Why Habitable Exoplanets Are Bad News

Doc Dutch said:
The evidence of the Big Bang is very solid. Disagreed on your conclusion, since stars are of different ages. Even if the difference is a few hundred thousand to a million years, that's in incredible amount of time for species development.

Another factor is that the Earth has experienced five major extinction events in the past. What if there'd only been 2 or 3? How much more advanced would life be on Earth? Even if stars with planets capable of life were all the same age, the number of extinction events could easily cause a large variation in the relative levels of advancement on each planet.
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Good points all. I'm ready to meet our neighbors.
 
Doc Dutch said:
Perry, you're clearly too immature to be over 30 much less hold a PhD.

What do you do? Clean out the test tubes in your department?
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You know it's funny because you are always trolling around on the science threads but I don't think I've seen you post much science.

I get it, you are Cypress' sock and your role is to give him kudos so it makes him feel like he's some sort of insightful person, but all he ever does is cite references without comment.

Your little "ecosystem" is hilarious to watch. Pathetic, but hilarious.
 
Perry Phimosis said:
You know it's funny because you are always trolling around on the science threads but I don't think I've seen you post much science.

I get it, you are Cypress' sock and your role is to give him kudos so it makes him feel like he's some sort of insightful person, but all he ever does is cite references without comment.

Your little "ecosystem" is hilarious to watch. Pathetic, but hilarious.
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Doc loves calling people a woman as an insult.
 
Doc Dutch said:
A major factor are the distances involved. Even communicating with signals at the speed of light would mean years between transmissions.
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Yep - which is why there would have to be some kind of really advanced technology - either transmissions or travel capable of super-light speeds. Something that only exists in sci-fi shows and movies right now.
 
Perry Phimosis said:
You know it's funny because you are always trolling around on the science threads but I don't think I've seen you post much science.

I get it, you are Cypress' sock and your role is to give him kudos so it makes him feel like he's some sort of insightful person, but all he ever does is cite references without comment.

Your little "ecosystem" is hilarious to watch. Pathetic, but hilarious.
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^^^
Thinks he posted a science-related reply on a science thread.

Agreed, you don't think, Perry the Putz.
 
LurchAddams said:
Yep - which is why there would have to be some kind of really advanced technology - either transmissions or travel capable of super-light speeds. Something that only exists in sci-fi shows and movies right now.
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AFAIK, the speed of light can't be exceeded. Things like "folding space" are purely theoretical.

It appears that tachyons can both exceed the speed of light and time with the kicker being that they are always faster than the speed of light.

https://www.space.com/tachyons-facts-about-particles
Tachyons: Facts about these faster-than-light particles
 
Doc Dutch said:
AFAIK, the speed of light can't be exceeded. Things like "folding space" are purely theoretical.

It appears that tachyons can both exceed the speed of light and time with the kicker being that they are always faster than the speed of light.

https://www.space.com/tachyons-facts-about-particles
Tachyons: Facts about these faster-than-light particles
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Yep. As far as we know, the speed of light can't be exceeded. Until someone, somewhere figures out how.
 
LurchAddams said:
Yep. As far as we know, the speed of light can't be exceeded. Until someone, somewhere figures out how.
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Or a work-around.

One problem with that is related to the Fermi Paradox; if it was possible, then why haven't we had visitors popping by for tea?
 
LurchAddams said:
I'd like to think there's other life out there. As huge as the universe is - I find it unlikely we're the only intelligent life.

Unfortunately, it might be centuries or longer before any is discovered.

If one believes in the "big bang" theory, it's unlikely there is life any more advanced than we because all would develop at the same pace as us.
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I hope we can find life in the galaxy.

I think you're right, it may be a while.

We are about ten years away from having the technology to study the spectral properties of atmospheres on exoplanets, and if we can find biosignatures like free oxygen and methane, those might be good evidence of alien life, assuming we can rule out natural sources of those molecules
 
LurchAddams said:
Perhaps none of our neighbors have come up with the solution yet, either.
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If any civilization had a FTL drive, they'd be out exploring...or exploiting if they were like us. LOL

There are a few explanations on why they haven't visited us such as:
1. It's against the rules.
2. We're a nature preserve and they're just "watching" us.
3. Life is very, very rare, so they haven't found us yet since they are busy exploiting uninhabited worlds.
 
