Do you believe in life on other planets? (1 Viewer)

[Kevin Alexander]

For that matter, please present your proof that I do believe in something, as you claimed earlier that I must.

You believe that I'm wrong for stating what I said.

 

[Rain]

You believe that I'm wrong for stating what I said.

Again, presuming too much. From my perspective, I do not believe in anything. Your perspective is that I must. It is possible that there is something that I do actually believe in. It is possible that there is nothing I believe in.
It is possible that there is life on other planets. It is possible that there isn't.
Get it yet?

 

[D. Scott MacDonald]

Statistically, I believe that it's probable that life exists elsewhere in the universe, however I think it is highly doubtful that we would ever meet them (i.e. I don't believe in flying saucers).

 

[Cees Alons]

Bruce,

even if he added an extra zero to the billions of years Earth has been here

Sorry for that. You're right of course.
But I did remember to change my European "Milliard" (1000 Million, 1/1000 of a European "Billion") into the US "Billion". .
Cees

 

[Steve Christou]

I believe there is life on other planets, maybe there was life on Mars thousands of years ago, maybe there still is.

There must be millions of planets in our galaxy, they can't all be lifeless rocks, life on Earth can't be just a cosmic accident.

No I don't believe in God, heaven or hell.

But I believe in life.

 

[Todd Hochard]

We even think that we can destroy our own planet!! How could we, us fraile little humans, destroy an entire planet??

I don't think we have to worry about destroying the planet- just our ability to live on it.
Todd

 

[Michael Warner]

I believe that there is rudimentary life on many planets, comets, etc. in the universe but that complex lifeforms are probably quite rare. I also don't believe that there are many, if any, other intelligent species out there. Too many factors need to fall into line for a tool-using species to emerge and dominate a planet like humans have done. And, if we are any indication, such species emerge quickly and likely die out quickly so the odds of there being millions of concurrent industrial civilizations running amok in the universe is pretty slim.

 

[Scott Strang]

I'm starting to wish that I'd never asked this question.

I haven't seen anyone flame anyone yet, but someone has already accused others of doing this.

In the state where I live (Louisiana), roughly 80% of the people don't think life exists anywhere but here. If you should state that you do not agree with their concensus, then God help you; "kook" is the category in which they'll place you. They can get very defensive about it too. For that reason I seldom state what I think. Luckily my wife believes as I do.

People, if yall don't keep this civil, this thread will be closed like a Taco Bell by the health dept.

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

quote...
"when will we make contact."
I don't wanna get all Fox Mulder on you guys, but i'm a firm believer that we already have made contact. thier is too much stuff and too many stories floating around out their to ignor this, things like UFO photo's, most are frauds sure, but some may not be, alien abductions, not so far fetched to me, I believe that they do happen.
Think about it, if an intelligent alien species were frequently visiting our planet, and they are similar to us, i.e. they walk upright on two legs, have two arms, and a head with two eyes, nose and mouth, it's reasonable to assume that they would be very curious about what makes us tick. People who claim to have been abducted all say the same things, they don't remember it, they have strange marks on their body that previously weren't their before, and they claim to have "lost time" and waking up in strange places. Yes, I think they do happen.
And I hate to open this can of worms, but their's that whole Roswell incident. That whole thing just stinks, their is something funny going on out there, yes, i'm referring to 'Area 51'. From what i've seen, and testimony's i've read and heard about, they are hiding some very strange shit from the public.
So in closing, yes, I believe their is other life forms out there, and not only that, but I think they've been here, and continue to come here Scully!

 

[James Mitchell]

The Drake equation. Where N is the number of technologically advanced civilizations in our Galaxy whose signal we might be able to detect.
N = R * fp * ne * fl * fi * fc * L
R = The Rate at whcih solar-type stars form in our galaxy
fp = the fraction of these stars that have planetary systems
ne = the average number of planets per such a system that
are Earth-like enough to support life
fl = the fraction of those Earth-like planets on which life
actually develops
fi = the fractin of those life-forms that evolve to
intelligence
fc = the fraction of those intelligent species who are
interested in intersteller communication, and develop
the necessary technology for it
L = the average lifetime of such a technologically advanced
civilazation
source:
In Quest of the Universe

 

[Patrick_S]

Just think, somewhere in the vast expanse of space another civilization might be debating this very same question.

 

[Scott Strang]

when will we make contact?

If someone or something were to give me absolute proof that alien life exists, I'd simply say "I had always assumed it was true".

I fully expect there to be life elsewhere. And the possibility that they've already made contact with us is also something I pretty much expect.

However the whole thing of using recorvered ET technology from crashed or shot down alien craft is a bit un-nerving. Sure we have to learn what we can the only way to do it effectively would be by attempting to reverse engineer one of these things. But not let's not forget that the laws of physics that we go by are based on science that we've learned over the years. As we learn more and do more research we will undoubtedly discover that the laws of physics as we know them are conditionally true. Think of it like this; we know that 1+1=2, but when we discover an added element (such as a - sign) we learn that 1+1 did = 2 until we learned a new element; the minus sign. When we applied that newly discovered element we now will get a different answer.

What power's these alien craft? How can we be sure that one wrong move when "toying" with the engineering of one of these things won't result in a black hole, or some other strange phenomenon, resulting in global destruction.

Science and discovery always involves risk; that is inescapeable. Let's just hope that a worst case scenerio never takes place.

