And when they turn that bad boy on, they will find.....nothing.

Just like us currently.

Think about it: if the models of the universe are accurate, that means that over the course of the last billions of years, there should have been millions or even billions of planets in our own galaxy alone that developed like ours, sprung life that developed technology, who set out into the cosmos.

So, why aren't they here?

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Posted by recruitnik

Campus

Member since Jul 2012

1223 posts

Posted on 2/17/16 at 8:33 am to PrivatePublic

quote:
So, why aren't they here?

We don't know that because you know, it's kinda hard to prove a negative. The scale of our galaxy, much less our universe, suggest very strongly that life exists elsewhere.

Why we haven't found it is one question, but saying that they aren't there because we haven't found it is pretty stupid.

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Posted by colorchangintiger

Dan Carlin

Member since Nov 2005

30979 posts

Posted on 2/17/16 at 8:43 am to PrivatePublic

quote:
Think about it: if the models of the universe are accurate, that means that over the course of the last billions of years, there should have been millions or even billions of planets in our own galaxy alone that developed like ours, sprung life that developed technology, who set out into the cosmos.

maybe, maybe not. If you don't know of the Toba catastrophe, I suggest reading about it. Maybe that's what is needed to spur self awareness and the odds of it happening at the right place and right time are so astronomically small that we are the first, or among the first self aware creatures in the universe. Toba Catastrophe Theory

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Posted by funnystuff

Member since Nov 2012

8368 posts

Posted on 2/17/16 at 9:33 am to PrivatePublic

quote:
And when they turn that bad boy on, they will find.....nothing. Just like us currently. Think about it: if the models of the universe are accurate, that means that over the course of the last billions of years, there should have been millions or even billions of planets in our own galaxy alone that developed like ours, sprung life that developed technology, who set out into the cosmos. So, why aren't they here?

What you just described is known as the Fermi Paradox. Not sure if you're familiar with it, but if not, here's a great write up: The Fermi Paradox

It's long, but here's a few of the explanations put forward for why we haven't observed any other life in the galaxy yet

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Possibility 1) Super-intelligent life could very well have already visited Earth, but before we were here

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Possibility 3) The entire concept of physical colonization is a hilariously backward concept to a more advanced species

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Possibility 6) There’s plenty of activity and noise out there, but our technology is too primitive and we’re listening for the wrong things

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Possibility 9) Higher civilizations are here, all around us. But we’re too primitive to perceive them

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Possibility 10) We’re completely wrong about our reality

They talk about each possibility in more detail, along with the possibility that we are simply the only intelligent species in the universe as you've suggested. It's a long blog entry, but worth the read