The Possibility of Alien Life Is Now (Almost) Impossible to Deny

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An international team of astronomers have reached the most definitive conclusion, one with profound implications: our galaxy contains a minimum of 100 billion planets. Of those, most are small planets like ours. Statistically, every star would have at least one planet.This means that the chances of life and habitable planets in our galaxy alone is overwhelmingly high. So high that it's impossible to deny that it's out there. The only question is how much of that is little dumb critters* and how much is civilized.
According to Stephen Kane—at NASA's Exoplanet Science Institute at CalTech in Pasadena and one of the authors of the study—"not only are planets common in the galaxy, but there are more small planetsthan large ones. This is encouraging news for investigations into habitable planets."
Kane is being too conservative when he says that this is "encouraging news". This is amazingly great news! The number of Earth-like planets is much higher than Jupiter-sized giants. The rough estimate is that there are at least 10 billion terrestrial planets across our galaxy alone.
That is a mind-blowing number.
Couple this number with the latest calculations that have extended the goldilocks zone, the area where life could happen around stars. And then add the fact that life happens spontaneously, even underthe most extreme conditions, and the idea of a Milky Way thriving with life is impossible to deny.
There's no doubt that, statistically, there's life out there (and let's not even talk about the other 500 billion galaxies in the Universe).
Intelligent civilizations

Of course, how much of this life is smart enough to build computers, communication dishes or Imperial Star Destroyers is another matter altogether. As far as we know, all those habitable worlds may be full of killer snails and dozy fish
But the fact remains that, until now, we could only guess much of this stuff. Now we know. That makes a big difference.
The fact that there are at least 100 billion planets in our Milky Way alone has profound implications for our understanding of the Universe. These discoveries, made using Hubble and Kepler, are finally putting some real numbers in the Drake Equation.

The equation—created by Frank Drake, Emeritus Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of California, Santa Cruz—is used to estimate the number of extraterrestrial civilizations in the Milky Way galaxy.
Now we are starting to replace the guesses with solid information and things couldn't look better. Soon it will not be "we want to believe" but "we know." [Hubble]
* Some may argue that advanced alien civilizations would see us as little dumb critters, rather than a civilization.

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Source: i09

And we just decommissioned our main space vehicle.

I say screw all the starving people of the world & everybody recovering from some natural disaster. Donate your £5 a month to Space Exploration instead.

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Originally Posted by OmegaFenix

Source: i09

And we just decommissioned our main space vehicle.

I say screw all the starving people of the world & everybody recovering from some natural disaster. Donate your £5 a month to Space Exploration instead.

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Dude I agree screw starving people. giving them food is not going to help them anyway.
Now space exploration now that is something I would donate to.

Exciting times for Humans as a species, marred by the comments from the two of you

I say screw that let the aliens come to us , as the ,mericans say "we aint no body'''s Bitch" let em do the hard work, there are plenty things I don't like right here no need to go find more ............

On a more serious note , this was a given and 100 billion planets is too round a number and its still to guess worky logic would
give you the same result , this is no major find its is just sciences way of saying we hooked up 10 PS3's to count the stars there are a lot so chance's are there is life else where . In this day and age given the vastness of the Universe who could possibly believe that life only exists here.

While I find it hard to believe that we're the only life in the universe, the fact that there are so many stars out there doesn't change much. Either there is life, or there isn't. The amount of stars in our universe doesn't matter at all.

@ Zero: Planet is over populated as it is. Since its illegal to cull the heard all we are left with is some Darwinian justice. Nature is cruel and unforgiving, by defying that fact humanity has devolved into the cancer it now is.

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Originally Posted by Venom

I say screw that let the aliens come to us , as the ,mericans say "we aint no body'''s Bitch" let em do the hard work, there are plenty things I don't like right here no need to go find more ............

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Id rather be the Spanish than the Native Americans in this story...

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Originally Posted by Graal

While I find it hard to believe that we're the only life in the universe, the fact that there are so many stars out there doesn't change much. Either there is life, or there isn't. The amount of stars in our universe doesn't matter at all.

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actually it does , for life to exist there needs to be a habitable planet and those , have to revolve around stars the more stars the more chances of life , of the 100 billion in our galaxy 10 billion could support life , if even 1 % of these stars (that's

one hundred million) support life then we have cousins out there.
Bear in mind that's one hundred million stars at a minimum , that could have 1 or 2 planets that will have life
At the very least that's one hundred million planets that may have life
Even if we reduce this to 1 million from the Hundred million
that's 1 million that can support life , yeah I would say

The chances are good for alien life and I didn't need 20 million dollar grant to come up with that .
But yeah the number of star's is needed to help put things in perspective.

