To think we can't be alone in the universe

[Ang69]

Are we alone? Is life only to be found on our little planet earth? I've been thinking more and more on this recently after being bombarded by my DS who is 12 and has Asperger's. I initially said that yes I believe we are alone which he found incredulous. With 100 billion planets in our galaxy and at least 200 billion other galaxies with their own planets what do you think?

I'd be surprised if there was no other living organisms in space. I don't think they've visited though.

I don't think we are alone, although I think the chance of 'life' being anything as we know it is tiny. Space absolutely fascinates me (and scares me if I start to think about it too much)

I think we aren’t alone and Earth is where we are sent to train to become good citizens of the universe.

DH thinks we are just big termites that are of no interest to the greater species out there. He thinks they could wipe us out in no time should they want to. Don't think I agree with that one but am really thinking there has to be something else. Would be amazing to know the reality.

The odds are that we arent - but the odds on anyone being both near enough and at a similar stage to us at the same time are colossal. Hence the silence.

I think we aren’t alone and Earth is where we are sent to train to become good citizens of the universe. Yes.

We're isolated over here as we aren't very advanced, still blowing each other up atm.

What does your son think OP? I bet he's got some great ideas.

For goodness sake don’t go on enforced rest and start watching Ancient Aliens and the like on the History Channel. It’s enough to send you stir crazy and convinced that aliens walk among us.

I always get amused at the thought that our whole existance could be on the equivalent of an agar plate. So we would be tiny organisms compared to the thing growing us on an agar plate, like we do with bacteria

I don't doubt there is more life out in the universe somewhere but even if there is, it'd be so far away that the chances of us or them ever being able to make contact are so remote as to be negligible.

I don't think we're the only beings in the universe, but it's just so big for checking!

www.space.com/25219-drake-equation.html

Probability is quite low of any civilisation being at a similar stage to us.

No, I'm sure we're not. It just doesn't seem possible that we are

This is a question that has stumped many people much brighter than me

Suggest you read up about The Fermi Paradox "The apparent contradiction between the lack of evidence and high probability estimates for the existence of extraterrestrial civilisations"

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

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermi_paradox

Then once you have processed that, report back

I think it's very nieve (spelt wrong?) to believe we are the only living beings.

The odds are that we arent - but the odds on anyone being both near enough and at a similar stage to us at the same time are colossal. Hence the silence.

This.
Or it's cats...

I've been watching a lot of, How the Universe works.

There is life out there. Likely more advanced and we are probably of no interest yet or they have no idea we exist.

I doubt we are alone in the universe, but I do think we are incredibly advanced and I dont necessarily think that any other aliens would be moreso nor do i think theyd all be roaming the universe I imagine that most civilisations that become sufficiently advanced, destroy themselves

If you can get to Leicester your DS might like a trip to the National Space Centre

I'd be very surprised if there was no other 'life' in our local universe. I definitely don't think they've visited. But dont believe this idea that advanced civilisations are so far beyond us so as to think of us as termites, that is just sci-fi. Science has a limit you can only push the limits so far.

However we are effectively alone, cant see us ever reaching other solar systems never mind galaxies.

According to Google, there are approximately 30 billion planets in our galaxy alone and there are over 100 billion galaxies in the observable Universe that we can observe

The idea that we're the only intelligent species is arrogant in the extreme. I genuinely have no doubt that there are other habitable planets, some of which are probably light years ahead of us in the evolutionary scale, others which are far behind.

But the probability is just too enormous to think we're something special.

The big problem preventing contact with any alien civilisations would be that their planets are hundreds, thousands, even millions of light years away.

Until we, or they, develop FTL travel, i.e. some kind of "warp drive" , there can't be any contact

However, contact might not necessarily go well:
If an alien species with that tech level visits us, we might well suffer a similar fate of the Native Americans and other races who were totally outmatched.
Maybe even worse if those aliens wanted to tailor the planet to their preferences for atmosphere, climate, flora and fauna.

The odds of us being alone are tiny.

But the vastness of space will prevent any contact before Humans die out.

Anyone been watching The Orville TV show on FOX? Sometimes I think it's not too far away that we will be privy to all the goings on in the universe .... first we are shown it in fiction and then it becomes a reality

One of my all time favourite short stories addresses OP’s question . Meat - Terry Bisson. Plug that into google (I don’t know if I’m allowed to link)

It wont matter in 4 billion years anyway when Milky way and Andromeda collide. I image by then Humans will have long since gone.