Aliens Poll

[Fishteacher73]

This an obvious situation of the US's policy on disinformation. While it was wise to deny any alien incedent, it helps to have the possiblity of a gov't obtaining alien technology. Basicly it was a mindgame to keep the powers that be uneasy. Much like the US funding of such concepts as remote viewing and psychic powers. This was a symptom of the cold war.

[niviene]

Originally Posted by IMAMONKEY!

OK niviene... i think its highly improbable that they visited. but what i mean by that is that i dont think they visited when we were intelligent. I said there is intelligent life out there because it is extremely selfish and arrogant to think otherwise. Howver, they have not visited Earth for the same reason we havent visited them. The Universe is too... stinkin big!!!! There are probably life forms elsewhere, in fact i think the probability of that is extremely high. I just think they are too far away to visit us. People that think aliens constantly visit us are ignorant and stupid. I cant believe anyone would agree to such bull! Those rumors have been around for... what... 30 years?!?! NOw if u think about it... an alien race advanced enough to cross the galaxy and find us and do it within their lifespan, would have to be advanced enough to finish their tests within 2 days! i mean come on! seriously... and theyd be advanced enough to know that it would be smart to reveal themselves and then stay unless threatened or provoked... and if i get any bull about them being shy... ill shoot the person that says that!

Your post started out being a good input to the forum, but went downhill. I don't think anybody gets anywhere by saying that what someone believes is ignorant and stupid.

Since we don't know anything about any alien races at all, it's not wise to assume that we can figure out what they would do while visiting; how long they would stay, what kinds of things they would study, or even how far away they would have to be to "observe" us. We don't know their lifespan... it may be exponentially longer than ours. We may even exist inside or as a part of them. Think about it - they could be here among us now (sounds like War of the Worlds!) but exist in a dimension or medium that we can't detect at all. Who knows? When dealing with the unknown, all we can do is keep an open mind.

Yea. the UFO "sightings" craze started right after 1945 - there is some speculation that someone had created an aircraft and was testing it.. or that it was scare tactics, all attributed to the cold war, as Fishteacher said.

[Smokinjoe9]

Well, I voted that there is intelligent life and they abduct us all the time, but that is because there are alot of people who believe that. As for me, I am not so sure, not that I think we are all that, but alot of really precision things have to happen for a planet to wind up like ours.
We proved that the universe isn't static, that time isn't infinite. It's finite. The age of the universe is only 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 seconds (10 to the 18 th power).
We also discovered that we do not have an infinite supply of building blocks. In fact, we discovered that it takes exquisite design to get any building blocks at all. Molecules, without which, life is impossible.
Atoms must be able to assemble in the molecules in order to gain sufficient complexity for life chemistry to proceed. That applies to any conceivable kind of life.
Unless the force electromagnetism takes on a particular value, molecules won't happen. Take the nucleus of an atom. There's an electron orbiting that nucleus. If the force electromagnetism is too weak, the electron will not orbit the nucleus.
There won't be sufficient electromagnetic pull to keep that electron orbiting the nucleus. If electrons cannot orbit nuclei, then electrons cannot be shared so that nuclei can come together to form molecules. Without molecules, we have no life.
If the force electromagnetism is too strong, the nuclei will hang onto their electrons with such strength that the electrons will not be shared with adjoining nuclei and again, molecules will never form. Unless the force electromagnetism is fine-tuned to a particular value, the universe will have no molecules and no life.
We also have a problem in getting the right atoms. Now take a neutron and a proton. Protons and neutrons are held together in the nucleus of an atom by the strong nuclear force, which is the strongest of the four forces of physics.
If the nuclear force is too strong, the protons and neutrons in the universe will find themselves stuck to other protons and neutrons, which means we have a universe devoid of Hydrogen. On and on it goes....

[wrong]

I voted There's intelligent life in the universe but they've never visited Earth.

I haven't seen any compelling evidence of a visit.......but who knows?
I wouldn't be surprised if when man is able to visit other planets in this and other Solar systems that we find life everywhere as a natural response to matters fact of existing,then again we may be unique but the Universe is rather large.
With extra Solar exploration though we may have to be open to adjust our interpretation of what "is " life.It would be a pity to miss other life forms due to our ignorance or arrogance of what constitutes "life"

[IMAMONKEY!]

true...

[niviene]

Originally Posted by wrong

I voted There's intelligent life in the universe but they've never visited Earth.

I haven't seen any compelling evidence of a visit.......but who knows?
I wouldn't be surprised if when man is able to visit other planets in this and other Solar systems that we find life everywhere as a natural response to matters fact of existing,then again we may be unique but the Universe is rather large.
With extra Solar exploration though we may have to be open to adjust our interpretation of what "is " life.It would be a pity to miss other life forms due to our ignorance or arrogance of what constitutes "life"

Good points. Always I considered how cool it would be to discover "intelligent" life, but I think I would be just as excited to discover even something similar to ameobas.

[lindagarrette]

Most science fiction artists depict ET having a face and limbs of some sort, eyes, ears..... But those characteristics are based on the DNA common to all life forms on earth. These are three ingredients cited by SETI in their search. Technology is the key. Humans are the only life forms to develop technology although not the only ones to have intelligence; it takes technology to traverse distance between stars; it's difficult to imagine intelligence without eyes and ears and limbs. Plants for example are not capable of technological advances. I would say, even if there is life elsewhere in the Universe, we will only know about it if we go there ourselves or with our drones.

[C1ay]

Originally Posted by niviene

Good points. Always I considered how cool it would be to discover "intelligent" life, but I think I would be just as excited to discover even something similar to ameobas.

Even if we found extraterrestrial plant life it would be an exciting discovery.

[wrong]

Originally Posted by lindagarrette

Most science fiction artists depict ET having a face and limbs of some sort, eyes, ears..... But those characteristics are based on the DNA common to all life forms on earth. These are three ingredients cited by SETI in their search. Technology is the key. Humans are the only life forms to develop technology although not the only ones to have intelligence; it takes technology to traverse distance between stars; it's difficult to imagine intelligence without eyes and ears and limbs. Plants for example are not capable of technological advances. I would say, even if there is life elsewhere in the Universe, we will only know about it if we go there ourselves or with our drones.

Assuming for a moment that we have overcome the tyranny of distance and time, do find life ... would it be ethically correct to make contact?
If the life was at a "less" advanced stage as us are we not changing their "path"?
Caution would also be required so as to not accidentally kill them or ourselves ala "War of the worlds" style,
Possibly other life forms has found us and considered it prudent not to make contact maybe ever or maybe not yet?

[lindagarrette]

Originally Posted by wrong

Assuming for a moment that we have overcome the tyranny of distance and time, do find life ... would it be ethically correct to make contact?
If the life was at a "less" advanced stage as us are we not changing their "path"?
Caution would also be required so as to not accidentally kill them or ourselves ala "War of the worlds" style,
Possibly other life forms has found us and considered it prudent not to make contact maybe ever or maybe not yet?

The "prime directive" is science fiction. Here on earth, people have never hesitated to contact other species or cultures.