SETI scientists spot 72 signals 'from alien galaxy' 3bn light years away

I suppose that depends on how you define success. In evolutionary terms it is how long the species survives. They've already outlasted us by several tens of millions of years and the only reason they wouldn't go on to outlast us by several tens of millions more is that humans may wipe them out.

They are far more successful than we are.

Don't bee stupid
 


The thought I find disconcerting is that we aren't alone and we're sending all sorts of signals into space - basically mewling like a bear cub, alone on the edge of a very large and dark forest. Considering that the laws of nature probably apply in the universe in the same way they do on this planet (that big fish eat little fish) I'm not really sure that I want anything else to find us.

But that is tempered by the idea that civilizations would be so rare and so far apart that these signals are extremely unlikely to be intercepted by anything at all - much less anything at all that could actually do us any damage.
Also the probability is that advanced civilizations would probably also be finite meaning that anything that could do all the above would probably have risen an fallen millions of years ago in the same way that humanity (for all our ingenuity) will probably be replaced in the grand scheme of things long before we manage to visit any planets containing such technologically advanced species ourselves.
 
I suppose that depends on how you define success. In evolutionary terms it is how long the species survives. They've already outlasted us by several tens of millions of years and the only reason they wouldn't go on to outlast us by several tens of millions more is that humans may wipe them out.

They are far more successful than we are.
So the fact that they have lived longer makes them more successful, not any achievements that anyone or anything has made or done?

If that's the case, in your logic, a plastic bottle can live a lot linger than us, is that more successful?
 
So the fact that they have lived longer makes them more successful, not any achievements that anyone or anything has made or done?

If that's the case, in your logic, a plastic bottle can live a lot linger than us, is that more successful?
Not the best analogy, really. In evolutionary terms sharks have been perfect for 400 million years.

On a similar note who is to say that a truly advanced civilization would be less concerned with planet hopping, preferring to concern itself with living in harmony with their surroundings and being content with that.

I think people confuse technology with wisdom.
 
Am I the only person who thinks that for humans to successfully branch out into the universe we are first going to have to find a way to a) increase the lifespan of humans to thousands perhaps millions of years in order to make lightspeed travel not necessary for intergalactic journeys) and b) survive the ensuing “war” (which will be an engineered cull of about 75% of the worlds population)

Or maybe they have already thought of this ...
 
I suppose that depends on how you define success. In evolutionary terms it is how long the species survives. They've already outlasted us by several tens of millions of years and the only reason they wouldn't go on to outlast us by several tens of millions more is that humans may wipe them out.

They are far more successful than we are.
There’s the real truth. We could decide the fate of every other species if we really wanted to.
The same as we could destroy the planet in no time if we wanted to. Could any other animal do that?

Am I the only person who thinks that for humans to successfully branch out into the universe we are first going to have to find a way to a) increase the lifespan of humans to thousands perhaps millions of years in order to make lightspeed travel not necessary for intergalactic journeys) and b) survive the ensuing “war” (which will be an engineered cull of about 75% of the worlds population)

Or maybe they have already thought of this ...
Travel on a mobile world. Say 500 families set off in a space station type rocket. Then that would see many generations be born into a traveling life. Then when they arrive, they would be responsible for setting up a new world.
That’s if they manage to remember the mission afte the day the 4th or 5th generation :lol:
 
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So the fact that they have lived longer makes them more successful, not any achievements that anyone or anything has made or done?

If that's the case, in your logic, a plastic bottle can live a lot linger than us, is that more successful?

A plastic bottle is an inanimate object not a living creature capable of reproducing itself so your analogy is a poor one.

Am I the only person who thinks that for humans to successfully branch out into the universe we are first going to have to find a way to a) increase the lifespan of humans to thousands perhaps millions of years in order to make lightspeed travel not necessary for intergalactic journeys) and b) survive the ensuing “war” (which will be an engineered cull of about 75% of the worlds population)

Or maybe they have already thought of this ...

If we could freeze ourselves like the movie 2001 we could do it. But Neil Degrasse Tyson says that to get to just the first star past the Sun would take 40,000 years with our fastest current spacecraft. Imagine that long journey and you find that the alien planet is like Peterlee.
 
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Depends what you mean by that. I think an asteroid strike within the next few hundred years is unlikely. However we are messing up the planet. Although the species will survive there will be a huge reduction in numbers at somepoint soon. That in itself is probably a good thing, but would be better if it wasn't so sudden. We are living with a population of which the planet can only sustain a quarter.

I laugh at people who voted Brexit because they were so offended that there was an African driving their bus. If they can't cope with immigration now then how will they be when the African and Middle Eastern Climate Change refugees start arriving in their millions?

Then there are the risks of antibiotic resistance, nuclear armageddon or uncontrollable disease - either artificially started or natural. The threat of war as the fossil fuels run out is almost inevitable. We are utterly reliant on fossil fuels for almost every part of our life. The world will never be able to adapt quickly enough towards renewable energy for cars, defence, heating, industry and airlines. That's not to mention all of the drugs and plastics that use crude oil as the raw material. China is already flexing its muscles with Russia. Then you have the mad deluded religious bastards in charge of some Middle Eastern states.

If we look at our attitude towards other species, and also the number of wars between within our own species, our ambition and our chances of any future longevity look dire.

That all sounds pretty pessimistiv. I'm looking forward to the next few years with my kids. I'm not going to kid myself that the future, currently, looks bleak for humans.

Jesus :lol:

Likely true depressing as it is
 
Jesus :lol:

Likely true depressing as it is
Yup. Maybe we as a species will turn things round and surprise ourselves. The history, the omens and he newspapers aren't encouraging though.

What a species, eh? On our gravestone it would read something like "Blessed with brains enough to read, write and transplant hearts.... but they fucked it all up!"
 
A plastic bottle is an inanimate object not a living creature capable of reproducing itself so your analogy is a poor one.

If we could freeze ourselves like the movie 2001 we could do it. But Neil Degrasse Tyson says that to get to just the first star past the Sun would take 40,000 years with our fastest current spacecraft. Imagine that long journey and you find that the alien planet is like Peterlee.

40,ooo years and the chance of it supporting intelligent life is infinitesimal.

So, for all practical purposes, we are alone:)
 
40,ooo years and the chance of it supporting intelligent life is infinitesimal.

So, for all practical purposes, we are alone:)

It is truer to say we don't know whether we are alone or not. The only way we will know is if we actually find a message from another planet and if we do the chances of ever paying them a visit are vanishingly small.
 
Sure I got this off here but that’s one of the points they make re ‘the great filter’.

As humans learn more about space, we can't help but ask: Where are all the aliens?

Long but fascinating read

Keeping quiet so we don't find them if they've any sense.

Keeping things brief, it's been postulated there's plenty life out there, however, bar as far as we know the Earth, it's not got past the microbial stage.

There was an event 500 million plus years ago that allowed multicellular life to evolve and it has, as far as is known, happened only once in Earth's history. The event, the merger of two life forms to allow a cell with a nucleus as per modern multicellular lifeforms, was so unlikely that it's postulated it has not or has been very unlikely to have happened elsewhere.

We could therefore well be alone.

Or aliens could be keeping a low profile so the mags don't spot them.
 

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