/sci/ - Science & Math

Right now we can only answer that question with statistics and, furthermore, our statistical sources are incomplete. For example, we don't yet know the statistical probability of abiogenesis (life from non-life) occurring. Additionally, we don't yet know the ratio of stars with planets that could harbor life as we know it. In spite of all this, you can still make very conservative guesses to the probabilities and still come up with a resounding "yes"; even if Earth-like planets only occur around one in a million stars and even if life only occurs on one in a million Earth-like planets, the probability of life out there is still statistically almost certain. But our best guesses for these probabilities are nowhere near so bleak. The Kepler planet-finding telescope has pretty much shown us that planets are very, very common and most biologists that have studied abiogenesis agree that the natural synthesis of the chemical components necessary for life is common on Earth-like planets.

A much harder question to answer is whether there are other technological species out there. Earth's history suggests that, while life itself may be common, evolving very complex forms of life is a game of chance where the odds seem to be stacked against you. Since evolution occurs over such long timescales, there is much opportunity for extinction events, like planetary (supervolcanos and ice ages) and astronomical events(asteroids, supernovas, gamma ray bursts), to constantly reset the progress that evolution has made. This suggests that more complex forms of life, like technological species, will be much more rare than life itself.

Continued...

Betrayed future general

2011

The only hightech in my home is my ipod touch 4

>Betrayed future general?

;_;