'Take me to your leader'.
'Well, OK, but she lives in a sustainable Public Transport venue, so we must use Southern Rail.'.
'Maybe just take me to the pub'.
It's a known fact that Earth supports life because it is the right distance from our Sun. Therefore it's not impossible that in one of the thousands of galaxies( no chocolate jokes ) there is not more similar circumstances.
Best estimate atm is 100-200 Billion galaxies...
Every time I do the Drake equation, even using what to my mind are ridiculously small numbers, I come out with an estimate of thousands of intelligent life forms currently out there somewhere...
Can you please define 'intelligent'?
Best estimate atm is 100-200 Billion galaxies...
Every time I do the Drake equation, even using what to my mind are ridiculously small numbers, I come out with an estimate of thousands of intelligent life forms currently out there somewhere...
Can you please define 'intelligent'?
Sentient? Or are we talking technologically advanced?
'Astronomers using NASA data calculate that in our galaxy alone there are at least 8.8 billion Earth-sized planets that are not too hot or not too cold and circle stars that are just like our sun, according to a study published Monday.4 Nov 2013'
Utterly absurd to think that our planet is the only planet anywhere that is currently supporting life. The sheer numbers involved make that infinitely more unlikely than likely.
In this context I was defining “intelligent” the same way as Drake does, ie those civilisations that are sufficiently technologically advanced that they have released detectable signals into space. By this definition, we became “intelligent” at around the time of the 1936 Berlin olympics.
Best estimate atm is 100-200 Billion galaxies...
Every time I do the Drake equation, even using what to my mind are ridiculously small numbers, I come out with an estimate of thousands of intelligent life forms currently out there somewhere...
'Astronomers using NASA data calculate that in our galaxy alone there are at least 8.8 billion Earth-sized planets that are not too hot or not too cold and circle stars that are just like our sun, according to a study published Monday.4 Nov 2013'
Utterly absurd to think that our planet is the only planet anywhere that is currently supporting life. The sheer numbers involved make that infinitely more unlikely than likely.
Which means one of the first humans they will see is Adolf Hitler.
Regrettably, yes.
Mind you, the TV signal was so weak that by the time it gets anywhere where it could reasonably be thought there might be someone to pick it up, it’ll hopefully be so degraded that they’ll miss it...
The frustrating part is that the time spans and distances involved mean that
1. Any signal we pick up is likely to come from a civilisation that's no longer there (risen, flourished, declined, GONE)
2. IF they're still 'alive' we'll never meet them (without wormholes or other universal short-cuts).
It does rather look like a huge rock more than it looks like a spaceship doesn't it!
The frustrating part is that the time spans and distances involved mean that
1. Any signal we pick up is likely to come from a civilisation that's no longer there (risen, flourished, declined, GONE)
2. IF they're still 'alive' we'll never meet them (without wormholes or other universal short-cuts).
The Drake equation specifically addresses point 1. It’s a formula for guesstimating the number of “active” (alive now) civilisations. You’re right though - this particular term requires one to guess how long an intelligent life form exists for before ceasing to transmit (for whatever reason).
Your point 2 is where most people misinterpret the Drake equation. “If there’s so many intelligent life forms, where are they?” they say. There is a world of difference between being able to transmit TV/radio signals that leak or are actively transmitted into space, and being able to physically travel inter-stellar (still less inter-galactic) distances.