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For example if the Sun was an orange in NYC, the next closest star would be another orange in Minneapolis.
Then far off in the future some of these distinct races will ponder whether or not they were all derived from the same ancient species (us) :)
Still aliens could be much closer to home - biology is the next key frontier in my opinion. We'll eventually be able to design and create entirely new artifically created animals - even give them (or some existing ones) intelligence to match or exceed our own. Will our own future creations look down on our insuperior intelect as we look down on animals now? Will we enhance our own descendants? I've got a feeling that our moral convictions are going to be tested quite a bit in the future thanks to computers and science.
Still I think that we're lucky to be around at the introduction of computers - so many developments already in so short a time. It does make you wonder what will be possible in the centuries to come.
My theory is that we're starting the whole "alien thing" - but that none yet exist. Eventually we'll start to colonize worlds - and over time will go on to colonize more and more worlds. As we do so we'll gradually adapt to new gravity conditions, food sources etc and take on different physical attributes from people based on other planets. In short over a long enough period of time we would become the aliens.How do you know that hasn't already been done -we could be the remains of a lost colony.
My personal take on this is that it is pure arrogance to assume that we are so special on this tiny insigificant planet that we are unique. I believe the universe is teeming with intelligent life, some of which may well be thousands of years ahead of us and already colonising their part of this galaxy. One day either we will stumble across them or they will find us so we need to push our manned space flight program hard so that we can negotiate as almost equals. Otherwise we will meet the same fate as the native americans (even if the more advanced race are really nice people/things). As Asimov once said imagine how much different history would have been if Columbus had been met in mid atlantic by the native american navy. (not a quote but it was words to that effect and thinking about it, it may have been Larry Niven)
I totally agree. The numbers are astonishing and you can't ignore the odds. You have 100's of billions of galaxies with 100's of billions of stars each, many with solar systems. 1000's, if not more, probably support life, just by shear coincidence.
Think of how far we have come in the past 500 years, or even 50 years. Guess what? That is NOTHING compared to the 13.X billion years of the universe. Where will we be science wise in 150 years? Anyone care to dream? How about in 500 more years?
Now imagine how advanced a civilization would be if they started 1 million or even a 1000 years ago. Of course, some could have had a 10 million year head start, while others may still be in the bacteria mode.
Don't you wish you could live to 500?
Not with the current healthcare/insurance situation.
Don't you wish you could live to 500?
Hell yeah - just so long as I can remain looking like 30 or so though. Otherwise I don't think that I'd be a pretty sight by the time I reach 500!
I'm sure that one day we'll be advanced enough to freeze ourselves more or less at a certain age and live for ages. Now that would be cool. Unless all the robots kill us first that is - thanks for the reminder Lexur :)
Don't you wish you could live to 500?
Many people think that the first person to live to 1000 may have already been born.
The only real evidence we have is what we have on our planet. That's not very logical to base an assumption about the entire universe on what we have found on our planet or a neighboring planet (or even one section of our galaxy for that matter).
I'm with many of the others. I can't see how we could be alone in the universe. I think it is almost insanely illogical to conclude that we are alone when you look at the odds of such a thing.
Of course there's intelligent life in the universe. I've met my fair share of intelligent people to prove it. :)
Just ask them, they'll tell you.
You carbon based life forms require SUCH antennae holding... or whatever appendage is appropriate for earth creatures.
I can see it posted on extraterrestrial forums all across the galaxy:
Earth - don't go there.
or, it could just as us would react to an obscure, yet commom, species of bacteria somewhere in the sea. Yeah, we know they're there but they're nothing special. We'll keep an eye on them :)
