BAKEWELL AND DISTRICT PROBUS CLUB ~ LITTLE GREEN MEN
- peakadvertiser
- Oct 1
- 2 min read
Are we alone in the universe? After centuries of scientific development, we humans are no closer to a definitive answer, although we now have sufficient knowledge of the size and nature of the universe to arrive at the reasonable conclusion that we are unlikely to be the only sentient life forms to have evolved.
In addressing the question of whether or not there may be life elsewhere, the speaker at a recent meeting of the Bakewell and District Probus Club, member Paul Davies, discussed the evidence available to us. As he pointed out, claims for the existence of extra-terrestrials date back thousands of years but it has been only during the past couple of centuries, following major discoveries in astronomy, physics and mathematics, that making contact (either friendly or hostile) with such creatures has been thought feasible. However, there are major limiting factors to be considered in assessing the possibility of the existence of life in other parts of the cosmos, and the likelihood of being able to make contact. Firstly, there is the sheer scale of the universe. Not only is it spatially vast, but it is populated by billions of galaxies, each of which contains billions of stars. It is reasonable to assume that if only a tiny proportion of these stars are orbited by planets similar to those of our own solar system there must nevertheless be a significant total number of these exoplanets with the potential for life to evolve.
Next, there is the question of the level of evolution achieved by life on these planets and how this compares with that on Earth. We can be certain that other ‘intelligent’ life does not exist within our own solar system but, in the past few years, evidence has come to light from advanced exploratory spacecraft that conditions favourable for the evolution of primitive life forms exist on the moons of the outer planets. There also seems to be evidence that primitive life has existed on the planet, Mars.
Beyond our solar system, any contact between alien beings and ourselves would need to take into account the time taken for any electromagnetic messages (travelling at the speed of light) to reach us. It could be that by the time the signal is received, one or both of the life forms could no longer exist.
In his concluding remarks, the speaker expressed his own belief that there is almost certainly life elsewhere in the universe and it is highly possible that there are intelligent life forms out there; but it is unlikely that we shall succeed in making contact.
Further details of the Bakewell and District Probus Club, including reports of earlier meetings, can be found on its website at www.bakewellprobus.org
