Model predicts we're the only advanced civilization in the observable universe

Re:Model predicts we're the only advanced civilization in th... by JoeAltmaier on Monday June 25, 2018 @12:18PM (#17393584)

That's the subject of about a century of science fiction speculation.

The deal is, if we were one among hundreds or thousands, what are the odds nobody at all in any of those other civilizations would want to interact with us? Because we've received zero interactions. Dead silence.

Why is that? Well, it takes a lot of energy to broadcast, so they'd have to beam us a message. We're not really looking for beams. Don't even know what they'd look like? Laser pulses? Soliton trains? Neutrino bursts?

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Model predicts we're the only advanced civilization in th... by sliken on Monday June 25, 2018 @10:38PM (#17397495)

Someone would have to be very close (30 light years or so) to have noticed us and have time to signal back. Even among those, likely they would just watch us and then decide if they want to chance contacting a race that has thrown nukes at each other.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Model predicts we're the only advanced civilization in th... by gehwartzen on Monday June 25, 2018 @11:55PM (#17397756)

To put that in perspective there are about 400 stars within 30 light years of earth and among those stars we have found 26 exoplanets. This radius represents only about 0.00014% of just our own galaxy and an infinitesimaly small portion of the entire universe.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Model predicts we're the only advanced civilization in th... by ntsplnkv2 on Tuesday June 26, 2018 @10:41PM (#17405416)

According to our knowledge of the universe.

And if that is accurate, then essentially we ARE alone in the universe. There simply isn't anything close enough - we'll be enveloped by the sun or some other catastrophe before that happens.

[ Parent | on HN ]