The Existence of Intelligent Life
Bertrand Russell wrote, "There are two possibilities. Maybe we are alone. Maybe we are not. Both are equally frightening (Jakosky 1)." The question of life in the universe is one that leaves many in a state of bewilderment. It becomes even more interesting when it leads to another question -- that of intelligent life in the universe. Finding other intelligent civilizations among the interstellar space would greatly affect every aspect of our existence. Conversely, not finding such a civilization would force us to examine the purpose of our own existence.
To help answer the question, astronomers and scientists set up a program in search for extraterrestrial intelligence. This program, or SETI, was set up to verify, by observation that extraterrestrial life does exist. SETI tries to prove this by picking up and analyzing radio signals by means of satellites and advanced computers (Heidmann 116).
The history of the SETI program is quite interesting. It started back in 1959 with the help of two famous Cornell University physicists, Guiseppi Cocconi and Phil Morrison. Both claimed that it would be possible to communicate with other potential extraterrestrial life in space by the use of techniques used in radio astronomy (Heidmann 112). Together, they voiced their belief that if other "alien astronomers" elsewhere in the universe possessed radio telescopes, that it would be possible to converse between the two (Heidmann 112-113).
A young astronomer by the name of Francis Drake agreed with the theories of Cocconi and Morrison. He proposed building a radio receiver in order to listen for waves of sound being transmitted through space. It wasn't until the spring of 1960 that Dra...
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8. Ward, Peter. Interview with Lori Stokes. The Debate Over Life Beyond Earth. MSNBC. 10 Feb. 2000.
From Roswell to Dreamland Are we alone in the universe? This has been a common question in modern day. Then he was a sailor. It is very difficult to prove that extraterrestrials exist. However, the snares are still a bit snare.
Fermi’s paradox supports this claim because theoretically there should be species capable of interstellar travel due to the age of the universe. Although we haven’t encountered any life forms from other galaxies it doesn’t mean there aren’t any. Ted Chiang uses an endangered parrot to show that a possible reason for our great silence is due to or erratic and dangerous nature as humans. However, there are still some instances where humans have connected with other species and created special bonds in the
There is a cultural assumption that there are many alien civilizations in the universe. However, what do we really know about extraterrestrial life? With recent findings of water on Mars and the discovery of Trappist-1, there could be hope for extraterrestrial life out in the universe. Even though the water on Mars is frozen under the polar ice caps and Trappist-1 could be far from finding any alien life, there are still many articles supporting the research and looking forward to finding additional news. In the article “Could the TRAPPSIT-1 worlds harbor alien life?’ written by Liz Fuller-Wright, she reports the announcement of astronomers that they found a miniature solar system of seven Earth-sized planets. Furthermore, the argument is effective towards bright individuals because it makes one think about what it will be if there was actually life outside of Earth.
The existence of life – Aliens, beyond our planet has been a controversial topic for several centuries, and is a debatable issue even today in the 21st century. What is our topic you may ask? Aliens, Do, Exist. According to theoretical physicist, Stephen Hawking, it would be improbable for life not to exist somewhere other than Earth. This is a bold claim, but there is evidence to support this statement. The evidence we seek is in the many Alien occurrences we have experienced throughout human history.
Audesirk, T. (2003). Life on Earth. In (Ed.), (3rd ed., pp. 581-620). New York: Pearson Custom Publishing - Prentice Hall, Inc..
It is true that we have no evidence of intelligent life beyond earth, but to
Scientific proof and standardized theories have become the new basis for “truth” and still, the existence of aliens and UFOs is a disputed topic. However, one proven fact is that with more information gathered from outer space, the likelihood of life beyond out own planet increases (Liu 310). Many scientists now believe in the existence of extraterrestrial life, though some doubt they may be intelligent (Rassuman 47-48). Most believe in the principle of Mediocrity, which states that “the laws of nature relating to the formation of stars, planets and life are the same everywhere”. In other words, if life inhabits earth, there must be life on inhabitable planets in other galaxies
Human beings have always wondered whether we are alone in the universe in that we have human life on our planet. We have also wondered whether life exists in other places in the universe. So far, at least, it doesn’t look like it. But we are searching for it. Life will exist only if there is water.
Are we alone in the universe? Is anything or anybody out there? These are age old questions, asked from people of all ages and races. But the first questions we need to ask are if it is even possible? Are there any other planets out there that are habitable? What does a planet need to be habitable? Without a habitable planet life cannot sustain in the universe, the search for life in the universe has been long and hard with no results proving life to exist outside of earth. The most predominant searchers of those at the SETI Institute or Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence Institute, a privately funded organization, that uses various methods to search for electromagnetic transmissions, the assumed method of contact, from distant planets. With information about planets habitability and possibly locations in space SETI would be greatly benefitted; they are challenged now by searching for transmissions without any knowledge of direction, spectrum, or method of use (SETI). If possible directions were known one less assumption would have to be made and we could one step closer to finding life in the universe.
26. Oparine., 1967. The Current State of the Problem of the Origin of Life and Its Future Perspectives. Biogenesis, p. 19.
A major question that piques the interest of many astrobiologists is the topic of whether our life is the only life out “there”. Many astrobiologists ask “What if life as we know it is really not the only life out there?” (MacLeod
The argument suggesting life existing on other Earth-like planets has been present since man first looked into space and questioned his own existence and the existence of others like him. Today there are many theories on the existence of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe, but only one theory goes beyond them and into an even larger realm. The contents of this theory, known as the “multiverse” theory, suggest that humans on Earth live within one universe of many others that reside within a primordial vacuum containing many other universes (Jenkins and Perez). Each of these universes possesses potentially different natural constants and physical laws that govern them differently, thus calling forth some logical questions. First, what is the likelihood such universes even exist, and second, how can we test the constants and laws that still result in the possibility of intelligent life in other universes? Moreover, what implications does this theory have on the ideology that this universe is designed specifically for human beings?
In the Bible it tells that God created the earth and the life forms in it. If God created the earth and other planets that can support other life forms, such as aliens, it would have stated that God created these planets. By not stating in the Bible, humans have evidence that there is no other lifeforms.
The signal was traced back to the Sagittarius Constellation, nearly 5000 light years away. This signal remains a mystery to this date in the absence of in-depth investigations. It is likely that our existing technologies may be incapable to interpret the signals transmitted by aliens. What we recognise as noise in our radars every day and ignore may simply be signals from billions of different extraterrestrial intelligence. Einstein, who figured out significant facts about our universe also 1 thought we are not alone in the cosmos.1 Einstein believed that Expensive Organisations like SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) were making a fool of themselves as he felt other intelligent civilisations will most likely communicate through a way which we have not discovered yet, rather than use radio waves. Another reason we may not have been contacted us is because we have not contacted them. We are expecting them to contact us but not contacting them which I feel is inexcusably egocentric. If every civilisation expected another to contact them, is anyone going to be
Newitz , A. (2010). Five creatures That Prove Life Could Exist On Other Planet(Or In Space). Retrieved 2011, December 16, from,