This is a topic that we have long wondered about – do aliens exist and if so have they communicated with us or attempted to? Everyone has a strong opinion on this topic so I expect you will all be very vocal. It would be great if you can give examples from your own life about the moment you started to believe, or stopped believing.
When answering this question, be sure to give us your reasons for your answer – it gives us a chance to debate!
Do aliens exist and have they visited earth?
My answer is no – I think that if aliens existed and had the knowledge to travel to earth in UFO’s – they would not be trying to hide from us – they would communicate. Also, if logic says they must exist, surely logic would then also say that there must be somewhere a race so advanced that they could communicate and would have. Having said that – I think it would be very cool if they did exist!
They have to exist. Think of this example, if you will.
Look at the desk on which your computer currently sits. The desk represents the universe. Now, take a pencil, touch its tip to the desk, and twist it a bit…just enough to leave a mark. Now look at that tiny little point, if you can, and imagine that in one very very tiny little portion of that little dot, is Earth.
There is no way that this tiny little speck is the only instance of life that exists in the universe. And the argument of why havent they contacted us yet? Well, lemme flip that around and throw that at everyone: why havent WE contacted THEM yet?
Thank you Randall, That was the last thing that I had heard about the progress on Mars. I wasn’t sure if there was more info out there that I hadn’t heard yet.
I am so glad I was right when I posted that. I didn’t want to get blasted by you LOL.
You scare me a little, you are so smart, beware anyone on here that is totally wrong with their information. You will soon learn different. LOL
Well it will be interesting to see this list when I get home in the morning. I have to get my butt to bed for a nap as I have to work midnights tonight and tomorrow night. UGH!
I hate having such a changing schedule, I am very rarely on this site when everyone else is, as I am usually working or sleeping and I don’t have access to the web at my job.
My husband and I discussed this the other day. My personal opinion is I DO think there is other life forms out there. We can’t be the only ones in a universe this big! Now have they been here….I cannot say. The whole Area 51 thing has me thinking they have been. I just feel that the goverment wouldn’t take that much effort to cover something that wasn’t real. If there are no Aliens or Alien space craft in Area 51..show the world. Open the doors let people in. If it is just a secret goverment facility then so be it. Thats how I feel anyway.
Randall: Based on what I know about the Roswell incident, Brazel was spreading around that he has previously found the remenants of weather balloons twice before on his ranch, and the wreckage he found was definately not a weather balloon. I believe he actually even went on the air at the local radio station to tell his story. Perhaps he was picked up and threatened because his story about the wreckage not being a weather balloon was first-person evidence conflicting what the gov’t said, and because it *was* 1947, the gov’t was trying to keep a lid on any dissenting outside opinion about their conclusions to the American public. Maybe they held him for as long as they did and kept saying, as you said, “Hey Mac, this is a weather balloon” and he kept saying, “No way, bub. I seen a weather balloon and that ain’t it.” Just a thought.
Phillies: Preach brothah, preach. best thing theory on aliens EVER.
-Andrea Carlena Beauman
I wonder why so many of you think that they must exist for some reason. Is it because the universe is so large that it is unfathomable that we are the only ones around to appreciate? There is no mathematical reason why they should. Anyone that can give you the mathematical odds for life rising spontaneously out of nothing is lying. I wonder if any of you have heard of the Drake equation? The equation that will find the odds of us finding intelligent life?
it is = R* fp ne fl fi fc L where each variable is:
R* = the number of stars in the universe (or galaxy)
fp = the fraction of the stars with planets
ne = the number of planets with suitable environments for life
fl = the fraction of those planets that have life
fi = the fraction of that life that is intelligent
fc = the fraction that would have a wish to communicate with us
and L = the length of a civilization – how long till that race destroys itself?
Just an interesting thing for those of you who want to quantify it. Take note that we only barely have an idea of the first two numbers, and no idea whatsoever of the other ones.
