Quote:
Originally Posted by 57 On Red
Despite the number of stars in our galaxy, the probability of any star system hosting a recognisably intelligent industrial civilisation at a time even remotely proximate to our own, and the probability of a spacecraft from that planet making a voyage of the extreme duration required by interstellar distances and the limiting effect of the speed of light, so as to appear in Earth's atmosphere by amazing coincidence during the brief period of advanced industrial civilisation on this planet, is as near zero as makes no difference. Basically it's impossible.
Which is good, because, if they did come, they'd be hostile, and they'd bring diseases to which we had no resistance, and we'd all know about it in the worst possible way.
I would agree largely with this.
In terms of weighting I would not put any single theory in the 'likely' category where I would bet on it.
But in terms of weighting I do like the idea and potential of Panspermia (thx CV for the term) as a potential way life was introduced to this nascent planet of ours.
I would actually weight or rank higher 'deliberate panspermia' via satellite or other craft than 'incidental contact' with the 'right meteor' with the 'right combination of 'life' giving factors randomly on it.
I can imagine in the entirety of our universes existence it is possible other planets had life that evolved to approximate where we on Earth are at, which is not that advanced at all. Those planets may have died out taking their populations with them but they, as we could do now, may have seeded satellites with many of the identified 'seeds of life' and sent them to the identified 'potential' planets that could germinate them.
Just spam it out towards every potential target hoping to get a hit somewhere.
I would bet we, on earth, will be engaging in theoretical and philosophical discussions about doing just this in the coming decades as trips to Mars and out of Galaxy options continue to elude us but this option remains viable.