We Are Not Alone In Universe, NASA Scientists Say

The Huffington Post ^ | July 15, 2014 | Sara Gates

[John W]

It's highly unlikely we're alone in the universe, NASA experts are saying, and we may be close to finding alien life. In fact, it may happen in the next two decades.

NASA held a panel discussion at the agency's Washington headquarters on Monday, where space experts talked about the search for Earth-like planets that host life. Based on recent advancements in space telescope technology, scientists estimated that in the coming decades we'll confirm suspicions that we're not alone.

"I think in the next 20 years we will find out we are not alone in the universe," NASA astronomer Kevin Hand said in footage filmed at the discussion and posted on YouTube.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden echoed Hand's sentiment.

"It's highly improbable in the limitless vastness of the universe that we humans stand alone," he said.

[battlecry]

Big Brother.

[cripplecreek]

I don’t doubt that’ there’s life in the universe but I’m not interested in intelligent life. We need life we can eat.

[Sacajaweau]

They’ve been saying that for a thousand years but there is still not even an inkling.....only another scientific “guess”....by the grant seeking folks.

[BCW]

NASA isn’t suppose to be paying attention to the universe...they should have been building relationships with the Moslems — maybe if they had - we wouldn’t have ISIS running all over Iraq right now...

okay - I can’t write that with a serious face — yes I’m laughing and being MASSIVELY sarcastic!

[DaveA37]

“.......I’m not interested in intelligent life....”

The way things are going here in the U.S., you don’t have much to worry about.

[alloysteel]

So, now what? How would we contact these alien life forms, and are we even sure we should?

Of course, without speculation about how and why we may make such contact, about two-thirds of all science fiction stories would not exist.

People once speculated that the earth was flat, or worse, it was the INSIDE of a huge sphere, and the disappearance of a ship over the horizon was an optical illusion explained by the lens effect of the atmosphere. In such a closed universe, how could there be alien life forms?

[muir_redwoods]

I don’t understand how NASA thinks this is news. There’s not a shred of information in this that couldn’t have been said, with the same confidence, in 1950

[Maceman]

"Pray that there's intelligent life somewhere out in space
'cause there's bugger all down here on Earth."
--Monty Python, The Galaxy Song

[Iron Munro]

In fact, it may happen in the next two decades>

Or... It may not.

[exDemMom]

As a scientific curiosity, there most likely is other life, and it would be interesting to find evidence of it.

In reality, we will never get beyond that. The limits of the speed of light makes going to observe life on another planet almost impossible. Even if life is found on a planet orbiting the nearest star, few people would be willing to go there because of the length of time such a journey would take. Preparing for such a journey would be prohibitively expensive, as well. If intelligent life that can communicate by radio is found, we may be able to exchange messages—but how will we reach understanding of them?

[12th_Monkey]

None here, might as well look someplace else.

[wastedyears]

With a billion stars and many more billions of planets in the galaxy...

you don’t say, NASA. You don’t say.

[oh8eleven]

"I think in the next 20 years we will find out we are not alone in the universe,"
I thought we were all going to die in the next few years due to (pick one) globull warming - globull cooling - climate change?
No one will be left on earth to answer the phone.

[IncPen]

This from a crowd that promotes Al Gore’s religion.

The only possible reason they could be saying this is that the smell a funding stream.

[sten]

be careful what you wish for... as the only thing this blue marble has that is relatively unique in space is...

meat

lots and lots of meat

on two legs

[CincyRichieRich]

I concur, God is with us. Yahweh.

[wastedyears]

I love when people bring up the “speed of light.”

We’ve been going to space for about 50 years now. There’s alien races that probably have been going to space for as long as we’ve been around as a species. Who knows what kind of propulsion systems they have? It has to be much better than using chemical rockets to break free of atmosphere.

I’d guess aliens don’t consider us worth the effort to contact because we’re so primitive.

[theBuckwheat]

I notice the absolute statement in the headline is qualified right away at the start of the article.

What if we are alone, at least as physical beings? What does this mean for people who believe that life spontaneously appeared and then evolved to where humanity is today? Their supposition about the origin of life itself implies that it must also have taken place elsewhere. Thus this quest to find other life is a quest for validation of their existential issue.

So, even as they vigorously deny that God exists, these people grasp at anything that can prove there is no Creator or Master Designer in the universe. These people will join their peers and colleges in the grave. See Psalm 49.

[cripplecreek]

Actually that’s one of the big reasons I’m not interested in intelligent life.

All of the elements, metals, chemicals, air, water etc that are found on earth are found in abundance all across the universe. The only thing that has so far proven itself to be rare is biological proteins. If they were interested in any other thing they would likely find it in their own neighborhood.