Man always put himself in the middle of everything, may be we are not……
Bloomfever: The gov’t did try to cover-up Area 51….because it was the test site of the newest, most top secret aviation technology that had been developed at the time. There are most likely no aliens or alien spacecraft at Area 51, but given that it a test site for *highly classified* new technology, I doubt they’ll open their doors to the public any time soon. It should be mentioned that both the Stealth Bomber (with it’s distinctly UFO-like triangular shape) and the Blackbird (with its innovative, unique foreswept wing design and other-worldly fuselage) were both tested extensively at Area 51, which might account for the plethora of “UFO activity” over the Groom Dry Lake Bed.
Theories are like fate, don’t you think?
Slick:
But WHY would Brazel say it wasn’t a weather balloon? For what purpose?
If you say it was to get attention, to start a hoax of some kind–it just makes no sense. All anyone had to do was look at the wreckage, if it was in fact merely a balloon.
And then one wonders why the Roswell base would support this by releasing the statement that it was a crashed “disc.” Which they did on their own.
No… the story makes no sense.
See, I’m not saying I think it was an alien craft. For all I know it WAS just Mogul, and the story about the military confining Brazel is simply BS. But why the “disc” story? And why confine Brazel (if in fact they did?) In that sense… I think it was something else. Not alien–but perhaps some kind of early military experiment that went awry. Something that Brazel could look at and think, “that’s no balloon.” And the military would feel would have to be covered up with a double bluff story of the kind they came out with—”it’s a disc.. oh, no it’s not, it’s a weather balloon.”
Bloomfever/Slick:
In addition to what Slick said (all of which is correct) there are stories about gross environmental damage being done at Groom Lake and disregard of law in regards to worker safety. All possible because the facility is protected by the “national security” umbrella.
No… we’re not gettin’ into Groom Lake any time soon. You can rest assured on that.
(And the story is that the super-secret stuff isn’t being done there anymore anyway, because the facility has too much attention being paid to it… it’s moved to a site, I believe, in Colorado, so the story goes).
Canuck:
I am quite well acquainted with the Drake equation. You might say I’m acquainted with Drake… but not WELL-acquainted.
There is in fact every reason to believe that life exists in the universe, and indeed in the galaxy. You’re misreading or misinterpreting the purpose of the equation I think (or not understanding on some other level).
To begin with, we in fact DO have a very good idea of the first two numbers: We know that there are roughly 100 billion stars in our galaxy. (Let’s keep the equation Milky Way-bound, just for argument’s sake). Further, in studying nearby stars, we have now discovered well over 100 (or is it now closer to 200? I can’t recall) extra-solar planets. And the technology is still almost in its infancy. Statistically it is therefore very safe to assume that a great number of stars have planets—you might say a half, or even two-thirds. That’s a LOT of planets.
You’re okay with the equation until fc “the fraction that have a wish to communicate with us”—there is no such part of the equation. Indeed, it makes no sense. How are we to know such a thing? fc is in fact the fraction of planets where intelligent life develops technology capable of communicating/and or making their presence known.
Finally, “L” really has nothing to do with civilizations destroying themselves, though Carl Sagan once put it that way (he was trying to make a point about *us* at the time). It simply postulates the amount of time that intelligent life on a planet in question CAN actually communicate—i.e., the previous quantity narrows down the number of planets with intelligent life where such life develops communication technology… and then “L” describes how long said species HAS that technology. (for instance—earth clearly has an intelligent species which has developed communication technology. But that isn’t the end of it–we then need to answer HOW LONG we’ve had that technology. Answer? Currently about 80 years, give or take a few).
Now… aside from that, I wonder why you even brought up the equation, seeing as you seem to want to use it to support your idea that there is no “mathematical reason” to believe in life on other planets. That’s just daft, Canuck.
Life DOESN’T “rise spontaneously out of nothing,” Canuck… who says it does? It didn’t on earth—it arose (apparently) out of chains of protein molecules that developed the ability to duplicate themselves. We DO know this happened at least ONCE in the galaxy. (On earth)) And it didn’t take long to happen, once the earth was “made.” Since the environmental circumstances which allowed this to happen on earth were by no means unusual (all the needed bits are common out there in space) then it is not at all unreasonable to assume that life is *very* easy to create. If we find evidence for it on Mars, eventually, we’ll know even better how easy it is.
