If the universe is teeming with aliens-- where is everybody?
by Stephen Webb · first published 2002
4mentions
2recommended by
4HN commenters
2014–2024first – last mentioned
50% recommend50% neutral
Given the fact that there are perhaps 400 billion stars in our Galaxy alone, and perhaps 400 billion galaxies in the Universe, it stands to reason that somewhere out there, in the 14-billion-year-old cosmos, there is or once was a civilization at least as advanced as our own. The sheer enormity of the numbers almost demands that we accept the truth of this hypothesis. Why, then, have we encountered no evidence, no messages, no artifacts of these extraterrestrials? In this second, significantly revised and expanded edition of his widely popular book, Webb discusses in detail the (for now!) 75 m
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
If you're not that familiar with the Fermi Paradox I highly recommend Stephen Webb's book If the Universe is Teeming With Aliens... Where Is Everybody?[0] He covers a basic intro to the problem and then goes through FIFTY proposed solutions in an accessible and entertaining manner. A lot of it explains why "obvious" solutions (including the suggestion…
on “Computing and the Fermi Paradox: A New Idea Emerges – The Aliens Are All Asleep” ↗Anyone interested in this topic should check out Stephen Webb's book, "If the Universe Is Teeming with Aliens ... Where Is Everybody?". It's not perfect, but it goes over a lot of possible explanations (75 different explanations!) for the Fermi Paradox. It covers pretty much every theory I've seen when people discuss the topic, aside…
on “Amino acids found in asteroid samples collected by Japan's Hayabusa2 probe” ↗There's a whole book of solutions that people have thought up over the years: If the Universe Is Teeming with Aliens ... WHERE IS EVERYBODY?: Fifty Solutions to the Fermi Paradox and the Problem of Extraterrestrial Life by Stephen Webb
on “6 Mind-Bending Solutions to the Fermi Paradox” ↗I'm reading Stephen Webb's book (If the Universe Is Teeming with Aliens ... WHERE IS EVERYBODY), and he describes how a partial Dyson sphere can turn a star into a spaceship which blew my mind (just cover all but one side, the released energy will push it the other direction). Imagine doing that…
on “A 1.3B-light-year-across ring of galaxies has confounded astronomers” ↗