I think we'll have finished terraforming Mars and maybe Ganymede before we'd have the means to travel to any habitable planets outside of our own solar system :shrug:

Finding them is one thing, but actually traveling to them is quite another.

Yeah, we are essentially terraforming the Earth right now to a minor degree. If we try are damnedest, I am sure we can do it a lot faster.

It's astoundingly narcissistic to think we're the main event out of every planet, out of every star system, out of every galaxy in the known universe. Has life from another world visited us? I dunno. I wouldn't. :shrug:

These. Seriously, to think Earth is the only instance of a habitable planet within the universe is just...:facepalm:

"I'm this guy, standing on a planet. Really I'm just a speck. Compared with a star, the planet is just another speck. To think about all of this, to think about the vast emptiness of space...there's billions and billions of stars, billions and billions of specks!"

Wooo just felt liking posting that quote. ^_^

I believe without a doubt there is life outside of Earth in the universe, both intelligent and non-intelligent. I don't buy the stereotypical little gray and green aliens or other popular ones. Most intelligent aliens are probably like us and wonder if there is life outside their planet too. There is just too many galaxies and planets for there not to be other life.

Billions and billions of planets. Out of those Billions there probably are a couple of thousands in the habitable zone.
Out of those thousands, chances are that on several of 'em life evolved. How advanced? No idea.
What would it look like? Impossible to imagine.
So yeah, I think there's life out there, but I doubt we ever get to see, let alone meet, it.

The universe would be a darn waste if this teensy weensy globe of water was the only place with life. And I think it's very likely not the only one with sentient life. But when I look at mankind today, I kind of know why we did not have any kind of contact yet - either we are much too primitive, or any civilisation yet has ruined itself like mankind is about to do. -_-

Aye. And the requirements for human live didn't change that much in those. ^_^

As usual in topics such as this one, the prevailing theme is one of an extensive lack of imagination. People are still sticking with the idea of aliens being nothing more than humans with silly foreheads speaking various dialects of English.

Fact of the matter is, there is nothing to suggest that is the case. Life elsewhere in the universe does not have to be anything like that on earth, and it is in fact a rather silly notion to begin with.

Talking about aliens observing us, or visiting us, communicating etc, it's all based on the assumption that all species in the entire universe have the same concepts of self, of observation, of language etc. as we do ourselves. What is there really to suggest that they even have eyes, ears and a nervous system?

Even if they did somehow resemble humans in some regards, what on earth (pun intended) points to that they would even recognize us as being alive, much less the dominant form of life on this planet (which we aren't)?

Before any serious debate on the matter can ever be possible, the participants need to shed their preconceptions about life.

Are you sure you've read the topic? I've yet to see anybody here say that they think aliens will definitely look similar to humans, and if someone did, it's certainly not the prevailing theme here.

Life?Yes
Intelligent life?don't know

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/55/124855409_3104876fb5_o.gif. There were 14 of them, divided over this and another plate.

So, if the aliens have any intelligence (hence SETI) whatsoever, they should be able to at least know where we are.

It's not just a matter of physical resemblance, it's a question of concepts.

What would you do if you encountered an alien? You'd probably try talking to it. But what is to say that the aliens communicate with sounds? What's to say he sees you in the first place? What's to say he would recognize you as a form of life even if he did?

Perhaps you'd try to tell it your name. But what is to say the aliens have the same concept of name, self or identity that we do?

I don't see how its arrogant or idiotic to believe we are the only life forms on note (not including bacteria here) because we have no proof of them existing, so it is a possibility. However i think there is too much out there for us to be alone. But the thought that we could be is very scary.

I think the best shot at our own survival as a species is if more people thought about the obvious alien presence out in the universe. People start forgetting their differences when they have something a lot less human to compare to.

I think we should focus on trying to find intelligent life on Earth first.

Probably. I'm not 100% sure there is, but I can't be untill I see hard proof, untill then I think it's highly probable. It's stupid to think the only planet in the vast universe to have life is earth, if the universe is as big as we think it is, then it's reasonable to think that there's life out there.

There is life out there beyond our Solar System.

There is Intelligent Life out there

No, they won't come visit us, because quite frankly, we are pretty boring on a cosmic scale.

Plants, Lizards, or Fish are defiantly out there... Somewhere...

