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Subscribe to RSSWhat would happen if we found out that we are not alone in the universe? Or, on the flip side, what would happen if we decided that we really were alone? Experts provided updated answers to those age-old questions, from a scientific as well as a religious angle, during a Sunday session at the American Association for the Advancement of Science's annual meeting. But one of the most intriguing questions had more of a personal spin: What would you ask E.T. if you had the chance?
First, here's some background:
Questions surrounding the possibility of life beyond Earth might get more serious sometime in the next quarter-century or so. Wesley Traub, chief scientist for NASA's Exoplanet Exploration Program, predicted that by 2030, five Earth-scale planets would be identified among the 100 closest star systems as worthy of being studied for signs of life. He based that prediction on the most recent lineup of candidates from NASA's planet-hunting Kepler probe.
"About a third of all planets are planets that could have life on them," he said — that is, Earth-size worlds or super-Earths.
Looking for alien life
What would scientists look for when it comes to life detection? Traub speculated that future spacecraft could analyze the atmospheres of alien worlds for signs of high oxygen levels and water vapor. Spectral analysis of the light reflected by those planets might even turn up the chemical signature of chlorophyll or other chemicals indicative of life. But it'd be almost impossible to tell whether the alien organisms are one-celled creatures, six-legged dinosaurs or intelligent species. If they're smart enough to communicate with us, the only way we'd know is through well-known means such as radio signals or laser bursts (or maybe orchestrated blasts from a stellar beacon).
Seth Shostak, senior astronomer at the SETI Institute, has said that evidence of alien life — either through such direct contact or through long-distance chemical analysis — could become available in a time frame ranging from 2025 to 2035. And he bet his listeners at Sunday's talk that he'd buy them a cup of coffee if E.T. wasn't found in their lifetime. (Will that bet ever pay off? Think about it: You can't take your Starbucks with you.)
So what would society do if life is detected? At Sunday's talk, science historian Owen Gingerich said the first scientific claims for E.T.'s existence would likely be hotly contested, just as the Mars meteorite microfossils have been for the past 15 years. Even if the findings are confirmed, it would take years for the implications to sink in.
Most of the leaders of the world's religions say extraterrestrial life wouldn't shake their faith. But 16th-century theologian Giordano Bruno was burned at the stake after saying so, and even today some believers say E.T.'s existence would make a "mockery" of Christianity. Like it or not, religious institutions and other pillars of society would have to accept (or deny) a paradigm shift at least as big as the shifts sparked by astronomy and biology.
Misanthropic principle
What if life is not detected? It's pretty hard to prove a negative, but suppose future probes analyze the atmospheres of scores of Earth-size planets ... and find nothing worthy of note. Suppose the search for extraterrestrial intelligence continues for a century ... and no messages are received. Howard Smith, a senior astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, said the evidence already suggests that intelligent life is extremely rare in the universe, and we're the only sentient beings within a 1,250-light-year radius. (Smith chose that figure because it's about as far as humans could possibly travel during a 100-generation round trip at the speed of light.)
"We are probably alone and will have to solve our own problems," he said at Sunday's talk.
Smith calls this the "misanthropic principle." That term plays off the widely cited anthropic principle — the idea that Earth appears to be so suited for life as we know it not necessarily because God made it that way, but simply because we wouldn't be around to see it if it wasn't.
The way Smith sees it, the misanthropic principle is a good thing. The view that we alone are responsible for our zone of the cosmos should make us feel "blessed," and more careful about not spoiling the good thing we've got here.
"The misanthropic principle is joyous," Smith said. "We should rejoice in our good fortune."
Is it depressing or liberating to think that we're truly the best the universe has to offer, at least in this celestial neck of the woods? Feel free to add your comments below.
Oh, and about the question we started out with: What would you ask E.T. if you had the chance? This came up during the question-and-answer session, and one of the suggestions was along the lines of "Dear E.T.: Do you have a religion?" (That led science writer David Despain to quip in a Twitter comment: "Hello, I'm a Jatravartid. Let me share with you the message of the Great Green Arkleseizure's white handkerchief.")
Personally speaking, I'd rather ask: "How did you do it? How did you survive long enough to get to this point of contact?" If E.T. responds by raising its ray gun, I'd probably have the answer I wasn't hoping to get.
But what would you ask?
More about the search for aliens:
- How would alien life change your life?
- What to do if we find alien life
- Calculate the odds of finding E.T.
- Hawking: Aliens may pose risks to Earth
- Still more about the search from msnbc.com
Join the Cosmic Log community by clicking the "like" button on our Facebook page or by following msnbc.com science editor Alan Boyle as b0yle on Twitter. To learn more about Alan Boyle's book on Pluto and the search for planets, check out the website for "The Case for Pluto."
