24 - The Fermi-Hart Paradox (Reprise) and other stuff

1. 24 - The Fermi-Hart Paradox (Reprise) and other stuff

2. According to ancient legends, and recorded on 9th Century BCE Assyrian cylinder seals, the Sumerians were given their civilization by a race of fish-human beings that came from the sea. This may be the earliest recorded "account" of contact with an alien race. The idea has been with us ever since. Some people think these Anannuki really were aliens! Possibly from a “10th planet” with a crazy elliptical orbit, set to return some day.

3. Nevertheless, if we restrict ourselves to hard facts (and not unsubstantiated accounts, flimsy evidence, and outright hoaxes), the evidence for extraterrestrial visitors is sadly lacking, despite the fact that nothing we know about should prevent their existence. This brings us back to the Fermi-Hart Paradox, as it is sometimes called: Where are they? • There are many possible explanations. Here are a few. • There is no one else out there. The earth is unique. We are the first and only race in the Galaxy. • Other intelligent beings exist, but their technology too primitive to reveal their existence to us. (Includes remote communication & space travel). • Other intelligent beings exist, but their technology is just now reaching the level where we may detect them. It is just a matter of time. • Other intelligent beings exist, could care less about us, and have no desire for contact. • Other intelligent beings exist, and are studying us inconspicuously (the "Zoo Hypothesis"). • Other intelligent beings exist. They have been here (ancient astronauts), are here (UFOs), and perhaps are even working in secret with our governments.

4. Is Space Travel and Colonization Realistic? IT IS VERY EXPENSIVE! Certainly if we are limited to known scientific principles, it would require a tremendous financial commitment that may not be forthcoming. IT IS SLOW! Based on what we know, it cannot compete with the speed of light, and the faster you go, the more expensive it is. EXPANSIONS MAY STALL. Even if such colonization were to begin, there is no guarantee it would continue. Expansions can become "stalled" by a number of factors. EXPANSIONS MAY BE “POROUS”. If expansions do exist, they may be so "patchwork" that we live inside a region that is unexplored, or for some other reason unvisited.

5. "There are numerous episodes in the history of human migration that cast doubt on the inevitability of galactic colonization." - B.R. Finney* Polynesian Settlement of the Pacific Islands Usual pattern: First subsist on local foods until new crops can flourish. Expand to fill the island. Intensify agriculture and limit population growth *B.R. Finney, 1984. Exponential Expansion - Galactic Destiny or Technological Hubris? , from The Search for Extraterrestrial Life: Recent Developments, (International Astronomical Union Symposium No. 112), ed. M. Papagiannis, D. Reidel Publishing Company, p. 455-463.

6. Rapa Nui (Easter Island) First settled around 500 CE Population reaches 8,000-10,000 18th Century - Europeans find a few thousand remaining, the island virtually denuded of trees Centuries of war, overpopulation, famine, and deforestation had left the island with a decimated population, an ecological disaster, and no way to escape (no trees to build seaworthy vessels)!

7. The Ming Dynasty (15th Century) 1405-1435 Chinese vessels sailed through Indian Ocean. Under Admiral Zheng He, the Chinese established tributary and trade relations throughout the region. After the 7th grand expedition in 1435, the Chinese abandoned sea trade and exploration. Junks were broken down and left to rot, and it became a crime to build a vessel with more than two masts. Why? We do not know. Rise of the land-oriented bureaucracy? Rise of expensive internal canal projects? Rise of inward-looking neo-Confucianism?

8. Other Things We Might Do Detection of Massive Engineering Projects- Astroengineering Freeman Dyson Dyson Sphere -A sphere with a radius of 1 AU will have a temperature of approximately 300K, and radiate strongly near 12 m wavelength. An examination of sources detected in the infrared survey of the sky made by the IRAS satellite yielded no sources that could be definitively labeled as coming from such a structure. IRAS

9. Search the Solar System for Alien Artifacts (a la 2001, A Space Odyssey) Look for spacecraft and/or Von Neumann Machines in Earth orbit, the Moon, the Asteroid Belt, etc. Nothing so far. Search Biological Systems for "Messages" A stable, "non-functioning" section of our DNA could carry a coded message. After all, coded information is precisely what DNA is all about. The Human Genome Mapping Project is COMPLETED. To my knowledge, there has been no such message detected.

10. FINAL SUMMARY • 1.We know of no reason why life cannot exist elsewhere. • 2. We can "Do The Experiment" to find out if there is life out there, on a limited basis • A. We have not found it yet in the solar system • B. We have not found it via radio communication • C. We have found other solar systems • D. Interstellar Travel is expensive, unless something comes along that is contrary to known physics. • E. We have no hard evidence for aliens neither being here now nor having been here in the past. • 3.We can speculate about the possibilities, but must always remain subservient to the hard realities, even if those hard realities are contrary to what we would want to believe.