LIFE itself clearly MUST exist out there—if it doesn’t, then we’d actually have a serious time explaining why it’s so unique. It wouldn’t make sense given everything we know about the cosmos and biology here on earth.
Intelligent life is another matter—but what you were saying just makes no sense at all. The Drake equation is a tool for trying to find out how many intelligent species are out there we can communicate with. It cannot be used to support your untenable idea that there is no support for *life itself* existing on other worlds. In fact, all evidence we have suggests very strongly that life MUST exist “out there.”
stormy617:
Thanks for the compliment. I just view it as my purpose in life to keep people honest and help them to become better-informed.
Randall: You’re right, the story makes little sense. Perhaps the actual incident was more clear-cut, and the years have just embellished the story. Maybe Brazel never was picked up by the military…sure makes you wonder, though, doesn’t it? I don’t believe any extraterrestrial craft has ever visited earth, but that assumption does leave an awful lot of unanswered questions, and there are some cases of UFO activity that have been fully explored with indeterminant conclusions. Could it just be that the aviation technology of world superpowers is just that much more advanced than they are leading the public to believe? It’s kind of a catch-22.
i love the drake equation – proves my point to “do aliens exist” skeptics every time.
back to the stars visible at night – so for purposes of determining life on other planets, only naked-eye visible stars count?? Life on planets around stars in Andromeda don’t count?? Is that galatial discrimination??
there are hundreds of thousands of GALAXIES in this universe (infinite or not). each of those galaxies has hundreds of thousands of stars. recent estimates say probably 2/3 of those stars have planets. SOME of those planets are going to have life. Intelligent life?? maybe, maybe not.
the original question was “do aliens exist”. if you define an alien as a life-form not of this planet, the answer has to be yes.
Yes,space is just too damn big. if they arnt already here they will either kill us all, enslave us, not bother us and just study us, or be really nice and share. Im hoping for the last.
copperdragon:
No, the issue about stars visible at night had nothing to do with the question about life on other planets—it was related instead to the question of whether the universe is infinite or not.
SlickWilly:
Yeah, it’s a tough question. And we may never know the full answer.
Me personally—I don’t believe that aliens are visiting here or ever have visited here. Though I do of course believe in life on other planets.
UFOs—to me they’re explainable as unconventional, experimental and/or secret aircraft. Those, that is, that are not misidentifications of ordinary things, like regular aircraft, balloons, etc.
Correct me if I am wrong… but haven’t we found evidence of life on other planets? Now when I say life, I realize the difference between finding a plant and finding evidence of intelligent life. But doesn’t it seem pretty likely that if there is evidence of plant life and water on other planets, that there could have been intelligent life there once?
That said, I don’t think they have come to earth, at least not recently.
Nelia:
See my posts up above, particularly #105… no, there has AS YET been no clear evidence found of life on other planets.
When it *does* happen, we’ll all know it.
Randall – Ah, so just evidence of water on mars, but no life? interesting.
Nelia:
*Not YET.* That’s the thing we have to remember. Water–almost certainly. Life? Still up in the air.
But even if we don’t find evidence of life on Mars–it means little. There may be life on Titan, or on Europa.
But even if there’s NO life elsewhere in the solar system… you can bet there’s life out there somewhere in space. We just haven’t found it yet.
I can subscribe to that school of thought… It just seems unlikely that we are the only ones. It might be a very different kind of life than the kind we think of, but the universe is still pretty much all made up of the same stuff.
they must exist. you guys seriously cant think that were the ONLY living things in the gigantic universe.
Ysh well i think they r reel n we sgud mayb try to tlak to them. maybe there nice n they wont hurt us, mayb they willl. mayb we ned 2 laeve it alone. so yah thas wat i think.
HAY ANDREA! I loved talking 2 u on the fone. We got to do it again sumtime!!! =DDD
Dude! Is Bass the only person who I can agree on or what!? Of Course we’re not alone! And for all the stupid religous people that think God gave life to only humans, animals, etc. THE BIBLE IS BULL*****!!!
We’ve radio signals and the like bouncing around everywhere, so it’s rather likely that we’d be traced.
