John Simkin Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 Many people believe in UFOs. It is based on the idea that there are a likely number of solar systems in the universe with potentially habitable planets. Therefore, life may well exist elsewhere. However, there are two very good reasons why aliens from outer space will not be able to contact us. The first one concerns the large distance between solar systems. The other reason is rarely mentioned. The universe is 13.75bn years old. Life on Earth originated some 3.5bn years ago yet civilisation is only 10,000 years old and man has had the means to transmit and receive communications across space only for the last few decades. It is highly likely that this window of opportunity will not last for a very long time as the human race appears to be set on a course of destruction. The same process will have taken place on other solar systems. However, it is highly unlikely, given the time-scale, that intelligent life, would ever have co-existed at any one time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evan Burton Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 This is one of the things that perhaps the Higgs-boson particle might explain. If the particle exists, it might be possible to manipulate mass whilst leaving dimension unchanged. If that were possible, then faster-than-light would not be impossible (as you approach the speed of light, your mass increases; if you were to hit the speed of light your mass would be infinite). If FTL travel were possible, then visitation by other races becomes possible, perhaps even likely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Simkin Posted May 28, 2011 Author Share Posted May 28, 2011 This is one of the things that perhaps the Higgs-boson particle might explain. If the particle exists, it might be possible to manipulate mass whilst leaving dimension unchanged. If that were possible, then faster-than-light would not be impossible (as you approach the speed of light, your mass increases; if you were to hit the speed of light your mass would be infinite). If FTL travel were possible, then visitation by other races becomes possible, perhaps even likely. That may solve the distance problem but not that of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evan Burton Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 The time problem may not be a problem after all; mainstream science is beginning to suspect that we might not be so unique after all, that even in our existing time frame there may be a number of other potentially advanced civilisations. I'll see if I can dig up some recent articles I read. All that being said, however, although I want to believe that UFOs are alien craft (manned or unmanned), I have yet to see anything that I consider to be evidence. Credible people (including myself) have seen things that are indeed "unidentified" but there is still no proof that ET has dropped around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Knight Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 I'm sure there are other lifeforms in the universe : odds against are "astronomical" (bad pun!). But whether they are as advanced as us, more advanced, or less advanced is another matter altogether. There also remains the vast distances involved in travelling here, from wherever they "are". We're pretty much in the ass-end of nowhere, and who would know we're here? Radio signals have only been propagating for ~120 years (even assuming the weak first signals aren't drowned out by other radio sources at any distance) there's just not that many systems closes enough to us to detect them. And now we're moving to a mostly digital transmission system, even those signals are being reduced in intensity and frequency, so again, in a decade or two, what's going to be left to be transmitted skywards, let alone received? Sure we can make unique signals - 21cm line? Hydrogen band that's a protected frequency, just because it's a unique frequency that can pass completely without hindrance through our atmosphere - but where do we point transmissions? We're operating on the same basis as anyone else out there for that....so much space, so little RT time... And then these "aliens" come from trillions of miles and probe hicks and rednecks from West Bumxxxx, Idaho, and torture cows??? Illogical, Captain! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evan Burton Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 That's the bit that doesn't make sense to me, Steve. I really want to believe; it would be so fantastic I simply cannot properly express it. I have two problems though: 1. There is still no credible photographic evidence; and 2. If we were being visited, why not make very public contact by landing in the middle of London or Sydney or something. It could be argued that something similar to the Star Trek 'Prime Directive' prevents point 2, but if so why are there reports of encounters with alien life form, why the cattle mutilations, why the numerous sighting, etc. It doesn't add up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dolva Posted May 29, 2011 Share Posted May 29, 2011 This is one of the things that perhaps the Higgs-boson particle might explain. If the particle exists, it might be possible to manipulate mass whilst leaving dimension unchanged. If that were possible, then faster-than-light would not be impossible (as you approach the speed of light, your mass increases; if you were to hit the speed of light your mass would be infinite). If FTL travel were possible, then visitation by other races becomes possible, perhaps even likely. That may solve the distance problem but not that of time. ''(as you approach the speed of light, your mass increases;'' ... distances