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/sci/ - Science & Math

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4312834 No.4312834 [Reply] [Original]

It took us 4.6 billion extremely lucky years on earth to reach this point.

The universe is still young at about 14 billion years.

We could very easily be the most intelligent life form to have ever lived.

>> No.4312836

>spoilers
>on a science board
I hope we are not

>> No.4312839

Sources tell me that you're very fucking wrong. Leave and take your hedonistic bullshit with you

>> No.4312855

Sounds legit.

>> No.4312863

>>4312834

>implying luck had anything to do with it, and life in this sector of the galaxy isn't inevitable.

>implying you aren't right about the universe being young.

>implying there isn't a very reasonable chance of more intelligent life in the vast cosmos.


not a bad thread though. good for you bro.

>> No.4312870

exactly how young are we compared to the universes capability to support life?

Has anyone ever tried to find out when the first life was possible? at the beginnings of the universe the necessary elements didn't exist to create life so how many billions of years ago did the elements for life reach high enough concentrations that life could possibly form?

>> No.4312893

>>4312870

i expect the answers here are going to be very vague.


however, because intelligent life seems to be progressing exponentially, I would expect that even a few hundred thousand years could make an immense difference (from our viewpoint)

>> No.4312908

If the dinosaurs never went extinct and allowed more intelligent mammals to evolve, would we still be a bunch of retarded reptiles running around killing each other right now?

>> No.4312910

i know how humans came to be but i'm not gonna post it here because you'll all call me a troll or a retard or a smokeweederray, or 'won't believe until proof' bullshit

>> No.4312920

>>4312910

I'm listening.

>inb4God

>> No.4312929

OP I agree with you. I've been thinking about this, that we're the most advanced species in the universe. Sorta sucks, but it's plausible.

>> No.4312932

>>4312908

possibly yes or possibly no.

While intelligent life has developed from mammals here on earth, there could possibly be intelligent life without the ability to thermoregulate.

On the other hand, our specific intelligence might be limited to high-energy mammals, although I wouldn't like to limit other forms of intelligence simply because we haven't seen it yet.


But most importantly, we are a bunch of retarted non-reptiles running around killing eachother.

we have a long way to go, and are still very similar to our "animal" cousins.

our cognitive modules have many of the same roots.

>> No.4312942

>>4312929

While I think it is certainly possible to be the most "advanced intelligence" in existence...I very much doubt it.


the cosmos is immense, and because there are countless possible places for life (likely), then we have a very small chance of being the first.

>> No.4312950

>>4312929
I say we go to the less intelligent aliens and trade paper clips for their gold. That'll show them.

>> No.4312964

>>4312950

perhaps they have excess gold and a need for steel.

fair trade imo

>> No.4312973

It would actually be pretty cool.

We may be the advanced aliens that visit other planets one day.
We might be the ones who centuries from now pick up primitive radio broadcasts from young civilizations and make contact with them to either be the aliens that exterminate their people, or make peace and have them beg us for technology.

Too bad none of us will live to see the day... mfw

>> No.4312979

>>4312973
japan leads the anal probe expeditions.

UN law passed to protect primitive species from probing. Japan claims its done for science.


Its the whales all over again.

>> No.4312982

>>4312973

nope. we will not see that day.

I personally think that when contact is made, it will be between at least one very advanced race (much more advanced than ourselves)

but hey, i can certainly see it happening. Its just space is so large and we live on such a small scale.

good posts bros

>> No.4312987

>>4312979
Why would anyone ever want to prove the anus of an alien life-form?

You could do that to a prostitute and it's much easier.

>> No.4312996

>>4312987
because japan

>> No.4313018

>>4312987
Are you kidding me?!

I would pay everything I have to probe an aliens ass right now!

Granted probing their ass is definitely not what I would want to do when meeting one... But if you have a choice of never even seeing an alien, or probing one's ass... well.. I think the choice is clear

>> No.4313038

>>4313018
I want to probe an attractive (to humans anyway) primate like aliens ass with my penis.

>> No.4313059

>>4312987
Imagine seeing new life. Wouldnt you want to know what was inside of each of its various holes? Some would be for pooping, yes. But others might be for hearing, breathing, eating, seeing, secreting acids....who knows?

>> No.4313102

>>4312893
>a few hundred thousand

Try a few hundred. Think about how far our technology has progressed in only half a millennium.

Near-instant communication across the entire planet.
Weapons that can destroy entire cities.
The ability to travel thousands of miles in only a few short hours.