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Originally Posted by OmegaFenix

@ Zero: Planet is over populated as it is. Since its illegal to cull the heard all we are left with is some Darwinian justice. Nature is cruel and unforgiving, by defying that fact humanity has devolved into the cancer it now is.



Id rather be the Spanish than the Native Americans in this story...

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Good point

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Originally Posted by OmegaFenix

@ Zero: Planet is over populated as it is. Since its illegal to cull the heard all we are left with is some Darwinian justice. Nature is cruel and unforgiving, by defying that fact humanity has devolved into the cancer it now is.



Id rather be the Spanish than the Native Americans in this story...

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And who decides who starves and who dies? Please, keep your immature and ignorant comments to yourself. Nobody cares.

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Originally Posted by Xero

Exciting times for Humans as a species, marred by the comments from the two of you

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Sigh I regret my comment was not thinking. It was a hateful comment on my part.
I can't decide who lives and dies. Sorry mygaming.

I just get so excited about space exploration.

@den the governments decide who starve and who dies.

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Originally Posted by DenSweeP

And who decides who starves and who dies? Please, keep your immature and ignorant comments to yourself. Nobody cares.

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I fail to see what was immature or ignorant in that comment. I do not regret, nor will I apologies for my views.

I think its time I put my Misanthropy definition back in my signature so people can stop being surprised when I speak my mind.

Take me away!
http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lwdap8GGU51qzr075.jpg
hehehe :p

There's more than enough species on earth to explore. Doubt aliens would be as cool as ET anyways.

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Originally Posted by OmegaFenix

I fail to see what was immature or ignorant in that comment. I do not regret, nor will I apologies for my views.

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Out of interest, what would your criteria for "being culled" be?

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Originally Posted by Graal

While I find it hard to believe that we're the only life in the universe, the fact that there are so many stars out there doesn't change much. Either there is life, or there isn't. The amount of stars in our universe doesn't matter at all.

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It matter in the prediction of life out there, not if there actually is anything.

We can only estimate the odds of alien life existing, as a fraction of 1, with 0 being no alien life and 1 meaning that alien life does exist. We all know that the truth is either 0 or 1, but we can't say for certain which it is yet.. so we estimate. One of the factors in the estimation is the number of planets in existence, which then changes our current estimate, pushing it slightly towards the 1 side of the scale.

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Originally Posted by Avatar

Out of interest, what would your criteria for "being culled" be?



It matter in the prediction of life out there, not if there actually is anything.

We can only estimate the odds of alien life existing, as a fraction of 1, with 0 being no alien life and 1 meaning that alien life does exist. We all know that the truth is either 0 or 1, but we can't say for certain which it is yet.. so we estimate. One of the factors in the estimation is the number of planets in existence, which then changes our current estimate, pushing it slightly towards the 1 side of the scale.

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I would be the WORST person to make up the criteria for that. Also it is illegal, a fact which will never change And nobody should have that on their shoulders. I am rather for nature taking its course.

I think the question of extraterrestrial life is a classic schrodinger's cat Paradox. Since we can't prove or disprove that life exist, there for extraterrestrial life both exist and don't exist at the same time.

Sure other intelligent life is a possibility, but the human race will be long gone by the time any of it crosses our path.

Forget space exploration: donate your money to the SPCA.

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Originally Posted by OmegaFenix

I think the question of extraterrestrial life is a classic schrodinger's cat Paradox. Since we can't prove or disprove that life exist, there for extraterrestrial life both exist and don't exist at the same time.

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That's exactly why we work with the statistical nature of the matter, rather with black and white terminology. For now it'll have to do, until we have proof one way or the other, exactly Shrodinger's cat, like you said.

Like I said with odds that big , how can there not be
Re read my post , the math speaks for it self . BTW we have found fossilized microbes out there which technically is other life

I doubt that if aliens travel thousands of lightyears to get to earth, that it would be to say hello. They would:
1. Be here to let us know they are what people believe to be "God", and they created us or changed our DNA to become more like them (in their image).
2. to annihilate us because their planet is also fragile, like ours, and has reached end of life.

I hope that 1 happens...

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Originally Posted by TBlaar

I doubt that if aliens travel thousands of lightyears to get to earth, that it would be to say hello. They would:
1. Be here to let us know they are what people believe to be "God", and they created us or changed our DNA to become more like them (in their image).
2. to annihilate us because their planet is also fragile, like ours, and has reached en of life.

I hope that 1 happens...