shorten and time slows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evan Burton Posted May 29, 2011 Share Posted May 29, 2011 John D - ??? Apologies, I don't understand your point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dolva Posted May 29, 2011 Share Posted May 29, 2011 John D - ??? Apologies, I don't understand your point. Well, reaching the speed of light is impossible. In approaching it, mass (as you point out) increases, but distance shortens and time slows. If one speculates about actually reaching the speed of light then as mass becomes infinite, time stops. Anyway given it's relative, pun intended, as you slow to speeds wherein newtons laws as a subset act, whatever reason for travelling so fast could be redundant anyway. Just something to consider given the whimsical topic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evan Burton Posted May 29, 2011 Share Posted May 29, 2011 Oh! That's where the Higgs-boson comes in. If you can control mass, the you could - theoretically - reach the speed of light and have zero mass 9also helps with accelerating you to the speed as well). Have I got that right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dolva Posted May 29, 2011 Share Posted May 29, 2011 I don't know. I assume you wouldn't write it if you had no reason to. Anyway it's hypothetical. Theoretical physics is interesting, fun even. Carl Sagans ''contact'' (quite different from the movie), Capras''the Tao of Physics'', Buddha, all had things to say that one could throw into the pot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evan Burton Posted May 29, 2011 Share Posted May 29, 2011 I loved 'Contact' (the book - the movie was okay but as usual they changed it). Yep, that's one of the exciting things about the Higgs-boson particle. It could mean the FTL travel becomes possible. If that happens, well, doors open everywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Kelly Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 (edited) Many people believe in UFOs. It is based on the idea that there are a likely number of solar systems in the universe with potentially habitable planets. Therefore, life may well exist elsewhere. However, there are two very good reasons why aliens from outer space will not be able to contact us. The first one concerns the large distance between solar systems. The other reason is rarely mentioned. The universe is 13.75bn years old. Life on Earth originated some 3.5bn years ago yet civilisation is only 10,000 years old and man has had the means to transmit and receive communications across space only for the last few decades. It is highly likely that this window of opportunity will not last for a very long time as the human race appears to be set on a course of destruction. The same process will have taken place on other solar systems. However, it is highly unlikely, given the time-scale, that intelligent life, would ever have co-existed at any one time. So John, Does that mean you don't believe JFK was killed because he was going to share the Rosewell Alien technology with the Ruskies? I like your logic, but I disagree with your math. It is true that our civilization is only 10,000 years old, while life originated some 3.5 bn years ago, and there is evidence that there were a number of civilizations on earth that have completely disappeared, and ours appears headed for extinction, but that doesn't mean that civilizations on other planets in other solar systems necessarily perished in a short period of time. They could have evolved for hundreds of thousands of years. It has been suggested that life on earth evolved from garbage left behind by some intergalatic campers. In addition, from what I understand, we have only just figured out how to determine if there are other planets that could support life in our own galaxy, and have already found a hundred or so, and the estimate is there is likely to be a million such potentially life supporting planets in our galaxy alone, and if there are a million galaxies in the universe, to me that means that it highly likely that two highly advance civilizations could exist at the same time - contemporaries, without even knowing of each other's existence. The odds on this are immediately cut in half if you consider we are one of them. In addition, if the universe is God's creation, and he has a plan, maybe God can arrange for us to meet others from distant worlds in ways we haven't yet dreamed of, Horatio. Bill Kelly Edited May 30, 2011 by William Kelly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Knight Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 Yeah...about that. You know all those really bad sci-fi flicks where the aliens come to rape our planet for the resources? That's us. Against any other universal civilisation we find that's less developed than us... May the universe have mercy on any other intelligence once we start spreading ourselves throughout it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Len Colby Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 Yeah...about that. You know all those really bad sci-fi flicks where the aliens come to rape our planet for the resources? That's us. Against any other universal civilisation we find that's less developed than us... May the universe have mercy on any other intelligence once we start spreading ourselves throughout it. Excellent point, supposedly the invasion of Earth in H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds was inspired by Europe's invasions of the America's. Such Sci-Fi is based on the assumption ETs advanced enough to reach Gaia will be as ruthless as we are (if not worse). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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