DailyDirt: We Should Have Written Down ET's Phone Number...

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

The search for extraterrestrial life has been going on for ages, but we still haven't found much convincing evidence that life on other objects in space exists. There's at least one bold prediction that we'll find signs of intelligent life in outer space within the next 25 years, but that's not a bet too many scientists would likely make. Here are just a few more links on the search for ET -- for those bored with the lifeforms on this planet. If you'd like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post via StumbleUpon.
Hide this

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team

Filed Under: aliens, astrobiology, biosphere, et. extraterrestrial, extraterrestrial life, extremophiles, lifeforms, seti, space, space exploration


Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread


  • icon
    Mason Wheeler (profile), 2 Dec 2014 @ 5:05pm

    I believe it was Arthur C. Clarke who said that either we are alone in the universe, or we are not, and both possibilities have sobering implications.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Alien Rebel (profile), 2 Dec 2014 @ 7:43pm

      Re:

      So in other words, stay sober?
      No disrespect to Mr. Clarke, but if I was forced to conclude that humans are alone and the only intelligent life in the whole wide universe, I'd be drinking like you wouldn't believe. You mean, this is it? This planet of idiots??? F@#* me, sober has just been removed from my vocabulary.

      But thank the Great Kazoo life's about as common as dirt.
      --

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        Mason Wheeler (profile), 3 Dec 2014 @ 3:41pm

        Re: Re:

        As nice as that would be, considering all of the death and misery that alcohol has caused throughout human history and continues to inflict today, that is not actually the meaning of the word "sobering" in a context like this.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

        • icon
          Alien Rebel (profile), 3 Dec 2014 @ 4:47pm

          Re: Re: Re:

          "that is not actually the meaning of the word 'sobering' in a context like this."


          Those damned Chinese, forcing everyone to be entirely, seriously literal with their new laws banning puns and distortions of language. Damn, but that spread fast.

          O.K., this time without jokes or reference to alcohol: if I were to learn that humans are alone in the universe, that this is not the magical and purposeful place created by the hand of the Great Kazoo; that humans, the creators of 'Here Comes Honey Boo-Boo' are in fact the supreme beings in all of existence, I'd have a really hard time taking much of anything seriously.
          --

          link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Andrew Norton (profile), 2 Dec 2014 @ 5:13pm

    The issue is that aliens are unlikely to use EM for extra-solar communication. It's too easily blocked by anything.
    Neutrinos are the answer. not really stopped by anything, and you need a substantial tech base to be able to detect them which makes you a more viable candidate for first contact.

    [plug starting] and if you want to help us get to that point, you could take part in the only 2nd generation (evolutionary algorithm, rather than brute force) distributed computing program out there - Muon1, working on designing the best and most efficient neutrino generating accelerator with the RAL and Brookhaven National Labs.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 2 Dec 2014 @ 5:22pm

    "Out of about 100 billion galaxies in the observable universe, a couple astrophysicists estimate that only 10% are able to support complex life."

    Ten percent of a large number is still a large number.
    If I had a dollar for every galaxy that is able to support life ... wth - make that a penny and I'd still be rich.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 2 Dec 2014 @ 8:33pm

    Out of about 100 billion galaxies in the observable universe, a couple astrophysicists estimate that only 10% are able to support complex life


    It takes over 200 million years for our solar system to orbit our galaxy. Just as our planet has it's own climate, so does our solar system and even our galaxy. We know very little about our own climate (on a geological scale) and even less about the climate of solar system and only a sliver (less than a blink of an eye) of our galaxy's climate.

    In other words, we don't have the empirical evidence (time spent observing habitable zones) nor the technology to make such estimates...yet.

    But I suppose it's fun to make guesses!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 2 Dec 2014 @ 8:55pm

      Re:

      The 200 million year solar orbital hypothesis is just that. Trying to measure the rotational velocity of the stars is like trying to measure the velocity of an atom within an ocean of waves. There's no definitive answer to how long it takes for our solar system to make full rotation nor do we know when we'll pass through the next densely populated tendril of our 'spiral galaxy.'

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 3 Dec 2014 @ 6:00am

      Re:

      "we don't have the empirical evidence"

      We have empirical evidence that the conditions in many galaxies are very detrimental to life as we know it. We have empirical evidence that some galaxies are very similar to our own. Do some research, there is an abundance of data for your perusal.


      "to make such estimates"

      What do you think an estimate is?


      "But I suppose it's fun to make guesses"

      This is what humans do. The professional guessers are called scientists.


      Not sure what your point is here but it may be worth pointing out that life on this planet has survived many orbits of this galaxy. The universe is full of very violent events, nowhere is safe, and yet life exists - go figure.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Michael, 3 Dec 2014 @ 4:06am

    Gamma Rays

    So what they are saying is that most planets can only support the Incredible Hulk?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    John85851 (profile), 3 Dec 2014 @ 7:40am

    You mean we won't meet other humans?

    I read the story in the second link and was very disappointed. I've been watching sci-fi movies for years and I always assumed life on planets thousands of light-years away would simply be humans with different noses or foreheads. At least, that's what "Star Trek" taught me. :)

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 3 Dec 2014 @ 9:11am

    Who knows maybe our galaxy was created to be a life ship with the sun being its power core , or maybe we are in a flushing toilet spinning to our demise.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 3 Dec 2014 @ 1:06pm

    I went to a Neil deGrasse Tyson lecture last night. He was asked if he thought there was intelligent life somewhere out there. His response? I don't know.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Rekrul, 3 Dec 2014 @ 8:41pm

    I could swear I once read a science fiction story where a crew landed on a supposedly lifeless alien planet, spent some time there and left, never knowing that the weird crystal formations were actually highly intelligent beings who had their own advanced society.

    (no, it wasn't the Stargate episode with the blue crystals)

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Sweet Sticky Rainbow, 4 Jan 2015 @ 4:36pm

    Headless Aliens

    Don't tell ET but rumor has it that in Area 69 the feds have a decapitated alien's rainbow corpse.

    link to this | view in chronology ]


Follow Techdirt
Essential Reading
Techdirt Deals
Report this ad  |  Hide Techdirt ads
Techdirt Insider Discord

The latest chatter on the Techdirt Insider Discord channel...

Loading...
Recent Stories

This site, like most other sites on the web, uses cookies. For more information, see our privacy policy. Got it
Close

Email This

This feature is only available to registered users. Register or sign in to use it.