Comments on: Life in the universe? Almost certainly. Intelligence? Maybe not. https://habitablezone.com/2012/12/31/life-in-the-universe-almost-certainly-intelligence-maybe-not/ Tue, 07 Apr 2026 19:18:10 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: bowser https://habitablezone.com/2012/12/31/life-in-the-universe-almost-certainly-intelligence-maybe-not/#comment-22576 bowser Tue, 08 Jan 2013 07:24:19 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=29399#comment-22576 Coordinating those 8 legs takes a lot of the brain-power they have been able to muster. The rest of it goes into figuring out how to build those webs. Without a thumb, but with a lot of legs. Nope, spiders are too busy trying to figure out how to get around and build a web. :-) Coordinating those 8 legs takes a lot of the brain-power they have been able to muster. The rest of it goes into figuring out how to build those webs. Without a thumb, but with a lot of legs.

Nope, spiders are too busy trying to figure out how to get around and build a web. :-)

]]> By: johannes https://habitablezone.com/2012/12/31/life-in-the-universe-almost-certainly-intelligence-maybe-not/#comment-22546 johannes Sat, 05 Jan 2013 21:14:50 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=29399#comment-22546 There must be other intelligences in the countless number of planets in the universe. Perhaps some of them have technology and have evolved beyond the fighting stage into working together for the betterment of everyone. The reason that it is within the realm of possibility, is because the Earth is only about 4 billion years old and we have a form of intelligence, yet the universe is something like 14 billion years old, therefore, there would be lots of time for such intelligence to develop on other planets in other galaxies. There must be other intelligences in the countless number of planets in the universe.
Perhaps some of them have technology and have evolved beyond the fighting stage into working together for the betterment of everyone.
The reason that it is within the realm of possibility, is because the Earth is only about 4 billion years old and we have a form of intelligence, yet the universe is something like 14 billion years old, therefore, there would be lots of time for such intelligence to develop on other planets in other galaxies.

]]> By: bowser https://habitablezone.com/2012/12/31/life-in-the-universe-almost-certainly-intelligence-maybe-not/#comment-22504 bowser Thu, 03 Jan 2013 05:21:50 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=29399#comment-22504 Since this is a thread completely about assumptions, there are some safe ones to be made. No matter what the metabolism is there is bound to be a mechanism similar to DNA which allows for adapting to differing sources of energy. As each species exploits it's own energy source, there will be competition. It will be a dog eat dog affair. Intelligence will eventually develop has having an evolutionary advantage. It has evolved on Earth independently many times. And the same species are prey and predator. If a species develops technology, it will not develop the wisdom to handle it. Technology is cumulative, wisdom needs to be learned by each individual from scratch. Putting that technology in the hands of a predatory species will eventually be fatal to the species, as each segment attempts to gain an advantage. And it goes back to competition for resources and an ability to adapt to various environmental situations. Intelligence has survival value. Look at elephants, and dolphins. Technology does not have long-term survival value based on the predatory platform that it is.. What technology does a cockroach have? There Since this is a thread completely about assumptions, there are some safe ones to be made.
No matter what the metabolism is there is bound to be a mechanism similar to DNA which allows for adapting to differing sources of energy. As each species exploits it’s own energy source, there will be competition. It will be a dog eat dog affair.

Intelligence will eventually develop has having an evolutionary advantage. It has evolved on Earth independently many times. And the same species are prey and predator.

If a species develops technology, it will not develop the wisdom to handle it. Technology is cumulative, wisdom needs to be learned by each individual from scratch. Putting that technology in the hands of a predatory species will eventually be fatal to the species, as each segment attempts to gain an advantage.

And it goes back to competition for resources and an ability to adapt to various environmental situations. Intelligence has survival value. Look at elephants, and dolphins.

Technology does not have long-term survival value based on the predatory platform that it is.. What technology does a cockroach have?

There

]]> By: alcaray https://habitablezone.com/2012/12/31/life-in-the-universe-almost-certainly-intelligence-maybe-not/#comment-22483 alcaray Tue, 01 Jan 2013 20:00:05 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=29399#comment-22483 A hundred million years is the blink of an eye. A hundred million years is the blink of an eye.