How can someone come to the conclusion that there is no life outside of Earth? I find it hard to believe that there are people who aren't even sure if there is?

The universe is HUGE. A galaxy itself is HUGE. The only logical conclusion would be that there MUST be other intelligent sapient lifeforms like humans out there in our galaxy, and in the universe.

Quite possible.
Quite possible that intelligent life exists, and that they view us as the Jerry Springer guest star inhabitants of the galaxy.
But I won't hold my breath waiting for the enlightenment, I have better things to do.

Worst case scenario: Intelligent life exists, and it turns out we're the smartest ones of the lot.

First one has to define what is life. This might stretch us to long philosophical discussion so let us supposed alien life is a self replicant, able to evolve and self-sustainable chemical process (what is called metabolism).
Some biologists are still arguing to know whether metabolism or self replication came first... Metabolism needs proteins, self replication need nucleo-acid.
To have life on another planet is more than likely. I think it is a question of few years before we will be able to observe it. However, the public will probably be very deceived.

Now, if you observe the bulk of 'life' on earth, it is mainly bacteria. With the discovery of nanobacteria and the nanobe (this is a very strange hypothetical form of life living within rocks), this is more than likely than an alien form of life will tend to be microscopic.
Regarding a larger type of life, it is very difficult to predict what could be found
I don't believe that any form of living will be like on earth. The multiplication of coincidences in evolution tree to bring a fish, a tree, a bird, a mushroom or a human to have this shape is so big that there are no chance at all to get something like us, even nearer...

Intelligent life ? Yes, as intelligence is a way to adapt to a quick changing environement, like a salmon or a lizard are 'intelligent'. But do life really need an intelligence like human ? Or are we an abnormality of evolution, a crazy accident, a curiosity ? I just would like to remind you something.

About 1.7 millions years ago, the human from that time, Homo Erectus/Ergaster, invented a beautiful tool called the acheulean hand axe. It was a very good tool, symmetrical and beautifully shaped.
From 1.7 millions years ago to 100 000 years ago, this tool has been used. NO BLOODY CULTURAL CHANGE, NO CULTURAL EVOLUTION. Just acheulean hand axe...
Imagine what the Acheulean Hand Axe Co. plc must have been doing !!! "Oh Darling, I got a promotion yesterday ! Guess what I got ! An hand axe !"

Meanwhile, the cranial capacity of the human went from around 900 cc to 1700 cc, from the Homo Ergaster to the first Homo Sapiens. There was no correlation between the size of the brain and the evolution of culture. The 'machiavelian' school said that most of the capacity of the brain was used for social interaction, plotting coup and lies, organizing clans and wars etc...It was what is called the "Big Stagnation".
Then suddenly, there was a boom. Somewhere, in East Africa, probably a micro-mutation on the DNA involved in the brain development which causes a big change and made humans to look for trouble, look for 'civilization', start arts and develop technology. First necklace : 70 000 years ago, first painting in South Africa, 120 000 years ago, a necklace of shell in South Africa as well. It was gradual and then it widespread in Europe.

So all I want to say with that is that intelligence does not automatically mean complex culture, tools (see dolphins) etc... We have to really think out of the box when imagining an alien form of life. Intelligence of human is only one way for life to adapt. There are other forms of society than the western technological society, other form of intelligence, other form of adaptation etc...

I definetly believe there is intelligent life out there somewhere, but as to us earthlings ever meeting them I don't think that will happen any time soon. And if it does happen it will be the aliens who come to us and most likely they would be here to take our world from us because, like us, they destroyed their own planet from pollution, using up all the resources on the planet, or because they were about to be wiped out by something like their own star going nova or some other cataclysmic problem.

If we look at author's like Orson Scott Card and specifically his Ender series, we can see a senario where this is taking place. Earth gets attacked by an alien species, we survive but we also realize that they will be back. So we send a strike fleet towards their planet and we will never really know if they ever make it there, and also we have to suspect that the aliens also sent another fleet at our planet.

So what I am trying to say here is that if two intelligent species meet it will most likely be in conflict because of the fact that life on any planet eventually destroys the enviroment and you have to find a new place to live. Not because you just want to stop by and say hello....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3Kcw0UrIFI

I gotta believe that there are planets out there that fit into the "perfect zone" for living.