Doc Dutch said:
If any civilization had a FTL drive, they'd be out exploring...or exploiting if they were like us. LOL

There are a few explanations on why they haven't visited us such as:
1. It's against the rules.
2. We're a nature preserve and they're just "watching" us.
3. Life is very, very rare, so they haven't found us yet since they are busy exploiting uninhabited worlds.
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But.. if they had the tech to intergalactic travel, certainly they'd have the tech to detect life. We emit a lot of signals - cellular, radiation, electromagnetic, etc.. we're pretty noisy.
 
LurchAddams said:
But.. if they had the tech to intergalactic travel, certainly they'd have the tech to detect life. We emit a lot of signals - cellular, radiation, electromagnetic, etc.. we're pretty noisy.
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Exactly. Hence, the Fermi Paradox. "Where are they?"
 
LurchAddams said:
I had to look that up. You're right. Many stars the Milky Way are much older than our sun. Chances are intelligent life developed somewhere else before we did.
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One theory, which Cypress touched upon before, is that advanced civilizations have a bad habit of wiping themselves out before advancing to interstellar colonization. Look how close ours has come to nuclear global annihilation over the past 70 years.

Plus there's plague, impact events, super volcanos and the like that would knock us back 5,000 years.
 
Doc Dutch said:
One theory, which Cypress touched upon before, is that advanced civilizations have a bad habit of wiping themselves out before advancing to interstellar colonization. Look how close ours has come to nuclear global annihilation over the past 70 years.

Plus there's plague, impact events, super volcanos and the like that would knock us back 5,000 years.
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ALL of this presupposes that all advanced life will generate EM signatures that can be detected. It could be that the universe is teeming with ridiculously advanced civilizations that never made it to the point of generating EM signals.

I don't think anyone would say that the Renaissance wasn't an advanced civilization...but they generated no measurable EM signature.
 
NovoJank said:
ALL of this presupposes that all advanced life will generate EM signatures that can be detected. It could be that the universe is teeming with ridiculously advanced civilizations that never made it to the point of generating EM signals.

I don't think anyone would say that the Renaissance wasn't an advanced civilization...but they generated no measurable EM signature.
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The Universe is limited by physical laws. A civilization advanced enough for star flight would need a means to communicate. EM is the best way.

The Renaissance wasn't advanced enough to even fly much less travel to other planets.
 
Doc Dutch said:
The Universe is limited by physical laws. A civilization advanced enough for star flight would need a means to communicate. EM is the best way.
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Why does a civilization have to be able to do star flight to be considered "advanced"?

The Renaissance wasn't advanced enough to even fly much less travel to other planets.
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But if you found a planet with a thriving Renaissance culture would you just say "Pfffft, cave people! Undeveloped!"

No, you'd say they are pretty advanced. EM generation is not a necessary requirement for advanced civilization. Anymore than teleportation and we don't have that. Are we not advanced?

My point remains: assuming that EM signature is the only measure of a civilization of sufficient advancement as to be interesting to us (ie not just wild animals wandering around) is overly limited.
 
NovoJank said:
Why does a civilization have to be able to do star flight to be considered "advanced"?


But if you found a planet with a thriving Renaissance culture would you just say "Pfffft, cave people! Undeveloped!"

No, you'd say they are pretty advanced. EM generation is not a necessary requirement for advanced civilization. Anymore than teleportation and we don't have that. Are we not advanced?

My point remains: assuming that EM signature is the only measure of a civilization of sufficient advancement as to be interesting to us (ie not just wild animals wandering around) is overly limited.
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I define "advanced" as technologically and socially advanced. Technology allows us to control our environment, social advancement allows us to work together efficiently. What is your definition of an advanced civilization?

Incorrect. Even a primitive, Stone Age culture would be interesting.
 
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