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I'd ask...
Q1. Do you have your green card? (Knowing that I will probably be bitched slapped after such a ridiculous question I would say, fair enough...)
Q2. Can you convince our numb-skull leaders to finally legalize marijuana. (If not then let me grab my stash right quick aaand...)
Q3. Will you take me and anyone else I want with you? (If so theeen...)
Q4. Does your ship have a cd player or at least an AUX Input?
The questions are endlesssssssssss
ME: "Peace?"
THEM : "PEACE???..... NOOO PEACE!"
Can you take me and this really, really, really good telescope out about 48 light years? I want to checkout this grassy knoll in Dallas around 1963...
I would ask a few questions: I did find one comment funny.. what do you eat...all else if fine as long as it is not us..LOL
1. how do you solve gravity in space ships
2. How do you build a space ship to trave great distances
3. How do you control inertia force?
4. Are there others like us?
5. What type of religion do you have?
6. What is your engery source?
7. How long have you known about us?
8. Is there a universial school for new planets to go to? ( basicly bring a planet up to possible unversial rules, kinda like the UN, government or controlling body)
9. What was your primary reason for contacting us?
10. What is your history?
11. Do you have any enemys?
12. Do we have any enemys out in the univers that want us to stay primitive?( none space faring )
13. Where do you come from?
14. Can to share your knowledge
15. Do you have transporter technology and are you willing to share it?
16. Can are people or are our people ready to handle the univers?
17. Do you have the technology to cure medical conditions?
18. How many other civilizations are there out there in the univers?
19. Do you have a biological cure for other world viruses ( so we can travel to other worlds and not have to get sick)
20. Do you have childeren?
21.Do you understand compaition?
22.Do you have family structure?
23. Do you have emotions?
24. What type of space engine do you use? ( Warp, worm hole, hyperspace,ect)
25. Last but not least do you want to harm us?
Of all the places in the universe, why would you come here????
How did you find us?
"They" found us too damn ignorant to even comprehend the most basic scientific facts and so backward in the way we treat others of our species that "they" decided to avoid any contact with us.
How did you find us?
Hello dearest friend, My name is Mister Marumba and I have a large transaction ($500,000,000,000) that I need to transfer to your bank account as our world is in great turmoil. Please send me your bank account numbers ( savings and checking) and your pin numbers so I may send you these funds for safe keeping and that you may draw interest on these accounts for your own rewards. Wishing you well, my dearest friend and with my greatest respect toward you, I am Mister Marumba.
If I came face to face with E.T. I would ask him how he maintains his figure while eating all of those Resse's Pieces.
Ha!!
I'd exchange Art with the aliens. I'll probably beam them some Pink Floyd. Then ask them to send their equivalent of "audio" art. An one for one exchange. Send them Mozart, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Oklahoma even some Metallica (if they let us OHNO FILESHARE... ha ha... cheap shot... old joke). I think art is one of the good ways to learn about each other. Since realistically, the only exchange that will happen for a while is communication. An art exchange program would prove interesting...
As far as "conquering" the earth:
I'm pretty much under the impression if an alien species had the technology to make it to our planet, they will have learned some sort of cooperation. Think about the effort it takes to traverse the stars. Really think about the time, science, and technology. If an alien species can't cooperate, how would they make it?
Strip the planet of resources a la Independence Day? I'd imagine interstellar travel requires some sort of self sustaining system. Why would they need resources from another planet if they invented a self sustaining technology? Why would conflict over resources happen if you can atomize an asteroid and turn it into pizza?
Here to conquer? Enslave humanity? If a race is so warlike, how would they really make it to the interstellar travel point in their evolution? We invented the nuclear bomb before the "warp" drive. Now give atomic power to a species that conquers via military might and you have a recipe for planet wide destruction served with a nice toasty radioactive sauce (that's a spicy!). I'd imagine cooperation is a necessary trait to learn how to get off one's own rock.
Basically if species know how to cooperate, then they probably realize the benefit of using those skills with other intelligent species. If a species really did have a conflict with the citizens of Earth, they'd probably try to use cooperation skills first.
Errata: If a species did learn cooperation skills like "The Borg." It's only safe to assume other aliens used their cooperation skills to create a "Federation of Planets." I'd imagine whole planets being wiped out without aide or attempt at negotiation is about the same chances as a foreign aide worker has at being beheaded. Sure their are those that commit random acts of violence on others, but think about the other billions of plus that don't. For every journalist, foreign aide worker, etc that doesn't come home, there are way more that do.
