Seti

[us.2u]

Doe's anyone believe we will ever find ETI's out-there or will we be alone for-ever? I thought by now at least we would've had some communication of some type; or maybe the distance is just too far? Is SETI still in operation?......

[JohnB]

I'll leave it to "those who know" for the technical side, but for me.

 

No, I don't think we're alone. It's a big Universe with "billion and billions" of stars and planets. If life can evolve here I think it unreasonable to think it can't evolve somewhere else.

 

As to why we haven't heard from them, like I said it's a big Universe.

 

For example, we have only been transmitting radio for about 100 years or so. So only the planets within 100 lightyears even know we are here, the rest haven't got our signals yet. Remember it will take some 50,000 years for our first radio waves to reach the other side of the Galaxy, and even then they'll probably be too faint to pick up.

 

Let's suppose that there is a civilisation 80 lightyears away. They would have picked up our first faint signals about 20 years ago. (That's if they were looking our way in the first place.) Over the course of the next 20 years, (taking us to "now") they would have seen the signals strengthen and said "Qhjkkiekjk jgopikl;jn jkkhjii;l;" (Translation: Cool, there's a planet with a radio over there. We're not alone.) and sent a message to us.

 

If they sent it today, right now, this minute, it would not arrive here for 80 years. It's a big Universe.

 

Read a book called "The Listeners" by James E. Gunn. It's fiction, but gives a good feel of the time scales involved.

 

Or maybe...

"The changes I noted were taking place periodically, and with such a clear suggestion of numbers and order that they were not traceable to any cause then known to me. I was familiar of course with such electrical disturbances as are produced by the sun, Aurora Borealis and earth currents and I was as sure as I could be of any fact that these variations were due to none of these causes....It was some time afterwards when the thought flashed upon my mind that the disturbances I had observed might be due to intelligent control...The feeling is constantly growing on me that I had been the first to hear the greeting of one planet to another...."

 

Nikola Tesla 1900.

[us.2u]

I guess really seeing this is such a vast Universe for another eti life form would be so far away that to all tends & purposes we just as well be alone because if we can-not communicate with other et's lifeforms because they're too far away I presume it's no different than us being alone....

[Jordan14]

I haven't given up hope of ETI and I still have SETI at home running on my desktop, but to tell the truth, I think that SETI themselves have given up their webpage is rubbish and not maintained. I think they need to sort it out.

[Artorius]

who knows wether we have already or not,until major decisions have been discussed and agreed upon .Just what action the earth would choose to follow be assured we the public would be the last to know.

[Jordan14]

Very true Artorius.

[us.2u]

Has anyone really studied the X-files (The geniune ones)? & sorted out unexplained events or is it just hype? I would, & am really interested in close near facts like Rosswell etc.....

or maybe this all is just sheer fantasy blown out of proportion for the sci-fi writers?

[AL]

X-files? You mean the FBI's "Unusual Phenomena Listing?"

http://foia.fbi.gov/unusual.htm

It's not very extensive...but Majestic 12's in it!

[5614]

according to mathematical probabilities there is another life form out there but by the time we communicate with them (remember no data can travel faster than light) the message would be thousands of years old and forgotten by the ETs who sent it, then we send a reply it'd take thousands more years to get there.

 

basically mathematical probability of life form in the whole of the massive universe is that it does exist, just too far to have even a semi-constructive conversation.

[us.2u]

Well I guess the only way we can communicate if eti exists is by thought patterns or astra-planing; I don't know if these are valid sciences or just wishful thinking but it's got me thinking...

[Verusamore]

So when we are sending radio signals out , who do we expect to answer our calls ?

 

Or was it the UFO conspiracy which have people convinced enough to create an such an agency to search for such eti forms supposedly capable of building these advanced technologies .

 

I think the only chance of ever coming close to finding life is though understanding our own planet and solar system .

[JohnB]

We have been broadcasting for 100 years or so. The increase in the number of radio and TV stations worldwide means that we are (possibly?) the second brightest object in the system. Anyone watching from somewhere else would be able to see this increase in radio transmissions and (hopefully) conclude life in our system.

 

Don't forget space is incredibly huge. Even if someone from Alpha Centari was watching us for the last 2,000 years, if they gave up listening to us in 1890, they wouldn't have heard a thing and wouldn't know we are here.

[Ophiolite]

Doe's anyone believe we will ever find ETI's out-there or will we be alone for-ever? I thought by now at least we would've had some communication of some type; or maybe the distance is just too far? Is SETI still in operation?......

I think the answer to this question involves several sub-questions:

 

Is there intelligent life elsewhere?

5614 notes that, “according to mathematical probabilities there is another life form out there but” they are to far away to hold a meaningful dialogue. The truth is we do not know. The Drake equation can lead one to the conclusion that the Universe is teaming with life, or is that we are truly alone, depending upon the values one chooses to assign to the variables. Despite great advances in the last four decades we remain, if we are honestly objective, quite uncertain about any of them.