However, other galaxies may have different laws of physics, and obviously would have foreign materials and resources, so they may well be advanced in technology but don’t have the means to communicate with us on the same level.
Or, other life may not be as curious as us humans, and therefore is still in a state of barbarianism.
Ha, Kylie, you crazy kid. Let’s do it! By the way, I think you’re right about Slickwilly.
-Andrea Carlena Beauman
Subliminaldeath666: You appear to have jumped into the conversation without reading it first. Most everyone here believes extraterrestrial life exists, and for exactly the same reason as Bass. Also, I don’t think *anybody* mentioned anything about what the bible has to say on the matter, so I think the anti-religious propaganda would best be left for another time.
Andrea Carlena: And what, praytell, does Kylie have to say about SlickWilly?
from what we know about space and the vast size of it…..it is extremely possible, and I believe probable, that there is other life forms out there. How could there not be? I mean when I think of outter space I am in disbelief of how big it is. And when thinking of how big it is, I cannot consider it plausible to think that we are the only living organisms in the universe….that just doesn’t make sense to me.
Ha, something. A little of this.
A dash of that.
In fact she went on a rant about some of our popular commenters.
-Andrea Carlena Beauman
XD Dammit SlickWilly!! You read me like a book! Of course I wasn’t gonna read 100+ comments about this very debated question!
P.S. Hopefully that “anti-religious propaganda” I said earlier would be the next topic in these “Your View:” question!
Andrea Carlena: About what? Our good grammar, syntax, and spelling? Hardly material for a rant, I would say.
there is a theory of reptillian shape shifters. They can change into human form, so society doesn’t freak out. But thats just something i’ve heard of, I haven’t looked much into it.
SubliminalDeath: Oh, Lordy, I hope not. That’s a can of worms that gets opened up enough around these parts. Jamie would be nothing short of a sadist if he created a “your view” about the efficacy of the bible.
zeppelingod: You’re probably talking about David Icke. That man is about as sane as LRH was before the end of his life, and with about as many scruples. If you ever happen to run across any of Icke’s material, do yourself a favor and return it to the wastebin you found it in.
SlickWilly: HaHa!! I know! Just imagine it! Over 750 comments would occur. I would place a safe wager that it will not reach one thousand comments though. Even if the question is highly controversial! And by the way, what the hell is that Carlena is talking about!? Just because we don’t type like this: OMG gyez!! did u c wat dat wierd cahmentor wuz sayin!?!?!?!?!?!?!!!11111oneoneoneonety-oneeleven11! Doesn’t mean that someone can rant about how people type better than others.
I believe aliens probably exist.
They must also obey the laws of physics and, if what we know if true, it is unlikely we will ever meet them.
SubliminalDeath: Haha. You’re the one who said it, not me. Doesn’t mean I disagree with you, though.
Andrea Carlena: I can tell you right now what is true and what is not true about SlickWilly.
If its good, it’s true.
If it’s bad, it’s not true.
Simple.
I think extraterrestrials are maintaining close tabs on all aspects of our human culture from near orbit, or at least somewhere within the Solar System — but they’re not coming down because thye find our culture problematic. Come on: “V: The Series”; “Independence Day”; “The X-Files”; “War of the Worlds”? Any interstellar explorer with the least sense of self preservation isn’t gonna come down and wave his purple phosphorescent feelers and say “Howdy” to a species so blatantly paranoid AND bigoted. And besides, when you step back and just look at our stupidity, blindness, greed, our willingness to foul our own nest and commit insane atrocities in the name of a personification of the Infinite that our explorer’s people either outgrew or got the straight scoop on long ago … face it, folks, we’re too weird for the Galactic Federation. They can’t even stand our cooking.
She says that you’re probably balding, chubby if not overweight. Leader of sorts, picky, but charming
Ooops! Forgot to sign my name. How will anyone ever know it was me?
