Ok, sorry about that - it's because I'm going through a foreign server, so I didn't realise you wouldn't see it.

It's an interactive graphic that lets you work through Drake's equation for estimating the number of intelligent life forms in the galaxy.

[ludwig]

fyi

The optimistic estimate is
1 communicating intelligent lifeform in the galaxy
78 billion in the universe

The sceptical estimate is
72,800 in the galaxy
10,920,000 in the universe

[Jonathan-Joe]

Is this it? http://www.pbs.org/wg...e/drake-equation.html (Click "Launch Interactive")

[ludwig]

sorry, that's 10,920,000 BILLION in the universe

[ludwig]

JJ, my link goes to a BBC news site, but that's the equation.

[Old_Geezer]

IIRC the equation makes assumptions that may not hold.

Anyway we can feel alone if we never socialised with those around us so even if an alien species exists light years away they're not with us.

It sounds unlikely that intelligent life failed to emerge at all in the universe so, gut feeling, there is something intelligent somewhere. Just nowhere near our planet. But it is also possible that the emergence of intelligence is so rare it hasn't happened yet.

[woofgang]

or they've nipped in for a quiet shufty, read CB, shuddered and crept away.

[Bazile]

ChuckFickens // I think you're in the wrong section, Bazile... //

No , i've had a good look around and can confirm , i'm in the correct section

[squarebear]

The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact humans.

[bert_h]

If only there was a simple answer!

(1) No, we are not alone. Based on all the facts that we are aware of, it is overwhemingly probable that there are other sentient life forms in the universe, and quite probable that there are several of them in our own galaxy.

(2) Yes, we are effectively alone. The balance of probabilities is that, because of galactic distances and timescales, we humans and these other life forms will never become aware of each other. The best reasonable expectation is that, far in the future, we may find the remains of an extinct civilization on some Earth-like planet.

[Bazile]

It could be that there are other life forms who are so way in front of us in intelligence that they are simply not interested is contacting us .

The comparison between us and them may be like the comaprison between us now , and stoneage man