Alien Life

[Bad_Influence]

Scientists have found complex molecules on Mars, and amino acids (the building blocks of life)on many planets and moons. Do you believe there is alien life elsewhere in the universe... intelligent or not?

 

[Altair]

I most certainly DO believe there IS intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. Given the size of the Universe and the amount of 'Sun-Like' stars out there, we would be naive, at best, to think we are alone.

The biggest problem in finding life elsewhere is Time -V- Distance. Even travelling at the speed of light, we would still need to travel for a great many years to discover life elsewhere.

Likewise 'Other' Aliens are faced with the same problem in finding us.

At the end of the day.. us Humans are actually Aliens, when you think about it.! The Atoms in our bodies came from exploding stars, the atoms in your right hand may have come from a totally different exploding star, to the one's in your left hand.!

I live in Hope that one day we will be in contact with 'Alien life'. but i can't see it happening any time soon, if ever.

For a species to survive long enough to broadcast signals that 'Other' life may detect... Both species must avoid all conflict and war's.

Sadly that's not something we are good at.!

 

[Bad_Influence]

The first message deliberately sent into space was the Arecibo message in 1974, devised by Frank Drake (of the Drake equation fame) and Carl Sagan. This was sent to the M13 star cluster about 25,000 light years away. This means a round trip of 50,000 years IF there's anybody (any THING) of intelligence capable of replying.
Let's say we have been searching the universe for since Gallileo stuck a couple of lenses in a tube back in 1608, so 411 years. That is such a minuscule quantity of time in the context of the universe, and we have only recently been able to detect planets within other solar systems (even in our own galaxy), there is little to no chance of us detecting life on those planets. That said with the rapid improvements in telescope technology, be it single terrestrial telescopes, Array telescopes like the VLA in New Mexico, or space telescopes like Hubble or the new Webb Space Telescope (launch 2021) I still have hope that nothing is impossible and we find ET before I shuffle off this mortal coil.
With regards to space travel... current physics laws claim 'faster than light' travel is impossible, however new research by the LHC have determined that there is nothing in Quantum Mechanics that precludes the possibility. Therefore... popping to Andromeda for last weekend might still be possible in future.

 

[Altair]

The first message deliberately sent into space was the Arecibo message in 1974, devised by Frank Drake (of the Drake equation fame) and Carl Sagan. This was sent to the M13 star cluster about 25,000 light years away. This means a round trip of 50,000 years IF there's anybody (any THING) of intelligence capable of replying.
Let's say we have been searching the universe for since Gallileo stuck a couple of lenses in a tube back in 1608, so 411 years. That is such a minuscule quantity of time in the context of the universe, and we have only recently been able to detect planets within other solar systems (even in our own galaxy), there is little to no chance of us detecting life on those planets. That said with the rapid improvements in telescope technology, be it single terrestrial telescopes, Array telescopes like the VLA in New Mexico, or space telescopes like Hubble or the new Webb Space Telescope (launch 2021) I still have hope that nothing is impossible and we find ET before I shuffle off this mortal coil.
With regards to space travel... current physics laws claim 'faster than light' travel is impossible, however new research by the LHC have determined that there is nothing in Quantum Mechanics that precludes the possibility. Therefore... popping to Andromeda for last weekend might still be possible in future.

C'mon...Quantum Mechanics can't rule out an 'Invisibility Cloak'...

 

[Altair]

Scientists have found complex molecules on Mars, and amino acids (the building blocks of life)on many planets and moons. Do you believe there is alien life elsewhere in the universe... intelligent or not?

Complex molecules and Amino Acids do not amount to very much, if anything...(on there own)..I suspect you mean something like DNA>?
I know a great deal about DNA. The DNA code...Every cell of DNA in your body contains a string of 3 Billion Letters...that are written in a 4 Letter Alaphabet..'A' 'C' 'G' 'T'..Ok...
It's 750MB of Data...! It's the same amount of data that will fit onto a CD Rom.!
Every cell in YOUR body has that data. Your body has Billions of Cells.
Look up any basic Biology book and it will explain what the genetic code is and how it works.

