questions on the search for intelligent alien life...

[awriter]

Hey all,

 

I have interest in this topic and I was hoping if the people at this forum could answer some questions. I have done some research online, but there is a lot of information so I may have missed the answers to my following questions:

 

I guess the biggest question I have is what would be the most likely way we would intercept signals from another intelligent lifeform? Would it be with a radio telescope? would SETI be picking up on the broadcasts from alien television stations? how would this work?

 

And if "Alien radio" is being broadcasted into space (like we are doing), how hard is it for SETI to pick up on it?

 

How much of the sky and different frequencies/wavelengths has SETI scanned so far?

 

And also, is it one day possible to have the whole sky monitored at every frequency so that it can be proven if there are signals from space?

 

I saw Contact, but I rather not use hollywood as a resource for scientific information... (it was a good movie though)

 

Thank you for your time,

[ecoli]

wikipedia to the rescue: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SETI

[sunspot]

Maybe we can do it the opposite way because it might be cheaper. Why not broadcast the world's most powerful signal into space via an orbitting satallite that moves in all directions around the earth. If the aliens are more advanced than us, they may have the technology to find us. On the other hand, that may make us look like a wounded animal, causing all the alien raiders to come here for fun and profit.

[alt_f13]

I saw Contact' date=' but I rather not use hollywood as a resource for scientific information... (it was a good movie though)

[/quote']

 

Haha. Good idea; Contact was full of $#!7!

 

It was enjoyable though. :aliensaresweet:

 

I think we will begin serious study on a planet hosting life long before SETI picks up any ET radio signals, merely because we can see so much farther than radio signals of a society even millenia more advanced than us will have travelled.

 

ie We might be able to see a planet in a time long before it ever developed radio or space-faring technology.

[[Tycho?]]

Maybe we can do it the opposite way because it might be cheaper. Why not broadcast the world's most powerful signal into space via an orbitting satallite that moves in all directions around the earth. If the aliens are more advanced than us, they may have the technology to find us. On the other hand, that may make us look like a wounded animal, causing all the alien raiders to come here for fun and profit.

 

Well it would take a long time for our signals to reach anywhere. Then it assumes that the aliens would be able to reach us, and considering how big space is that isn't too likely.

 

If we detect signals, at least we would know.

 

Although actually this idea has been proposed various times. I think its futile, and I'm also not keen on giving away earths location to an alien race of questionable intent. If the aliens are anything like humans then I definately dont want them to know where we are.

[alt_f13]

Independance Day anyone?

[SkepticLance]

About two thirds of our galaxy has already been roughly scanned for alien radio signals with no success. There are two possible reasons why.

 

1. Aliens do not use radio. In fact, people are soon to start scanning for laser light signals on the chance that this is how aliens communicate.

 

2. There are very few aliens (or none in our galaxy). This is also very possible. It is theoretically possible for a starship to travel between stars at up to 20% of the speed of light, according to NASA scientists. If an alien civilisation does this, it would take them no more than 10 million years to totally colonise our galaxy. This is a tiny fraction of the age of the galaxy, so we have to ask why it has not already happened. The easiest answer is that aliens are non existent or very rare in the Milky Way.

[Cloud]

1. Aliens do not use radio.

 

I support that. I don't have any justification. I just support that.

 

Aliens could probably communicate with their minds.

(I like to call it m-waves - or you can just call it telepathy).

 

IF aliens evolved - they must have evolved with better abilities than humans.

If they evolved in a hostile environment etc or a place with no atmosphere (e.g. they can't hear themselves).

[daneeka]

Yeah the whole SETI thing is a little fuzzy; has anyone actually looked at the Drake Equation?

 

It's kinda sad really..looks like some sort of relic from 60's pseudoscience. Aliens are cool though so best of luck to them.

[Sisyphus]

I support that. I don't have any justification. I just support that.

 

Aliens could probably communicate with their minds.

(I like to call it m-waves - or you can just call it telepathy).

 

IF aliens evolved - they must have evolved with better abilities than humans.

If they evolved in a hostile environment etc or a place with no atmosphere (e.g. they can't hear themselves).

 

What the **** are you talking about?

[Cloud]

What the **** are you talking about?

 

I'm talking about **** , you ********* ***.

[AzurePhoenix]

Aliens could probably communicate with their minds.

(I like to call it m-waves - or you can just call it telepathy).

The chance to develop any form of communication will be very strongly varied across countless living worlds' date=' and it is no more likely for it to devlop elsewhere than here (assuming telepathy is even possible, or more likely, something reminiscent of it but in a less "psychic" way). I definately wouldn't say telepathy is "likely" in any scenario, especially that we don't even known if it exists.

 

IF aliens evolved - they must have evolved with better abilities than humans.

If they evolved in a hostile environment etc or a place with no atmosphere (e.g. they can't hear themselves).

There's no reason to assume anything else would evolve better than us. Some species will have, but tohers won't, some will be better in some areas and deficient in others. Also take into account that a hostile environment for us is the environment a possible alien may have evolved in, and that our environment and world might be just as hostile to them as theirs is to us.

[Cloud]

There's no reason to assume anything else would evolve better than us. Some species will have' date=' but tohers won't, some will be better in some areas and deficient in others. Also take into account that a hostile environment for us is the environment a possible alien may have evolved in, and that our environment and world might be just as hostile to them as theirs is to us.[/quote']

 

easily diverted by stereotype (me)

 

but

 

I stand by telepathy. Humans haven't developed telepathy because not many have tried. They are used to talking. Some E.T. out there may not have a vocalbox to vibrate in order to speak. It has to rely on making sounds by hitting something etc. However, this doesnt work because apparently they can't hear. So they keep on using their brain.

