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An interesting thought I had that may be worth discussion. Macharius Send a noteboard - 29/09/2011 07:22:01 PM
I just read an article where it was postulated that one third of Sun-like stars host warm, water-bearing planets. Using the Milky Way as the obvious example, a minimum estimate of 200 billion stars of which 7.6% are G-classified (our Sun is a G) yields 15 billion stars with potentially Earth-like planets. At 13 billion years old, I find it inconceivable that there isn't intelligent life elsewhere in the galaxy.

Jump to Fox's new Terra Nova TV show, and more relevently the discussion on the TV/Movies board. Living on a planet without fossil fuels means that the only way to extract energy is to burn things, turn a water/wind mill, etc. until you're able to refine fissionable or create solar panels.

Taken together, I have to wonder if one reason we haven't seen other intelligent life already is because the energy available to make the transition from low-tech energy sources to anything more capable is precluded by the necessity for fossil fuels to serve as an intermediary energy source.

Think about it: how likely is heavy industry - metallurgy in particular - and the following technological society to even be possible if the best you can do is lighting a wood fire?
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An interesting thought I had that may be worth discussion. - 29/09/2011 07:22:01 PM 741 Views
Well, Fermi Paradox discussions usually end with ???? - 29/09/2011 07:51:59 PM 418 Views
you do have to hope there's intelligent life somewhere out there - 29/09/2011 07:56:48 PM 474 Views
I definitely agree with the first part. - 29/09/2011 08:32:33 PM 569 Views
why do you think only those options would be available? - 29/09/2011 08:35:53 PM 421 Views
Could be cultural domination. - 29/09/2011 09:32:18 PM 438 Views
*shrug* Humans aren't that bad - 29/09/2011 09:51:32 PM 407 Views
Oh yes we are. - 29/09/2011 10:27:52 PM 431 Views
Unless their advancement is so great they are VERY ethically enlightened, her fears seem valid. - 30/09/2011 03:04:40 AM 485 Views
hmmm - 30/09/2011 02:34:47 PM 415 Views
"And hey. I'll eat most anything once." - 30/09/2011 07:22:01 PM 395 Views
I think I've met a few aliens... - 30/09/2011 01:31:55 AM 428 Views
Why do fossil fuels have to be involved? - 29/09/2011 08:33:26 PM 400 Views
Going into the fossil fuel vs wood thing - 29/09/2011 08:51:07 PM 497 Views
The big issue is energy density, IMHO. - 30/09/2011 02:53:39 AM 507 Views
That's so perfect. - 30/09/2011 06:43:31 AM 446 Views
We really have no idea how rare advance technologies societies are - 30/09/2011 02:00:56 PM 546 Views
That's a really good point. - 30/09/2011 04:34:28 PM 458 Views
The doomsdays options don't really hold up well though - 30/09/2011 05:22:57 PM 475 Views
I think we have different interpretations of "silence" - 30/09/2011 07:47:32 PM 576 Views
It kind of comes down to whether FTL is possible - 30/09/2011 09:12:32 PM 540 Views
hmmm - 30/09/2011 07:51:42 PM 332 Views
Yeah but that's just a variant of "Highly advanced aliens who for some reason are totally stupid" - 30/09/2011 10:21:34 PM 553 Views
I didn't mean to imply that were not talking to us because they looked down on us - 01/10/2011 01:07:02 AM 499 Views
Re: I didn't mean to imply that were not talking to us because they looked down on us - 01/10/2011 02:50:42 AM 495 Views
thanks for the detailed answer - 01/10/2011 03:08:48 PM 485 Views
No prob, hopefully it's not all inaccurate nonsense - 01/10/2011 03:18:05 PM 521 Views
not to mention that the universe is HUGE - 30/09/2011 07:53:33 PM 410 Views
True - 30/09/2011 10:37:58 PM 374 Views
of course I can't say, that was my point - 30/09/2011 07:42:55 PM 423 Views
I was totally agreeing with you until I wasn't. - 30/09/2011 08:09:08 PM 557 Views
That's pessimistic, though. The "blaze of glory" is ongoing. - 01/10/2011 04:25:28 AM 401 Views
another thing for consideration - 01/10/2011 11:55:12 AM 409 Views

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