"Number of alien worlds quantified" - BBC

Kristoph

Kristoph

Kristoph

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7870562.stm

Intelligent civilisations are out there and there could be thousands of them, according to an Edinburgh scientist.

The discovery of more than 330 planets outside our solar system in recent years has helped refine the number of life forms that are likely to exist.

The current research estimates that there are at least 361 intelligent civilisations in our Galaxy and possibly as many as 38,000.
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Nothing is ever for certain, but it's a nice reminder that work is still being done to investigate further.

It's quite a scary/exciting thought.
 
i think it would be good to know that there is other inteligent lifeforms on other planets, even if we never do meet them :)
 
Arthur C. Clarke said:
Two possibilities exist: Either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying.
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Never a truer word spoken.
 
I think the standard Drake Equation predicted there was something like 10,000 intelligent civilisations in our galaxy that have the technology to communicate with us.
 
The equation is very speculative and none of the variables can be quantified, so it is just food for thought if you can understand it.
 
To me it's just obvious that there are many other intelligent civilisations out there given our relative youth and the size of the universe with it's untold amount of planets and solar systems, but good to see that mainstream science is starting to make it more "official". If only our space-faring technology was more advanced, but then I guess we have to sort out the worlds problems before we will really start to get off this rock.
 
There is little evidence of intelligence on this planet, hopefully there are some more enlightened beings elsewhere.
 
Richdog said:
sort out the worlds problems before we will really start to get off this rock.
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Getting off planet should be our species single most critical priority, it gels with our basic instinct to proliferate and enure our survival. The only way to ensure the longterm survival of the human race is to spread out and make multiple planets home.
 
It's a shame we had 400 years of the Dark Ages where science was illegal. Could be so much further ahead technologically right now :(
 
int said:
It's a shame we had 400 years of the Dark Ages where science was illegal. Could be so much further ahead technologically right now :(
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Indeed, I still get annoyed by this, can't help myself.

I usually say about 800 years for exaggeration though!
 
It would be great if we found evidence of aliens. But I doubt we will. In the next couple of hundred years.
Surly this number is pretty much random. More useful number is number of plants that could support life.
 
I think that science like this should be more available to the public and also more socially acceptable in the real world. I think it is only good for our species to believe that we are not alone and encourages new sciences to be developed. It is a major shame that our species doesn't work in complete harmony on science to help us extend our reach within the universe.
 
Booner! said:
I think that science like this should be more available to the public and also more socially acceptable in the real world. I think it is only good for our species to believe that we are not alone and encourages new sciences to be developed. It is a major shame that our species doesn't work in complete harmony on science to help us extend our reach within the universe.
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You're absolutely right but we're in a transition phase at the moment with half the planet still living, or at least thinking, stoneage.
 
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