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I tend to lean towards the second option. Ever considered the reason we haven't picked up any other signals is that nobody signals their location in a forest full of wolves? Yet humanity has bean broadcasting our presence for decades, hence my comments of rather being the Spanish than the native americans in this story.

Best we can hope for.... whichever species first comes/ has come to investigate this noisy little blue marble has something akin to the Federation's Prime Directive "The Prime Directive dictates that there can be no interference with the internal development of alien civilizations."/ "No identification of self or mission. No interference with the social development of said planet. No references to space or the fact that there are other worlds or civilizations."

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Originally Posted by OmegaFenix

I tend to lean towards the second option. Ever considered the reason we haven't picked up any other signals is that nobody signals their location in a forest full of wolves?

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Yes! And maybe they do, but in different types of signals that we cannot comprehend.

People seem to always think that aliens will be humanoid, also carbon based and cannot live on other planets due to not having air... That is earth people, the possibilities of what other creatures may be like, look like or be made of is limitless. We may just encounter creatures who are not creatures at all, and don't travel like we do.

Have you heard about or seen the Mexican jellyfish-like biological ufo/alien sightings? Check this out... just made me think differently on what could be out there:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es3076Nik2U

Just watched it again, bad example, but you get the idea of the possibility of biological beings / crafts rather than the "humanoid traveling in space ship" idea...

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Originally Posted by TBlaar

Yes! And maybe they do, but in different types of signals that we cannot comprehend.

People seem to always think that aliens will be humanoid, also carbon based and cannot live on other planets due to not having air... That is earth people, the possibilities of what other creatures may be like, look like or be made of is limitless. We may just encounter creatures who are not creatures at all, and don't travel like we do.

Have you heard about or seen the Mexican jellyfish-like biological ufo/alien sightings? Check this out... just made me think differently on what could be out there:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es3076Nik2U

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I have not, will check it out.

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Originally Posted by Dan

Forget space exploration: donate your money to the SPCA.

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Hear Hear! Rep for you!

Also consider Wet nose, Animal Ambulance, FORA (Friends of rescued animals) and many more!

I rescue animals all the time... after work, I am going to rescue a lamb from the Spar and braai that motherfucker!

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Originally Posted by OmegaFenix

I tend to lean towards the second option. Ever considered the reason we haven't picked up any other signals is that nobody signals their location in a forest full of wolves? Yet humanity has bean broadcasting our presence for decades, hence my comments of rather being the Spanish than the native americans in this story.

Best we can hope for.... whichever species first comes/ has come to investigate this noisy little blue marble has something akin to the Federation's Prime Directive "The Prime Directive dictates that there can be no interference with the internal development of alien civilizations."/ "No identification of self or mission. No interference with the social development of said planet. No references to space or the fact that there are other worlds or civilizations."

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I have to agree with you there. We are like come here we are so fucked as it is we are easy pickings. :P

@tblaar.
Dude I agree. I reckon there are things living in planets that we think can't sustain life. I can picture zerg like creatures floating around in jupitar :p
Yeah there is so much we don't know. I mean look how things are going with science. I mean thats just how things go. What we understand now will prob be wrong in the next hundred years(unless we get wiped out by aliens :p)

But the universe is so scary. Anything could happen. Our galaxy could just implode lol. And it would not matter in the end. If we where wiped out it would not affect anything in the end.

And yes I have heard about the jellyfish like ufo's

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Originally Posted by Tsar

I have to agree with you there. We are like come here we are so fucked as it is we are easy pickings. :P

@tblaar.
Dude I agree. I reckon there are things living in planets that we think can't sustain life. I can picture zerg like creatures floating around in jupitar :p
Yeah there is so much we don't know. I mean look how things are going with science. I mean thats just how things go. What we understand now will prob be wrong in the next hundred years(unless we get wiped out by aliens :p)

But the universe is so scary. Anything could happen. Our galaxy could just implode lol. And it would not matter in the end. If we where wiped out it would not affect anything in the end.

And yes I have heard about the jellyfish like ufo's

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There would have to be a reason, Galaxies don't just implode for the heck of it.

yeah they don't just implode and even if it did, implode at this second it would be well over 360 000 years before we felt the effects of it and may be another 2.5 million before we would get obliterated but not to worry that's about the time our Sun will be starting to Die so we were screwed anyway.

To start a fire
UFO sighting's are a whole lot of crap , not one credible account .
Besides the Logic is screwy , they are Aliens smart enough to build crafts that defy physics and cross space time but they are scared of us. Why not show themselves ? and if they are preparing themselves to Annihilate us shit they sure are doing a lot of prep work , wow modern sightings date back to the 1950's and some claim they have been here longer. so either they are doing super prep work or they just havnt figured out how to kill us yet .Stupid
Alien sightings are figments of peoples dreams.
If I crossed Space time i would want people to know I was here .