The technology of today would have been inconceivable in the 1500s.

Plus, as you say, technology is becoming more advanced at an exponential rate.
How much more advanced will our technology be in 50 years? 100? 1000?

>> No.4313239

>>4313102

was leaving some time for evolution before technology. but assuming a similar set of evolutionary steps at a similar pace, yes, you are right.

>> No.4313340

>>4313239
Didn't think about time for evolution of intelligent species...

>on this note:
If the mass extinction event approx. 65MYA did not happen, do you think intelligence would have developed earlier or later than it did?
What would the dominant species on Earth be like?
Would they perhaps be reptilian?

I think that mammals were incredibly lucky that the mass extinction event happened.

>> No.4313370

The Earth is only .06% water but since it's all on the surface it gives us the false illusion that we're a water world. If half that amount of water fell to the Earth through comets we would have too little water to have made advanced life. If we had double that amount the Earth would be inundated by water over every mountain making technological advances nearly impossible as machinery and technology requires dry land to develop.

The moon is enormous compared to moons of other worlds and exists due to a chance collision of a planet 1/3 the size of the early Earth. Without it's stabilizing effect on the planet advanced life could not have developed because the Earth would swing too wildly on its axis.

The 23 1/2 degree tilt of the Earth is necessary for the seasonal shifts of the Earth which forced early man to adapt to seasonal changes in northern latitudes that spurred technological advances, this is why the more moderate zones of the Earth's cultures failed to advance out of the stone age there was literally no need to do so with plentiful food found in other climates.

The chances of Earth even having life is so amazingly rare that we may never find advanced life anywhere else.

Truly, we are probably alone.

>> No.4313394

>>4312908

i posit that we are not too unlike those very reptiles;

>> No.4313452
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4313452

>>4312908
>>4313340
>dinosaurs
>reptiles
Even though the early dinosaurs were giant lizards, they quickly evolve closer to bird-like creatures, then to birds. If they hadn't disappeared, the world would be dominated by giant birds. Pic related, a T-rex.
And look about crows. They are smart, among the smartest creatures on Earth.

>> No.4313458

>>4313370
If it happened once it could happen again.
I seriously doubt that humanity will ever contact an extraterrestrial intelligent species though.

>> No.4313910

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oY59wZdCDo0

"It will not be we who reach alpha centauri..."

>> No.4314211

>>4313370
i fucking hate faggots like you who define the absolute requirements of life is water and oxygen

same with the mainstream scientists. how retarded are they?

>> No.4314224

>>4312920
inb4 stoned ape theory

>> No.4314244

>>4313370
>this is why the more moderate zones of the Earth's cultures failed to advance out of the stone age there was literally no need to do so with plentiful food found in other climates.

The amazon rainforest was created (most likely accidentally) by man. Early explorations into the amazon rainforest revealed extensive advances in technology/agriculture/culture and so on.
Watch this:
http://www.favupload.com/video/4739/

read this:
http://rainforests.mongabay.com/external/amazon_cities_before_columbus.html

>> No.4314254
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4314254

>>4312979
>>4312996
But what if all the aliens are tentacle monsters?

>> No.4314271

>>4312834
Well in my opinion there is at least one kind of life in our galaxy which is as intelligent as we are.
There are 100 billions of stars in the milky way and i guess the most stars have some plantes. We know now about 2500 plantes and i promiss you that we will know in some years a lot more. The rate we discore plantes is exponential and so is the rate of plantes which are in the habitate zone. I can't imagine we're the only intelligent life in the whole universe. Maybe there's already some kind of very intelligent life looking at us and we don't know about it. Could that be?

>> No.4314272
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4314272

>>4313452
Btw, why do films, documentaries, tv series still depict dinosaurs as lizards without any feathers or bright colours even though we know that this was not probably the case?

>> No.4314278

>>4314272

Because the average individual has an 8th grade education.

>> No.4314293

there is no significant difference between intelligent life and not intelligent life.

>> No.4314295

>>4314293

You mean besides the significant difference of "intelligence?"

>> No.4314296

>>4313370
Those conditions were only necessary for life to develop on earth. There may exist a lot of different conditions which could also create life, maybe even intelligent life. Also there was a thread yesterday about the Fermi paradox, an interesting read which also contains I think all possible theories on intelligent life outside of our planet.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermi_paradox

>> No.4314300
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4314300

>>4314293
Yeah because non-intelligent life, is able to control the the fundamental forces of nature, and understand their connection to it.

