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This discussion relates to Technology Review's article Where Are They?.

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  axartico
  

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  04/28/2008 08:26 AM

  Possible answer to Fermi question

  Could any unpredictable consequence to experiments, like that in Large Hadron Collider, be an answer to extinctions of many extraterrestrial civilizations ?
  
  Im sure that there are no risk in LHC, because scientifics lows (that one whe know) exclude any catastrophic outcome.
  
  But science in the past have evolved in non linear manner.
  20 year before Einstein who had forseen Relativity?
  
  There are some Pandora's vase ?
  
  Il Cinghiale Digitale
  
  

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  wcfloyd
  

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  04/28/2008 08:31 AM

  scarey thoughts

  Can you imagine what would happen if space travel was routine and economical and we discovered a planet where creatures similar to cows and chickens were the highest life form? KFC and McDonalds would be leading the way for colonization. I hope the aliens are vegetarians.Or think of when advanced colonists discovered primitive natives in our own history. Not a pretty picture.

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  • 
    scooticery
    

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    05/08/2008 10:33 PM

    the zoo hypothesis, and hyperdimensional reality

    rubbish.
    
    I have not read all the comments here, but has anyone considered the zoo hypothesis???
    
    obviously it is foolish to think we are the first, which leaves ONLY TWO POSSIBLE OUTCOMES:
    
    either they(however many) are watching us with some degree(no idea how high or low) of fascination, or they all destroy themselves at some point just past where we are today.
    
    now for a fringe comment, that is only fringe because all govts have banned psychotropic substances even for scientific study:
    
    in 1990, Dr Rick Strassman of New Mexico University was somehow granted that ability to study the effects of DiMethylTryptamine on human subjects...and over 50 percent described the same general experience: hyperdimensional contact with hyper-intelligent beings, specifically telling them to not give into the astonishment of experiencing their hyper-language.
    
    after reading about this, my first thought was about  how the latest string theories predict at least 11 dimensions as well as multiple universes, and how if our elders wanted to contact us, they would probably only choose the bravest.

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  bantalek
  

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  04/28/2008 09:04 AM

  rubish

  Why do these people conveniently leave out two facts  (1)objects in space are within but tremendous distances from one another (2) space is a hostile place. Simply consider the energy necessary to propel an object at 10% the speed of light - will any civilization ever practically get there?  Why do we simply assume one magically will?  Considering the things we know are necessary for life (stable/mild temperature, atmospheric protection, water) why can't we accept the likelihood that intelligent life is rare and typically exists isolated far from one another?
  
  Personally, I don't want to see evidence of life on Mars, because when we terraform it one day, we will not have any immunity to the microbes should they want to live off us.  

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  • 
    Shiladie
    

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    04/28/2008 10:16 AM

    Re: rubbish

    the energy required to propell a probe to 10% lightspeed is in fact not much, when you factor in the distances we are talking about.  linear accelleration for a fraction of the time and you are there.
    
    gross estimate here, but accellerating at 1 meter / minute even, you are at 10% light speed in under 100 years, much less the millions we are discussing here.
    
    Current technology makes it sound unfeasable because of the energy requirements, but it is known that our current energy tech is well behind what we would need before this is done.  Throw out a zero point system, or similar style energy provider, and you are good to go.
    
    as for the harshness of the environment, considering we had no concept of carbon nano tubes and their construction potential less then a century ago, it is extremely feasable that in 10,000+ years we will have the tech to send a probe that won't be destroyed by the harshness of space

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    camdaddy09
    

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    04/28/2008 06:54 PM

    Re: rubish

    the odds that a microbe on mars would kill us is an infinitesimally tiny, i mean have you ever heard of someone contracting dutch elm disease? no you havent any microbe you find on mars would not be suited to get past any defenses life on earth has been using for the past 2 billion years. also the earth receives debris from mars on a regular basis any microbes in the soil would have already contaminated earth. so your wrong :) have a nice day.

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    • 
      ocheyette
      

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      05/08/2008 12:45 PM

      Re: rubish

      Umm... Didn't James Thurber's uncle die of the chestnut blight?

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  • 
    Peter H.
    

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    05/02/2008 12:18 PM

    Re: rubish

    Accelerating to .1 or .2, .3c is not an issue for a probe. The problem is that, using current technologies, it would take nigh 10,000 years to get close to those kinds of speeds (and a similar period of time to safely slow down). Relativistic speeds are within reach.

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  grey_eminence
  

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  04/28/2008 09:43 AM

  Near Light Speed Propulsion Unveiled

  The technology has been peer reviewed.
  
  http://nlspropulsion.net/Documents/conference_accept.pdf
  

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  • 
    holoman
    

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    06/09/2009 05:58 PM

    Re: Near Light Speed Propulsion Unveiled

    The inventor has also filed a patent
    on antimatter propulsion.
    
    none of the patents to be published at inventors
    request in pto app.

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