Will we find Intelligent Life?
SETI, short for `Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence', is interested in finding more than some green algae slime growing in a shallow pond on a distant planet. They want to talk with E.T., learn secrets of the universe, discuss math, religion, physics and philosophy! The continued discovery of extra-solar planets is increasingly convincing that habitable planets may be plentiful in our Galaxy, but what is the chance of finding intelligent life on these planets??
Is Intelligence common?
Would you be disappointed to find other planets with plants, animals,
enormously complex ecosystems developed and evolving over billions of
years, but with no creature intelligent enough to clearly communicate?
We could send radio signals till we're blue in the face, and
while wonderful, fascinating, diverse life may exist, nothing would
be listening for us or able to respond. While life took hold on Earth
at a remarkably fast rate, does it mean life always evolves to higher
intelligence? Until the last 50 years or so, we ourselves were unable
to detect or even respond to an ETI signal.
Is Intelligence the pinnacle of natural selection and evolution?
From an evolutionary standpoint, we might consider humans the most
highly evolved, most complex form of life on Earth. Indeed, having
such a magnificent brain has done great things for our survival.
Moreover, we're permanently destroying enormous numbers of possible
rival species (for resources) at an alarming rate. While the exact
descent is not yet sorted out, our earliest ancestoral species dates
back just 4 million years (1/1000 that of the onset of the first life).
About 150,000 years ago, intelligent Neanderthal was first in existence.
Modern humans (homo sapiens) date back just 30,000 years. However,
intelligence may have a limited lifetime. Make no mistake, should
global nuclear war or a major impact occur in the next hundred years,
reign of the Earth would likely switch out of our hands.. Simple bacteria,
extremophiles living at the bottom of the ocean, they would be the
supreme life forms! Our reign
of less than 30,000 years would be hardly detected in the geological record
a million years from now.