From not knowing where to look, to a possibility considered by Elon Musk-- today we look at
10 Reasons Why We Haven't Met Aliens Yet
#10.
"There Aren't Any"- Though the size universe is awesomely expansive, giving credence
to the idea that there should be life somewhere out based on probability, the nature of time
is also a factor.
Firstly , humans only understand time from our own perception and even from this position
humans have only been around for a ridiculously miniscule period compared to the rest of the
universe.
It could very well be that though the size of the universe makes it likely that life
would exist on another planet, time is so vast that the odds are against the timelines
of aliens and humans lining up.
Because the timelines of a sentient being would be short compared to a timeline of the
universe, any aliens that we would have had a chance to come in contact with may have
destroyed themselves millions or billions of years ago or we would be gone by the time
these beings came into existence.
There are also many scientists who theorize that humanity may exist very early on in the
timeline of the universe so any aliens that would be close in proximity to Earth or intelligent
enough for space travel might not yet exist.
#9.
"They Is Dumb"- Putting aside the odds of our timelines overlapping, one of the possible
reasons why we haven't met aliens yet is that these aliens may not have evolved enough
to communicate or travel over interstellar distances.
We humans have yet to travel any further than our own moon and our satellites and methods
of sending messages into space are still primitive so it might be unfair to expect that aliens
could do any better.
Even if an alien species is considerably intelligent and able to create these types of technologies,
their planet may not have the resources required to build them.
There is also a commonly believed idea that intelligent life forms inevitably cause their
own premature demises because of their advancements, which only further stretches the odds that
two advanced civilizations would sync up.
Humans have only harnessed the technology required for space flight and communicating
in space within the last 100 years and our future is already seriously in doubt due to
our self-destructive ways, for example global warming.
Not to mention the fact that nuclear weaponry, disease or a rogue asteroid could snuff us
out in an instant.
It's theoretically possible that when you started watching this video there was an alien
species out there that was trying to call us but destroyed itself before it was able
to or was swallowed by a black hole.
#8.
"The Universe is Dangerous"- If aliens are out there that possess similar or greater
technology they might not want to risk a visit to Earth.
One of the main reasons man hasn't traveled to Mars is because the odds of someone surviving
the journey aren't very good.
Yes, we may have the technology to get us there but there are still many kinks to be
worked out in order to insure the safety of the potential crew.
With our current technology even the short trip to Mars bears the risks of rocket explosions,
severe radiation exposure, a crash landing upon arrival, and the possibility of the Martian
gravity wreaking havoc on the bags of meat and bone that we call our bodies.
I know what you're thinking, what if the aliens are far more advanced and have mastered
all these trivial issues?
Well, the universe would still be far too dangerous for them.
Their path to us could be blocked by supermassive black holes, impassable asteroid belts, stars
shooting off giant solar flares or packs of rabid space whales for all we know.
Not to mention the fact that they could just be far enough away that they would perish
from natural causes before reaching us.
#7.
"Space Is HUGE"- Aliens could just be too far away.
So far the nearest planet considered potentially habitable for alien life is Proxima Centauri,
which is at least 12 light years away.
Even if they had somehow mastered something like being able to cryogenically freeze themselves
in order to travel light years there still are many variables that make travelling long
distances in space a rough proposition.
Aliens would have to have figured out how to have enough fuel and resources like food
in order to makes the journey.
As stated earlier, their concept of time and distance may also be vastly different from
ours and though their lifespans could be much longer or they could be even immortal they
also might not live more than a few years by Earth's standards, making traveling light
years even more daunting of a task.
We also don't know if aliens have personalities or similar needs to humans.
They might not want to travel such a long distance because it's not worth leaving
behind their families or comforts of their homeworld and even if they could they shouldn't
because their mother would be worried sick.
#6.
"We've Only Just Begun"- Mankind has been gazing up at the stars looking for answers
since we first realized that we couldn't eat them.
Despite this, we have only been able to see what lies beyond the view of the naked eye
for the last few hundred years and we've only been able to see past our own solar system
for half a century.
Because of this, the real search for extraterrestrial life is still in its relative infancy meaning
that maybe we just haven't been looking long enough.
If our existence has only been a blip on the universal timeline then our search for intelligent
life has only been a nano-blip.
