I believe there is life out there far, far away...?

Question

If space never ever ends, which I can't get my head around, but if it doesn't end then surely there is millions of planets like Earth out there.

My question is, do you think that its possible that any living beings out there could be more intelligent than us?

I wish we knew the answers to this. It kind of makes you think how amazing it is that we are living and so intelligent. The chances of us ever existing are practically zero.

Blimey, I have had more to drink than I thought. I am rambling.

Answer 1

Think about it this way...

There are more stars in the universe than there are single grains of sand on the entire Earth! Most of those stars probably have planets. A smaller percentage probably have planets that can support life. An even smaller percentage may have intelligent life and a percentage of those may be technically advanced. But the universe is so huge that even if .001 percent of planets have intelligent life, you are still talking about MILLIONS of worlds!!! Our single galaxy, the Milky Way galaxy is so massive that if you could squeeze our entire solar system down to the size of a CD, then the Milky Way itself would be the size of all of Earth!

It's very arrogant to believe that we are the "supreme beings" of the universe. The universe is estimated to be almost 16 billion years old. Our solar system is only 5 billion years old, entire stars systems have been born and died before our Sun was even formed, let alone Earth and then life on Earth. The earth itself is estimated to be around 4 billion years old.

Think about how much mankind has accomplished in the several thousand years we've been around. Can you imagine what we'll accomplish if we have another 2, 3, 4 thousand years!? So yes, I believe there are other intelligent races out there. I believe entire civilizations have lived and died and that there are others out there, far, far more advanced than us.

Answer 2

There are several possibilities. The most interesting, I think, is the possibility of finding extra-solar planets which are earth-like. Already, the French have launched the Corot satellite into orbit, which is designed to look for earth-like planets in space. Next year, in 2008, the US sends Kepler into orbit, which may eventually find hundreds of earth-like twins in space. The discovery of earth-like planets may happen very soon, most likely within the next few years.

Once scientists identify earth-like planets in space, then astronomers and the SETI people will focus their telescopes and instruments onto these planets, and we might be able to detect the presence of oxygen and maybe even organic chemicals. It is probable that within about a decade, we might be able to identify earth-like planets with liquid oceans, which would be an exciting possibility. And the SETI people hope that they might be able to detect radio signals from intelligent life on these planets. However, this might take many more decades. By late in this century, we will have identified hundreds of such planets, so the probability that one of them might use radio signals for communication is small, but cannot be dismissed. So, before the end of this century, there is a distinct possibility that we may detect the first signs of intelligent life in space.

There is also the possibility of finding microbial life on Mars, but every year, this hope becomes dimmer and dimmer. Perhaps the new probe sent to Mars which will analyze the polar ice caps will have better luck.


http://www.mkaku.org/

c ya

Answer 3

Why consider the universe when our own milky way is big enough to hold more planets with life. Our earth is quite a recent planet given the current estimates of the life of universe and our galaxy. If intelligent life evolved and survived for even 5000 years more than us they would be far more advanced than we can even imagine.

Chances may be slim to find more intelligent species than us but they do exist. My opinion it is certain that in the entire universe we will have some species which is more intelligent than us. Our intelligence has barely started evolving beyond our animal brains. We are finding that there are already animals like chimps and dolphins which are quite capable of intelligence similar to us that is they are right behind us in brain evolution.

Trivia :

In 1961 astronomer and astrophysicist Dr. Frank Drake devised the Drake equation, which mathematically simplifies the rate of formation of suitable stars, the fraction of those stars which contain planets, the number of Earth-like worlds per planetary system, the fraction of planets where intelligent life develops, and the fraction of possible communicative planets, and the "lifetime" of possible communicative civilizations which scientifically stated there are an estimated 10,000 planets containing intelligent life with the possible capability of communicating with Earth in the Milky Way galaxy.

Answer 4

I believe it, yeah.
I can't understand all the sciency stuff (like an ever expanding universe and wotnot) but I find it hard to believe we're the only ones out there.

Answer 5

i've thought of this before too. There might be many more planets like earth with humans on it just like us. Except they also think that they are the only earth. just like we think we are the only earth.

Answer 6

well the odds are pretty good of there being other life out there but the problem is distance, If per say there is then we will never know it due to that fact, I am almost 80 percent certian there are life forms in the form of plants or microbes but as far as humanoid we will never know,, Merry Christmas,

Answer 7

well agree its totally possible but really doudt we will ever see any of those planets as there so far away . unless we build faster spaceships i don't see how we could ever truly figure out what is out there .

Answer 8

i believe there is life on other planets and they are far
more advanced than we are.
with all of the worlds problems and insecurities i could never
see any goverment telling that to its citizens.
i am sober.

Answer 9

I do believe that there are other living beings out there and they could very well be more intellifent than us.

Answer 10

ı think there is to man . some ware far away . ı even think there is another earth like planet out there because its so big and somthing so big must have produced more them one planet like earth think about it .