[sten]

the question isn’t whether or not there is life elsewhere in the universe. since the universe is so vast, there MUST be life elsewhere.

stepping passed that, we get to the question of how -rare- life really is out there. well... since we’ve found evidence of microbial life on mars... MARS!! ... literally right next door... life goes from epicly rare to slightly above common.

that alone is stunning.

now the real question: how much life is out there that could make the trip to see us.

you see, for that to happen, not only would life have to evolve, it would have to be intelligent enough and lucky enough to make it to space travel. from there, it would have to have the motivation to look around. this significantly cuts down on the number of possibly lifeforms that could stop by...

now the big one: are any of these lifeforms close enough to stop by... and do they exist NOW.

you see, time in the universe is VAST. our existence on the universal timeline is a blip ... and our ability to travel to the stars or even comprehend beings from another planet... is the barest glow on the leading edge of that blip.

to have that sliver of time intersect with the sliver of time from another local, advanced race is VERY low on the probability scale.

BUT... that doesn’t mean we can’t be visited by something generated by their society, thousands or millions of years after that race died out.

and what would that be? would could exist beyond the race that created it?

artificial intelligence.

once a race creates an AI and that AI gets off planet, the odds of it dying drop radically ... since its existence isn’t nearly as fragile as our own.

and such an intelligence, wandering the universe for millions of years, could get lonely, if it has such a concept. it might enjoy passing itself off as human just to interact, as it could definitely assume any form it wishes.

and yes... to us, it would be almost god like

hey, Art Bell’s off the air again... someone has to don the cap-of-tin in the wee hours ;)

[grania]

Would an alien species developed enough to travel through space have the intelligence and skill to create a portrayal that would blend in with a native environment? Since the space travelers have superior intelligence, one suspects so.

Another thought to ponder: are the germs of self destruction imbedded in the existence of all intelligent life? If humans are any indication, once a species reaches a certain level of development, it will self destruct.

(whew....time for that AM cup of coffee)

[ifinnegan]

“since we’ve found evidence of microbial life on mars... “

Completely untrue.

[ShadowAce]

...since the universe is so vast, there MUST be life elsewhere.

The second clause does not logically follow the first.

[Vaquero]

If we find life on Mars or Europa etc, it will be DNA, carbon based life moved via transpermia by asteroid strikes. Only interstellar life will prove life will form everywhere.

[Moonman62]

the question isn’t whether or not there is life elsewhere in the universe. since the universe is so vast, there MUST be life elsewhere.

...

One can also use that logic to say that the set of all odd numbers is so vast that there must be even numbers in it, too.

[Hot Tabasco]

If God created the universe and us in His image then there is no reason why he couldn't have duplicated us on another planet.

And if he did, then they wouldn't be any more advanced than we are so it's going to be a very, very long time before we ever meet each other........if we ever do.

[Lou L]

you see, time in the universe is VAST. our existence on the universal timeline is a blip

It is this vastness you mention that causes me to believe that realistic space travel will be nearly impossible. Because realistic space travel is nearly impossible, I think the chance of us finding life elsewhere is practically zero. The technology hurdle is simply too great.

Physical laws around relativity, time and the speeds required to reach other planets, let alone those planets that are judged to be better suited at supporting life, greatly limit what's possible to explore. I'm a firm believer that the speed of light is the universal speed limit. Unless some new property of physics and nature is discovered, I don't know how one, we can get out and explore; or two, establish or act upon any sort of communications with another life form.

You pose some interesting questions, but there are some mighty big "ifs" as well. So many things would have to come together--evolved, intelligent life, the capability of space travel, and this life form's civilization overlapping ours in terms of their technology.

The ability to replicate intelligence is an interesting one, but I don't have the mental capacity to grasp how one would employ such a thing.