Aliens, eh!

[W. Rabbit]

The most likely extraterrestrial life is the same stuff we see on Earth (since we've already identified that kind of life is possible).

If there is a world like Earth out there somewhere that is in the Goldilocks zone and has all the right elements, DNA and evolution should work the same there as it did here... all it takes to create the entire evolutionary path from primordial goo to humans.

Other types of more exotic extra-Solar life? Maybe it lives in the "dark matter", and consumes "dark energy". Your guess is as good as mine.

Paul Hellyer, on the other hand, is a fucking nutcase.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2...s_warning.html

The longtime cabinet minister accuses Hawking of spreading misinformation about extraterrestrials.

[goodlun]

The only tech aliens gave us was high fructous corn syrup and that was to fatten us up

[Bneterasedmynam]

I didn't realize He wrote it. And yeah, I've heard Southern Illinois can be a bitch.



Why would you assume their agenda is different than ours?

Even if their agenda is the same I'm not going to assume their technology is any more advanced.

As far as Illinois goes its ALL of Illinois not just southern. I would place Chicago at top of the shit list.

[Permalost]

Even if their agenda is the same I'm not going to assume their technology is any more advanced.

If they can reach us from a star that isn't Sol, their technology must be more advanced.

[Bneterasedmynam]

If they can reach us from a star that isn't Sol, their technology must be more advanced.

Yes "if" they can. But until it is proven that they have in fact done that its a moot discussion.

[Bneterasedmynam]

I would also like to point out that the technology to travel doesn't equate to the technology to blow shit up. Just because we have been at war for a few thousand years doesn't mean that an alien species would be the same as us in that department.

[tgace]

The odds are about even that we may be the most advanced form of life in the universe as we could be the least....

[W. Rabbit]

Yes "if" they can. But until it is proven that they have in fact done that its a moot discussion.

Welcome to a moot discussion on aliens.

[Bneterasedmynam]

The odds are about even that we may be the most advanced form of life in the universe as we could be the least....

I seriously hope we are not the most advanced, that would kind of suck for the universe. Did anyone notice in space news that NASA is in the process of building a shield that mimics earths magnetic fields so as to protect the mars crew from the solar winds. Maybe we aren't as far off from deep space travel after all. It only takes one new idea and some motivation.

[Kovacs]

I would also like to point out that the technology to travel doesn't equate to the technology to blow shit up. Just because we have been at war for a few thousand years doesn't mean that an alien species would be the same as us in that department.

I don't know about that. If a species can bend the laws of physics to effectively cross the stars I'm pretty sure that they could cobble something together that could blow shit up if they were so inclined. Hopefully if they'd reached such an advanced level they would have got all of their fighting out if their system. Hopefully.

[new2bjj]

Well, I am being sort of based on life as we know, but here goes. Living things spread out and try to get more and more turf, to survive and pass on their genes. Whatever gets to the top of the food chain, tends to eat what it wants until it starves or moves on. While we are used to being told in grade school that explorers were "discoverers", like a scientist looking for a cure, they have been interested in finding a better deal on what they want to consume or own. If the aliens can bend space and time, I would think they would hold us in about the same regard as the ones in Prometheus, which was a pretty goofy movie, but had a point. If they are much more advanced, they will see us as pesky tribesmen in a rain forest, or ants. And if we have a shot at them militarily, they would probably see us as competition. Do you think all the free market capital types that fund an exploration would do so just to advance knowledge? Doubtful. Same would probably go for them. But who can say, maybe they are benevolent Vulcans that would obey the prime directive. Or maybe they just want to give us the anal probe.

[new2bjj]

[legomepanda]

Here's a reasonable and respected person talking about life outside Earth.

I hate it when ideas get discounted because crazy people talk fervently about them. Aliens aren't so ridiculous. But because the guy with messed up hair and crazy eyes word-vomits all over a history channel show, aliens can't exist.

[itwasntme]

Well, I am being sort of based on life as we know, but here goes. Living things spread out and try to get more and more turf, to survive and pass on their genes. Whatever gets to the top of the food chain, tends to eat what it wants until it starves or moves on. While we are used to being told in grade school that explorers were "discoverers", like a scientist looking for a cure, they have been interested in finding a better deal on what they want to consume or own. If the aliens can bend space and time, I would think they would hold us in about the same regard as the ones in Prometheus, which was a pretty goofy movie, but had a point. If they are much more advanced, they will see us as pesky tribesmen in a rain forest, or ants. And if we have a shot at them militarily, they would probably see us as competition. Do you think all the free market capital types that fund an exploration would do so just to advance knowledge? Doubtful. Same would probably go for them. But who can say, maybe they are benevolent Vulcans that would obey the prime directive. Or maybe they just want to give us the anal probe.

Assuming they have the tech to reach us, war and other atrocities are far from out of the question. Just look at what happened to PLENTY of cultures and people who had less advanced technology and social structure; many were enslaved or taken over. It would boil down to whether or not they felt we were worth the effort, as an asset, to attain.

[tgace]

If you have the ability to cross the universe I don't think it would be worth the effort to destroy an indigenous population for natural resources when mathematically there are probably vastly more unpopulated planets to mine....