Alien Abduction meeeting in Brighton

[Nibble]

If we are looking to find life on similar planeta as ours, chances are they will be very similar to life on earth. There are species on Earth that are entirely unrelated and separated by thousands of miles but which look almost identical to each other beacause they have evolved the same coping mechanisms to deal with similar environments. Fascinating.
However, the idea that another planet has gone through the same process as us with exactly the same minutely specific conditions to reproduce the almost impossible odds that brought about life on earth is highly, highly unlikely. No matter how far into space one looks.

 

[OzMike]

It was probably meant as a joke but hey ho.

 

[symyjym]

The hunt for Earth’s alien twin reached a new milestone with the discovery of a faraway planet that’s similar in size to our globe and has the right temperature to potentially support liquid water — and possibly life.

The planet, called Kepler-186f, is the first Earth-size sphere outside our solar system with an orbit around its star that is in the “Goldilocks zone” — the habitable range that is neither too hot nor too cold.................. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-27054366

Trouble is it is 500 light years away.

Voyager is travelling at 17km and is the fastest current man made object so it would take 8.8 million years to get there.

Even if we managed half light speed it would take a 1000 years to get there and 500 years to message back.

I am 100% sure that there are civilisations out there though, and there may be solar systems with more than one planet supporting intellegent life.

 

[GreersElbow]

With a large percentage of the population constantly armed with a camera phone, you would've thought someone would have snapped an alien by now.

Same could be said about sightings of rumoured football players!!

 

[beorhthelm]

Because that's where all the important people live, apparently.

but then no one of any importance is abducted, its always a salesman or farmer. whats that about?

I couldn't say whether it is likely or unlikely that life exists elsewhere, it's impossible to know, but just because the universe is so incredibly vast it does not mean that life certainly exists elsewhere.

It is very unlikely that life emerges from a "primordial soup" under the right conditions as some people hypothesise, there is more to it than that. I think when you speculate about what life (and reality) really is, it is easy to conclude that is very possible that life only exists on earth.

what we know is that life *is* possible and does exist. therefore logically and mathematically it follows that its more likely than not that it it exists elsewhere (unless the laws of physics and chemistry are only local). this doesn't mean that life as we have here would develop, but it would follow the same basic physical and chemical mechanisms and chances are we'd recognise it at some levels.

 

[Commander]

If we are looking to find life on similar planeta as ours, chances are they will be very similar to life on earth. There are species on Earth that are entirely unrelated and separated by thousands of miles but which look almost identical to each other beacause they have evolved the same coping mechanisms to deal with similar environments. Fascinating.
However, the idea that another planet has gone through the same process as us with exactly the same minutely specific conditions to reproduce the almost impossible odds that brought about life on earth is highly, highly unlikely. No matter how far into space one looks.

I don't see why there couldn't be another planet where the conditions for life have evolved perfectly, but for a kind of life that needs different conditions to life here. Just because life on earth needs nitrogen and oxygen, why should life elsewhere? One gas poisonous to Earth life could be like oxygen to life on another planet.

There has to be something else out there, and I reckon we will find it, or it will find us. But I don't think that's going to be any time soon, and is probably more likely to be after we've vacated this planet having ruined it and had had to go elsewhere.

 

[Triggaaar]

There are species on Earth that are entirely unrelated and separated by thousands of miles but which look almost identical to each other beacause they have evolved the same coping mechanisms to deal with similar environments. Fascinating.

Such as?

However, the idea that another planet has gone through the same process as us with exactly the same minutely specific conditions to reproduce the almost impossible odds that brought about life on earth is highly, highly unlikely.

We don't even know how life on earth started, so you can't say how specific the conditions needed to be.

I am 100% sure that there are civilisations out there though, and there may be solar systems with more than one planet supporting intellegent life.

I'm 110% sure that you don't understand percentages.

 

[dingodan]

It's highly, highly unlikely that life exists elsewhere

That's not true at all.

 

[Buzzer]

Such as?

It's called convergent evolution. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convergent_evolution#Animals

Interestingly enough, it's not just animals but languages can exhibit the same thing. Finnish and Japanese, for example share many similarities. Weird or what?

 

[Nibble]

Such as?

We don't even know how life on earth started, so you can't say how specific the conditions needed to be.

I'm 110% sure that you don't understand percentages.

Western Meadowlark and similar bird species. Many types of beetle, worm and aphid. Then you have Ring Species which can and do sometimes interbreed but not the majority and Chronospecies which are the same species at different stages of evolution but existing in the same space and time frame.

Just because somebody is offering up different theories about alien life that you don't agree with don't dismiss them wholesale. If people did that we wouldn't know anything about anything but would have a series of beliefs based on what made people feel comfortable, like religion.

 

[Buzzer]

That's not true at all.

Well...it depends. The long established method for determining the number of planets with intelligent life was the 'Drake Equation' although very eminent scientists and critics (Michael Crichton, no less) think the margins of error are such that the equation is meaningless. It does have a fair amount of credibility still.

But there are a large number of scientists who believe that the randomness and chance of life existing even on earth is so huge as to make repeat events unlikely. It's called the 'Rare Earth Hypothesis' and along with Nibble, I do think this is the case.

 

[Nibble]

That's not true at all.

Would you care to expand?

 

[supaseagull]

What I don't get is that if these aliens can have the tech to travel thousands of light years to out planet then why would they bother about abducting people when it's likely they'd have the means to just grab what they need electronically from various countries around the work. I mean if the Chinese can do it then why can't ET?

 

[Russconha]

I have a habit of posting in the wrong thread, then having to try and think of something to say in the edit.

 

[Nibble]

Well...it depends. The long established method for determining the number of planets with intelligent life was the 'Drake Equation' although very eminent scientists and critics (Michael Crichton, no less) think the margins of error are such that the equation is meaningless. It does have a fair amount of credibility still.

But there are a large number of scientists who believe that the randomness and chance of life existing even on earth is so huge as to make repeat events unlikely. It's called the 'Rare Earth Hypothesis' and along with Nibble, I do think this is the case.

Very succinct. Well put.

 

[greyseagull]

 

[Nibble]

View attachment 53063

Oh no, US's Spielberg Sense will be tingling right now...

 

[Bold Seagull]

What I don't get is that if these aliens can have the tech to travel thousands of light years to out planet then why would they bother about abducting people when it's likely they'd have the means to just grab what they need electronically from various countries around the work. I mean if the Chinese can do it then why can't ET?

 

[Psychobilly freakout]

Just going to chuck a curve ball into the debate for Hybrid X......

What if they are not Alien's but ourselves or a form of us that has evolved and discovered time travel and they need our DNA or some shit....

To me that is far more likely.....


Over to you Hybrid X.....

 

[Nibble]

Just going to chuck a curve ball into the debate for Hybrid X......

What if they are not Alien's but ourselves or a form of us that has evolved and discovered time travel and they need our DNA or some shit....

To me that is far more likely.....


Over to you Hybrid X.....

I think I just heard his head explode.