Sheer numbers always make even the most unlikely of statistical events completely possible, and indeed inevitable. It may sound impossible that if you shuffle a card deck and spread it out, all cards will be in perfect order. However, given an almost infinite amount of tries, eventually it would happen at some point.

However, as far as we know, the existence of life is not quite as impossible as shuffling a deck in a very specific way. It requires a few specific things yes, but there is a myriad of ways that life can adapt and thrive in even previously hostile considered to be hostile environments.

Even in our own Solar system, we've got a couple potential planetary bodies which could possibly hold life. Europa, one of Jupiter's moons for instance, likely has an underwater sea which http://web.archive.org/web/20060703033956/http://www.geo.utep.edu/pub/dirksm/geobiowater/pdf/EOS27March2001.pdf. Likewise, we've already discovered what could be several "earth like planets" for example: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kepler-22b.

Advanced intelligent life such as our own could be more of a rarity, however, life itself (even on a microbial level) is almost certainly abundant.

If you subscribe to the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drake_equation, there could be, statistically speaking: 10,000 planets in the Milky Way alone containing intelligent life. Although, admittedly, the results are controversial.

You're grossly misinterpreting the Drake Equation. The Drake Equation does NOT tell you anything useful objectively because almost all constants in it are determined by the individual. You can get values ranging from 0 to infinitely huge values from the Drake Equation just by subscribing to a different data set, both of which are equally objectively valid.

The Drake Equation was never designed to make statements about the amount of life out there, just spark conversation. It holds no real scientific weight

I wasn't supporting it in any way. Merely suggesting that if you do subscribe to it, this is what it supposedly suggests.

As I said, its results are controversial. Preciously because of the reasons you listed.

I don't find this sort of reasoning especially compelling. If this were good reasoning, why shouldn't we expect to see ice cubes spontaneously form in hot water? Statistical mechanics says that such events are possible (nothing in the laws of classical mechanics rules this out), but they are highly improbable (indeed, as improbable as they can get!) After all, there have been lots and lots of bodies of hot water around for billions of years!

I don't think that's a watertight reply, of course. My point is just that this sort of law of large numbers reasoning needs to also take into account the prior probabilities. Ice cubes forming in hot water may be strictly possible (there is a trajectory in phase space in which this process occurs), however it also has zero probability. So, in a way, it doesn't really matter how many bodies of hot water there are---if an event has zero probability of occurring, then it'll still have zero probability of occurring even if there's a billion opportunities for it to occur.

I believe that aliens probably do exist somewhere but I highly doubt that they've ever visited us. On the other hand...

“Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying.”

- Arthur C. Clarke

Yes, I know someone already used it, but it makes a good point and for me, personally, I'd probably go with us being alone as the more terrifying. Few things are worse than nothing.

Because while it may be statistically possible (however incredibly unlikely) I think current data suggests that the possibility for finding some sort of life on planets outside of our own does not equal the chance of ice forming randomly in hot water.

Thats a bit of a false dichotomy. Its not that its either absolutely common or completely impossible and there is no middle ground. The chance of life forming on other planets is not the same as something completely random or unbelievable happening. Like a rock just suddenly appearing out of mid-air.

As we've seen, we already have one possible source of life in our own solar system (more actually, although Europa is largely considered the best candidate) . The chance that at least somewhere out there in the vast cosmos there is a least some form of life is almost 99.999% certain. Just based on our current knowledge of where life can exist and how it can form.

I always had a similar theory to that. Our universe is just some alien's aquarium or something.

No, that is not what it supposedly suggests. Asserting that the value of 10000 is what it supposedly suggests shows a complete misunderstanding of the Drake Equation.

The value of 10000 was created by some schmuck who plugged in values into the Drake Equation. I can right now create equally valid values from the equation ranging from 0-9999999999.

What the Drake Equation does assert is that "Using your own supplied values for your view and model of the universe, you can determine how many possible intelligent life forms are within communicable distance of Earth". The values created by anyone's application of the Drake Equation have no scientific weight and no place in any debate or argument over extraterrestrial life.

The fact that you used "results" just proves that you don't understand the Drake Equation. The Drake Equation does not have any results. The Drake Equation exists for you to plug in your own numbers and it can spit out any number you want it to just by supplying the right set of constants and ratios.

If it helps you: think of the Drake Equation like the quadratic formula: you plug in values and you get a result for those values. Those values, though, have no application outside the numbers you plugged in. Unlike the quadratic formula, though, the numbers you plug in to the Drake Equation are numbers you make up instead of numbers to solve a mathematical problem.

