Awol Posted December 18, 2007 Share Posted December 18, 2007 But assuming you mean intelligent then yes absolutely. I cant believe with the near infinite possibilities that our planet is the only one that can sustain life. I reckon that's it. The law of infinity says anything that could happen will happen at some point or place. If the universe is infinite then there must be life out there somewhere. Aren't the NASA/ESA bods all excited about that frozen moon Titan? They seem to think there's a good chance of turning something living up under the ice. Wouldn't fancy the Sigourney Weaver moment of actually making contact though.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Dogg Posted December 18, 2007 Author Share Posted December 18, 2007 Physics does not say that at all. The Einsteinian model requires that mass becomes infinite at the speed of light. One cannot be inferred from the other. Well if mass becomes infinite than the energy required becomes infinite too. Which would be impossible I would think. This isn't an argument I am capable of having though as I'd just embarrass myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted December 18, 2007 VT Supporter Share Posted December 18, 2007 The whole concept that the Universe is infinite, as in literally goes on for ever and ever, is so......I don't even have a word for it. All I know is thinking about it makes my head want to explode! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Designer1 Posted December 18, 2007 VT Supporter Share Posted December 18, 2007 Definitely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazdavies79 Posted December 18, 2007 Share Posted December 18, 2007 But it doesn't, where did this idea come from. It, as far as we know, started from a big bang and is still expanding, into erm...something. It will eventually fizzle out into black or everything will collapse in again triggering another big bang. Our known universe is mind numbingly big though, light from the farthest galaxies can take billions of years to reach us travelling at 186,000 miles per second. To confuse matters there is also a theory that it may be just one of many universes across many dimensions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limpid Posted December 18, 2007 Administrator Share Posted December 18, 2007 Physics does not say that at all. The Einsteinian model requires that mass becomes infinite at the speed of light. One cannot be inferred from the other. Well if mass becomes infinite than the energy required becomes infinite too. Which would be impossible I would think. This isn't an argument I am capable of having though as I'd just embarrass myself. If you are interested: here and here for some background. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarjei Posted December 18, 2007 Share Posted December 18, 2007 Drake equation. Here you can try the equation yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limpid Posted December 18, 2007 Administrator Share Posted December 18, 2007 But it doesn't, where did this idea come from. It, as far as we know, started from a big bang and is still expanding, into erm...something. It will eventually fizzle out into black or everything will collapse in again triggering another big bang. Our known universe is mind numbingly big though, light from the farthest galaxies can take billions of years to reach us travelling at 186,000 miles per second. To confuse matters there is also a theory that it may be just one of many universes across many dimensions. You are correct, the universe is finite and expanding. It will not stop expanding and thanks to quantum tunnelling and sublimation by Hawking radiation, there is already sufficient momentum and insufficient matter left in the universe for it to be collapsed by gravity. (As there will still be a non-zero temperature, thermal equilibrium means that all states are accessible to random fluctuations and so the universe may randomly generate matter out of nothing.) Ignoring the thermal equilibrium effect, in about 10^26 years all matter will have sublimated. It's best to book your holidays early. Who said science couldn't make good stories? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDon Posted December 18, 2007 Share Posted December 18, 2007 You are correct, the universe is finite and expanding. But what is it expanding into? If the universe is finite, then that implies you can (theoretically) reach the end of it, and what is past the universe when you do? This is the part that alot of people struggle coming to grips with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarry Posted December 18, 2007 Share Posted December 18, 2007 Yes, I expect there to be life. But none that can travel the huge distances between or within galaxies. Evolution is a very slow process, so to get that advanced something odd would have to happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarjei Posted December 18, 2007 Share Posted December 18, 2007 If the universe is finite, then that implies you can (theoretically) reach the end of it, and what is past the universe when you do? This is the part that alot of people struggle coming to grips with. I'm not sure, but I think it's due to the forces being to weak to support the objects moving past a certain point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianrobo1 Posted December 18, 2007 Share Posted December 18, 2007 Yes, I expect there to be life. But none that can travel the huge distances between or within galaxies. Evolution is a very slow process, so to get that advanced something odd would have to happen. life can be anything from the smallest bacterria to animals, I have no doubt other matter exists but it may not be carbon based. also say ET was found where does this place religions, does it prove that there is a 'god' or does it mean as other things are out there that we are not alone disproves the 'god theory' ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limpid Posted December 18, 2007 Administrator Share Posted December 18, 2007 You are correct, the universe is finite and expanding. But what is it expanding into? If the universe is finite, then that implies you can (theoretically) reach