When I was in high school I learned about the Fermi paradox and was firmly in the camp of "of course there’s other complex life out there, given the odds
The Drake equation, developed by Frank Drake in 1961, attempts to address this question by estimating the number of potentially communicative civilizations in the galaxy. The equation is: N = R* × fp × ne × fl × fi × fc × L.
Here’s a breakdown of the terms in the Drake equation:
- N: The number of detectable civilizations in the galaxy.
- R:*: The average rate of star formation in the Milky Way.
- fp: The fraction of stars with planetary systems.
- ne: The average number of planets per star with conditions suitable for life.
- fl: The fraction of planets suitable for life that actually develop life.
- fi: The fraction of planets with life that evolve intelligent life.
- fc: The fraction of intelligent civilizations that develop technology capable of communicating with other civilizations.
- L: The average lifespan of such civilizations.
But as the decades past and scientists learned a whole lot more about the fabulous complexities within Earth’s geological biology evolution, and I learned from what they were sharing. with ever deeper understanding of Earth’s amazing history, with it’s complexities and coincidence, … I started question that certitude. There’s simple prokaryote life, sure I bet that would be found all over. But creatures, reptiles, mammals - humans, it became easier to believe it is we could be alone.
Doesn’t that make us so much more special, perhaps invite a little more appreciation for what we have. (and so on, …)
I stumbled on this video this evening and love it because it does a great job of enunciating the reasons, behind the feelings I’ve developed.
Is There A Simple Solution To The Fermi Paradox?
Around 2 billion years ago, life had plateaued in complexity, ruined the atmosphere, and was on the verge of self-annihilation. But then something strange and potentially extremely lucky happened that enabled endless new evolutionary paths. The first eukaryote cell was born. This may also explain why there are no aliens.
AI - The Fermi paradox is a question that arises from the apparent contradiction between the high probability of extraterrestrial life existing in the vast universe and the lack of any conclusive evidence or contact with such life. It essentially asks, “Where are all the aliens?”.
Maybe it simply comes down to our inability to comprehend who we are, and were we live.
For me, since I appreciate that I’m simply another Earthling creature, I don’t understand the fuss.