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awestruck
Newbie...first post...apologies in advance.
How soon after the big bang could intelligent, technological life evolve?
How soon after the big bang could intelligent, technological life evolve?
awestruck said:Newbie...first post...apologies in advance.
How soon after the big bang could intelligent, technological life evolve?
jackmell said:Gotta' reference: "The World Within The World" by John Barrow. It's a great book in my opinion. Tons of stuff:
Quote:
"most biochemists believe that the element carbon, . . . , is the only viable foundation from which chemical life can arise spontaneously.
"At least 10 billion years of stellar burning are required to produce essential elements like carbon"
Didnt' stars begin to form shortly after the Big Bang? Think so. Then keep in mind life appeared on the Earth very soon after it cooled to a decent temperature, and then another 4 billion years to evolve man and if we take that as about average which I don't think is unreasonable, then on the order of about 14 billion years I would think and since the visible Universe is about 13 billion light years (maybe 16? another not sure) and expanding, that gives credence for the fact the Universe is so large: a smaller one would not have had time to evolve intelligent life to ponder the question.
jackmell said:"At least 10 billion years of stellar burning are required to produce essential elements like carbon"
Even if we were to start a million times again, it still is improbable that beings like humans would emerge again. Gould takes his point of departure in the beginning of the cambium, a geological period when life had already become multicellular. In a particular formation of rocks in Canada, the Burgess Shale, fossils from this period, some 530 million years ago, have been found. Among them Gould claims to discern twenty-five different forms of life, each of which could have resulted in a particular kind of animals, such as the insects or the vertebrates. Only four of those twenty-five still have descendants. If some others had survived, life would be quite different now.
"Alter any early event, ever so slightly and without apparent importance at the time, and evolution cascades into a radically different channel"
Stephen Jay Gould
jackmell said:Why then would we expect life to be so qualitatively different on other planets?
The theory of evolution of intelligence is based on the idea that intelligence is a product of natural selection. This means that over time, organisms with more advantageous and complex cognitive abilities were more likely to survive and reproduce, passing on their genes for intelligence to future generations.
Natural selection is the process by which certain traits become more prevalent in a population over time. In the case of intelligence, individuals with more advanced cognitive abilities had a better chance of surviving and reproducing, leading to the spread of genes for intelligence throughout a population.
No, while genetics play a significant role in the evolution of intelligence, environmental factors also play a crucial role. For example, access to resources, social interactions, and learning opportunities can all impact an individual's intelligence.
The evolution of intelligence has allowed humans to adapt and thrive in various environments. Our advanced cognitive abilities have allowed us to create and use tools, communicate and cooperate with others, and develop complex societies.
Yes, intelligence can continue to evolve in the future. As our environment and circumstances change, natural selection will continue to shape our cognitive abilities. Additionally, advancements in technology and our understanding of genetics may also play a role in the future evolution of intelligence.