Could Someone be Watching Us? By Seth Shostak

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the possibility of extraterrestrial life observing Earth, including the idea of alien probes and the detection of atmospheric biomarkers on distant planets. Participants explore various theories, anecdotal evidence, and the implications of recent discoveries in astrobiology and astronomy.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose the idea of alien mechanical emissaries, suggesting that advanced civilizations might be monitoring Earth.
  • Discussion includes references to von Neumann probes and the potential evolution of humans into such probes, as suggested by Frank Tipler.
  • A participant shares a recent UFO sighting in Australia, expressing skepticism while also noting its widespread media coverage.
  • Concerns are raised about the feasibility of detecting life on exoplanets, with some arguing that current technology limits our ability to observe distant worlds effectively.
  • There is a belief that atmospheric biomarkers are the most promising method for detecting life, with a participant asserting that systematic searching could yield results in the near future.
  • Some participants reference past missions, such as Viking 2, and discuss the implications of its findings regarding methane on Mars.
  • Others highlight the discovery of an atmosphere on an extrasolar planet, suggesting it could indicate the presence of life.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a mix of agreement and disagreement regarding the methods of detecting extraterrestrial life, the implications of recent findings, and the validity of anecdotal evidence like UFO sightings. No consensus is reached on the effectiveness of current detection methods or the interpretation of past missions.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the dependence on technological advancements for detecting atmospheric biomarkers and the unresolved nature of anecdotal UFO evidence. Discussions about the Viking findings highlight ongoing debates about the interpretation of data and the conditions necessary for life.

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Have aliens sent mechanical emissaries to our solar system -- robotic probes on a snoopy mission to reconnoiter Earth?

It’s certainly an intriguing idea: sophisticated spy satellites from light-years away monitoring our planet, watching the slow evolution of life, and reporting back to their alien masters. Such a scenario has frequently appeared in the SETI literature, and Allen Tough, at the University of Toronto, has urged that we take the idea seriously enough to make a search for these alien "bugs. [continued]

http://space.com/searchforlife/seti_alien_shostak_040122.html
 
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Good point.
 
did anyone see the pic that was captured by a worker in Beverage, Australia. I did coz i live in said country and it was all over the news, but i don't know how far overseas it went (if at all).

If you don't know, it was a *REALLY* fool proof pic that of train crossings as the beams were flashing, but had a pic of a UFO in upper right. Now, I'm am the cynic-sceptic on this kinda stuff but it i mean I was impressed!

apparently it was going to be sent to NASA for more study...
 
Just for the paranoid...

How about that bug on the wall over there?

Or perhaps the genetically modified bio-facility in your brain that reports your experiences without your awareness? (via pheromones to a network of artificial dust particles?)

Perhaps they hide as mentors in Physics forums, squashing ideas that might enable us to unleash democracy on the universe? :)
 
The fact that life on any planet develops over such a long period of time, and is a key feature for detecting life via atmospheric biomarkers, should allow our search for life in our galaxy to be greatly reduced.
Our galaxy is only a hundred thousand light years across, so it doesn’t matter where we look in our galaxy, when we have the power to see atmospheric biomarkers on other planets, life on that planet can then be given an estimate to when life begun after the planet was created. All this can be determined simply by observation of it position and age, we could calculate which planets were most likely to have reached a stage of evolution similar to our own. We can begin to make a map of known planets with life at higher stages of evolution in our galaxy.

On our time scale, we should be able to see such details within the next two decades.
 
UFO Photo (Here it is ...)

Posted by theurinal;
“did anyone see the pic that was captured by a worker in Beverage, Australia. I did coz i live in said country and it was all over the news, but i don't know how far overseas it went (if at all).

If you don't know, it was a *REALLY* fool proof pic that of train crossings as the beams were flashing, but had a pic of a UFO in upper right. Now, I'm am the cynic-sceptic on this kinda stuff but it i mean I was impressed!”

You mean this one?
It’s a bewdy…
http://news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,8480362%255E13762,00.html

Posted by theurinal;
“apparently it was going to be sent to NASA for more study...”

NASA will tell us it is a garbage can lid or a flock of seagulls, no doubt…Perhaps even a reflection off the Moon?
 
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Shadow detected!

Just got an e-mail from a mate looking into this Digital photo.

Preliminary analysis has apparently detected a shadow correlating to the aerial object (ie. A shadow on the ground), indicating it is an object of solidity. Thermal imaging also indicates a small coronal discharge…

Awaiting further results…
 
Please keep any specific UFO references in the Skepticism and Debunking forum. I think that this discussion is best kept in the abstract...for now...
 
  • #10
yeah that's the pic!

now, i don't think that its that easy to *look* at biomarkers on planets. I mean, okay, we have the technology to look at our own solar system and (apart from mars) it doesn't look like any planets are capable of harbouring life. But looking across the galaxy, just to look at some dim exoplanet isn't quite the easiest thing in the world. For all we know, there could be an exoplanet with its own solar system and we can't see it because its behind a dust cloud/trail.

Now, away from my cynics, did you know that they've found a earth-like planet orbiting a sun-like sun, which has a jupiter-like jupiter, orbiting at jupiters distance. they are searching for the same type of 'scenario', that our solar system was created in, because they think that there may be more chance of finding life there. COOLIES!

theurinal
 
  • #11
I think we have to face the facts that the only way of detecting life in our galaxy, is by detecting atmospheric biomarkers. The search for radio transmissions by an intelligent civilization doesn’t appear to be that probable compared to the probability of finding atmospheric biomarkers. I think this will only come by the growth of our technology.

In response to systematically ruling out which stars are suitable, I think it’s no coincidence that our solar system is where it is in relation to our galaxy. Does that say we should look along the outskirts of the galactic plane? I think its very probable that life has more of a chance to develop in these regions.

And being that two billion years of life on Earth has sent out detectable signals, across a galaxy which is only one hundreds thousand light years across, gives us a pretty good chance of detecting life elsewhere in our galaxy, not to say other intelligent life forms finding us first.

We are at the beginning of finding planets, and I think finding life is going to come by systematic searching.
 
  • #12
Gas Detection

Posted by Vast;
"I think we have to face the facts that the only way of detecting life in our galaxy, is by detecting atmospheric biomarkers."

You mean like when Viking 2 Lander detected Methane in the Martian atmosphere?
It didn't do much good (even though Methane is a biologically-produced gas). NASA gave an "inconclusive"...
 
  • #13


Originally posted by Nommos Prime (Dogon)
You mean like when Viking 2 Lander detected Methane in the Martian atmosphere?
It didn't do much good (even though Methane is a biologically-produced gas). NASA gave an "inconclusive"...

I see your point, although looking at Mars from Earth you can tell it's relatively dead.
 
  • #14
Re Viking findings

I read somewhere recently that the strongest (or possibly the only) alternative explanation(s) required or implied a totally dry environment. But it's now looking much more likely that there is significant water there, so that would seem to lend more weight to those Viking results.