 

If there is intelligent life could it be reached by signals or physical visits (either probes or persons)?

 

Again, this hinges upon the frequency with which intelligent life arises (and the time it survives). If it is frequent, the odds would favour civilizations within reach of EM transmissions. If it is less common, we may have to wait until we have spread out to the stars. Barring some improbable development of hyper drives or worm hole travel, this will be slow and ponderous. Nevertheless, if we think in terms of millennia rather than decades, and colonization rather than exploration, then the whole galaxy falls within our grasp.

 

Would any intelligent life wish to communicate with us?

Not necessarily. There are several reasons they may wish to avoid us.

 

1. They are much more advanced and are contemptuous of us or indifferent to us.

2. They are afraid of potential enemies.

3. They wish to subjugate us, and so are observing us to gain information.

4. Their instinctual behaviour, transformed to cultural beliefs, make cross species communication undesirable.

 

Would any intelligent life be able to communicate with us?

Again, not necessarily. Wars, religious and racial hatred, rising divorce rates, all point to how hard it is to communicate within a species. Look at our failure, thus far, to establish any real communication with dolphins. They may be more intelligent than apes, with whom we can communicate to a degree, yet with them we draw a blank.

 

My take on these questions is

 

Is there intelligent life elsewhere?

Probably

 

If there is intelligent life could it be reached by signals or physical visits (either probes or persons)?

Possibly

 

Would any intelligent life wish to communicate with us?

Hopefully

 

Would any intelligent life be able to communicate with us?

Eventually

[us.2u]

Basically then Ophiolite it seems our technology maybe too dated for communication with ETI if intelligence out-there maybe more advanced than our own. I like & appreciate the reasons you deliver as to why we've possibly had no contact at all. If there are super-intelligent beings out-there what a mission it would be for them; to be our mentors....

[us.2u]

I wonder if it would ever be possible to transmit signals through a time warp or black hole to get to another plane? I guess if such phenomena doe's exist it could be used to sidetrack time. Time as we know it seems to govern & stand in our way but through black holes where time doe's not exist & we could master what is going on I guess we wouldn't be restricted but may find other restictions in the scientific maths that we don't know about so I guess we're like babies trying to drive a car.

[Guest _KaRtNeSs_]

you are wrong if you think that we are alone because the universe is unlimited, aliens exist thats look the facts

[us.2u]

You are likely to be correct Kartness; but for us all to be sure they're a long time coming, if they ever appear to us, that's presuming they exist at all? & have any desire to communicate with us...

[luc]

I actually have 450 hours of SETI search in my computer, so if somebody discovers an alien I want a portion of it, a nail at least

[us.2u]

Where you have SETI rigged up is that for your benefit or some company like NASA? just being nosey really; mind you I guess you come across some strange phenomenoa at times...us.2u

[jdurg]

I too think it's proposterous to say that we are alone, but I also feel that we are just too far away to make any meaningful communications. I mean, look at how long man has been the dominant species here on earth. During the time it would take for a signal to reach anywhere, that time frame would have long since passed. If we receive a signal from an alien civilization, by the time we get it their planet may have been destroyed. It's frightening how big our Universe is. Every time you look up at the stars at night, you're looking back in time. Much of what you see may not even be there anymore. While I don't think that we are absolutely alone in the Universe, for all intents and purposes I think we are due to the size of the Universe.

 

As for all this Area 51 and X-Files stuff, I'm not really a big believer in it. I just think that if the U.S. Millitary, or any other nation's government for that matter, had some top secret technology or weaponry that they didn't want nosey people to know about, they'd do their best to cover it up. I don't see Area 51 as some secret UFO research place. I think of it as some incredibly top-secret millitary base containing some pretty scary stuff that most people really shouldn't know about. For the government, all this alien talk is great because it's probably distracting people from the real goings on down there.

[Noshi]

Intelligent life existing is likely, communicating with radio transmission is probably unlikely in reasonable time.

 

I can see us developing better space travel technology that would get our job done quicker then these radio transmissions. I see the only way for communicating with another life will involve actual travel, thats why I think sending people to mars/space is important, it helps us develop better technology and engines, which will only make us one step closer.

 

I know in our life time its unlikely to see another life form, but I am sure one day we will, an my guess is we will meet them, we have shown an impressive growth in technology in the last 100 heres, imagine what a 1000 will give us.

 

Theres also one more reason we haven't reached another intelligent life form through communication and haven't heard back form them, although unlikely, what if we are the most advanced. Theres always that possibility, someone has to be first, although with the time its taken for us to become to advance it is likely there are others far past us, but theres always that chance, which would mean we would have little chance of communication unless we initiated all of it.

[us.2u]

I like your post it is good not to mention the real thing...coke