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Aliens
Jul 27, 2012 19:07:47 GMT -5
Post by Shark a' Pult on Jul 27, 2012 19:07:47 GMT -5
Crazy Aliens.
Do you believe they exist?
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Aliens
Jul 27, 2012 19:25:55 GMT -5
Post by Neurotick on Jul 27, 2012 19:25:55 GMT -5
Short answer: Yes, but they probably aren't as cool as we think.
Long answer: It's one hell of a statistical improbability that we'd be the ONLY sentient life in the entire universe. I mean really, that shit is huge. However, since we have yet to make conclusive contact with anything outside of our planet, we have to assume that either a) they're at roughly the same technological advancement as us, which means we probably aren't going to make contact for millions of years just because of how long it takes for our signals to get anywhere, or b) they are significantly more advanced than us, and don't give two shits about humanity because we are essentially ants to them. Angry, angry ants that spend all their time killing each other and making more ants.
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Aliens
Jul 27, 2012 19:36:32 GMT -5
Post by crocoduck on Jul 27, 2012 19:36:32 GMT -5
I knew you'd make this once i brought it up in ghosts.
Yes I believe they exist, no I don't believe we've made contact with them.
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Aliens
Jul 27, 2012 19:46:38 GMT -5
Post by Shark a' Pult on Jul 27, 2012 19:46:38 GMT -5
Short answer: Yes, but they probably aren't as cool as we think. Long answer: It's one hell of a statistical improbability that we'd be the ONLY sentient life in the entire universe. I mean really, that shit is huge. However, since we have yet to make conclusive contact with anything outside of our planet, we have to assume that either a) they're at roughly the same technological advancement as us, which means we probably aren't going to make contact for millions of years just because of how long it takes for our signals to get anywhere, or b) they are significantly more advanced than us, and don't give two shits about humanity because we are essentially ants to them. Angry, angry ants that spend all their time killing each other and making more ants. I'm a biology, and actually, it's not unbelievable that we could be the only life in the universe.
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Aliens
Jul 27, 2012 20:32:14 GMT -5
Post by crocoduck on Jul 27, 2012 20:32:14 GMT -5
It's pretty unbelievable, mathematically speaking.
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Aliens
Jul 27, 2012 20:37:13 GMT -5
Post by Neurotick on Jul 27, 2012 20:37:13 GMT -5
I'm a biology, and actually, it's not unbelievable that we could be the only life in the universe. This is why I said it's a statistical improbability; it is possible that we are the only life in the universe, but it isn't probable when you look at how big and varied the universe is.
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Aliens
Jul 27, 2012 22:53:34 GMT -5
Post by Shark a' Pult on Jul 27, 2012 22:53:34 GMT -5
I'm a biology, and actually, it's not unbelievable that we could be the only life in the universe. This is why I said it's a statistical improbability; it is possible that we are the only life in the universe, but it isn't probable when you look at how big and varied the universe is. The size has nothing to do with the probability for life to exist. It is not a mathematical or a statistical quandary. This is an important factor to realize. It seems intuitive to reason that, yes, the universe is unfathomably big ergo life should be a common thing. But this is not the case, life is a strange thing like that. I used to agree that, of course, there MUST be life out there. But after four years of biology, I believe it could go either way just as likely.
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Aliens
Jul 28, 2012 0:00:15 GMT -5
Post by crocoduck on Jul 28, 2012 0:00:15 GMT -5
The possibility of a planet having the conditions to harbor life as we know it is small.
The possibility of life occurring on a planet with the conditions to support life are even smaller, and they're extremely small at that.
Now let's just give this a random percentage, like, .1%. Then factor in the size of the universe and that percentage goes up considerably, past double digits and even past 50%.
The only thing I can see myself agreeing with you on this is that the life as we know it might very well not exist anywhere. The life we know is very specific and particular and it might be entirely different under other conditions.
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Aliens
Jul 28, 2012 0:08:59 GMT -5
Post by Shark a' Pult on Jul 28, 2012 0:08:59 GMT -5
The possibility of life occurring on a planet with the conditions to support life are even smaller, and they're extremely small at that. Your argument falls apart here. There is no grounds to support or believe that life is capable of emerging anywhere else. From what we know of life on this planet, it stands that life may very well be a unique facet. Because of its very nature, you cannot apply mathematics or statistics to this situation. Again, it might seem plausible that because a planet could support life, it means that it is at least possible life could emerge there, however small a chance. But this is not the case in actuality.