-Andrea Carlena Beauman
is there another civilization. In all likelyhood YES. Will they ever be here or are they spying on us. no
universe is to vast to huge to large. Light is the fastest we can travel yet it takes an infinite amount of energy to reach the speed of light. and if we could reach the speed of light time actually slows down so you caught yourself in a nice catch 22. Then take in account that OUR own galaxy is 100,000 light years long. Then take into account that other galaxy’s are billions of light years away. We come to conclusion that it aint possible. sorry
Balding = No, I have full head of luscious hair, thank you.
Chubby, if not overweight = You got me on that one, though this is perhaps coincidence, since I personally find it very hard to guess someone’s weight over the internet without any sort of web-cam involved. I’m also extremely tall too, so I don’t get “chubby” or “fat” very often. “Big” is the word I hear the most. Like Sasquatch. Not as hairy, though.
Leader of sorts = I can be. I think I’m a natural leader type, pushy but not over-aggressive. I can follow too, when need be.
Picky = Very.
Charming = Yes. That’s what my mommy tells me, anyway.
It’s interesting these mental pictures we create of people we have never met before, just based on our own prejudices.
Anywho, what’re your perceptions of moi?
-Andrea Carlena Beauman
as eleanor arroway’s father said, if they didn’t exist it would be a terrible waste of space.
100 billion star systems in our galaxy.
100 billion galaxies.
the universe in about 11 billion years old and we have had intelligent life on our planet for about 50,000 years.
imagine if intelligent life developed on another planet a billion years ago! to them, we are still savages.
I don’t quite understand why some people here believe that humans do not believe in aliens because they are self-centered. This would be like me saying that you are self-centered because you don’t believe in the Loch Ness Monster or in Bigfoot. Doesn’t quite make sense to me. I don’t think people that don’t believe in aliens do so because they think they’re all that, that’s just ridiculous.
I’ll take the view that humans who don’t believe in aliens are ignorant though.
As for me, I’ll take the same stance I do with ghosts – perhaps they exist, perhaps they don’t; I’ll believe it when I see one.
Ack! Carly!! U told!! Mite as well tell ever1 els wat i sed…
=D
I actually spend most of my time trying to imagine Randall as a strange synthesis of William Shatner and Harrison Ford, sitting at his computer in a polo shirt that exclaims “UCSC – Go Banana Slugs!”
For the others that I haven’t seen a picture of, I never venture a guess as to their physical appearance, other than how old they might be. Except Mom424. She described herself as a MILF once and I can’t get the image out of my mind.
Yes they do exist, but i don’t believe that “they” have ever visited here.
Slick:
Okay, A) the fact that you spend time trying to imagine me AT ALL is disturbing. Stop it. B) It was Harrison Ford and Dennis Quaid. The Shatner thing was over 20 years ago. In college. Need I correct you again? C) Where did you get the idea that I am from California or would in any way wear a shirt extolling the virtues of a California college (let alone Santa Cruz?) OR its disgusting mascot?
I am a New Yorker, pal. Don’t you forget it.
Contact:
You know, there are four hundred billion stars out there, just in our galaxy alone. If only one out of a million of those had planets, and just of out of a million of those had life, and just one out of a million of those had intelligent life; there would be literally millions of civilizations out there.
Well, if there wasn’t, it’d be an awful waste of space.
Randall:
a) It’s a sick fascination. I can’t help it.
b) My mistake.
c) Pure fantasy on my part. Hell, if I were so inclined, I *could* imagine you riding on the back of a flying horse, wearing spats and a pair of bicycle shorts. That would be gay, though.
If you’ve met my ex-wife you know.
I had an answer, then I read bwmyers18 and I can’t stop laughing.
Slick:
A) Lack of willpower is no excuse. Get help. Medication exists for deviants such as yourself.
B) I’m glad you admitted your error. This shows progress. Also, it’s about the hundredth time I’ve forced you to humble yourself before me. Good. You’ve learned. Next time bring a sacrifice. I like lamb.
C) Your fantasies grow more disturbing. I have no doubt that, having mentioned this one, you have, in fact, actually had it. And I agree, it *would* indeed be gay. Perhaps there’s something you need to admit to yourself. There there… we’ll all understand and accept you.
Ha I saw that Randall, thanks!
Cheers to planetarium folk!
Hahaha….Randall, you’re alright.