Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

Original title: "Aliens on the phone? Don't answer! "

No one knows whether the number of alien civilizations is large or small. Concepts such as "big filters" limit the existence of alien civilizations. But some scientists believe that the number of higher civilizations in the universe is proportional to their average lifespan. The average life span of civilization can range from a century to millions of years. Those civilizations that have lasted for millions of years must have developed into highly developed civilizations. As a result, the nearest alien civilization may be close enough to detect electromagnetic signals or be captured by our telescopes. Traditionally, scientists believe that extraterrestrial civilizations are about 200 light-years away from us.

Even Darwin pointed out that not all individuals share the same characteristics at the beginning. Therefore, the forces that affect survival do not have an equal impact on individuals and species. There are always some mutations that have proved to be more adaptable to survival and easier to survive than others. In the process of exploring interstellar life and its forms, we have developed many theories to unravel the hidden mysteries of life. One of the theories is the Dark Forest, which is so scary that it gives people goose bumps.

Before introducing the dark forest theory, let's look at a few important key concepts. These concepts are as important as the dark forest theory and constitute the background of this hypothesis.

These concepts include:

The eight terms below the Drake equation led to a revolution in the search for extraterrestrial civilizations. They are:

N = R * fP Ne fl fi fc L

N is the number of civilizations that can communicate with human beings.

R * is the average rate of star formation

Fp is the percentage of stars with planets in all stars.

Ne is the average number of habitable planets in each star system with planets.

Fl is the proportion of life developed on a habitable planet.

Fi is the proportion of intelligent life that has evolved from living planets.

L is the average evolution time of all civilizations that can communicate with the outside world.

Scientists such as Frank Drake (Frank Drake) have developed a formula for estimating the probability of extraterrestrial life. This formula (Drake equation) is used to estimate the number of extraterrestrial civilizations in the Milky way that are active and capable of communicating with the outside world. The Drake equation summarizes the factors that affect the possibility of detecting radio signals from alien civilizations.

But so far, scientists have not found any radio signals that can clearly prove the existence of aliens. Although we have detected several suspected radio waves, the evidence is not sufficient. )

Fermi Paradox-- an eternal hot topic in the search for aliens

What this paradox says is There are billions of stars in the Milky way-- some of them must have Earth-like planets-- some of them must be much older than our sun-- so they may have given birth to intelligent life millions of years ago-- some intelligent life may have been exploring interstellar travel-- so aliens visited Earth a long time ago. But no definite evidence of alien visits has been found.

Numerous potentially habitable planets and the fruitless search for life constitute two aspects of the Fermi paradox, supported by empirical data. The first argument, that is, the existence of a considerable number of habitable planets, was put forward by Fermi and is supported by the frequent occurrence of exoplanets. According to existing models, there are billions of habitable planets in the Milky way. Scientists are studying the second part of the Fermi paradox, which is that humans have not yet found evidence of extraterrestrial life. The research includes not only the universal search for any form of life, but also the emphasis on intelligent life. Since 1960, scientists have carried out many similar studies.

You might think that the Fermi paradox seems to be a reasoning process. Yes, it is indeed a reasoning process, a very complex reasoning process.

Methods between 1950 and 1970, scientists believed that life evolved in an island-like environment, so physical communication was considered impossible. The only way to communicate is through electromagnetic signals. As a result, SETI, OZMA, CETI and many other projects have been launched to send signals into deep space.

But so far, no electromagnetic wave called extraterrestrial or mysterious signal has been accurately confirmed. The so-called "great silence"-that is, the lack of evidence of the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations (from David Brin's article "Great Silence-controversy about extraterrestrial intelligent life")-has changed the way humans search for extraterrestrial intelligent civilizations.

Morse information. This includes sending radio signals to Venus in Morse code, which scientists still thought might be habitable. Another way is to use radio signals: the active SETI (Active Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) project attempts to send messages to intelligent extraterrestrial life. Active SETI information is usually sent in the form of radio signals.

Similarly, there is METI (Messaging to extraterrestrial Intelligence, which sends messages to alien intelligence bodies). SETI studies the search for information from aliens. METI is responsible for creating information and transmitting it to aliens.

A message from METI said: "you are not alone!"

We expect the type of alien life: scientists have not yet made a precise definition of life. In addition, there is no single way to define the existence of life. When it comes to life, we think of life on our planet, but extraterrestrial life may be different. For example, we believe that life has the following characteristics: carbon-based, membrane, energy consumption, need for liquid water, cell division, growth, reproduction and metabolic activities, and so on.

Prokaryote: a single-celled organism, such as bacteria.

Scientist Hoyle and his team have come up with a theory related to single-cell life. He found 3'9 μ m infrared features of freeze-dried E. coli in signals received by a telescope-meaning that space may be full of single-celled organisms adapted to life in deep space.