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Aliens
Jul 28, 2012 1:25:06 GMT -5
Post by crocoduck on Jul 28, 2012 1:25:06 GMT -5
Wut.
We aren't certain on the specifics of abiogenesis, sure, but you're saying it as if there's any evidence that states earth has some specific factor that no other planets have.
One thing we know for certain that would be needed for life similar to life on earth is water. We also know there'd have to be a certain temperature range that life had to begin in. The planet also can't be too large or too small for certain geological reasons.
There are countless planets that fit that description. There's more evidence to support/believe the possibility of aliens than there is for not supporting/believing.
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Aliens
Jul 28, 2012 16:02:09 GMT -5
Post by Xero on Jul 28, 2012 16:02:09 GMT -5
I believe the politically correct term would be "extraterrestrials."
With that said, I do believe that there are other forms of intelligent life within this vast universe. I am not going to go into any real scientific debate, mainly because I do not have time lol. But I pretty much with ticky's first post.
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Aliens
Jul 28, 2012 20:01:56 GMT -5
Post by Shark a' Pult on Jul 28, 2012 20:01:56 GMT -5
Wut. We aren't certain on the specifics of abiogenesis, sure, but you're saying it as if there's any evidence that states earth has some specific factor that no other planets have. One thing we know for certain that would be needed for life similar to life on earth is water. We also know there'd have to be a certain temperature range that life had to begin in. The planet also can't be too large or too small for certain geological reasons. I'm not saying it like that, I'm saying life itself is a specific factor other planets may not have. The determinants for life which you mention, all all requisites for life as we understand it. However the presence of those factors does not mean that they lead to life. All it means is that our planet's life needs an environment like our planet to develop and survive.
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Aliens
Jul 30, 2012 9:15:53 GMT -5
Post by CJ on Jul 30, 2012 9:15:53 GMT -5
As far as I'm concerned, I don't really care if life is out there or not. I don't think we'll ever find aliens, at least in my lifetime.
That's not to say that society shouldn't care, however. I'm all for anyone trying to find life out there. On that note, it wouldn't affect the way I see my religion either. I know many Christians fight against the alien theory because of their religious beliefs. I get the notion that humans are supposed to be the only true "intelligent" beings but aliens probably don't have the same "intelligence" as us. They might be the kind of creatures that are so fragile, they explode just looking at you.
Anyway, those are my two useless cents.
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Aliens
Aug 15, 2012 0:10:46 GMT -5
Post by Hitotsumami on Aug 15, 2012 0:10:46 GMT -5
I have no idea if life exists elsewhere, especially intelligent life.
I would LOVE if there was though. It is a pretty lonely universe if humans are the only ones who can appreciate it.
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Aliens
Aug 15, 2012 11:56:15 GMT -5
Post by crocoduck on Aug 15, 2012 11:56:15 GMT -5
Wut. We aren't certain on the specifics of abiogenesis, sure, but you're saying it as if there's any evidence that states earth has some specific factor that no other planets have. One thing we know for certain that would be needed for life similar to life on earth is water. We also know there'd have to be a certain temperature range that life had to begin in. The planet also can't be too large or too small for certain geological reasons. I'm not saying it like that, I'm saying life itself is a specific factor other planets may not have. The determinants for life which you mention, all all requisites for life as we understand it. However the presence of those factors does not mean that they lead to life. All it means is that our planet's life needs an environment like our planet to develop and survive. Ah ok, I see what you're saying, but I don't see why you think that means the chances are so much lower than I do. While it's true that just because a planet has the prerequisites for life does not mean it will have life, that doesn't exactly lower the chance of it existing. Although honestly, this debate is quite pointless until we discover what was the cause of abiogenesis on earth in the first place. There are an assload of theories, but we don't really know what gave rise to the first life. Once we figure that out, we can see how rare of an event that itself is and calculate the likelihood of it happening elsewhere. BUT, no matter how small the percentage of chance there is, it's going to become quite larger once you multiply by the size of the universe, thus bringing the possibility of life existing elsewhere in the universe to a very impressive number.
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