the end of it, and what is past the universe when you do? This is the part that alot of people struggle coming to grips with. The question is meaningless. It's not expanding into anything. The universe is everything there is. It's just getting bigger. A lot of science is counter intuitive until you understand all of the steps that led to the final conclusion. On their own, the headline statements often look like they must be wrong. Click here for a good starting point Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazdavies79 Posted December 18, 2007 Share Posted December 18, 2007 Yes, I expect there to be life. But none that can travel the huge distances between or within galaxies. Evolution is a very slow process, so to get that advanced something odd would have to happen. life can be anything from the smallest bacterria to animals, I have no doubt other matter exists but it may not be carbon based. also say ET was found where does this place religions, does it prove that there is a 'god' or does it mean as other things are out there that we are not alone disproves the 'god theory' ? What do you think? I don't think it would make a blind bit of difference to the 'god theory' myself. What implications it might have on religion, is another story. I think religion will do what it has always done and 'fit it in' neatly somehow. There are many more damaging scientific discoveries which have been made in the past which religion has managed to gloss over or deny in some way or another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianrobo1 Posted December 18, 2007 Share Posted December 18, 2007 thats true Baz, but I do remember a debate on R5 when you had the false report on life on Mars a few years back. One CofE Vicar in particular was adamant it was all a NASA ruse to prove the non existance of god. However without going down that route life if proved on another planet no matter in what form woudl have serious implications on how we think about ourselves Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahamaad Posted December 18, 2007 Share Posted December 18, 2007 Interesting read on the Fermi paradox Simon. My argument agaist extra-terrestial life is there has been not one single shred of evidence to suggest that there is intelligent life out there. I don't think they have even discovered bacterial type life anywhere outside the our planet. Of course there are astronomers and scientists who think there are certain planets/solar systems that could possibly have conditions that sustain life but this has never been proven. Conspiracy theorists will argue that world governments, and especially the US government have kept such things under wraps (area 51 and the like) but despite that you would hav thought there was something, even a radio signal from another planet to suggest there is life out there. So I am in the 'don't know' group but with a tendency towards the 'no' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahamaad Posted December 18, 2007 Share Posted December 18, 2007 The question is meaningless. It's not expanding into anything. The universe is everything there is. It's just getting bigger. But what is outside it? And if you tell me its 'nothing' then what exactly is that nothing? :? I have a headache just thinking about it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Dogg Posted December 18, 2007 Author Share Posted December 18, 2007 Interesting read on the Fermi paradox Simon. My argument agaist extra-terrestial life is there has been not one single shred of evidence to suggest that there is intelligent life out there. I don't think they have even discovered bacterial type life anywhere outside the our planet. Of course there are astronomers and scientists who think there are certain planets/solar systems that could possibly have conditions that sustain life but this has never been proven. Conspiracy theorists will argue that world governments, and especially the US government have kept such things under wraps (area 51 and the like) but despite that you would hav thought there was something, even a radio signal from another planet to suggest there is life out there. So I am in the 'don't know' group but with a tendency towards the 'no' Yes but we have 'only' got as far Mars. Thats like dismissing it because 1 try in a trillion didn't find anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blandy Posted December 18, 2007 Moderator Share Posted December 18, 2007 There's something poetic, yet tragic, about the possibilities this is the sad tale about the disollution of my previous marriage to a creature from another planet. We fell in love but our romance fell victim to intergalactic racialism and she had to go home She had a head as big as a TV screen a glutinous complexion with a dayglo sheen big bug eyes and a death-ray glare feet like water wings, purple hair I was over the moon, I asked her back to my place and then I married the monster from outer space The days were numbered, the nights were spent in a rent free furnished oxygen tent where a robot chef served up moon beans done super rapid on a laser beam I needed nutrition to keep up the pace when I married the monster from outer space When We walked out, tentacle in hand you could sense that the earthlings would not understand they would nudge nudge when we got on the bus saying "it's extra-terrestial, not like us. It's bad enough with another race, but **** me a monster from outer space" In this kind of atmosphere love went lame she took a flyer to from where she came I read all the papers, looked up the stars Uranus is active and so is Mars My Horroscope was horrible told me to my face "Avoid Monsters from outer space" In a cybernetic fit of rage she buggered off to another age she lives in 1999 with her new boyfriend, a blob of slime next time I see her translucent face I remember hhhheeeeerrrr from outer space Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awol Posted December 18, 2007 Share Posted December 18, 2007 So I am in the 'don't know' group If we're not all in there with you then someone's keeping a BIG secret! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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