Intelligent creatures: such as us, or dolphins, chimpanzees, apes, or possibly humans-species similar to our own.

Intelligent creatures: intelligent life means the existence of acting wisely. For example, the Romans regarded the goddess Minerva as an intelligent being.

Unknown / unspeakable / fast and more advanced: we can't even predict these aliens. We don't know what characteristics they might have.

Carl Sagan of Cornell University has done a lot of laboratory research, trying to simulate the surface and atmospheric chemistry of planets, moons and comets. These findings suggest that under a variety of observations of the solar system, common energy sources, such as ultraviolet radiation and discharge, can promote the formation of large numbers of complex organic molecules, including the chemical composition of life. These findings were initially questioned. It is now known that these complex organisms exist in the interior of the giant nebula and on the surfaces of many planets outside the solar system. There seem to be many primitives that make up life in the universe. Sagan believes that life is everywhere.

Benefits scientists are looking for the benefits of finding extraterrestrial life. Not only humans, but also other species. Not just other Earth species, but the universe as a whole. We must first serve life on earth (including all species)! Our requirements are:

Technology-if aliens arrive on Earth, it will show that they have technological advantages. We will never miss the opportunity to fly out of the Milky way on their UFO.

Contact-we don't want to live alone. For many years, we have been confined to a corner of the universe and know nothing about other places. We want to get out of this abyss, and we want peace in the whole universe.

Our survival-our resources are limited. With the passage of time, our population will grow. Only one earth is not enough to meet our needs. With the help of our alien brothers and sisters, we can survive in extreme conditions (when the end of the world comes). This survival point is the core idea of the dark forest theory.

Exploring space-- maybe going on vacation in other galaxies-- who wouldn't want to? I want to. Would you. Everyone wants to.

Once we come into contact with aliens, we may broaden our horizons and understand the unsolved mysteries of the universe through their advanced technology. These are the advantages of communicating with extraterrestrial civilizations. Now let's talk about the things we must keep in mind "before communicating".

The term Dark Forest Theory comes from the Chinese science fiction writer Liu Cixin's series of novels three-body. The Dark Forest assumes that aliens deliberately remain silent, which explains why we haven't heard from aliens. The main points of the theory are:

"the universe is a dark forest, and every civilization is a hunter with a gun, sneaking through the forest like a ghost, gently plucking away the trees in the way, trying not to make a sound, even breathing carefully. He must be careful, for there are hunters sneaking like him everywhere in the forest. If he finds another life, whether it is a hunter, an angel or a devil, a delicate baby, a stumbling old man, an immortal girl or a divine boy, there is only one thing he can do: shoot and destroy it. In this forest, others are hell and an eternal threat, and any life that exposes itself will soon be wiped out. This is the picture of cosmic civilization, and this is the explanation of Fermi paradox. "

Liu Cixin, Dark Forest

There are two foundations for this concept:

Survival is the first need of every civilization.

Civilization continues to grow and expand

Even theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking (Stephen Hawking) said that humans must remain silent to avoid attracting the attention of aliens. Because alien civilizations may be attracted to Earth, they have faster means of transportation than the speed of light to find our precious resources.

The importance of Dark Forest Theory Dark Forest Theory provides a new dimension for thinking. We do not know whether highly advanced alien civilizations are enemies or friends. These civilizations may see us as companions, hunters and even prey. The resources needed for survival are very scarce, and every such civilization urgently needs resources to expand and survive. Now, we know that there is a reason for the silence in space-perhaps highly developed civilizations are afraid of being discovered-which may be the reason why they have not sent any signals so far.

The lack of understanding between our civilization and alien civilization may arouse suspicion. We cannot know the true intentions of alien species, nor can they know our intentions. Therefore, in this case, it would be considered wise to consider attacking other civilizations. In this way, the assumption of the dark forest may see the light of reality. And the wisest decision is to remain silent and not expose yourself.

Darwin's theory of evolution bears some resemblance to the Dark Forest. Darwin's theory of evolution of natural selection is based on three important factors: variation, reproduction and heredity. Variation is closely related to survival. Changes in the physical characteristics of organisms are often conducive to the survival struggle of a species, and these changes are preserved and passed on, because individuals with these mutations tend to survive. The same is true of the Dark Forest Theory (Dark Forest Theory). The Dark Forest hypothesis reminds us of survival instincts. It also points out that survival of the fittest applies not only to our planet, but also to the universe as a whole, and must be given due consideration when communicating in outer space.

Author: Victor Bhaura

Translator: Tibetan idiot

Revision: Nuor

Original link: Dark Forest Theory- Why we should never meet Aliens?

This article comes from the official account of Wechat: Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ID:cas-iop), author: Victor Bhaura

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