 

[Bad_Influence]

DNA has not been detected elsewhere yet. However RNA (the predecessor to DNA) is known to occur in some comets and asteroids and on Mars.

 

[Altair]

DNA has not been detected elsewhere yet. However RNA (the predecessor to DNA) is known to occur in some comets and asteroids and on Mars.

Ahh...RNA...Well..There HAD to be a Precursor. RNA doesn't replicate like DNA. Another step was taken. To this date...We don't know what that step was.

 

[Altair]

Information?...Where did the 'Information' come from that is contained within DNA.?

An information system...Like DNA...(It IS an information system..) .Must have had a 'Beginning'.

Information is sent and there is a receiver...How could TWO systems spontaneously arise?

 

[Bad_Influence]

Ahh...RNA...Well..There HAD to be a Precursor. RNA doesn't replicate like DNA. Another step was taken. To this date...We don't know what that step was.

It is currently believeD that RNA mutated into DNA.

 

[Altair]

It is currently believeD that RNA mutated into DNA.

Correct. Have you listened to nothing i have said?

 

[Altair]

It is currently believeD that RNA mutated into DNA.

What do you need a hug or something fella?...

 

[Bad_Influence]

What do you need a hug or something fella?...

No but as DNA has not been discovered anywhere but here it is hardly relevant to the topic don't you think?

 

[Altair]

No but as DNA has not been discovered anywhere but here it is hardly relevant to the topic don't you think?

No.

 

[franden]

Is there 'life' out there? Of course there is but not as we know it.
There are more stars and planets out there than there are grains of sand on Bournemouth beach.
We are just one of those grains of sand. No-one can convince me that we are the only one that has life of some sort or other.

 

[megs233]

i do believe we not alone.

 

[franden]

I too believe we are not alone but do not believe all this 'flying saucer' rubbish. There is a perfectly logical explanation to all these sightings but there are those that get carried away and have a vivid imagination.
Take the pre war story by HG Wells that was supposed to have caused wide spread panic in the USA. It was just a story but the people living in the town named as the landing place of these aliens strongly believed it to be true and erected a stone saying that "This is the site where the aliens landed" and there are residents living there that still believe it to be fact.

 

[Bad_Influence]

As Altair said, any other 'civilisation' would have the same problems as us regarding interstellar travel. Personally I believe there are other other forms of cellular based life in the universe but they face the same laws of physics as we do, so unless they are extremely far more advanced than us (which given the time-span of the universe is unlikely) they won't have mastered 'faster than light' travel.
However I also think there is life out there that we simply don't understand. It could be ethereal or from a different dimension, call them 'ghostly' if you like, but non atom-based life is possible I'm sure.

 

[Altair]

Three books I urge you to read.

Michio Kaku.
Physics of the Impossible.
A Scientific Exploration of the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation and Time Travel.
Penguin. ISBN. 978-0-141-03090-6.

Micio Kaku.
Parallel Worlds.
The Science of Alternative Universes and our Future in the Cosmos.
Penguin. ISBN. 978 -0-14-101463-0

Lastly.

Manjit Kumar.
QUANTUM.
Einstein,Bohr, and the Great Debate about the Nature of Reality.
Icon Books.
ISBN. 978-184831035-3

You can find these books on Ebay or lend them from your local Library.

I prefer to Own books like these rather than borrow them from the Library though.

 

[Altair]

As Altair said, any other 'civilisation' would have the same problems as us regarding interstellar travel. Personally I believe there are other other forms of cellular based life in the universe but they face the same laws of physics as we do, so unless they are extremely far more advanced than us (which given the time-span of the universe is unlikely) they won't have mastered 'faster than light' travel.
However I also think there is life out there that we simply don't understand. It could be ethereal or from a different dimension, call them 'ghostly' if you like, but non atom-based life is possible I'm sure.

A different Dimension...Here's the thing...One time we couldn't see infrared light...Now with instruments we CAN.

One day we Might build an instrument or Machine that CAN see 'Dimensions'..!

What would we see then?!

 

[Altair]

This...From a Russian blogger...10 Years ago...!

Now we have the 'Euro Fighter....!

We have much to learn.