Canada and the World
Current Events with a Canadian Perspective
Last update
19 November 2010
The Fermi Paradox
Two famous scientists disagree
about the possibility of extraterrestrial life
The world’s most famous physicist, Stephen Hawking, believes that alien life is almost certain to exist somewhere in the Universe other than on Earth.
Writing in The Sunday Times (April 25, 2010) Jonathan Leake says Hawking’s conviction is based on numbers: “The universe, he points out, has 100 billion galaxies, each containing hundreds of millions of stars. In such a big place, Earth is unlikely to be the only planet where life has evolved.”
Numbers concerning our own galaxy, the Milky Way (left) are beyond human comprehension.
According to universetoday.com, the Milky Way is “about 120,000 light years across...has
between 200 and 400 billion stars...(and is considered) a middleweight” among galaxies.
Leake quotes Hawking as saying “The real challenge is to work out what aliens might actually be like.” The scientist then goes on to suggest it’s most likely to be microbes or simple animals.
Enrico Fermi’s Paradox
Hawking’s suggestion there may be alien life-
A Nobel prize winner noted for his work in nuclear physics, Professor Fermi had some thoughts on extraterrestrial life that ended in a puzzle that bears his name (The Fermi Paradox).
He reasoned that given the size and age of the Universe there should be many technologically advanced civilizations. However, there’s no evidence to support their existence.
In other words, it’s probable that we aren’t the only place in the galaxy that has spawned intelligent life, but there’s no proof that it exists elsewhere. Why? One answer doesn’t bode well for our future: some suggest that intelligent species are not rare; they appear often, but end up destroying themselves through their scientific discoveries.
Size of Universe Defies Extraterrestrial Search
Not to worry though. The Guardian reported (January 2007) that a Danish physicist has a more encouraging explanation. There simply hasn’t been enough time.
Researcher Rasmus Bjork, at the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen, found that even
if alien spaceships could hurtle through space at a tenth of the speed of light,
or 30,000 km a second, -
Image credit
NASA
Sources
“Don’t Talk to Aliens, Warns Stephen Hawking.” Jonathan Leake, Sunday Times, April 25, 2010.
“So much Space, so Little Time: Why Aliens Haven’t Found us yet.” Ian Sample, The Guardian, January 18, 2007.
© Canada and the World, July 2010
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Since 1995, more than 450 planets orbiting distant stars have been identified, showing that planets are a common phenomenon.
“Sometimes I think we’re alone. Sometimes I think we’re not. In either case the thought is staggering.”
R. Buckminster Fuller