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Impact of finding extra-terrestrial life ?

John

By John
in The Astro Lounge

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John

John

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I found this article on www.space.com interesting:

http://www.space.com/searchforlife/0902190-seti-finding-life-impacts.html

It speculates on the potential impact of an annoucement that indisputable evidence of extra-terrestrial life (relatively) nearby in astronomical terms had been discovered.

While for me personally this would be of huge significance, I suspect that the article is right in predicting that for many the reaction would be "OK - so what ?" - especially if the nature of the alien life forms discovered were lichens, bacteria or similar.

What do you think ?.

John

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The Warthog

The Warthog

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While I wouldn't be saying 'so what?', I would not be surprised or have my entire cosmological viewpoint overturned. I have long taken it as a given that there is life in the universe in places other than Earth. I think I would find it 'interesting.'

Even if we found intelligent life, I would be surprised only in the sense that I don't expect to find it. I am sure it exists, maybe even on our own planet :( , but I think the odds are against us making contact.

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timetraveller

timetraveller

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I think maybe not finding life on other planets would have a much greater impact than finding it. For if Earth was the only place in this entire Universe were life was found, some pretty serious thought provoking questions would need to be asked as to the reasons why and into just how much would we then need to reconsider just how we take care of this one off unique world of ours And even if life were found on other planets its my guess it would still show our planets unique faunas and floral Biodiversity maybe a one off considering that even in our own solar system no two planets are the same regards Pete

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John

John

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I've always liked Arthur C. Clarke's comment; “Sometimes I think we're alone in the universe, and sometimes I think we're not. In either case the idea is quite staggering.”

Yes I like that one as well Ben :(

I would be pleased but not that suprised if some form of life is discovered in the solar system sometime soon. I think I'd be gobsmacked if sentient life forms are discovered anywhere nearby though - though I'd also be slightly relieved.

John

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tinvek

tinvek

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there was another great line in a scifi story that basically said that all terrestials wars and disagreements stopped and world wide unity broke out with the first sign of a hostile contact from another world

so all we need for world peace is a inter world war !!

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acey

acey

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I remember when life on Mars was "announced" in 1996 after supposedly being found in a meteorite. The reaction from media and politicans was "this is awesome" while from the public at large it appeared to be "so what". A bit like the fall of the Berlin Wall, in fact. The sort of thing that really excites public attention is celebrity gossip. The only way that extraterrestrial life would truly affect mass consciousness would be if SETI were to pick up a signal that sounded something like Girls Aloud.

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Ben Ritchie

Ben Ritchie

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I think it'd be the end of religion as we know it ... a truly earth shattering announcement

Unless they have the same ones we do ... that would be a surprise :(

My personal guess is that simple life will turn out to be very common, AIUI the belief is that life on Earth took hold virtually as soon as it could - and possibly more than once, given the relative frequency of massive impacts early on. But they then proceeded to do pretty much nothing for billions of years until complex life took hold. E.g.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_evolution

which would suggest that the leap from simple to complex is harder, and from multicellular to intelligence even harder. So i'd guess that once we can look for, say, molecular oxygen in the atmospheres of Earth-like planets we'll find it, but the LGM are much further away.

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The Warthog

The Warthog

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Life, any life, anywhere in the universe, even if its only moss ?

I think it'd be the end of religion as we know it ... a truly earth shattering announcement

I am not going to start a religious discussion here, but I would not abandon God because I found He had made life in another place.

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calibos

calibos

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It would just mean a new set of questions. Is ET a Christian, Buddhist, Jew, Hindu, Muslim. I can't wait for the almighty scrap between the Scientologists and the Mormons though. Watch the Film Contact for how religion would still try and stick their noses in.

Isn't it strange how I can look up at the universe and contemplate its unfathomable vastness and come to the conclusion that its absurd to think a God created this huge universe and then put his creation in a tiny backwater planet, in a backwater part of a backwater galaxy in a backwater part of the gigantonormous universe....and some one else can look up and feel humbled that God made all this just for them.

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Tim

Tim

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In theory, Philf would be right. Especially for Christendom, Islam, and Judaism.

However, dont you find that most people dont even LOOK at the sky, let alone give a fig about what goes on up there. As the articel mentions, they would rather spend time pursuing banal interests (facebook, soap operas, Big Brother, OK Magazine etc etc blah) than actually THINKING about things that might just matter. What a shame to be more interested in what wedding dress Jordan thinks Kerrie might think looks better on Coleen than it would on Jodie...... :(

Arthur C Clarke's comment sums it up a treat.

I often think that the planet earth, or rather humanity so far have been writing a perfect case history for "How NOT to do it!"

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nitram100

nitram100

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The impact of finding extra terrestrial life wouldn't have nearly the impact that it deserves, sad really. But surely, it will be a nice argument for Atheists. Lifeforms on other planets aren't mentioned in any religious books, are they?

Another nail, hopefully..

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jonbarr87

jonbarr87

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Discovering intelligent life would spur up major interest from scientists. Contact to/from them would bring in more of the "average Joe"..... Visit from them..... Then well I HOPE it turns out like Star Trek... minus the 660 million dead from ww3 and minus a century of Vulcan oversight! lol I do honestly think though that it it will go extreme one way or another.... It will either destroy us or bind us together like nothing that has come before.

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philsail1

philsail1

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The existance of life elsewhere in the Universe is literally one of the mysteries of the Universe. Perhaps it will be found - at sometime far in the future, when man is more able to cope with, and react to, such a momentous discovery.

When one looks back at history and reads about what happened to enlightened men such as Gallileo, Leanardo Da Vinci, and laterley Charles Darwin. They were all persecuted for challenging the beliefs of their times.

If we look at madern science fiction films such as "When the Earth Stood Still" and "E.T." and "Kapak" with Kevin Spacey, we can see that any extra terrestrial visitor to Earth would probably be treated with hostility and incarceration.

Perhaps God has worked things so that we indeed are kep waiting until the time is right.

Until that time comes, somehow we have got to prepare, by somehow changing our ways so that we can put aside our petty differences and belliefs, and learn to co-operate to make this beautiful planet of ours, a place where everyone can live a life in peace and happyness.

Regards,

philsail1

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