2007-01-28 00:59:59 · 17 answers · asked by roch_elle 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Beyond places we can visit (which is just the local planets) then we cannot detect life if it is not intelligent and transmitting something we can detect.
Now life has been on Earth for about 3.5 billion years, for 100 of which we have been intelligent and transmitting something detectable.
Bit of a narrow window.
Then the universe is very, very big.
So its like looking for a short lived needle in a very big haystack hidden in another very big haystack.
2007-01-28 01:13:03 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The question can have two meanings.
The first is "what are the difficulties in searching for extra-terrestrial life?" -- This is most appropriately answered by a single word: "distance". The size of the universe is vast and "life" is pretty small. Like looking for a microscopic needle in an immense haystack.
The second is "what difficulties may be encountered if extra-terrestrial life is discovered?" -- The first answer to this is sociologic in that many will find it religiously troubling. The second is that, if such life interracts with us it may be dangerously incompatible either by its technological or biological superiority.
2007-01-28 01:11:06 · answer #2 · answered by Dr.T 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Extra terrestrial life has been encountered already in our solar system, for example in Mars. It seems to be anaerobic bacteria alike and just few individuals, but still life. Doesn t seem feasible that more developed forms of life will be found nor this beings can evolve to more developed forms of life.
2007-01-28 04:21:46 · answer #3 · answered by carmenl_87 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i assume that you mean intelligent life, tool users and necessarily advanced enough to have spacefaring technology,
because the only way were are going to locate them is if they are advanced enough to be seen, but consider what spacefaring technology requires, the ability to travel equivalent to around one thousand times the speed of light, anything less makes the distance too great and so it makes it unlikely that any species would leave the safety of their solar system.
The second problem is the likelihood of intelligent life similar to ours actually arising, look at our own world,hundreds of species, only one true tool user, look at the environmental patterns, from the equator to the poles there is a dramatic difference in the ability of life to exist and yet the physical difference of distance from the Sun is minuscule in cosmic distances, life exists on this world in all of its variety because of so many different factors that the percentages of it happening elsewhere in a similar way are unlikely. if any of the factors were changed in the tiniest of ways for instance if our orbit around the Sun were was on average one hundred miles closer or further away the way life formed would likely have been dramatically different and we might not be here which would make this question irrelevant, we are far too arrogant in our belief that this world exists just for us, we are merely a short lived parasitic annoyance to it!.
2007-01-28 05:57:18 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are three problems in the main - distance, distance and distance.
The other problem is lack of any real interest from providers of funds. SETI (the only people actually on the lookout for evidence of alien existence) are unfunded.
2007-01-29 07:12:57 · answer #5 · answered by Hello Dave 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They are elusive. If spotted, they are likely to disappear with-out a trace. How-ever, you can suspect that you have seen an alien if : person[s] is afraid of Earth's transportation.
Have difficulty matching clothes.
Possess in their homes unusual scientific equipment.
2007-01-28 16:02:13 · answer #6 · answered by skeetejacquelinelightersnumber7 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No problems at all - I just look over the fence at my neighbours, and there they are. To define them as human is really putting a strain on the definition.
2007-01-28 01:11:32 · answer #7 · answered by Scabius Fretful 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They will probably be cleverer than us.
In that case, they'll think we're low life.
If they watch Celeb Big Brother, they will KNOW we're low life.
They'll use us as slaves on the Planet Zog for their mining operations.
2007-01-28 01:34:49 · answer #8 · answered by efes_haze 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Distance. Funding. The fact that there probably isn't any in our solar system, and the technology for detecting it elsewhere does not yet exist!
2007-01-28 01:05:37 · answer #9 · answered by CLICKHEREx 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
distance, the speed of light, money, finding a way of travelling very fast (faster than light), very cheaply and in the correct direction
2007-01-28 19:18:29 · answer #10 · answered by geordiekimbo 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