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“Most promising signs yet” of alien life on a planet beyond our Solar System

(www.skyatnightmagazine.com)
417 points fuidani | 4 comments | 17 Apr 25 08:02 UTC | HN request time: 0.787s | source
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seanhunter ◴[17 Apr 25 08:59 UTC] No.43714467[source]▶
Firstly that is completely badass science. The idea that you can use observations to detect the chemical composition of an exoplanet millions of kilometres away is an absolute triumph of the work of thousands of people over hundreds of years. Really amazing and deeply humbling to me.

Secondly, my prior was always that life existed outside of earth. It just seems so unlikely that we are somehow that special. If life developed here I always felt it overwhelmingly likely that it developed elsewhere too given how incredibly unfathomably vast the universe is.

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ta8645 ◴[17 Apr 25 09:20 UTC] No.43714565[source]▶
If life is very common in the universe, then that is probably bad news for us. It means that civilizations should exist that are millions of years more technologically advanced than us; and should be leaving telltale signatures across the sky that we'd likely have detected by now. And the absence of those signs would be relatively strong evidence that life, while common, isn't long-lived. Suggesting that our demise too, will come before too long.

If, on the other hand, life is relatively rare, or we're the sole example, our future can't be statistically estimated that way.

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1. okamiueru ◴[17 Apr 25 09:31 UTC] No.43714625[source]▶
Not sure how bad it could be given the hypothetical "millions of years more technologically advanced". They'd need to have a pretty good reason to care about us. Otherwise, we'd be so insignificant that it seems much more likely that whatever natural resources they'd want, would also be likely nearer and easier to obtain.

War-mongering, and otherwise zero-sum mentality shouldn't make all sense if they have the technology to actually reach us. [3-body spoiler warning] Kinda like in the Three Body Problem. It was kinda silly how advanced the Trisolarian were, while still bothering traveling to earth, rather than approach the problem in any number of more obvious ways

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2. exe34 ◴[17 Apr 25 09:36 UTC] No.43714643[source]▶
Did you read the parent in haste or did they edit their post? They said:

> [1] It means that civilizations should exist that are millions of years more technologically advanced than us;

> [2] and should be leaving telltale signatures across the sky that we'd likely have detected by now.

> [3] And the absence of those signs would be relatively strong evidence that life, while common, isn't long-lived.

> [4]Suggesting that our demise too, will come before too long.

So they were talking about the great filter, not alien invasions, which is what you appear to be replying to.

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3. jayGlow ◴[19 Apr 25 01:30 UTC] No.43733445[source]▶
in the book they couldn't stay in their system since it was unstable and our star was the closest to them and they knew we were less advanced than them.
4. okamiueru ◴[25 Apr 25 06:44 UTC] No.43790838[source]▶
You are exactly right. I think I was tired and simply misread. Thanks for clarifying.

Between [3] and [4] I added an assumption, without basis, of implied agency by [1].