The most likely scenario: if the Earth will get wiped out, it's our fault for not learning cooperation skills in the first place.
I also don't agree with Stephen Hawking about comparing colonization of the Americas with space travelers. Yeah, the people were jerks and the Native Americans got screwed but interstellar colonization is something completely different. Interstellar travelers would have a much better access to an advanced education system, social structure, cooperation skills, cultural sensitivity training, etc. etc. etc. than Columbus ever had. Sure we can't even begin to understand what goes on in an alien mind but once again they probably needed to learn some sort of cooperative ability to leave their planet in the first place.
finally! someone who thinks things all the way through! completely agree.
btw, steven hawking said that because he thought it would be funny to scare the masses. i can seriously imagine him sitting their with that cynical smirk on his face... :)
Never play poker with man that knows multidimensional physics and a has a mean poker face :)
Take me home, I've seen enough of this planet!
Hey hot stuff..how long has it been since you been reeeally LAID!? Ya know, those weird eyed bitches
you been doin' on Alpha C got nothin' ! Nothin' on US !...
I would ask ET how many other civilizations he/she/it had encountered---judging from some of the inane comments here so far, we BETTER not be one of the foremost ones.
Why do you only abduct hicks with missing teeth?
The comments here all seem to assume either that aliens have already visited us or would be hostile if they did. They're not based even remotely on reality.
An alien civilisation has no possible reason to be here. Just think about it. The Moon is about 1 light-second away. The Sun is about 8 light-minutes away. The next nearest star is about 4 light-YEARS away. Our galaxy is 100,000 light-years across.
The nearest extra-solar star is 100,000,000 times further away than the moon. To give a sense of that kind of scale: if the nearest extra-solar star were on the other side of the world from you, the Moon would be about 1/5th of a millimetre away.
Our galaxy contains about 100,000,000,000 stars.
The earth is a small rock lost in the glare of the Sun - an average sized star on the outer edge of an average galaxy. From a distance of just a few light-years away, the Earth has absolutely nothing remarkably about it to distinguish it from the billions of other planets that are barely detectable next to the their parent stars.
As a species, we really should grow up and realise that we're not the centre of the universe and, if there is other intelligent life out there, it's extremely unlikey to be aware of our existence.
The comments here all seem to assume either that aliens have already visited us or would be hostile if they did. They're not based even remotely on reality.
An alien civilisation has no possible reason to be here. Just think about it. The Moon is about 1 light-second away. The Sun is about 8 light-minutes away. The next nearest star is about 4 light-YEARS away. Our galaxy is 100,000 light-years across.
The nearest extra-solar star is 100,000,000 times further away than the moon. To give a sense of that kind of scale: if the nearest extra-solar star were on the other side of the world from you, the Moon would be about 1/5th of a millimetre away.
Our galaxy contains about 100,000,000,000 stars.
The earth is a small rock lost in the glare of the Sun - an average sized star on the outer edge of an average galaxy. From a distance of just a few light-years away, the Earth has absolutely nothing remarkably about it to distinguish it from the billions of other planets that are barely detectable next to the their parent stars.
As a species, we really should grow up and realise that we're not the centre of the universe and, if there is other intelligent life out there, it's extremely unlikey to be aware of our existence.
I understand your point of view trust me. I have had many,almost like, panic attacks just by looking at the night sky and imagining the full scale of the Universe and how beautiful it is (that's another story). However, I hope beyond anything that we will make contact with others. Imo, they would only come here for either communication with us or to study are planet. I know the distances are unfathomably large, but who knows what type of technology we will have in the next 100-500 yrs.
It has been said there are no original thoughts left. I would ask, in a universe of such incomprehensible size and age, how they managed the feelings of being alone in the universe and the inevitable period of aimlessness our civilization seems to be facing now with no defined direction to our exploration of space. And what problems did they face when they realized for the first time, without a doubt, they were not alone, and most importantly, how did they survive that change?
Dear ETI,
Are you hiring?
Presuming that they were actually willing to entertain questions, I would say something like... "You've probably been observing us for a while. Tell me what you think about us, and then tell me the differences between us and your civilization."
I would like to go up to one, tip my hat and say, "Howdy stranger".
Probably why are they here and to what extent have they discovered this galaxy or know of any other species capable of intergalactic travel, or wether they intend to advance our technology and why they would even be willing to do so, or even if they have interferred with human evolution.
ET would likely be led to the nearest corner bar and his ship be spacejacked, any social integration with humans would not be possible for a very long time.
If anything just a brief hello to earthlings and ET continues along his way. If they're human ET's they better know how to play poker.