how common do you think advanced life is in the universe?

Question

I am talking about with civilizations similar to our own.

Answer 1

With how many stars are out there, it's highly likely that there is AT LEAST one. There's something called the Drake equation.

N = N* fp ne fl fi fc fL
The equation can really be looked at as a number of questions:

N* represents the number of stars in the Milky Way Galaxy
Question: How many stars are in the Milky Way Galaxy?
Answer: Current estimates are 100 billion.
fp is the fraction of stars that have planets around them
Question: What percentage of stars have planetary systems?
Answer: Current estimates range from 20% to 50%.
ne is the number of planets per star that are capable of sustaining life
Question: For each star that does have a planetary system, how many planets are capable of sustaining life?
Answer: Current estimates range from 1 to 5.
fl is the fraction of planets in ne where life evolves
Question: On what percentage of the planets that are capable of sustaining life does life actually evolve?
Answer: Current estimates range from 100% (where life can evolve it will) down to close to 0%.
fi is the fraction of fl where intelligent life evolves
Question: On the planets where life does evolve, what percentage evolves intelligent life?
Answer: Estimates range from 100% (intelligence is such a survival advantage that it will certainly evolve) down to near 0%.
fc is the fraction of fi that communicate
Question: What percentage of intelligent races have the means and the desire to communicate?
Answer: 10% to 20%
fL is fraction of the planet's life during which the communicating civilizations live
Question: For each civilization that does communicate, for what fraction of the planet's life does the civilization survive?
Answer: This is the toughest of the questions. If we take Earth as an example, the expected lifetime of our Sun and the Earth is roughly 10 billion years. So far we've been communicating with radio waves for less than 100 years. How long will our civilization survive? Will we destroy ourselves in a few years like some predict or will we overcome our problems and survive for millennia? If we were destroyed tomorrow the answer to this question would be 1/100,000,000th. If we survive for 10,000 years the answer will be 1/1,000,000th.
When all of these variables are multiplied together when come up with:
N, the number of communicating civilizations in the galaxy.

The site has a calculator that you can use yourself. You should check it out.

Answer 2

I'm gonna say NO civilizations like our own in our galaxy.

Shocked?
They will be MILLIONS of years more advanced than us. None will be even close to us, that's just the way the odds are stacked. The civilizations that chose to stay put and to not go space exploring (or take other measures to hide their presence) may be undetectable. The Immortals that stay home, plug into their virtual reality I-pods and contemplate their navels; that may be the rule rather than the exception, in which case they will very difficult to discover.

But surely every once in a while, an aggressive civilization (the Klingons!) arises, ones who like to go a Viking. Explore, conquest and claim.

So...

Where are they, Enrico Fermi????

Answer 3

Someday, I think we will find advanced life in the universe very common indeed. It will take probably another hundred generations of mankind to discover this truth, but the truth is there.

The tremendously vast distances necessary to travel in order to find such life is prohibitive as is our skimpy lifetime of 70 or so years. Until both of these difficulties can be overcome, the answer to the question will remain in the field of conjecture.

Nevertheless, it remains a most fascinating question that requires the setting aside of preconcieved notions born of religion and other forms of ethnocentrism to even begin to discuss intelligently. Someday, perhaps, when we have solved the problem of social justice, an equitable economic system, and a world without war we may begin to really answer the question by cooperatively developing and building the machines necessary to discover the answer. Until then, the answer must remain a continuing fascination.

Answer 4

Well. The universe is so big that makes us cant make sure that are there any life forms in it. But if it is similar to our civilization it might have a 70% chances there are in the universe

Answer 5

It is likely that there are millions of planets that have intelligent life on them. The problem is that millions is still very small percentage making them distances apart that are likely to never be traveled. So really space having infinite space is likely to have infinite planets that have intelligent life. Most of what we can see with our technology would take hundreds, and even thousands of years to travel even at the speed of light. So even if intelligent life is out there, and it is likely to be so, the technology to reach it is well out of our hands.

Answer 6

I had a friend named Marvin and he was a martian. He said that there a bunch. Like, more than 3 even advanced lifeseses. He said one of the most advanced on planet earth is the common kleenex. I believe him cause he is smart and does stuff.

Answer 7

The odds of other advanced life being extremely common are astronomically high.

Answer 8

Dunno, but think about this..

A few hundred million years of Earth's history was a evolutionary dead end, for all intents and purpouses.

And given how short the time in which we've created our civilizations, in the cosmic scope of things, that's quite a head start.

Answer 9

As plentiful as contaminated space probes sent out.

Answer 10

I don't think it exists, personally. I mean, we've certainly seen no evidence, though understandably huge as the universe is, we wouldn't necessarily have to.

However, there's no reason it should exist...