The Fermi Paradox - Why we haven't been contacted by aliens

[Chief_For_Life58]

Interesting read. What's your opinion?


http://waitbutwhy.com/2014/05/fermi-paradox.html

[BossChief]

Am I the only one that thinks he's pretty damn smart until he reads a few posts of Hamas?

[Simply Red]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

Hydrogen bonding is the key to life. It's why water is liquid at RT whereas other heavier compounds are not.

Silicon is unlikely. It's an interesting concept, but its weight is such that the London forces of compounds would significantly alter their makeup, and the size of the silicon atom makes it far more difficult for it to create double bonds (pi bonds), and thus, no carbonyl-type molecules, whereas carbon can form an infinite number of molecules.

Do you know anything about Sri Lanka ?

How, like, the Sikhs are killing tons of Israelis over there ?

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by ThaVirus

Explain...

Certain molecules possess a trait called chirality, or handedness. The chemical formula is the same, but one branch is a mirror image that you can't superimpose on the other molecule (think about your right and left hands). This usually doesn't affect much chemistry, except with other chiral molecules.

For example, you cannot have a peptide chain unless all of the amino acids are of the same handedness, because an S-amino acid won't be able to form a chain of bonds with two D-amino acids (S, sinister, means left and D, dextro, means right). Without those chains, you don't have proteins, thus, no life.

No one knows why this happened. More than likely, it was just a quirk of genetic randomness.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by Simply Red

Do you know anything about Sri Lanka ?

How, like, the Sikhs are killing tons of Israelis over there ?

Come on, SR, there are a lot more important problems than Sri Lanka to worry about.

[JoeyChuckles]

I bet that intelligent life outside of earth is too busy laughing at the Oakland Raiders from afar. Nothing would defer me from a trip to earth like having to visit the home of the Raiders.

[Canofbier]

Originally Posted by ThaVirus

Explain...

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

Certain molecules possess a trait called chirality, or handedness. The chemical formula is the same, but one branch is a mirror image that you can't superimpose on the other molecule (think about your right and left hands). This usually doesn't affect much chemistry, except with other chiral molecules.

For example, you cannot have a peptide chain unless all of the amino acids are of the same handedness, because an S-amino acid won't be able to form a chain of bonds with two D-amino acids (S, sinister, means left and D, dextro, means right). Without those chains, you don't have proteins, thus, no life.

No one knows why this happened. More than likely, it was just a quirk of genetic randomness.

And maybe it doesn't need to be said, Virus, but the fact that we see those amino acids unlike the ones from Earth implies that life (or at least the building blocks of it) may have existed wherever that meteor originated from.

Whack indeed.

[displacedinMN]

The laws of physics and light apply to all.
I think that there has be be life out there somewhere.

It would take 100,000 light years to cross our galaxy.
We do not have the capability to travel at the speed of light.
Others may not have either.

Even at the speed of light, space travel is a bitch. How does a species get enough resources to
last even 5 light years? (which is a heck of a lot longer in our travel time)

I just don't think we will ever see life from another place.

[Saccopoo]

Originally Posted by Chief_For_Life58

the part where the article was talking about how other intelligent lifeforms don't broadcast throughout the universe cus a possible predator species could hear and come and rape them was mind blowing


yea we should probably stop doing that

Why?

As a species, we're pretty ****ing horrible anyway.

[Saccopoo]

Originally Posted by BossChief

Am I the only one that thinks he's pretty damn smart until he reads a few posts of Hamas?

Yes, I think that everyone considers you pretty ****ing stupid.

[BossChief]

Originally Posted by Buck

I wish we (as a species) would put as much effort into exploring beyond Earth as we do trying to be as rich and powerful as possible.

NASA gets a pretty nice share of the US budget. At least it used to.

Originally Posted by Saccopoo

Yes, I think that everyone considers you pretty ****ing stupid.

Very possible.

[Rain Man]

Very cool article. I now have something to think about in the shower every day for the rest of my life.

[Eleazar]

Isn't it sort of like the question of time travel? One argument that time travel may not be possible is the absence of tourists from other times.

[hometeam]

this thread feels a little chris616ish now

[wazu]

Love this article. Great read.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by Cochise

Isn't it sort of like the question of time travel? One argument that time travel may not be possible is the absence of tourists from other times.

This is me right now.