MARS

[CatBreath]

eemmmm jim i dont get ya...
u just said IT IS possible to have billions of intelegent races at the same time...
so why not now?
i dont get it

[jimbo]

Well, there are so many criteria that have to be met for them to survive, I don't think it could happen. I was looking at it from a very, very optomistic point of view. We have found that one out of every 3.6 million planets can harbor life, but even less of those planets are suited for intelligent life. Intelligent life, in my opinion, hasn't formed yet. Just too many stars, not enough planets with the right circumstances.

[CatBreath]

one outta every 3.6 million would mean billions of stars...
sooo... why not?

[jimbo]

Because...

It needs to be in the habitable zone from it's star and its star must be relatively small, not a giant or supergiant. Both Mars and Venus are in the habitable zone from our own sun, so just being in the habitable zone is not enough. New studies seem to show that having a large gas giant at a few AU from the star (or around Jupiter's distance) may be needed for life to be able to get a significant toehold in the first place. There must be certain safeguards to protect these organisms as they grow and evolve (like our atmosphere and the O3 that protects us from UV rays).

My percentages were for the possibility of life to occur. That means that 10-60% of planets are able to support life. But life just doesn't "appear" on a planet...It takes billions of years for it to do that, then the small organisms need to evolve into intelligent beings, such as ourselves. Anyway, since our universe is fairly new, I don't think intelligent life got a toehold on other planets yet.

[CatBreath]

well...
it makes it less probable...
but not impossible
i think that its a lil rush to jump to the conclusion/assumption there arent any...

[Nemesis]

Jimbo, life took that long to evolve to intelligent beings on EARTH.. who says it is exactly the same on other planets..

[jimbo]

Because there is no way that bacteria can develop a brain overnight, no matter what the circumstances.

[Nemesis]

Indeed, there isnt. But apes stayed quite the same for thousands of years.. and humans didnt. There ye go. Who says aliens cant do the same?

[CatBreath]

makes sense...
but again i dont see why it matters...

[Nemesis]

Me neither