If I were a scientist and the opportunity to work on these alien craft were presented to me, I'd pounce on it like a cat on frightened mouse.

 

[dean_g]

nope - and if there is we will probably never know
If you have seen pictures of hubble dark field than you know what I am talking about
The truth is here

 

[Clinton McClure]

Yes.

 

[SteveGon]

I firmly believe that there is some kind of life out there somewhere. That's really all I can say on the matter...

 

[Sean Conklin]

Of course I do, I've MET them. :alien:
Seriously, YES I do!!

 

[James D S]

The odds that the series of circumstances that brought about life on this planet happened again somewhere else is a VERY remote possibility. Too many things have to happen, in just the right order, to produce similiar (read:intelligent) life on a planet.

The planet has to form at the right time in the life cycle of a solar system, form at just the right distance from its sun, it must cycle through a volcanic period for the proper length, it must be impacted at just the right frequency of water-bearing comets, etc., it must contain the proper mix of primordial elements, etc., and a proper but chaotic atmosphere must develop, that allows for the neccessary proteins to be created, etc., at the right time in the planet's evolution.

And it must all be left to "brew" for billions of years.

That has happened one time, that we know of. Although there are billions of chances for it to happen again, it may take more than billions of chances.

There is just SOOO much that needs to happen - odds are, it'll never happen again.

It may be a bleek way to view the stars, but chances are, no one is staring back at us.

 

[Carl Johnson]

I think there is life on other planets. While the odds of intellegent life forming on some random planet are a billion to one its quite possible that the universe is playing with an infinite amount of space. Better yet there is no way to tell what if any kind of intellegence lies beyond the universe.

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

James, I respect your opinion, and you are entitled to it, but I must disagree. To say that this little planet that we inhabit is the ONLY planet in all of infinant space that supports intelligent life, is just silly.
You seem to be assumimg that a planet must evolve exactly like the earth in order to support life. The conditions that exsist on this planet are right to support us, but maybe, just maybe, a lifeform exsists on a planet with a much different atmosphere than this one, and is adapted to live in THAT particular environment.
Just as fish and marine life are adapted to exsist strictly under water, we are not, we are oxygen breathing beings that are adapted to live up here in the air.
See what i'm getting at?

 

[Max Leung]

Don't forget the life that is in abundance near underwater volcanoes and exhaust vents. No one had any idea that life could live in such conditions (hundreds of degrees celsius)! And the life there is very substantial. I suggest looking around on the net for more information.
There is also a theory that there is a vast number of lifeforms living in Earth's crust. Some of these microorganims have been pulled up by oil rigs, thus confirming that life can exist underground, where the vast pressures and closeness to the molten core can provide enough energy for the organisms to thrive. Plus, the hydrocarbons found in oil and in the rock are building blocks for these lifeforms.
And then there is the research to find life under the frozen Vostok(sp?) lake in Antarctica. I believe organisms have also been found in the frigid ocean waters attached to the bottoms of icebergs/icesheets. These conditions are no different from that found on Mars.
All the evidence suggests that life is very robust and not the fragile little thing that everyone believes it to be. Remember the micro-organisms found on the lens of a camera on the moon? Once they were exposed to favorible conditions, the little tykes carried on as if nothing happened. Despite long exposure to UV radiation, where the space has no atmosphere to deflect the dangerous rays. Some organisms are capable of hardening their outter "skin", much like a seed passing through an animal's gut. The outter shell is able to withand severe punishment, and could conceivably protect the contents for an extreme amount of time. Think of the plant matter found in the escavated frozen mammoths...it is very possible to extract the seeds and grow fauna that have been extinct for 10,000 years!
It is very hard to destroy all life on Earth. Sure, we can wipe out the complex animals, but the little microbes will survive, and possible evolve into more complex forms again. Heck, it is currently estimated that micro-organisms account for more than 80% of the Earth's total biomass! Humans are the insignifcant lifeforms on this planet, not the common microbe. The meek rule the Earth.
I believe life outside the solar system is inevitable. The raw materials that support life is everywhere in the universe. Just about everything is made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen...the basic units of life. Just a few months ago, astronomers have discovered vast nebulous clouds full of raw hydrocarbons. Imagine a solar system-sized cloud full of this stuff...it's everywhere.
Many people are not able to think of themselves as insignificant. I believe this trait is an instinct inherent in all humans. Why do we have this trait? Simple survival value, particularly in more complex societies. We are the offspring off those who have pillaged, murdered, raped, and enslaved in a righteous belief that we are better than the group in another tribe/village/country/religion. And the best way to ensure our place in the universe is to beat the crap out of those who think the same thing. And hey, whaddya know? As a result of our conflicts, we get more land, food, and natural resources. We breed and multiply and spread, taking our ideology with us. And hey, it has worked for the human race for hundreds of thousands of years. Can this go on indefinitely? Very doubtful, as any bio-ecologist will tell you...
The question is, will we change our ways before we destroy ourselves? I believe this is the conundrum that any advanced alien civilisation has to contend with.
Finding life should be easy. Finding an advanced civilization will probably be next to impossible, unless they WANT to be found. If I knew there was a nearby planet inhabited by murderous xenophobes with questionable tastes in music, I'd damn well make sure we stay far far away from them (or build self-replicating planet-destroyer machines and send them over as a special intergalactic "gift"...oops guess that makes me one of them).