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| Personal background |
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I have just completed a Bachelor's degree in Engineering. I have started my own company, Alerico Networks, and have just started running SETI@home on the servers in order to do something meaningful with all that unused CPU time. Here's a little information about my company...
Alerico Networks provides high-tech solutions to business and residential customers. Product offerings include configuration of Internet, file and printer sharing, custom/web software, high performance servers and support for Linux computers. Consultants are available to analyze your situation and recommend and/or implement a course of action. |
| Thoughts about SETI and SETI@home |
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I think that it is quite likely that extraterrestrial life exists, and that it exists in a great number of star systems in addition to our own. Further, it is likely that life (perhaps not intelligent by our definition of the word) exists on other worlds within our solar system. Our definitions of life and intelligent life will need to be revised as we explore these worlds in the near future. These expanded definitions will be the key to discovering life in other systems.
Our limited understanding of the universe limits us to radio communication and therefore we are restricted to finding life in two types of star systems:
1. Relatively nearby systems with civilizations that are at approximately the same stage of development as ourselves. We would discover these civilizations because their broadcasts, much like our own, radiate out into space for all to listen. Due to the small number of relatively close stars and their age, it is more likely that any such civilizations have either not created radio devices yet, or they have at some point in the distant past (maybe a few million or billion years past) and since moved on to some type of new technology that we are not aware of yet. Conclusion: the probability of finding life in one of these systems is astronomically small.
2. Far away systems with civilizations that were at approximately the same stage of development at some time in the distant past. Their signals are just now reaching the earth, but they have long since stopped using radio technology. Due to the distances involved, 2-way communication is impossible. Further, it would be necessary for the civilization to focus their transmission directly at our solar system in order for us to pick them out of the background noise. The probability of finding life on far away systems is increased by the fact that there are a great deal more stars, but offset by the fact that a directional transmission is required. Conclusion: the probability of finding life in a distant system is also astronomically small. |
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