Posted by Bob on 7/30/2007, 10:01 am, in reply to "Re: Fermi's Paradox, Cosmology, and, Are We Alone?" On your second point: Actually, there are about 50 possibilities discussed here: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=2V2ZW86R7A&isbn=0387955011 Webb himself concludes that the "great silence" in nature probably results from humankind's being But he discusses 49 other possibilities as well, some of them from scientists. Although it may seem dichotomous, I think that the first two, primary, considerations should be these: 1) There are no advanced civilizations in this galaxy that have interstellar capabilities. Even if such societies developed in the past, they might all have gone extinct before reaching us. For example, a massive gamma ray burst could wipe out all life in an entire galaxy. If this happened shortly before there was life on earth, we could be a "first generation" civilization. This might be the case even if inter-galactic travel is feasible. 2) Any technologically advanced civilization, even a few hundred years older than ours, could be advanced by orders of magnitude beyond us. If such societies have developed interstellar capabilities, it might be no challenge at all for them to remain completely undetectable by us if they so chose, while maintaining intimately close observation, even control. This is an eerie thought, but given the parameters considered by the Fermi paradox, it is high on the list of possibilities. Neither of the above scenarios is very satisfactory, and so, there are many others that have been posited. One of them is what I call the "top dog" theory, which states that among insterstellar technologies, one society will inevitably be advanced far beyond any competitors. Suppose two interstellar empires collide. Since technology advances in seemingly ever-accelerating speeds, it is unlikely that both societies will be equally advanced. Even a few hundred years in difference could be overwhelming, making a clash a no-contest decision. If the "top dog" society will brook no competition, it can either destroy or subjugate any others, and probably quite easily. In this scenario, our galaxy is governed by a "top dog" ancient civilization that has, for whatever reason, whether benevolent or not, decided not to colonize our planet, nor to permit any others from contacting us. In that case, we need only be careful not to make them uncomfortable about our presence. Finally, there are the unknowable factors, some of them almost (or entirely) beyond comprehension. For example, a collision between two universes, a theory of "thought-based" universes, and other theories involving religion, transformation of material life forms into immaterial forms, etc etc.
72.243.26.154
Transmutation of elements occurs in nature. Hydrogen stars form almost every element on the periodic table. Given a techno civilization highly advanced, it is very plausible that such societies could transmute elements, at least from hydrogen, into any resource they felt a need for.
the only civilization now in this galaxy, if not in the entire universe.
