http://news.yahoo.com/population-known- ... 50870.html (http://news.yahoo.com/population-known-alien-planets-nearly-doubles-nasa-discovers-191250870.html)
Fuck yeah, science!
Improves that chances that at least one planet will have intelligent life on it.
These reports always make me think of the Drake Equation.
Are they calling earth-like planets, alien planets? That doesn't seem like a scientific term, but hey I dig it... It catches my attention.
I don't know where I stand on the rare-earth hypothesis vs drake equation debate... Fermi's Paradox really muddy's the water for me, personally.
Quote from: "Shiranu"Fuck yeah, science!
Science! Fuck yeah!
Quote from: "TheGadfly"Are they calling earth-like planets, alien planets? That doesn't seem like a scientific term, but hey I dig it... It catches my attention.
Normally it means a planet of near-Earth size in the Goldilocks zone for that star.
QuoteI don't know where I stand on the rare-earth hypothesis vs drake equation debate... Fermi's Paradox really muddy's the water for me, personally.
Fermi wasn't an astronomer, just a real smart guy. Alien intelligences will be separated from us by both space and time, I believe. For us to know they're there the indicators would have to reach Earth. Huge distances mean a long time lag between the time the aliens lived and their clues getting here. If an intelligence lived and died in Andromeda today we wouldn't know about it for millions of years.
Quote from: "Atheon"These reports always make me think of the Drake Equation.
Drake equation was good for it's time but way out of date. A lot of other factors considered important that weren't taken into account in the original. Such as a supposed habitable zone within the galaxy with near the center to chaotic for life and the rims to limited of resources. Other other factors are a stabilizing moon and even supposedly tectonic plates.
Still what they "think" and what is reality will probably be two different things completely. I wouldn't be surprised if life, even intelligent life is far more abundant than even modest estimates.