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| Personal background |
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I am twenty-two years old and am currently a senior geology major at the University of Kentucky. I am proud to be involved with such an important and exciting scientific program. I have always loved astronomy and am astoundeded at the complexity of the universe.
J.B.S. Haldane said it best: "The universe is not only queerer than we suppose, but queerer than we can suppose."
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| Thoughts about SETI and SETI@home |
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Since the beginning of time, people have wondered if we are alone in the universe. For the first time, we are finally in a position to find an answer. It could lead to the most important discovery of all time. Humans would realize that we are not the kings of the universe; we are merely insignificant pawns. The discovery of extraterrestrial life may even develop a sense of unity among humans as we realize the true insignificance of our differences: we are still one unified species. Regardless of social and/or political benefits, science is the search for truth. We'll never discover the truth if we don't search for it. We must continue with the search at all costs until a definitive answer is found in one form or another.
I am overwhelmingly convinced that we are not alone in such a vast space. The laws of physics and chemistry are the same throughout the universe. If these laws produced such an abundance of life here on Earth, then there is no question that life could easily arise on other worlds under the right conditions. Once life has arisen, it is only a matter of time before intelligence develops. Intelligence is inevitable; every species tries to better itself in one way or another through evolutionary processes ("only the strong[and smart] survive").
If we do make contact with extraterrestrial life, we need not worry about any sort of invasion, as some may fear. We are safely quarantined from even the closest stars. The speed of light is the cosmic speed limit; there is no such thing as "warp speed." Even at the speed of light, it would take 4.2 years for ET to get here even if they inhabited the nearest star. Therefore, aliens have most likely never visited Earth and never will (and there have been no obductions!!!). Besides, violent civilizations will inevitably destroy themselves: We almost did in the Cold War, and we still might. Therefore, I am convinced that any long-lasting intelligent civilization would be relatively good-natured (at least as good natured as we are). |
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