Do you think aliens exist?

[BitBuster]

With any luck, we wouldn't be visited by George Bush-like extraterrestrials.

[AdrenalinDragon]

With any luck, we wouldn't be visited by George Bush-like extraterrestrials.

Yes, aliens disguised as Presidents of the United States. Now where did I remember seeing that scenario before?

[jblewis]

Yes - for one simple reason.

People don't realize how big the universe is. It's really, really, really big, beyond the comprehension of the human brain big. Even a single galaxy. The idea that we're somehow completely unique, and that there are no other planets with advanced life - even if you only count our own galexy - is completely ludicrous.

What is up in the air is how advanced they are, as far as life forms go.

"Space...is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind bogglingly big it is. And so on."

[BitBuster]

The thing about scientists is that they have no flair for the dramatic. They can imagine all the matter in the universe compressed into a dot smaller than the point of a pin, and then what do they call it? "The Big Bang."

They should call it the Horrendous Space Kablooie.

[geodave]

The thing about scientists is that they have no flair for the dramatic. They can imagine all the matter in the universe compressed into a dot smaller than the point of a pin, and then what do they call it? "The Big Bang."

They should call it the Horrendous Space Kablooie.

Or, if they have a different sense of humor, Bad Day At The Office

[jblewis]

^ This. Brilliant, Dave.

[Phazite]

It seems likely that life would exist beyond our planet, which is but a piece of dust in a sea of stars, given how readily complex molecules form, the unimaginable size of the universe, and so on. As for being visited by aliens, I haven't seen any convencing evidence, and what 'evidence' we do have seems to teach us more about human psychology than anything else.

I'd like to think that any aliens that possibly exist would be a bit more overt in their attempts at communication than what we've witnessed.

Assuming aliens would even have any reason to make contact with us, or would even know that our planet exists.

The thing about scientists is that they have no flair for the dramatic. They can imagine all the matter in the universe compressed into a dot smaller than the point of a pin, and then what do they call it? "The Big Bang."

They should call it the Horrendous Space Kablooie.

Well, the phrase "Big Bang" was coined by Fred Hoyle, an opponent to the big bang theory to make fun of it and the name just stuck, but in general, scientists use names that best describe something to avoid confusion. As for having no flair for the dramatic... ever watched Carl Sagan's "Cosmos"?

[geodave]

It seems likely that life would exist beyond our planet, which is but a piece of dust in a sea of stars, given how readily complex molecules form, the unimaginable size of the universe, and so on. As for being visited by aliens, I haven't seen any convencing evidence, and what 'evidence' we do have seems to teach us more about human psychology than anything else.



Assuming aliens would even have any reason to make contact with us, or would even know that our planet exists.



Well, the phrase "Big Bang" was coined by Fred Hoyle, an opponent to the big bang theory to make fun of it and the name just stuck, but in general, scientists use names that best describe something to avoid confusion. As for having no flair for the dramatic... ever watched Carl Sagan's "Cosmos"?

Well, Yankee was a derogatory term originally.

[BitBuster]

Well, the phrase "Big Bang" was coined by Fred Hoyle, an opponent to the big bang theory to make fun of it and the name just stuck, but in general, scientists use names that best describe something to avoid confusion. As for having no flair for the dramatic... ever watched Carl Sagan's "Cosmos"?

I was quoting a Calvin & Hobbes strip.

It seems likely that life would exist beyond our planet, which is but a piece of dust in a sea of stars, given how readily complex molecules form, the unimaginable size of the universe, and so on.

Does it really happen that "readily," though? And as far as we know, carbon-based life can't exist anywhere else in our solar system...right? Earth has a very specific balance of elements that permitted life to evolve. A minor difference in its orbit, and for life to exist here it would have to take a significantly different form. (Correct me if I'm way off on any of this; I make no claims at having any real sort of scientific knowledge).

Alternately, couldn't it be possible that life used to exist, but the conditions that permitted it to exist long ago became unstable and disappeared?

[Markus]

If life can exist, which it can, it won't be restricted to only one planet in the universe. There (probably) isn't other life in the solar system, but that doesn't mean there shouldn't be life in the other 99.9999999999999% of the universe. It is however unlikely that we will ever find aliens.

I think they'd probably attack us.

You watch too many sci-fi movies