Professor Andrew Watson, a scientist from
the University of East Anglia takes this Fermi Paradox to
heart when he suggests that the odds of finding new life
on other Earth-like planets are low, given the time it has
taken for beings such as humans to evolve combined with
the remaining life span of Earth.
The remaining lifespan of Earth indeed.
Watson says that structurally complex and
intelligent life evolved late on Earth, and. according to
Watson, the Earth’s biosphere is now in its old age
and life on Earth will soon end as the sun brightens.
What he is assuming, albeit based on scientific
proof, is that Earth is 4-billion years old, and that it
has taken much of that time for intelligent life to evolve
on Earth.
He is also implying that the rest of the universe started
at the same time and will end at around the same time.
Therefore, if there is no other intelligent life anywhere
in the universe at present, there is not enough time for
it to evolve!
To cut a long story short, Watson predicts
that Earth only has about a billion years left, so we have
nothing to really worry about yet.
Personally, I am with the UN on this one.
The United Nations
is about to appoint a little-known Malaysian astrophysicist
to head its Office for Outer Space Affairs. |
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(Yes. I Know
:-) |
The United Nations is about
to appoint a little-known Malaysian astrophysicist to head
its Office for Outer Space Affairs.
Mazlan Othman will tell delegates to a scientific
conference next week that she will be in charge of talking
to any aliens who either arrive here from another world
or, more likely, communicate with us.
At least now, when ET lands in the middle
of the night and says ‘Take me to your leader’
we can at least point him/her/it in the right direction!