When you think about that coupled with the sheer size of the universe it stands to reason
that with our current technology it could take hundreds or thousands of years to find
the needle in the haystack that is alien life.
#5.
"Where To Look?"- If we are gonna find the needle in the haystack it would probably
help to know which haystack to look in.
The fact is we only have knowledge of such a small portion of the universe and this portion
may be in relative isolation from wherever the potential for alien life is most abundant.
Though scientists may theorize to the actual size of the universe, the truth is we really
don't know how big it is.
What we have observed thus far could only be a sock drawer in the castle that that is
the cosmos.
As our technologically rapidly advances we gain more and more understanding of the universe's
grandiosity and have started cordoning off sections that might potentially harbor life.
The problem is we currently only have the ability to guess which places might bear extraterrestrial
fruit and we're quite a ways away from being able to directly observe these planets.
#4.
"We Is Dumb"- Imagine trying to speak in binary code to a gorilla.
Aliens may be so advanced that this is what it would be like for them trying to communicate
with us.
They may have developed a far different form of communication than humans, so much so that
it would be impossible to understand or even know that they are trying to say anything,
even if we put Jodie Foster on the case.
Aliens could have evolved the ability to communicate through telekinesis, through touch or even
have developed a hivemind and thus have no need to communicate at all.
In the rare circumstance in which extraterrestrials were fairly similar to us in anatomy and methods
of verbal or written communication, the ways our technologies developed could possibly
be vastly different.
Instead of radio waves they could be transmitting via another type of wave that humans have
yet to discover.
Whether advanced aliens had developed a simpler more efficient way to communicate or one that
is far too complex for our comprehension being separated by light years would in all likelihood
produce a uniquely confounding form of chit-chat.
#3.
"They Don't Want To Meet Us"- After considering the problems with communicating
with aliens it's time to think about another more depressing possibility.
The possibility that they don't want to talk to us in the first place.
Before asking 'why not?' we should first ask "why would they?".
To an advanced species that is capable of seeing us before we see them or able to traverse
interstellar highways we probably would look like a bunch of uncivilized cavemen.
If our physical earthly resources weren't valued by them there would be no need for
them trifle with us as we probably couldn't offer them any knowledge beyond their own
either.
They also could view contact with us as being dangerous to us or themselves and might not
want to risk it.
Getting past the fact that humans who are constantly fighting among themselves could
be viewed as too volatile to trust, there is the possibility that they could contract
diseases from us that their immune systems can't fight or that they accidentally wipe
us out in a similar fashion.
There is also the fact that an advanced alien species could come in any shape or size.
They could potentially be the size of ants and be afraid of us squishing them, or they
could be the size of dinosaurs and crush us.
They could have evolved in a way that merely looking at them could mean certain doom for
us simple humans, the possibilities are endless.
They could also just be too busy doing cool alien space stuff.
#2.
"They Are Here"- Yup.
We know your ears just perked up conspiracy theorists...
When you think about the ridiculous amount of possible variables when it comes to answering
the question of extraterrestrial life you can't necessarily rule out the fact that
they might here among us right now.
As stated earlier we don't know what an alien looks like or is made out of and our
understanding of life is limited to what we have observed from our own planet.
It could be quite possible that aliens have the ability to disguise themselves as humans,
other animals or even plants so perfectly that we would not be able to detect it.
They could also be invisible to our eyes, be made out of light, smoke or elements that
we have yet to discover.
They might not even have a physical form.
But they probably aren't reptilians wearing the skin of politicians and celebrities...because
that's just silly.
Or is it?
#1.
"One Player Game"- The last reason on our countdown may seem a little far-out but
the theory has gained traction with many in the scientific community like the likes of
Elon Musk.
Brace yourselves: 'the universe as we know it is the product of a simulation and we haven't
met any aliens because we are the only ones playing the game'.
It may seem half crackpot--half way-too meta but the theory that we are living in a world
similar to the one portrayed in The Matrix does seem to tidily wrap up the reason we
haven't met aliens with a shiny bow on top.
This idea is called the simulation hypothesis and the idea behind it--that we are living
in a virtual reality game--does resolve the questions 'why are we the only advanced
lifeform we know of?' and 'why is the universe so large yet so empty?
It's fun to think about as it may be if this theory is true it is really lame of whoever
created the simulation not to give us superpowers or create aliens for us to hang out and eat
Reese's Pieces with.
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