Do you reckon there is life out there?

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Krypton

New Member
Location
UK
We are getting more and more info about the universe as time goes by, but do you think we're a freak of nature - I mean, us, our planet, living things?

Or do you reckon there is a bloke sat on a laptop somewhere in a different universe logged in to tahCelcyC talking to people about gnilcyc? :?:
 

al78

Guru
Location
Horsham
We are getting more and more info about the universe as time goes by, but do you think we're a freak of nature - I mean, us, our planet, living things?

Or do you reckon there is a bloke sat on a laptop somewhere in a different universe logged in to tahCelcyC talking to people about gnilcyc? :?:

Peter Ward and Donald Brownlee have gone into this. Their theory is that whilst very simple life forms like single celled bacteria might be common, complex life should be extremely rare as it relies on an improbable combination of astrophysical and geological events and circumstances.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rare_Earth_hypothesis
http://tinyurl.com/36yyyky
 
I take it you're suggesting our TahcelcyC friend might inhabit a universe of exotic matter - or maybe anti-matter? (current cosmology theories say, no, not anti-matter). Might be fun: don't plan on meeting up, might cause an almighty bang!

Me - with my alter ego, I suppose I have (or rather had, not been doing much with it lately) a 'special relationship' with other parts of the universe. Waiting for the 'scope to come up with the goods, aimed at a seemingly blank bit of sky which I know has a whole galaxy up there (or even a whole cluster of galaxies) - as the structure of the galaxy emerges during the processing, with its billions of stars and maybe billions of planets, possibly some with life on board - I think how small and insignificant we are, and wonder if there's an astronomer 'up there' aiming their 'scope directly at our own modest galaxy at the same time....

Of course 'at the same time' is rather ambiguous when you take in Relativity.

I like to think so.
 

swee'pea99

Squire
I've been told there are more stars in the universe than there are grains of sand on the earth. Even the staggeringly improbable seems almost certain given numbers on that sort of scale.
 

Archie_tect

De Skieven Architek... aka Penfold + Horace
Location
Northumberland
Their envoys live amongst us as we type.... mwah-ha-ha!

Life elsewhere in the universe... almost certainly but not as we know it, Jim. Fortunately we have the American military to defend us from any contact! Phew, so that's alright then.....
 

TheDoctor

Noble and true, with a heart of steel
Moderator
Location
The TerrorVortex
A good point well made!!

Seriously, I hope there is. I'd love there to be Vulcans, Kzinti, applegrass on New Earth and all the rest of it. One of the reasons I always wanted to work in the Space industry was the hope that some day, someone or something out there would show up.
 

Keith Oates

Janner
Location
Penarth, Wales
I think there must be life somewhere out there but if it's similar to ours or not is another matter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

Spinney

Bimbleur extraordinaire
Location
Back up north
Peter Ward and Donald Brownlee have gone into this. Their theory is that whilst very simple life forms like single celled bacteria might be common, complex life should be extremely rare as it relies on an improbable combination of astrophysical and geological events and circumstances.

http://en.wikipedia....arth_hypothesis
http://tinyurl.com/36yyyky

The Rare Earth hypothesis was taken apart in Evolving the Alien* by Jack Cohen and Ian Stewart (published in paperback under the title What does a Martian Look Like?)

A good and entertaining read about what alien life might look like and what the conditions for extraterrestrial life might be.


*at least, I think it was in this book -it's a while since I read it and I'm supposed to be working so I can't go and unearth it to check right now...
 

rich p

ridiculous old lush
Location
Brighton
I have reently discovered through this very forum that there is indeed life out there and apparently has nearly reached as far as Scotland.
 
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