Semantic quibbling. I agree that we may be limited by materials (and even more, by energy sources). I just wouldn't call it a failure in theory, but only in practice.
Alien Intelligence
Semantic quibbling. I agree that we may be limited by materials (and even more, by energy sources). I just wouldn't call it a failure in theory, but only in practice.
tomBitonti
Adventurer
So ... here's a question ... to try to tie this back a bit: Is there a way for a species to cross interstellar space without evolving intelligence?
I suppose space borne spores thrown up by meteorite impacts is a possibility (maybe a very slight one). But anything else?
Thx!
TomB
I suppose space borne spores thrown up by meteorite impacts is a possibility (maybe a very slight one). But anything else?
Thx!
TomB
Supposedly, Life came to earth via impact with the comet, Milton Bradley.
tomBitonti
Adventurer
I believe that it is, but I don't know if there is any evidence to suggest that it is plausible.
I'm thinking there have been lots of experiments which gathered particles from outer space, which provides *some* negative evidence.
Thx!
TomB
Mustrum_Ridcully
Hero
Yeah yeah, the old spiel about how we are not really all that smart and aliens would avoid us.
As if there is any reason to believe that alien intelligence wouldn't go through the exact same problems as we did, would be just as short-sighted or narrow-minded as we were.
Evolution is not a process that creates perfect things. It creates surviving things.
That can mean nasty things - like the willingness to kill others for their resources. The ones that didn't kill for the resources when they weren't smart enough to find an alternative? They died out.
At least we are aware of our imperfections. It might not be enough in the end, but it might also be.
There can still be other reasons to avoid us, of course. Heck, any form of non-organic intelligent life might be different that we would have trouble communicating with each other or recognizing each other. They might not want to interfere with us. They might simply have decided that trying to contact other life is pointless, as the chances of finding any is too slim, and focus on themselves and their star system.
And of course, the more likely thing is they aren't actively avoiding us - they are just too far away.
Indeed.
IIRC, something like 95 % of the signals send to the Voyager Probe are used just for error handling. And that's where we really make an active effort to send a strong transmission at logn distance.
And Voyager is only about 0.2 % of a light year away.
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Mustrum_Ridcully
Hero
Depends on how wide you want to cast the net, doesn't it?
During galaxy collisions, suns can basically knocked out of the respective galaxies and fly much faster than the rest of the stars nearby - if the whole system is kept intact, it could include a planet with life, and thus we'd have non-intelligent life crossing interestellar space.
But would that satisfy you? I think any lifeform to survive a long, interstellar travel would need to be very resilient or well contained, or need to have an ecosphere that can last sufficiently long - basically, if the cosmic rays kill your life after a while, it must be able to regenerate itself in some form.
Hmm. How large could an insect possibly be? I seem to recall there once was a type of giant insect (Meganeura...) that had a wing span of about 3 feet. How close was Meganeura to the theoretical maximum?
Could there be larger insects if we fiddle with other parameters like gravity or atmospheric composition?
Ryujin
Legend
I suppose that depends upon whether you would consider an insect that evolved to include an endoskeleton to still be an insect.
Many folks seem to think the maximum size is limited by strength/weight of materials of the exoskeleton. My understanding is that oxygen transfer is the more limiting factor - arthropods don't have lungs, and there are limits to how much oxygen they can get into their systems.
Meganeura lived at a time with higher O2 concentration in the atmosphere, and it is suggested that this allowed larger insects and other arthropods. A bug that size wouldn't make it today.
Yes.
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