>> No.4314303

>>4314300
wtf, no.

>> No.4314308

It's strange OP, when ever I bring this up in a conversation, everyone is always so averse to the idea. Apparently we for some reason have to be stupid and backwards, how could we not be the worst life forms ever derp? I don't understand this ridiculous self hate. Why not see our existence for the thing of beauty which it is?

>> No.4314314
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4314314

>>4314308
I know that feel.

>> No.4314445

dreamer93

>> No.4314787

>>4312834
I'm sad that no one has pointed out the glaringly obvious fallacy stated by the OP yet.
>It took us 4.6 billion extremely lucky years on earth to reach this point.
Nope.psp

>> No.4314801

Considering we as a species are on the brink of being able to create life in test tubes, what is the possibility that we were in fact created by an extraterrestrial species and our progress has been monitored by them since creation?

>> No.4314807

>>4314801
about as probable as the theory that the united states government planned and executed the mass genocide of september 11th 2001

>> No.4314816

>>4314807

It's a fact then.

>> No.4314833

>>4314816
0/10

>> No.4314851

Have anybody in this thread ever read "Solaris" by S. Lem? Just as I thought, then all you retards would realize how pointless this discussion is.

>> No.4314900

>>4314851
No, I haven't.
What's the general gist before I buy/read it?

>> No.4314905

It is extremely unlikely that we are the *first* intelligent species in the entire universe. It is *less* unlikely, but still quite, that we are the first intelligent species in our particular galaxy. It is, however, rather likely that we are the *only* intelligent species currently residing within the nearest several hundred thousand lightyears.

>> No.4314908
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4314908

>>4314900
Just watch the movie instead.

>> No.4314913
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4314913

>>4314905
Those are some interesting, extremely vague references to "probable" numbers of intelligent races you just pulled out of your ass.

>> No.4314914

>>4314900
Mankind dicovered planent, they investigate it, only for the narrator to realize that the notion of intelligent life form is useless outside Earth. It's classical god-tier sci-fi

>> No.4314917
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4314917

>extremely lucky
citation needed

>> No.4314922

>>4314908
Don't. Movies (both) are shit.

>> No.4314937

>>4314913
>Those are some interesting, extremely vague references to "probable" numbers of intelligent races you just pulled out of your ass.

I subscribe to (most of) the "rare earth" hypothesis. (I disagree that a planet requires a large moon to be a viable breeding ground for intelligence; but the rest of the argument is sound.) Said hypothesis posits, based on a variant of the Drake equation, that at any given time there are only about one or two intelligent civilizations living in a given galaxy of about the size and shape of ours.

>> No.4314962
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4314962

>>4314937
Show me that equation and I might consider it.
You're not even stating sources.

That and the fact that the drage equation takes ALOT of liberties and makes a shit ton of assumptions leads me to believe that you are simply talking out of your ass.

>> No.4314970

>>4314962
>Show me that equation and I might consider it.
>You're not even stating sources.

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Rare+earth+hypothesis

>> No.4314979

>>4314970
Thank you.

>> No.4315011

>>4314908
Anyone know where I can get Solaris in english and without having to wait a few years for it to download?

>> No.4315069

I'ts also very well possible that the rule in the entire universe is no life, but only on some weird ass planet with unusual conditions, life emerged as a fluke.

The universe is full of gigantic phenomena which aren't observed by any form of life. We think this is absurd only because we are life. But that's a fluke, as I said.

>> No.4315077

>>4315011
ifile (dot) it/1qnrxd/__Solaris.l_59x310jo9x49x8o.pdf
Here you go, you lazy fuck

>> No.4315116

RIGHT.
There have been several generations of stars, each more long lived than the last, the last one was only around for a few billion years, our's will be around for the next 8 billion. The stars before us may have developed life and it may have been intelligent and reach the stars before their own exploded, however they would have to do all of that in a much shorter space of time. We might be the first to reach the stars. Of course we never will.

>> No.4315241

>>4315077
Fuck you first of all,
and second I was looking for the film not the book, thanks anyway faggot.

>> No.4315563

>>4315241
Oh an also it didn't have a trail so I doubt it was a meteor.
Then again it was twilight and it appeared at about 25-30'ish degrees above the horizon.

>> No.4316810

>that feel when you're the most advance species and are still nowhere near ready to travel to far away galaxies

>> No.4316900

>>4316810
>~34 days before the Reapers arrive.