SETI

[vincent]

The older I grow, the less I see any reason to expend resources searching for extra-terrestrial life. Why bother?

www.universetoday.com/140105/technosignatures-are-nasas-new-target-for-detecting-other-civilizations-in-space-wait-whats-a-technosignature/

[dennisw]

Sept 30, 2018 23:45:51 GMT 10 vincent said:

The older I grow, the less I see any reason to expend resources searching for extra-terrestrial life. Why bother?

To many people it is more comfortable to think that aliens created us on Earth than to face the possibility of a supreme being who will one day judge us for our deeds.

[Ian Thomas]

60 (?) years of SETI and so far .. nuthin'.

[Ian Thomas]

Oct 1, 2018 10:39:21 GMT 10 dennisw said:

Sept 30, 2018 23:45:51 GMT 10 vincent said:

The older I grow, the less I see any reason to expend resources searching for extra-terrestrial life. Why bother?

To many people it is more comfortable to think that aliens created us on Earth than to face the possibility of a supreme being who will one day judge us for our deeds.

On other hand, SETI has chalked up 60 odd years of (-)ve results but the Search For God(s) has clocked, what, 10 thousand+ years and still nuthin'.

On other hand, again, maybe the gods are superheroes?

Image source:
www.comicbookreligion.com/?srch=religion-Australian_Aboriginal_religion__90_-deity-1

[dennisw]

On other hand, SETI has chalked up 60 odd years of (-)ve results but the Search For God(s) has clocked, what, 10 thousand+ years and still nuthin'.

Maybe looking for the wrong thing in the wrong place, the image of an old guy with a beard is the Greco/Roman concept of a Zeus/Jupiter figure the original Biblical view is of a spirit with no corporeal body. The Hindus believe the universe only exists in the mind of God and science suggests that the universe may be holographic. I believe it might just be that the universe is cognisant, self generating and aware in other words the Hindus might be right.

[Ian Thomas]

If the Universe itself is sentient, might that explain the Fermi Paradox?

As in, such an entity might not be too keen on rival intelligences setting up shop ...

Which might be bad news for us.

Isn't there a bible verse says something like, "I the LORD thy God am a jealous God"?

[dennisw]

There is also the concept that the universe would be a lonely place if you were the only sentient being in it, existence is not competition with a supreme being or cognisant universe.

[vincent]

New study reduces expectations of finding extra-terrestrial life.

www.studyfinds.org/life-unique-to-earth-planets-inhospitable/?utm_campaign=Study%20Time%21%20Latest%20Articles%20From%20StudyFinds.org&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Revue%20newsletter

[johannes]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boltzmann_brain

[vincent]

Very interesting video.

[johannes]

Maybe we are really the first sapient species(somebody has to be), or maybe the evidence is hidden in plain sight, right under our noses:

[vincent]

Headline:

Harvard’s top astronomer says our solar system may be teeming with alien technology
Avi Loeb spent his career searching for evidence of alien life. When he found it, the scientific community refused to believe him.

www.newstatesman.com/science-tech/space/2021/01/harvard-s-top-astronomer-says-our-solar-system-may-be-teeming-alien

[Ian Thomas]

The paper's here ..

Could Solar Radiation Pressure Explain 'Oumuamua's Peculiar Acceleration?
arxiv.org/abs/1810.11490v1
We find that although extremely thin, such an object would survive an interstellar travel over Galactic distances of ~5 kpc , withstanding collisions with gas and dust-grains as well as stresses from rotation and tidal forces. We discuss the possible origins of such an object.

They mince about a lot but, finally at the end, they spell out what it is they're suggesting. A light-sail.
Which object would obviously be artificial and "not of this Earth", as the saying goes. Therefore ... ET.👽

They reckon Oumuamua might be a defunct and long-since inactive survey instrument that's wandered far across the galaxy. They calculate there could be lots of them "out there".

Hmmm. Okay. You can't rule out alien technology in this instance - but the case is not proven, imho. And now the thing, whatever it was, has gotten away. 
However, if they're right that there's a substantial population of such devices coursing thru interstellar space, we should be able to acquire a specimen at some stage. That'd clinch it, one way or the other.

[vincent]

Here's a smart guy who says it's very unlikely that any other civilization out there has detected earth's radio signals.

[Ian Thomas]

That's good news but maybe not as good as we'd like.
As is well known, we're now finding thousands of exo-planets.
Moreover, we getting to the point where we can tell if they harbour life because the presence of out-of-equilibrium gases (eg Oxygen) in their atmospheres gives the game away.

But this means alien observers could likewise tell if Earth is an abode of life.
And if they are out there, they've been able to do this for billions of years ... 👽

"In space, you can't hide." 😨

[vincent]

In space, nobody can hear you scream! 😜