 

There are a lot of givens - but after a long while once it is used cover and over some signal must be received. Humans have achieved some kind of psychic communication by training and trying.

 

I know this isn't strict scientific but it makes some sense. Am I correct?

[AzurePhoenix]

Some E.T. out there may not have a vocalbox to vibrate in order to speak. It has to rely on making sounds by hitting something etc. However' date=' this doesnt work because apparently they can't hear. So they keep on using their brain.

 

There are a lot of givens - but after a long while once it is used cover and over some signal must be received. Humans have achieved some kind of psychic communication by training and trying.

 

I know this isn't strict scientific but it makes some sense. Am I correct?[/quote'] It's possible, but it doesn't hold to reason that it would be likely or an any more common form of communication than the more familiar types we see on earth (under the assumption that telepathy can develop in the first place), and that is my main point of responding.

 

But as nature shows here, other forms of communication do exist as well that can take the place of audio-ocmmunication, and in the confines of space many, many more could develop as well. Look at pheremones as communication, various forms of body language, electrical discharge, photo-communication like the kind fireflies or deep-sea critters use, etc etc etc.

[The Peon]

I think telephathy is hocus pocus. How can the mind manipulate the physical environment around it? For every action a reaction exists, and I don't see how a simple thought could do anything close to telepathy, levitation, etc.

 

A more realistic scenario would be aliens using a form of body language or movements to communicate if they never developed a way of manipulating and recieving sound waves, which are proven to exist unlike some brain wave. Hell, I would even believe in a form of light pulses that are used as communication, which are recieved and interpreted by the other alien before some brain wave type communication. We as organisms use the environment to our advantage and manipulate laws and physical things that allready exist. We don't create new physics, or "brain waves."

[Cloud]

"brain waves."

m-waves, M-WAVES.

 

How can the mind manipulate the physical environment around it?

 

Another 'dumb' human response(no directed offense). We don't fully understand how the mind works. We have no means to detect m-waves (e.g. GM tube for radiation) Who's to say they don't exist.

 

For every action a reaction exists, and I don't see how a simple thought could do anything close to telepathy, levitation, etc.

 

The action of thinking. Isn't this an action - which results in an electrical impulse).

 

 

allready exist[/i']. We don't create new physics

 

M-waves would have to be physical. Yes.

It probably would have to be a new type of wave (besides the 2 in definition now)

We don't really know all there is to know about physics.

Its not about "creation" of physics? Its more about discovering i.e. Einstein discovered x. Newton discovered y.

 

If anyone "created"(use term loosely) physics it would be Newton with his laws and then people built on this over time abiding by the physical rules of each others discoveries.

 

So its just a matter of discovering m-waves (as a type of wave which carries an instruction)

 

So the idea can't be ruled out.

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I don't want to piss anyone off.

This is a speculation forum and I'm supporting the idea of telepathy.That's all.

I'm no genius(as is made clear from my posts)

[The Peon]

m-waves' date=' M-WAVES.

 

 

 

Another 'dumb' human response(no directed offense). We don't fully understand how the mind works. We have no means to detect m-waves (e.g. GM tube for radiation) Who's to say they don't exist.

 

 

 

The action of thinking. Isn't this an action - which results in an electrical impulse).

 

 

 

 

M-waves would have to be physical. Yes.

It probably would have to be a new type of wave (besides the 2 in definition now)

We don't really know all there is to know about physics.

Its not about "creation" of physics? Its more about discovering i.e. Einstein discovered x. Newton discovered y.

 

If anyone "created"(use term loosely) physics it would be Newton with his laws and then people built on this over time abiding by the physical rules of each others discoveries.

 

So its just a matter of discovering m-waves (as a type of wave which carries an instruction)

 

So the idea can't be ruled out.

_____________________________________________________________

 

I don't want to piss anyone off.

This is a speculation forum and I'm supporting the idea of telepathy.That's all.

I'm no genius(as is made clear from my posts)[/quote']

 

You can't be a genius insulting me. And yes I took it as directed at me, who else was it directed at? It's craphole remarks like those that make me wish the internet was not so anonymous.

 

M-waves, brain waves, whatever. It's all the same psychobabble BS. We can detect nutrinos, microwaves, hell we can even detect the background radiation from the bigbang but we can't detect some type of emission from our own bodys? It's my personal opinion that anyone who believes in these sort of things are crackpots.

[JohnB]

Peon, I've sometimes wondered if "Telepathy" may be possible within the existing laws. (Not at any great distance though.)

 

Since thought causes measurable electrical changes in the brain, it should also cause corresponding changes to the brain's EM field. The changes would be very slight of course. It is not beyond possibility that an alien race could develop a section of their brain that is sensitive to these changes. From that telepathy could develop. No magic, just a straight interpretation of changes in the other person's EM field.

If an alien civilisation does this, it would take them no more than 10 million years to totally colonise our galaxy.

That's assuming that they want to colonise the galaxy. Can you show a good reason to apply human psychology and drives to a totally alien mind?

About two thirds of our galaxy has already been roughly scanned for alien radio signals with no success.

So? That means the most recent signals from the other side of the galaxy are some 80,000 years old. Earth's radio signals from 80,000 years ago would tell you exactly what about the present level of Earth's technology? Hell, any planet more than 100 LY away wouldn't have picked up anything from us yet.

 

You also forgot the third option. Maybe the signals were missed in the "rough" scan and would be picked up by a more in depth scan.

[Cloud]

makes me wish the internet was not so anonymous.

Says "The Peon"

 

And yes I took it as directed at me, who else was it directed at?

 

It was directed at the human race but I wouldn't expect such a person of anger and insult to figure that out.

 

Since you can't even respect my opinion:

 

It's my personal opinion that anyone who believes in these sort of things are crackpots.

 

bullcrap

 

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