]]> By: TB https://habitablezone.com/2012/12/31/life-in-the-universe-almost-certainly-intelligence-maybe-not/#comment-22481 TB Tue, 01 Jan 2013 17:18:12 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=29399#comment-22481 It's been a long time since I read Asimov's galactic-scale SF novels, but it postulated a universe where only humans had intelligence. I dimly remember one of his series that involved time travel where it was explained that time travelers had gone to a great deal of trouble in the distant past to set this unique situation up... Who knows how many coincidences were involved in evolving intelligence? Or even multi-cellular life? We only have one real data point. Even if we detect a planet around another star that seems to have life (free oxygen in the atmosphere or something), it could still just be one-celled stuff. That's how most of our own history went. Initial evolution to complex life forms takes a LOT of time. Fortunately, once you've packed the DNA with a hundred million years of useful templates, things can go a lot faster. It’s been a long time since I read Asimov’s galactic-scale SF novels, but it postulated a universe where only humans had intelligence.

I dimly remember one of his series that involved time travel where it was explained that time travelers had gone to a great deal of trouble in the distant past to set this unique situation up…

Who knows how many coincidences were involved in evolving intelligence? Or even multi-cellular life? We only have one real data point.

Even if we detect a planet around another star that seems to have life (free oxygen in the atmosphere or something), it could still just be one-celled stuff. That’s how most of our own history went. Initial evolution to complex life forms takes a LOT of time. Fortunately, once you’ve packed the DNA with a hundred million years of useful templates, things can go a lot faster.

]]> By: FrankC https://habitablezone.com/2012/12/31/life-in-the-universe-almost-certainly-intelligence-maybe-not/#comment-22479 FrankC Tue, 01 Jan 2013 16:38:51 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=29399#comment-22479 If the article happens to be accurate (unlikely), we will have a head start of thousands of years to populate the universe before any other intelligence gets a foothold. In the five or so billion years before the sun swallows us, it is likely that Earth will become uninhabitable for one reason or another, so Earth may die as a habitable planet and humanity's home may become a historical monument, or perhaps forgotten. If the article happens to be accurate (unlikely), we will have a head start of thousands of years to populate the universe before any other intelligence gets a foothold.

In the five or so billion years before the sun swallows us, it is likely that Earth will become uninhabitable for one reason or another, so Earth may die as a habitable planet and humanity’s home may become a historical monument, or perhaps forgotten.

]]> By: Jody https://habitablezone.com/2012/12/31/life-in-the-universe-almost-certainly-intelligence-maybe-not/#comment-22476 Jody Tue, 01 Jan 2013 04:33:22 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=29399#comment-22476 Maybe we become the *life* elsewhere in the Universe after we die here. Maybe we become the *life* elsewhere in the Universe after we die here.

]]> By: FrankC https://habitablezone.com/2012/12/31/life-in-the-universe-almost-certainly-intelligence-maybe-not/#comment-22467 FrankC Tue, 01 Jan 2013 00:22:48 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=29399#comment-22467 is interesting from the standpoint that if we continue to progress, we may be the guys who make the earth stand still for future intelligent civilizations. In science fiction we have become accustomed to thinking of ourselves as low on the totem pole of galactic intelligence. The idea that we may be the mac daddy in the universe takes some getting used to. But, I like it. PAX HUMANUS! hehheh is interesting from the standpoint that if we continue to progress, we may be the guys who make the earth stand still for future intelligent civilizations.

In science fiction we have become accustomed to thinking of ourselves as low on the totem pole of galactic intelligence. The idea that we may be the mac daddy in the universe takes some getting used to.

But, I like it. PAX HUMANUS! hehheh

]]> By: alcaray https://habitablezone.com/2012/12/31/life-in-the-universe-almost-certainly-intelligence-maybe-not/#comment-22466 alcaray Tue, 01 Jan 2013 00:11:55 +0000 http://habitablezone.com/?p=29399#comment-22466 ...who are pretty sure there's probably intellegent life out there. But they are completely certain that their webbing could never be duplicated elsewhere. It was too miraculous a series of events that lead up to it. …who are pretty sure there’s probably intellegent life out there. But they are completely certain that their webbing could never be duplicated elsewhere. It was too miraculous a series of events that lead up to it.

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