Intelligent life beyond Earth might not be as dim a hope as many scientists think, according to a new study challenging a widely held anti-ET argument.
Many skeptics tout an idea called the anthropic argument that claims extraterrestrial intelligence must be very rare because the time it takes for intelligent life to evolve is, on the average, much longer than the portion of a star’s existence that is conducive to such life.
But now astrobiologist Milan M. Cirkovic and colleagues say they’ve found a flaw in that reasoning.
The anthropic argument, proposed by astrophysicist Brandon Carter in 1983, following on his pioneering work on anthropic principles in 1970s, is built on the assumption that the two timescales – the lifecycle of a star and the time required for evolution of living and intelligent creatures – are completely independent. If this is true, Carter argued, it’s extremely unlikely that these two windows of possibility would last roughly the same amount of time, and would occur at the same time.
But that mode of thinking is outdated, Cirkovic claims. In fact, he says the relevant timescales are not independent; they are deeply entwined.
[...]
“The speed of evolution is very variable,” Cirkovic said. “There is no reason to think that life on Earth has only one single origin. It is quite possible that there were several beginnings of life on Earth.”Cirkovic also notes that the evolution of intelligent life could occur slower or faster in different settings, and need not follow the astrobiological history of the Milky Way.
This provides more ammunition against the anti-evolutionists.
Stoopid hoomans!
I’ve never understood how finding intelligent life elsewhere in the universe would change anything at all.
We can already “imagine it” so all philosophical issues are already live.
Trade and exchange of ideas?==Impossible due to distance.
Fantasy should not control our politics and Fantasy should not control our sense of reality. That said, yes, it will be a great day.
“This provides more ammunition against the anti-evolutionists.”
Oh really? More scientific evolution intelligent life babble? I feel no more threatened by this “NEW” news, as I do any of the other attempts to dis-regard the Bible. That’s really what this is, more “news” to help the evolution hopefuls dis-credit the Bible. If only you would take the time to study God’s word, but, man will always want to live by his terms.
#3–highgawkker==except for the notion that the bibble has any credit at all, I agree with everything you posted from the opposite side of the fence. Amusing.
As stated, all philosophical issues are already live. The bibble for example doesn’t say gawd created life ONLY on earth. Anything interpreted that way is the DEVIL speaking and you should turn away.
Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, good in the universe is from gawd, and everything bad is us, and any filthy aliens, not believing enough.
3 Higghawker
The Bible is just a particular edition of historic tales, fables and parables. Great for children (Someone is watching! be good) and the ignorant.
Proof is in the pudding… I’ll wait.
Bobbo has a point. God didn’t say directly He did or didn’t create life elsewhere. Though if He had I would also assume He came and died for them too.
bobbo,
Finding intelligent who use technology would be a massive game changer. Two reasons from the top of my head (old sci-fi ideas):
1) Von-neumann self-replicating machines would make time and distance irrelevant. Could be programmed to merely harvest all resources in our solar system, or to exterminate intelligent life.
2) Spaceships that can reach relativistic speeds. This would be a planet killer. Impossible to stop, because once we spotted it, it would not be there anymore. We also would have no way of knowing if the ship would decelerate before it was to late.
Why would any intelligent species attempt to wipe out humanity? Completion for resources or to prevent us from wiping them out.
We can’t get along with life that exists here. Why on earth would we hope to contact other lifeforms who might not be so inclined to put up with our nonsense?
I do not believe in extraterrestrial aliens. If someday we send probes or spaceships to the alien worlds or if the aliens visit earth, then I will change my mind. Alien life is just a theory, not a fact.
#6 “Though if He had I would also assume He came and died for them too.”
No, Christ’s death in Jerusalem on Earth would be sufficient to cover any hypothetical alien’s sin as well as humanity. I am also assuming that Adam and Eve eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil would also doom all the aliens and life on their planets to death like it doomed the animals to death here on earth. According to the Bible, there was no death until the fruit was eaten.
That is just a guess, since we don’t have the alien’s religious teachings and our Bible does not say if we should teach the aliens the Gospel or not. All this is discussion of whether or not we should apply our religious teachings to aliens moot until we actually discover the aliens if they even in fact exist. So far I am guessing no on the existence of aliens, but I am open minded since it doesn’t say in the Bible whether or not space aliens exist.
The Biblical discussions of aliens refer to foreign human beings, not space creatures.
Anti-evolutionists will never let facts get in the way of their arguments.
#9 You’re right, of course. I was imprecise in my speech. Yes, given that any other life exists in the universe Christs Death would be sufficient for their sins (I am a Calvanist after all.
)
I was thinking of it in those terms, though I did not express it.
#10 Sorry this isn’t a materialist argument any more (was it ever?)
I’m not sure there is intelligent life ANYPLACE. If a highly intelligent race visited earth, would they think we are all that intelligent?
1) Intelligent Design and evolution coexist.
2) Countless religions believe that there are an underlying set of conditions / laws of nature / intelligence that permit evolution to occur.
3) Those that take the Bible literally are proof that Intelligent life on Earth is difficult to find.
# 3 Higghawker said, on August 17th, 2009 at 6:40 am
“This provides more ammunition against the anti-evolutionists.”
Oh really? More scientific evolution intelligent life babble? I feel no more threatened by this “NEW” news, as I do any of the other attempts to dis-regard the Bible. That’s really what this is, more “news” to help the evolution hopefuls dis-credit the Bible. If only you would take the time to study God’s word, but, man will always want to live by his terms.
#5 – Excellent points!
Can’t wait to hear from our very own non-statist, anti-loon, Alfred1.
C’mon Alfie, you seldom fail to amuse us on these topics.
Maybe a few quotes for a change?
The Fermi paradox is a big stumbling block.
So Cirkovic made evolution possible again by stating without evidence that evolution is variable. The Secular Humanist faith once again might not be quite impossible. Wait until we show how evolution can’t be hastened without destroying the very life it depends upon. The Secular Humanists will once again desperately run around trying to find someone who will say that their faith is possible.
Meanwhile us Christians will stand on the historical evidence of Jesus, doing good and blessing others.
#5 I am amused by your “Someone is watching! Be Good” swipe.
Didn’t you behave when your parents were around?
I didn’t know that there was intelligent life on Earth, let alone the possibility of it being somewhere else.
Come on, many people on Earth believe in a talking snake. How intelligent is that?
Where are the aliens?
A radio telescope the size of Arecibo should be big enough to communicate with a similar dish anywhere in out galaxy.
With all the SETI work not a blip!
None if them transmit any radio? None are so advanced they can’t move stars around , build
Dyson spheres ,”ringworlds” or anything obvious?
I for one believe that there are other trans-dimensional beings that live in places called heaven and hell, ruled by an almighty man (with a beard) or a red guy with horns and a pointy tail, and that those trans-dimensional beings have battled amongst themselves, and that the ruler guy with a beard created a ‘mini-me’ of himself and sent him to live amongst humans, but then had him tortured and killed, to warn us that there will be another battle between trans-dimensional beings, where they will fight for control the trans-dimensional creature that we carry within ourselves, and that if our material vessels do not obey the commands of the head-honcho guy with the beard, our own internal trans-dimensional entities will be tortured for all eternity. If I pick the ‘right’ side, I get to hang out for all eternity with my beloved wife next to me (although we won’t have sex… no change there) and we get to marvel for all eternity about how great the guy with the beard really is.