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Originally Posted by OmegaFenix

There would have to be a reason, Galaxies don't just implode for the heck of it.

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Fair enough :P maybe an alien weapon being tested :P who knows :p

@venom not really. Maybe we are just an experiment to them. Remember they could of perfected immortality.

They could just be watching us. Besides we prob don't think like them. So to us it may seem silly but to them it might be fascinating.

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Originally Posted by Venom

yeah they don't just implode and even if it did, implode at this second it would be well over 360 000 years before we felt the effects of it and may be another 2.5 million before we would get obliterated but not to worry that's about the time our Sun will be starting to Die so we were screwed anyway.

To start a fire
UFO sighting's are a whole lot of crap , not one credible account .
Besides the Logic is screwy , they are Aliens smart enough to build crafts that defy physics and cross space time but they are scared of us. Why not show themselves ? and if they are preparing themselves to Annihilate us shit they sure are doing a lot of prep work , wow modern sightings date back to the 1950's and some claim they have been here longer. so either they are doing super prep work or they just havnt figured out how to kill us yet .Stupid
Alien sightings are figments of peoples dreams.
If I crossed Space time i would want people to know I was here .

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If they are peaceful and even remotely intelligent the reason for not showing has nothing to do with fear and everything to do with not giving infants guns to play with. They continue to observe awaiting the time when our culture has evolved enough to A) survive discovering we are not alone & B) we, as a species, have evolved to a point, technologically, where we may act responsibly if given any advance technology. I personally don't think we are ready on either account.

If they are not peaceful then maybe they just figure conquering us wont be worth the effort, maybe earth's "precious" resources aren't as precious as fiction has led us to believe.

Alternatively they have seen our many millions of broadcasts, specifically our science fiction movies, and come under the false impression that they are not works of fiction but historic records and thus believe we have vanquished countless would be conquerors and managed to rebuild every time.

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Originally Posted by OmegaFenix

If they are peaceful and even remotely intelligent the reason for not showing has nothing to do with fear and everything to do with not giving infants guns to play with. They continue to observe awaiting the time when our culture has evolved enough to A) survive discovering we are not alone & B) we, as a species, have evolved to a point, technologically, where we may act responsibly if given any advance technology. I personally don't think we are ready on either account.

If they are not peaceful then maybe they just figure conquering us wont be worth the effort, maybe earth's "precious" resources aren't as precious as fiction has led us to believe.

Alternatively they have seen our many millions of broadcasts, specifically our science fiction movies, and come under the false impression that they are not works of fiction but historic records and thus believe we have vanquished countless would be conquerors and managed to rebuild every time.

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Our resources my not be precious to them, but it sure as fuck is to us, since it keeps us alive.

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Originally Posted by to0kenZA

Our resources my not be precious to them, but it sure as fuck is to us, since it keeps us alive.

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Well its a good thing we are not invading our own planet intent on strip mining it... wait a second.....

Ah I get it this is what threw you off:

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Originally Posted by OmegaFenix

...as fiction has led us to believe.

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I meant in most sci-fiction movies the aliens are always after our resources; water, gold etc.

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Originally Posted by OmegaFenix

Well its a good thing we are not invading our own planet intent on strip mining it... wait a second.....

Ah I get it this is what threw you off:


I meant in most sci-fiction movies the aliens are always after our resources; water, gold etc.

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Lol dude, as far as I know we were born on this planet so what the hell else must we use? The problem is the population is going out of control. That is why it may appear that we are raping the resources. It's a big planet you know, but when we procreate too much, and irresponsibly, then this is what happens.

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Originally Posted by to0kenZA

Lol dude, as far as I know we were born on this planet so what the hell else must we use? The problem is the population is going out of control. That is why it may appear that we are raping the resources. It's a big planet you know, but when we procreate too much, and irresponsibly, then this is what happens.

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I am aware of this, also a big supporter of enforced Birth Control.

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Originally Posted by to0kenZA

Lol dude, as far as I know we were born on this planet so what the hell else must we use? The problem is the population is going out of control. That is why it may appear that we are raping the resources. It's a big planet you know, but when we procreate too much, and irresponsibly, then this is what happens.

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The resources could be much better used.

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Originally Posted by czc

The resources could be much better used.

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Definitely not arguing with that. Unfortunately, it's the large corporates mostly that have the say in that.