ETs May Be Much Closer To Us Than We Ever Before Thought

[BAMAPHIN 22]

If ET phones home today, his long distance charge might not be as much as people believed when Steven Spielberg's classic film came out three decades ago.

That's because recent data from NASA's Kepler space telescope suggests that billions of Earth-like planets are much closer than ever before imagined.

"The information we presented today will excite the general public because we now know that the nearest potentially Earth-like world is likely within 13 light years of the sun," astronomer Courtney Dressing said in an email to The Huffington Post.
"Astronomically speaking, 13 light years is practically next door."

While we don't know if intelligent life exists on any of these planets, it raises the chances of that possibility.

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[NY8123]

We really don't "know" that much about anything to be honest. Humanity likes to think is does but we don't.

[SkapePhin]

I am personally of the belief that most species that develop sapience ultimately destroy themselves long before they are capable of interstellar travel. Either that, or they would have reached the Technological Singularity. If they had reached the Singularity, we probably wouldn't be here, unless we are the product of those advanced AIs and we are either a simulation or are allowed to persist for some purpose we cannot discern.

For this reason, I don't believe humans will ever encounter advanced species such as ourselves. Those intelligennt species in those "goldilocks zones" have either died out long ago, or will not arise for millions of years, long after we ourselves will have become extinct.

And if they are there, we can't reach them, and they can't reach us. Time is relative anyway, so if we ever did develop a means to reach them, they might have died out by the time we reach them

[DefensiveEnd76]

You can't tell me that earth is the only planet with life on it. No way. There is life out there somewhere else in the universe.

[Bumpus]

Do you wanna live forever?!?

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Personally, I can't wait for the interstellar war. I'm gonna kill me some aliens.
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[FinsNCanes]

We really don't "know" that much about anything to be honest. Humanity likes to think is does but we don't.

I agree. It seems what these scientist all "know" at the current time 20 years down the road ends up being completely false lol. How about we figure out everything we need to know about our planet first, or..I don't know..the ****ing ocean maybe?

[Mike13]

You can't tell me that earth is the only planet with life on it. No way. There is life out there somewhere else in the universe.

And if there are we will never find them.

[Perfect23]

Me personally I believe they were here a long long time ago and have no intrest in returning!

[Harry_Bagpipe]

I am personally of the belief that most species that develop sapience ultimately destroy themselves long before they are capable of interstellar travel. Either that, or they would have reached the Technological Singularity. If they had reached the Singularity, we probably wouldn't be here, unless we are the product of those advanced AIs and we are either a simulation or are allowed to persist for some purpose we cannot discern.

For this reason, I don't believe humans will ever encounter advanced species such as ourselves. Those intelligennt species in those "goldilocks zones" have either died out long ago, or will not arise for millions of years, long after we ourselves will have become extinct.

And if they are there, we can't reach them, and they can't reach us. Time is relative anyway, so if we ever did develop a means to reach them, they might have died out by the time we reach them

thats an extremely arrogant thought process. And when I say extremely arrogant I mean it to a much much higher degree. One thats quite frankly laughable

[SkapePhin]

thats an extremely arrogant thought process. And when I say extremely arrogant I mean it to a much much higher degree. One thats quite frankly laughable

Really? explain yourself...

We are well on our way to destroying ourselves currently. On its current path, Earth will not be habitable by humans in a few hundred years, if not sooner. Not to mention some other man-made thing could put us on the path to extinction even before that, be it bioterrorism or nuclear war.

Then there are the more fantastical scenarios such as creating an AI that has no need for humans that wipes us out either accidentally (by say sucking all the air out of the atmosphere or even the "grey goo" scenario) or out of some protective mechanism.

That is not even to say all the uncontrollable natural events that could take us out before we are capable of interstellar travel, such as massive asteroid impact or Yellowstone blowing up.

So, if we humans, as the only sapient species we are currently aware of, exist in such a perilous manner, what are the odds that another such species exists in our same area code, during the same overlapping time period, and also having survived all the numerous landmines that come with existence, not to mention civilization, would also be capable of interstellar travel and have the resources necessary to ever reach us?

That probability is astoundingly remote.