The Fermi paradox is a concept that comes up often in astronomy and astrobiology. The reason for this is because of how massive the observable universe truly is. The Fermi paradox is basically a contradiction to the potential for life in the universe. With billions of observable galaxies and each galaxy containing billions of stars like our sun, and each potentially having a solar system with habitable planets, why haven't we been able to detect life anywhere but Earth? Enrico Fermi (1901-1954) questioned this that with such a high probability of there being life out there in the universe, we should have detected it by now or been visited by extraterrestrials, yet there is no evidence that either have occurred. One of the new leading theories of why this is the case is that since life is so fragile early on, the chances of it surviving and creating a stable environment on the planet is very, very slim. The example the authors of this concept use is that four billion years ago, Mars, Venus, and Earth all were potentially habitable. But within a billion years, Mars froze and Venus turned into a hotbox where the environments seem too unstable for life. They believe that this is most likely the case all over the universe and that is what makes our planet so unique.
Source article for new theory:http://www.kurzweilai.net/fermi-paradox-resolved-near-universal-early-extinction
Enrico Fermi’s paradox concept answers part of a question while raising so many more and adding a new level to if there is other life out there. Very interesting concept and it also quiets some of the other people who may not believe in life on other planets. However, considering how young we are in the universe not to mention our own planet it may be a long wait for contact. I love astronomy and look forward to future post.
ReplyDeleteThis theory does explain many questions we have had, but if those other planets were once habitable, while ours still is, could that mean that in time our planet could become unhabitable? Also, are we accelerating that with how we are living here? I do believe there may be life outside of us, but we are so young in matters of space that if there are other beings out there, they can possibly be just as young or younger and we could still be many years away from making contact. I'm curious to see what you have to post next week.
ReplyDeleteSorry I missed your comment or I would have responded sooner. To answer your question, yes, they believe that either through climate change creating too much carbon and not enough oxygen, life as we know it would not exist. If, however, climate change doesn't wipe out life, the sun most likely will. Our sun, when it starts to run out of fuel, will become a massive red giant. This will likely engulf the earth and wipe out all life on it. But this most likely will not happen for billions of years.
DeleteThere's also a chance of another mass extinction from a meteor or a comet that could destroy earth. Yay for being a giant rock spinning in space! Lol
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