Do you think mankind will ever discover external life within the universe?

Question

Assuming mankind will not destroy man sometime in the future, to a fatal degree, do you think man will ever discover external life someplace in the universe?

Wouldn't it be interesting to see what time era they are in, and what their lifestyles are like, etc? Assuming they live in an organized, civilized society of course.

Answer 1

>Assuming mankind will not destroy man sometime in the future, to a fatal degree, do you think man will ever discover external life someplace in the universe?

It's hard to say. Based on what we know about how life evolved on our own planet and how our civilization arose, I would say probably yes. It doesn't appear that the chances of life arising on any given planet are all that low, and there are so vastly many stars even in our own galaxy, it seems unlikely that the Earth is the only place where it ever happened. The fact that our life started fairly early on in the Earth's natural history also suggests that the mechanisms of its development are not very rare in the Universe. Depending on how common they are, it is conceivable that we might even discover extraterrestrial life in our own Solar System, in the briny, subsurface ocean of Jupiter's moon Europa. If not, then there are plenty of other planets in the galaxy that can support life; a few planets which may fall within the right temperature range have already been found, and when added to the range of gas giants and gas giant moons that might also support some kind of life, the chances actually look reasonably good.

But. BUT. There is more that we know than just how life arose on our own planet. Perhaps you have heard of the Fermi Paradox: If life is so common in the Universe, why haven't intelligent beings from other planets ALREADY contacted us? There are numerous proposed answers to this problem. Some people believe that life is simply very rare. Others believe that intelligent civilizations tend to destroy themselves through one method or another. Still others believe that our place in the Universe is special to some divine power, or that aliens ARE already here and just aren't revealing themselves to us. Many of these theories have an impact on the likelihood of us finding other life in the Universe, most especially these two scenarios:
The Matrix scenario: Intelligent life may tend to build simulated worlds inside computers, then find that these simulated worlds are more fun to exist in and explore than the real world. They may plug themselves into computers and play massive multiplayer games for the rest of eternity, forgetting all about the outside world that they no longer experience. If this happens to our own civilization, we may never leave our Solar System to find any extraterrestrial life.
The new home scenario: Intelligent life may tend to build strange physics devices that can open gateways to parallel universes. If these parallel universes have different laws of physics that are better for supporting intelligent life, entire extraterrestrial civilizations may leave this universe entirely, thinking it too bare and empty to be worth living in. If they find these parallel universes unoccupied by life that has already started there, then it could be that the kinds of universes that best support intelligent life are not the same as the kinds of universes that, like our own, best spawn it.
In either of these scenarios, we are presented with a future in which people do not destroy themselves (thus satisfying the conditions of your question), but at the same time never discover extraterrestrial life in our universe.

Answer 2

Given the immense number of galaxies, stars and planets in the universe, it's practically impossible that this is the only planet on which life developed. The basic requirements - a rocky planet surrounding a mid-cycle star orbiting at about 1 AU - aren't that difficult to produce. Those kinds of stars are the most common, and new evidence is suggesting that planets are quite common. So, I'm betting life exists.

Now, whether life implies other civilizations, and whether we would meet them, is a speculation I don't think we can answer; this involves our ability to explore space in a way that is not available to us yet.

Answer 3

No. The interstellar gulf is just too great to cross. There might be civilizations here and there, but they are doomed to live and die without ever being aware on one anothers existence. As their suns die, all record of their past glories will be lost except perhaps for some words inscribed on spacecraft whose destination was out of their solar system. That and an ever more diffuse shell of TV and radio transmissions expanding at the speed of light, indecipherable from the background static.

Answer 4

Yes, i think they will.
Even if they don't i believe Aliens Exist.

Everything in this universe is made up of Stardust and you and i are also made up of stardust and so are all the living creatures,trees and other things;even water.
Since stardust is capable into formorming living things,i'm sure there is bound to be Alien live in the universe.

And since there are many stars like our sun in this universe,there is bound to be a planet like Earth suitable to support life.
Who knows,they may even look or think like us and may be even discussing if they will ever find Alien life in the future O_o

Answer 5

The possibility for existence is amazingly genuine. evaluate the undeniable fact that there are a hundred,000 billion stars in our galaxy on my own if basically the very smallest p.c. of those stars have planets and then basically the smallest p.c. of those have a planet interior the "liveable zone" there is the possibility for existence....cases that by using the type of galaxies and the numbers are extraordinary. as an occasion, interior the Virgo cluster on my own there are one thousand galaxies. there is likewise a threat of microbial existence on Titan, Europa and Encelados. Astonomers have already discovered water ice, they only would desire to locate the water under it! whilst? 2 an prolonged time for this photograph voltaic gadget... 2 hundred years for this galaxy.... my superb wager.

Answer 6

The chance of finding life elsewhere is actually pretty likely. Finding intelligent life is not very likely. It is far more probable that we may discover bacteria-like organisms or plant like organisms. Even simple animal like creatures are not very likely.

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Answer 7

Possibly. I already heard a planet discovered by the Germans that has a temp. high enough to support life

Answer 8

I don't think other lifeforms exist outside of this planet. I really don't. I think that we are it, and have been given the opportunities to explore the universe through telescopic means and space travel. But somehow, all this exists just for us.

Might sound selfish, but that's really what I think.

Answer 9

The possibilitys are endless as to finding life elsewhere in the universe and it will happen one day but not in our generation or probly the next generation,,

Answer 10

I like to think other life exists. But they are much too far away...And yes, it's just a matter of time before we destroy each-other...