Science Tidbits #5
Moderator: RJDiogenes
Science Tidbits #5
And starting off the new thread we have some cold water to throw.
Not unexpected but still slightly disappointing.
Not unexpected but still slightly disappointing.
Re: Science Tidbits #5
Well, definitely not a signal from an intelligent civilisation
a hug a day keeps the psychiatrist away
- scottydog
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Re: Science Tidbits #5
I wonder when we will ever make first contact. Or if we already have.
Re: Science Tidbits #5
It might be fairly soon, though I'm certain that it won't be like people expect. The problem is that aliens will likely be so alien we'll have little point of reference to work with. That doesn't mean they'll be hostile, but it might mean that they'll ignore us.
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Re: Science Tidbits #5
Ah, well, it's always fun while it lasts.Lupine wrote:And starting off the new thread we have some cold water to throw.
Not unexpected but still slightly disappointing.
It was probably a Trump tweet.huggle wrote:Well, definitely not a signal from an intelligent civilisation
I think we'll find definitive proof of extraterrestrial life long before any contact with an alien civilization-- I expect they will be quite rare.scottydog wrote:I wonder when we will ever make first contact. Or if we already have.
That's what I always wonder. We may make contact, but it could be centuries before we can communicate anything beyond "We both exist."Lupine wrote:It might be fairly soon, though I'm certain that it won't be like people expect. The problem is that aliens will likely be so alien we'll have little point of reference to work with.
That's one of the things that occurred to me about Tabby's Star. If there really is a Dyson Sphere there, it's probably not a good bet for communicating-- any civilization that builds a Dyson Sphere is probably pretty introverted.That doesn't mean they'll be hostile, but it might mean that they'll ignore us.
Re: Science Tidbits #5
I doubt we'd recognize an intelligent life form if we met it. After all, there are plenty of intelligent species on our own planet (whales, dolphins, ravens, crows, rats, gorillas, orang utans and chimpanzees and who knows how many more) and they still are being hunted, killed or kept in zoos.
Humans are sadly prejudiced and tend to think that in order to count as intelligent, a being needs to be able to do space travel and advanced mathematics + speak in an audible frequency and in whole sentences (a definition which excludes rather a lot of people I know).
Humans are sadly prejudiced and tend to think that in order to count as intelligent, a being needs to be able to do space travel and advanced mathematics + speak in an audible frequency and in whole sentences (a definition which excludes rather a lot of people I know).
a hug a day keeps the psychiatrist away
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Re: Science Tidbits #5
That's true. If we visited another planet, we may not recognize an intelligent species. On the other hand, if they do use technology, that would be a giveaway-- and that's pretty much the only chance we have of spotting them at interstellar distances.
Re: Science Tidbits #5
Just a reminder: There's an eclipse this month.
[BBvideo 425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_exegtInbw[/BBvideo]
[BBvideo 425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_exegtInbw[/BBvideo]
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Re: Science Tidbits #5
That was sexy. Yes, I'm weird.
Re: Science Tidbits #5
Nerdy with red hair, yeah I hear ya.
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Re: Science Tidbits #5
And a lab coat.
Re: Science Tidbits #5
Looks like two planets I have been using in my books (Leandra and Grisgelée) have been Discovered.
If one of them turns out to have a living atmosphere, I will faint.
If one of them turns out to have a living atmosphere, I will faint.
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Re: Science Tidbits #5
Wow, Tau Ceti has Earth-like planets. That's great.
My alien species, the Hardshells, come from the planet Albumen at Tau Ceti. If that outermost planet spins three times as fast as Earth and has a single continent around the equator, then I'll faint.
My alien species, the Hardshells, come from the planet Albumen at Tau Ceti. If that outermost planet spins three times as fast as Earth and has a single continent around the equator, then I'll faint.
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Re: Science Tidbits #5
Looks like TRAPPIST-1 is one to five billion years older than Earth. Which means that its alien civilizations are either way more advanced than us or killed themselves off before life even evolved here.
Also, this is pretty cool:
[BBvideo 425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WS5UxLHbUKc[/BBvideo]
Also, this is pretty cool:
[BBvideo 425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WS5UxLHbUKc[/BBvideo]
Re: Science Tidbits #5
^Music of the spheres indeed.
Thrilling just to think about.
Multiple civilizations could have come and gone in that time. The system might have quite an exciting history as one civilization arises, possibly colonizing and climateforming other worlds in the system. That civilization falling and a new one coming into existence and finding remnants of the previous civilizations on the other worlds. Or perhaps colonists to the other worlds being the only survivors of a calamity, rebuilding, and discovering to their shock that they originated from another planet.RJDiogenes wrote:Looks like TRAPPIST-1 is one to five billion years older than Earth. Which means that its alien civilizations are either way more advanced than us or killed themselves off before life even evolved here.
Thrilling just to think about.