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There was an article in American Scientist a few years back about just how big space is, and how even if there are many intelligent species, they'll just never
by pmahoney 12y ago
There was an article in American Scientist a few years back about just how big space is, and how even if there are many intelligent species, they'll just never communicate due to the distances involved (barring exotic new physics). It was a bit sobering.
I believe it was this article: http://www.americanscientist.org/my_amsci/restricted.aspx?act=pdf&id=47898461942155 http://www.americanscientist.org/my_amsci/restricted.aspx?ac...
- gyardley 12y agoHey, thanks for the pointer to the article. Unrestricted copy seems to be here: http://physics.ucf.edu/~britt/AST2002/R12-Smith-Alone%20in%20the%20Universe.pdf http://physics.ucf.edu/~britt/AST2002/R12-Smith-Alone%20in%2...
- TheCondor 12y agoI think it's unlikely we will find any life on Mars, only the most optimistic folks hold any hope and there is nothing that even suggests it. Whether or not interstellar travel is possible is an interesting question. We are talking about tremendous amounts of energy, time, and incredibly reliable devices. It may simply not be practical or possible. What seems must likely to me is we will sniff out pollution in an exoplanet atmosphere and then there will be lots of discussions and debates about whether or not it could naturally happen. Lack of any radio communication sure is a puzzle though
- deciplex 12y agoInterstellar travel is easy. We have the technology to do it now. The only problem is that humans live really short lives. If humans had lifespans of one million years or so, interstellar travel would be mundane.
- tiatia 12y agoMate, some people think we already FOUND live on Mars http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_on_Mars#Viking_lander_biological_experiments http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_on_Mars#Viking_lander_biol...