If aliens exist...

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Good point. I wonder how one might work around it. I feel that quantum theory probably has answers to this. Concepts such as entanglement lead some to believe there is actually no distance between points in the universe on that level. Perhaps one could use this to get around luminal velocity

That's not evidence for FTL no matter how many times you say it.

We've been broadcasting an O2 signature for a billion years. Theyve had plenty of time to travel here from anywhere in the galaxy.

Assuming they have the same biochemistry and are looking for O2 signatures as a sign of life. Maybe they aren't interested in Earth. If I had the tech to live in space, a planet broadcasting a bunch of constant garbage radio and tv and inhabited by vaguely intelligent higher primates (with a 0.5% demographic that could be counted as intelligent...) wouldn't be all that interesting to me, except maybe to watch as a form of sport to see how long it takes them to destroy themselves, or prove themselves worthy of contact

Yes, of course, assuming that. I could write a paragraph full of contingencies to address all possible variants. But that's not my point. My point was that a ship from another world is not evidence of FTL. The universe is very old. Even if they were just randomly flying around playing star trek theyve had plenty of time to get here using sub-light speeds. The galaxy at it's widest is only 100,000 ly across. And if you are assuming FTL, you might just as well assume immortals or robotic pilots who have no problem with long journeys. It's pure speculation to say anything about a given ship.

And if they are travelling at a high enough % of the speed of light, aging won't even be a problem for them on a long journey as time will slow down for them. Or they might be from another universe entirely and not even traveling in space but just shifting over from another place. There are too many variables to say anything about a theoretical ship that appeared near earth.

That's true. But it still could represent a possibility. I suppose the only way we'd find out is by asking them. It might not even be a ship, it could be a sub light probe. Or perhaps it is actually an organism that lives in space, and we can only conceive of it as technology


"randomly flying around playing Star Trek"! That's awesome man. I still maintain though, that we put too much value in ourselves if we assume that another intelligent species would even want to come talk to us.

Be sure to write to us, when a ship from another star system shows up.

ruveyn

Tell them Vigilans says 'hey' and to not judge us too harshly for Jersey Shore & the nuclear arms race

Yeah, but the problem is that it becomes more and more hazardous the longer the duration of the space trip. Say some critical component for life support fails, they'd be dead long before help arrives.

Further why would a race send a ship on a trip where everyone whom would have cared about the findings would be long dead, heck their civilization may be long gone before the get to their destination.


It would take either a very desperate species or a species that has absolutely no respect for any life (including their own) to conduct missions like that.

Additionally the sizes of UFOs as they have been reported are way too small to make the trip to Earth from another star system. The convential fuel needed would be enormous, the possibility of a system failing is way too high, and even nonconvential drives like nuclear/etc. would have a problem. The smallest error in course could leave one so far away from their destination they would be left without a means of resupply.

The only reasonable possibility of a UFO that is of extraterrestrial origin to get here and be considered even remotely something other than a potential suicide mission is if they have a way around the light barrier.

Oh, yes, well, now that youve repeated yourself it makes it so much more compelling. Let me go write that down. I have a special category for it.

or if they live a nomadic lifestyle with their whole civilization somewhere in the vicinity, a scout ship from such a party could be the size of a modern UFO.
some options besides this as well probably.

Unfortunately 99.9% of all UFO sightings are just by attention seekers. The remaining .1% is from people who genuinely see things they cannot explain, which are still probably not aliens. Personally I believe the governments of the world have done little to silence conspiracy theories as it provides a convenient cover for flying experimental aircraft secretly; if people report it, they are likely to be laughed at. Thus they probably won't report it. I have serious doubts that aliens ever have or will come here. I actually hope we are alone in the galaxy, on some level, because that leaves us a huge amount of space to expand in unopposed. Not alone biologically, but alone technologically. I have little doubt there are flora and fauna on other planets, but I do doubt that civilizations appear easily or for long periods of time. The ones that do survive will likely have little reason to come talk to the smelly primates of Earth

oodain agrees.

i do think there will be or have been a lot of civilizations but the seperation in space and time is unbelievably huge, there might be other spacefaring civilizations but the chance of contact are so small it would be a practical improbability, but if they contact earth, the universe is huge, so for them it would probably be equally as momentous an occasion as it would for us.

The general assumption seems to be that space itself is not habitable and life can only be an extension of planetary life. That is a very large assumption.

Not true



It has been shown that bacteria can survive in space. Perhaps life could evolve in certain places in deep space. I have even read theories about life forming inside Stars or Nebula

Have you read Fred Hoyle's story "The Black Cloud"?

My comment was to those indicating that the distances between stars was the major obstacle.

Well, if one is a very smart Black Cloud that can live indefinitely long, then he can travel a long way between star system. But even Black Cloud was cooked up in the belly of an exploding star, just like we were.

ruveyn