Alright fair enough, it was a bad idea to bring it up. I was under the impression it was a bit more statistically relevant than a plug and crank create-your-own-results equation.

Apparently not.

go on as i am now. i don't care about life else where than earth. i only value life on earth.

not much that i could do any ways as im not in any position to do any thing if they did come.

I don't believe aliens exist, maybe some sort of biological life like extremophobes. I think if there were intelligent life in the universe it would be spewing technology out into space (probes/sensors, generators, all kinds of stuff a supply chain).
Otherwise it would just die off on their planet and get compressed into oil with the shifting of techtonic plates until their solar system outlives itself.

Sure---I didn't mean to be saying that if life had greater than zero probability, we should have found it by now. The point was just that we really don't know enough about the relevant probabilities involved to know how rational it would be to believe that extraterrestrial life exists. The fact, by itself, that the universe is really big doesn't show a whole lot, because the other probabilities might be very low or negligible. We need to know a lot more about the chemical mechanisms involved in the emergence of life, and the astronomical and geological conditions needed to have the requisite chemistry going on. As you say, there are reasons to think that some of Earth's life-sustaining and life-creating conditions exist elsewhere; it's not clear to me whether any of this shows that life is even moderately likely to exist elsewhere.

Yep, i believe they're fallen angels, in egypt there are hieroglyphs that show airplanes, helicopters, submarines, even lightbulbs. And it lists the name of those that gave it to them, it was either the Anaki or the Anuaki or something like that, anyway it translates too "Those that fell from Heaven" For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty Revelations 16:11

http://www.lizaphoenix.com/encyclopedia/anunnaki.shtml

In the bible the Giants are referred to as "The Fallen Ones" for their evil deeds, The first giant was the son of Anak, [ And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.”Numbers 13:33 ], The giants are the product of Fallen Angels and Human offspring

When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown. The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. ... Genesis 6:1-22



That shows Fallen Angels are still here if you're a Christian and believe it, Now aliens have been known to probe and insert microchips into people right? In Revelations it speaks of a microchip bearing the number of the beast and any who receive it will not be accepted into Heaven. I saw a show where there is an alien doctor who has taken out tons of microchips out of people's hands and such. Now he separated the pieces and within an hour they tried to connect again by moving closer. This means they are living organisms.

Also explain the Solway Firth Spaceman http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solway_Firth_Spaceman

Not to mention everyone in my family has seen them. And i've seen them. I was talking to a friend at like 1 in the morning outside for reception and i saw a U shaped flying thing flying around and when i looked dead at it, it flew AWAY.

They exist

Highly unlikely to be in the Milky Way, but it's very likely somewhere in the rest of the universe. As far as we know, there may be a Galactic Confederacy of multiple planets and species somewhere in the far reaches of the universe. But, I doubt we'd make contact with a foreign, sentient lifeforms anytime soon. Even if we found traces of life far, far away. It'd be almost impossible to reach without manipulating space and time, a technology that may never be developed and certainly won't in the near future.

Oh i forgot to mention the FBI has admitted there are Aliens

I seem to have missed that report.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWfCVN8R3n8

http://consciouslifenews.com/official-fbi-document-admits-government-found-ufos-alien-bodies/115941/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1375203/The-memo-proves-aliens-landed-Roswell--released-online-FBI.html

But space is [censored] big. There could be a huge alien empire spanning hundreds or thousands of stars, and we wouldn't know about it. Becuase space is [censored] big.

You would have to be extremely narrow-minded to say that aliens don't exist. Just because you can't see them, doesn't mean they aren't there.

However, I think that the Ancient Aliens theory is bull. I mean... really? Why would aliens come BILLIONS of miles to teach humans how to build pyramids and make us mine gold...?

If they can travel billions of miles and propel a species into an intelligent civilization, they can mine their own damn gold, surely.

If people say it's highly unlikely there are aliens out there, I say it's even more unlikely that Earth is the only planet with intelligent life on it.

None of those are official statements by the FBI or CIA. And the documents seem fishy, but who knows.

We are incontrovertible proof that life exists in the universe. It seems perfectly reasonable to me to assume that it probably exists in places other than Earth.

Yes. It'd be foolish from a logical perspective to believe we are the only planet in the entire universe capable of sustaining life.

duh there are 10 races on the planet Nirn (11 if you count deadra)

It is completely bull.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9w-i5oZqaQ is a good (although lengthy) run-down of why its bull point by point. This guy completely destroys the ancient alien theories credibility with (what do you know it) well source historic materials. Both primary and secondary.


Looks like a guy in a cheap 1980s spaceman costume to me.