To know that, in our lifetimes, we will never find life (intelligent) on other planets, we
have to look at a number of important factors:
0. The distribution of matter within the galaxy during it's formation (particularly in the vicinity of our solar system.)
1. The creation of the sun (the mass and gases of the sun)
2. The creation of the solar system (the balance and distribution of matter - if jupiter and saturn had not sucked up most of the remaining matter in their positions perhaps they could have formed further in towards the sun and therefore occupied the 'temperate orbit zone'.)
3. The creation of the earth (what happened to the earth during it's formation - a popular theory
suggests that another planet collided with our own and the ejected matter formed into the moon - which
created the monthly cycle that is so important to nearly every creatures life cycle on the earth, created a friction in the masses of water which may have been a fundamental fact in the mixing of chemicals that in the end created life.)
4. The elements that make the earth and it's mass (the materials which form the earth, creating a particular mass.)
5. The speed of the earths rotation, axis and orbit (a constant gravity/day and night/the seasons/a year. All cyclical rhythms for life.)
6. The orbit of the earth and the other planets. (it's distance from the sun and other planets. Look at the contrasts in weather just within our hemisphere.I mention the'temperate orbit zone' again.)
7. The atmosphere (protected by a strong magnetic field which could have weakened over time, followed by an evolved atmosphere that just happened to be a perfect protection from most dangers from space. made up of the products of many processes including algae - which consume carbon dioxide and excrete oxygen, a immense amount of gases that protect us from the solar wind that makes it through the magnetic field.)
8. Genesis - once all these factors had been settled somewhat about 4 billion years agp, the development of a basis for life had to begin.
The gene. Now noone really knows how life began on earth. But all the factors above had to be just right
just for it to begin. Life then changed the atmosphere and it's environment by 'upsetting' the balance of gases in the atmosphere and was able to evolve more complex organisms.
9. At any point during this development another collision with a large heavenly body could have wiped out everything.
10. http://www2.glos.ac.uk/gdn/origins/life/ch1_1.htm "If there was photosynthesis at 3.7-3.9 billion years ago, then more primitive life forms must have existed well before this time." But how could they feed themselves? If photosynthesis turns out to be the genesis of all life - eg: the beginning of energy distribution throughout all species then how could anything evolve without light. Organisms exist without light- true - but they feed off of the waste products of those that did. The food chain. Without a food chain you need an extra terrestrial source of energy. Like the sun.
11. When you factor in all these events and conditions, the odds of the human race (or any intelligent race) existing at any point in the universe (or galaxy) are nearly insurmountable. BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE. But the distribution would be SPARSE. Douglas Adams correctly postulised that the "average population of the universe is zero."
12. Even if a race of intelligent beings did exist, the likelyness of a race existing long enough to evolve, sending a signal fromt their planet that arrives just in time for us to evolve far enough to hear it and then recieve a reply over interstella distances without it being degraded to background noise (likely to be millions of years) is unlikely.
Hope that's reason enough for you.. odds stacked well in favour of us being utterly alone in the universe (or at least galaxy - not that it matters at current speeds we are unable to reach the nearest start in less than say 100,000 years..) ... not that I think we should stop looking... we might be lucky.. and lots of scientist would be jobless without contradicting my arguement...
My question to you is: Why do we want there to be life on other planets?
PROJECTS:
All unfinished - to be released as retro titles in 5 years time.
