What if we Discovered Alien Life

[Nationstatelandsville]

Calling me uninformed? I am. But humans aren't gods. We're just animals with special brains and kicked the shit out of the rest of nature until she yielded to us. Yield Gaea, yield!

I wasnt calling you uninformed...but science isnt some monolithic orthodoxy as some think it is...it is work in progress...nothing is written in stone.

Humans are indeed animals...but you developing godlike powers...with technology.

Technology isn't a natural process though. We invented it, not genetics.

[Cthag-antil]

I wasnt calling you uninformed...but science isnt some monolithic orthodoxy as some think it is...it is work in progress...nothing is written in stone.

Humans are indeed animals...but you developing godlike powers...with technology.

Technology isn't a natural process though. We invented it, not genetics.

Indeed...but technology is a consequence of your mind...which is a product of your genome.

A phenotypal manifestation...like a Beaver's dam.

[Nationstatelandsville]

Technology isn't a natural process though. We invented it, not genetics.

Indeed...but technology is a consequence of your mind...which is a product of your genome.

And? Are you trying to say humans were destined to invent computers?

[Cthag-antil]

Indeed...but technology is a consequence of your mind...which is a product of your genome.

And? Are you trying to say humans were destined to invent computers?

Well in a blind unconcious sense yes....

[Nationstatelandsville]

And? Are you trying to say humans were destined to invent computers?

Well in a blind unconcious sense yes....

OK... what did that have to do with anything about humans being no different then other animals?

I recently watched a Morgan Freeman special where he interviewed scientists and they theorized life on other planets would be more similar to earth then we believe.

[Cthag-antil]

OK... what did that have to do with anything about humans being no different then other animals?

I do not understand the premise of that statement.

I recently watched a Morgan Freeman special where he interviewed scientists and they theorized life on other planets would be more similar to earth then we believe.

I quite agree...the rules of physics are the same everywhere thus optimal body plans will remain well...optimal...where ever they manifest.

For example alien trees will look much like earth trees because of the underlying physical parameters....ie presenting as much surface area for photosynthesis to the light source as possible...of course there will be variances...no two suns will be identical after all.

[Arkinesia]

lets say SETI picks up a signal and its comfirmed to be from an alien race.
What would the impact be on the world?We have the Star-Trek senerio were
a the world is united and hunger, war, money, dieses, are phased out.Or there is the
War of the Worlds idea were they invade and Destroy the planet.

This could be happening soon since the Kepler Space Telesope has found 1200+ exoplanets in The Habitble Zone
and The Allen Telescope array has Been Turned back on by SETI.

The shit?

Maybe they don't care and just fly on by.

[Cthag-antil]

lets say SETI picks up a signal and its comfirmed to be from an alien race.
What would the impact be on the world?We have the Star-Trek senerio were
a the world is united and hunger, war, money, dieses, are phased out.Or there is the
War of the Worlds idea were they invade and Destroy the planet.

This could be happening soon since the Kepler Space Telesope has found 1200+ exoplanets in The Habitble Zone
and The Allen Telescope array has Been Turned back on by SETI.

The shit?

Maybe they don't care and just fly on by.

Maybe they fly by maybe they land...certainly there is enough empirical evidence to suggest they exist.

Mathematically speaking their existence is a dead cert.

[San Monteriano]

You know there is a bacteria that survives on sulfur. If we transport these bacteria to Io (or whatever the heck that volcanic moon is called), then we would create a new civilization.

That's "playing God"; why the hell would we want to do that?!

[AiliailiA]

For extra boobs, you should put your faith in genetic engineering not faster-than-light travel.

Also, cat-girls. Genetically enhanced cats, not human girls with cat ears. Less legal hassles and also she will eat cat-food.

Also a tale, that's kinda hot, at least it has been to me ever since I saw Beowulf with Angelina Jolie ^^

Everyone should have a tail!

Seating would be more complicated though. And there would probably be stupid dress codes requiring one to cover one's tail, which would make trousers more expensive and also harder to get on and off.

Even so, I want a tail!

[Maroza]

Also a tale, that's kinda hot, at least it has been to me ever since I saw Beowulf with Angelina Jolie ^^

Everyone should have a tail!

Seating would be more complicated though. And there would probably be stupid dress codes requiring one to cover one's tail, which would make trousers more expensive and also harder to get on and off.

Even so, I want a tail!

A girl with a tail would make skirts awkward. She keeps lifting up her tail and guess what is now visible.

[Arkinesia]

The shit?

Maybe they don't care and just fly on by.

Maybe they fly by maybe they land...certainly there is enough empirical evidence to suggest they exist.

Mathematically speaking their existence is a dead cert.

And mathematically speaking the Big Bang is extremely improbable at the very best, didn't stop that from happening.

[Nightkill the Emperor]

I'd go my neighbor's house and laugh in his face.

