I've never said 'waahey' in my life.
It's not really like this you know:
It's not really like this you know:
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Ok so here goes, strap yourselves in it's going to test (if not bend [if not break]) your mind.
So we live on a planet in a solar system populated by other planets which are uninhabitable either because a) they're far too hot, b) far too cold, c) made of gas or d) a combination of the three. Only here - on earth - are the conditions 'just right' to sustain life, hence the planet is in what is known as the "Goldilocks" (or Habitable) Zone. Current estimates set the number of planets in the correct position etc. with respect to ther native star as around 500 million in the Milky Way galaxy alone. So life, maybe not as we know it Jim, is certainly theoretically possible all over the universe.
Life on earth came about by means of a bunch of coincidences. Not only was the planet created within the correct number of astronomical units from its star, but also the conditions were present to form a hydrosphere (and later an atmosphere). This would most likely have occurred several billions of years ago in earth's case - possibly once it had solidified - as a result of a coming together with an icy or other such asteriod or stellar material. Crucially though, other (possibly the same) impact events would also have needed to bring with them certain amino acids which are the building blocks of life itself. The rest - dinosaurs followed by more contemporary [measured in millions of years] evolution - is, as they say, history.
Given that all the material in the universe is generally held to have existed in a single mass immediately prior (which in mathematical terms could be billions of years or a fraction of a second) to the Big Bang itself, the overwhelming likelihood is that the building blocks of life described above are scattered among the cosmos or have already found their way to planets in the Goldilocks Zone of vast quantities of solar systems. The extremely unlikely possibility is that all of that material found its way to earth and ours is the only life-sustaining planet anywhere. Ever.
Finally, here's why you'll never see an alien. This bit is my invention and I claim it. When you lot were talking aliens while I listened to the pod earlier, it is clear you were thinking of the colloquial greys or some other such Hollywood creation but what the conversation overlooked is that these processes take place over millions or billions of years. Put in context then, the earth is generally accepted to be 4.5 billion years old with a shelf-life of another 5.5 billion years. The universe itself is fourteen billion years old and the human race has existed for around 200,000 years. Put another way, this is 0.004% of the time the earth has existed. Time is a major factor here and time extends almost infinitessimally in both directions to the point that the odd 200,000 years here and there become pinpricks in a piece of cloth the size of Australia. So the question one needs to ask is not whether aliens could exist becuase the answer is undeniably yes - they may be amoeboid, lizards, humanoid or even pink dogs but they are (or have been or will be) out there. The more relevant question is whether more than one civilisation could both evolve and [just one has to do this] develop the technology to cross what are vast interstellar distances (which, lest we forget, as a race we're shit at - I mean we've only just discovered how to make electric cars ffs) for a visit BUT before both races are extinct. I find myself sadly reasoning that given the size of the universe and sheer mind-numbing expanse of time, this probability is low.
spooky
The Fighting Cock
That last paragraph is nailed on. Equally so is the fact that our perspective on life will always be one of a human, because...well, that's what we are, right? Other civilisations, races might not even wish to travel through space. Even if they did, they might be so advanced they don't even stop to stare at us. I can't remember the program (tv) but there's also theories on metabolisms in terms of how other potential life in the universe perseveres time. Time, well, our version of it (being the only version) is a human invention. In terms of how we outline history and time points and what started when. Another life from might simply not exist in the same way as we do.
I really didn't explain that too well. All I've got to say is this subject rocks.
However, having said all of this, we haven't thrown in the topic of potential time travel or alternate universes. Aaaah, just fucking with ya.
PS. I actually believe earth is a farm yard.
I really didn't explain that too well. All I've got to say is this subject rocks.
However, having said all of this, we haven't thrown in the topic of potential time travel or alternate universes. Aaaah, just fucking with ya.
PS. I actually believe earth is a farm yard.
You should also not forget that life is not limited to what we perceive as sentient beings, on another planet even in our solar system there might be life in the form of bacteria which makes it rather hard to find proof of life as you'd have to be able to locate a miniscule place on a gigantic planet to test and find said life.
I did say 'amoeboid'...by which I meant really, really small.
If you haven't already, you should read "Pushing Ice" by Alastair Reynolds.
Here's one for you, what would happen if you invented time travel and went back and killed your own father, or yourself - would you simply wink out of existence?
Depends on the concept of time we're going with, in a Linear concept you wouldn't be able to do that as you would've never have invented the time machine allowing you to do afore mentioned deed.
Has nothing to do with a linear concept of time, but quantum mechanics.
spooky
The Fighting Cock
The Fantastical Return of the 'Stupendous Adventures of Bale and Bentley'
Gareth: Hello
David: Alright?
Gareth: How's tricks?
David: I'm playing first team football week in week out.
Gareth: I know. I'm playing too. It's lush.
David: It's amazing! I get to play on the right-wing and the gaffer rates me for it.
Gareth: You think that's good? Can you not hear the noise after I do something special on the pitch?
Gareth/David: BALE, BALE, BALE...
(both laugh)
David: What about me? I get cheered and applauded, even with the facial hair.
Gareth: Hobo chic is in.
David: It's in because of me. I made it 'in'. How did we both manage to turn things around?
Gareth: I don't know. I guess we were both patient, bided our time and got a bit lucky too?
David: It has nothing to do with luck Gareth. It was hard graft. And to think we were both lined up for moves away a few months back.
Gareth: We really got our shit together.
David: We did, our change in fortunes was because we both believed we would overcome the adversity.
Gareth: BALE, BALE, BALE...
David: Give us a hug!
Three months earlier…
Al: Ziggy says the odds are not very good.
Sam: How 'not good' are they?
Al: Oh, you know. They're way down there not good.
Sam: You're not helping Al. What am I meant to do here?
Al: Ziggy had a new data search component installed and we had to have it shipped in from Hong Kong and I think that gave a little jet-lag to its cpu processing chip...
Sam: Why do you make this stuff up all the time? Why don't you just say, 'Sam, we don't know'. Why don't you just do that for once instead of making it all up?
Al: Well, that wouldn't be any fun, would it?
Sam: A little help please.
Al: You sort of look like a half man half chimp cross-breed. Oh, hold on, Ziggy's now 91% sure that you're here to save this man from some kind of voodoo hoodoo curse.
Sam: Great.
Al: And Ziggy's also 98.9% on the money that when you're done with him, you'll be leaping into that man over there to save him from a life wasted living in skips.
Sam: What man?
Al: The one star-jumping and crying profusely.
Sam: Oh boy...