The great silence: why haven’t we found any aliens yet?
www.theguardian.com
The long read: Given the size and age of the universe, it should be full of species with technology far more advanced than our own. But so far there is no trace

A long read introduction to the topic - from We Want to Believe: How Aliens Went Mainstream and Why It Matters

“The search for exoplanets is radically expanding our understanding of the cosmos. “We have learned that the universe is teeming with a fascinating variety of planets, more types than we could have imagined,” writes the astrobiologist Lisa Kaltenegger. But so far, it has found exactly as many extraterrestrials as radio astronomy has: zero. The more we learn about the universe, the more acute the Fermi paradox becomes.”

Photo - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enrico_Fermi

  • SreudianFlip@sh.itjust.works
    2·
    7 days ago

    Yes. My point is that the theoretical approach is

    • already sf inspired: cf. warp drives etc.
    • applying our limitations as universal is also a sf ‘plot twist’, as it’s highly unlikely that we understand enough to be conclusive
    • slow travel is just the ‘better canoe paddle’ approach… probably near impossible
    • relativistic speeds are unlikely effective not so much because of on-board problems but because human society is so volatile, as more than a common sf trope
    • and most importantly: separate scientific framework descriptions from dogma, as science is provisional and assumes a better proof is simply waiting for better research; speculation is inspiration and goal-setting

    Sent from my tricorder/communicator combo unit