[Strykla]

Calling me uninformed? I am. But humans aren't gods. We're just animals with special brains and kicked the shit out of the rest of nature until she yielded to us. Yield Gaea, yield!

I wasnt calling you uninformed...but science isnt some monolithic orthodoxy as some think it is...it is work in progress...nothing is written in stone....most scientists bicker with each other in every area you can imagine.

Humans are indeed animals...but you're developing godlike powers...with technology.

Yeah, we developed these powerful technologies. And we worked for them. We worked really hard. So I'd say we earned them.

And I dunno about you, but I'm happy to stay separate from those hairy chimps. I don't much like mammals.

[Avenio]

You know there is a bacteria that survives on sulfur. If we transport these bacteria to Io (or whatever the heck that volcanic moon is called), then we would create a new civilization.

That's "playing God"; why the hell would we want to do that?!

Because we can. It's not like we haven't done it already; there's probably populations of hardy bacteria and other microorganisms living on the outer shell of the International Space Station, maybe even on the surface of the Moon after the automated and manned missions to it. There's definitely organisms that can do both, in either case. Though I don't think Io would be a suitable target; though there's sulfur there, there's also not a lot of long-chain carbon molecules, which sulfur-metabolizing life generally needs.

[Maroza]

Maybe they fly by maybe they land...certainly there is enough empirical evidence to suggest they exist.

Mathematically speaking their existence is a dead cert.

And mathematically speaking the Big Bang is extremely improbable at the very best, didn't stop that from happening.

Very true. The odds of the universe even being a life permitting one is so against us. The universe is so finely tuned that if you altered some things by a hares breath the universe would no longer be a life permitting one. If you altered the atomic weak force by 1 part of 10 to the 100th power the universe would have not permitted a life permitting universe, yet look what happened.

[GSSR]

lets say SETI picks up a signal and its comfirmed to be from an alien race.
What would the impact be on the world?We have the Star-Trek senerio were
a the world is united and hunger, war, money, dieses, are phased out.Or there is the
War of the Worlds idea were they invade and Destroy the planet.

This could be happening soon since the Kepler Space Telesope has found 1200+ exoplanets in The Habitble Zone
and The Allen Telescope array has Been Turned back on by SETI.

What I think would happen?

Prepare the invasion force! The Empire of Earth shall rise!

[Cthag-antil]

Maybe they fly by maybe they land...certainly there is enough empirical evidence to suggest they exist.

Mathematically speaking their existence is a dead cert.

And mathematically speaking the Big Bang is extremely improbable at the very best, didn't stop that from happening.

It is highly improbable that the earth is the sole inhabitated planet in the entire universe of 100 billion plus galaxies...is what I am saying.

I am not sure what you are trying to say....the so called fine tuning you observe is certainly remarkable if this universe is the only one in all of reality...in other words in an infinite reality of countless universes you may expect to find one like ours where the laws of physics permit complexity to the degree of what you might call life.

[Cthag-antil]

I wasnt calling you uninformed...but science isnt some monolithic orthodoxy as some think it is...it is work in progress...nothing is written in stone....most scientists bicker with each other in every area you can imagine.

Humans are indeed animals...but you're developing godlike powers...with technology.

Yeah, we developed these powerful technologies. And we worked for them. We worked really hard. So I'd say we earned them.

And I dunno about you, but I'm happy to stay separate from those hairy chimps. I don't much like mammals.

I am happy to be what I am and do not delude myself with egocentric pretentions of grandeur....I am a tiny crawling thing upon the face of a planet...a mammal, a hominid primate.

[Sociobiology]

And mathematically speaking the Big Bang is extremely improbable at the very best, didn't stop that from happening.

Very true. The odds of the universe even being a life permitting one is so against us. The universe is so finely tuned that if you altered some things by a hares breath the universe would no longer be a life permitting one. If you altered the atomic weak force by 1 part of 10 to the 100th power the universe would have not permitted a life permitting universe, yet look what happened.

no
http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/23377/

, no
http://arxiv.org/abs/0904.1807

and lastly, no.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retrospective_determinism

[Maroza]

Very true. The odds of the universe even being a life permitting one is so against us. The universe is so finely tuned that if you altered some things by a hares breath the universe would no longer be a life permitting one. If you altered the atomic weak force by 1 part of 10 to the 100th power the universe would have not permitted a life permitting universe, yet look what happened.

and lastly, no.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retrospective_determinism

what the hell does this have to do with anything?

[Lessnt]

We'd eat them. All of them. Their children... all eaten too.

Because they are gonna taste like chicken+ cocaine.

[Sociobiology]

and lastly, no.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retrospective_determinism

what the hell does this have to do with anything?

the universe is like X, therefor the universe must be like X
this is the fallacy of retrospective determinism.

[Nightkill the Emperor]

[Sparexilia]

this is interesting...
well since aliens (as they say "watch us") they would just come peacefully...or we get blown away and they take over and hold the rest captives to do their work...

My thinking:
i believe...but i don't think they will ever came to our planet...