Transcript Are We Alone in the Universe?

Are We Alone in the
Universe?
Leslie Wickman, Ph.D.
So many questions…
• Where did all this come from?
• How big is it?
• What’s it all made of?
• How long has it been here?
• Was there anything before all this?
• Where are we going?
• How will it all end?
Do YOU think we’re alone in the
universe?
Why or why not?
The Vastness of the Universe
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim
the work of his hands. Day after day pours forth speech,
and night after night reveals knowledge.”
- Psalm 19:1-2
On the clearest night, we can see about 2000 stars with the
naked eye.
Powerful telescopes have revealed billions!
The vastness of the universe is impossible to comprehend.
The observable universe extends 46.5 billion light years in
every direction…
“He counts the number of the stars; he gives names to all of
them.”
- Psalm 147:4
IS THERE ANYONE ELSE OUT THERE??
Search for Extraterrestrial
Intelligence (SETI)
UC Berkeley researchers have
been analyzing radio signals
from space with various
telescopes since 1978.
In 30+ years, they have not yet
detected anything that could be
construed as a signal from an
intelligent civilization
Planets Orbiting Other Stars
• finding extrasolar planets is tough (but
we’re getting better at it): they’re close
to their star, dim, small, far…
• several evidences that they exist: dust
disks and wobbles and light drops…
• we’ve observed dust disk stars (e.g. Beta
Pictoris)
• with a huge cold disk (100x bigger than our
solar system) and a hole in the middle, just
like our solar system has
• planets are likely to form in the inner region
• here young stars
are surrounded by
disks of gas and
dust
• there might be
new planets being
formed here
• wobble
• a planet orbiting a star can cause it to
wobble just slightly
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blue shift – twd us / red shift – away from us
first seen in 51 Pegasus about 20 years ago
have seen 100s now, but
most are jovian and close to parent star
• and we have
ever-soslight
dimming of
star light
implying tiny
planets are
moving in
front of a
star
• and we can see tiny Doppler
effects from a star’s spectrum
implying something small and
reflecting star light is moving
about up there
The Current Most Likely Candidates
The Habitable Zone
Distance to Other Star/Planet
Systems…
• Alpha Centauri triple star: 4.3 LY
• Epsilon Eridani, sun-like star,
closest exoplanet: 10.5 LY
• Gliese planetary systems, closest
low mass exoplanets w/i a star’s
habitable zone: ~15-20.5 LY
• KOI-961, red dwarf with smallest
mass exoplanets (0.57 to 0.78 x
Earth’s mass): 20.3 LY
• SETI estimate for closest possible
life-friendly planets: 155 LY
Life Science Issues
Special conditions of
spaceflight:
Produce various physiological and
psychological effects:
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• space adaptation syndrome (SAS)
• reduced stimulation of taste and
olfactory receptors
• body mass loss
• body fluid upward shift and loss
• cardiovascular deconditioning
• muscular atrophy
• bone demineralization - osteoporosis
• electrolyte imbalance
• enlargement of some vital organs
• nasal congestion
• immunosuppression
• cellular damage/mutations
• psychosocial manifestations
microgravity
radiation
vacuum
temperature variations
isolation
confinement
g-loads
vibration
noise
Our Unique Earth
Even though some 750 extra solar planets have been
discovered, and perhaps most sun-like stars could support
planetary systems…
All of our space exploration SO FAR has shown that our
neighbors in space are not remotely capable of sustaining
life of any complexity.
The Best?
If the earth is the result of some cosmic accident, surely we could
find some attribute which could be improved upon…
• Distance from Sun, temperature ranges
• Size, gravity
• Water: vapor, liquid, solid
• Thickness of crust
• Rotation rate
• Axial tilt, seasons
• Magnetic field
• Moon
• Atmospheric pressure and composition
But to change any of earth’s essential attributes would decrease
the likelihood of life existing or continuing to exist!
“And God saw all that he made, and behold it was very good.”
- Genesis 1:3
Fine-tuning throughout the Universe
• Velocity of light
• Electromagnetic force
• Strong nuclear force
• Expansion rate of universe
• Mass density of the universe
Against the Odds…
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Probability for 9 life-supporting design characteristics
existing in one of the traditional 9 planets of our solar
system:
1 in 50 million
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If we consider 322 finely tuned characteristics of the
entire universe, the odds are more like 1 in 10282 for life to
exist anywhere in the cosmos!
Is this the only place???
If things are so perfect here, why would we want
to go anywhere else?
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Human curiosity
Spirit of adventure
Pushing the envelope
Future of civilization
UFO sightings
• Thousands of UFO sightings are reported each year
• 50% of all Americans believe in extraterrestrial life
• 95% accounted for as man-made objects or natural
phenomenon
1. Hoaxes
2. Over-active imaginations
3. Misidentification of natural phenomenon
4. Misidentification of unknown technology
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Fire balls
Venus, the “Morning Star”
weather balloons
atmospheric effects
military aircraft
remaining ~5% are inexplicable
The Inexplicable 5%
• Inexplicable UFOs seem to defy laws of
physics:
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abrupt 90 degree movements
disintegrating and reappearing
changing forms
radio interference
electrical systems malfunctioning
“crop circles”
burnt or bent grass
no crash debris
Possible Options for Inexplicable
UFOs
#1: Misidentified natural/physical phenomena
#2: Extra-terrestrials sending UFOs to earth
#3: Extra-dimensional entities
Option #2:
ETs Sending UFOs to Earth
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Distance problem
Velocity problem
Time problem
Weight problem
Numbers problem
• “Alien intelligence will have to conform to the laws of physics as we
know them. However there are loopholes in the laws of physics that
have to be investigated…This wormhole allows you to leap across vast
distances within the twinkling of an eye without violating Einstein’s
theory of general relativity…. However… we still don’t know whether
or not the wormhole is stable once we take into account radiation
effects… We don’t know what lies on the other side of the
wormhole…” ~ Dr. Michu Kaku, City University of NY
• Wormhole problems
• Physiological problems
Is There a Cover-Up??
What about:
1. The Roswell Incident?
2. Project Blue Book?
3. Area 51?
Lockheed U2 Spy Plane
Area 51
Option #3:
Extra-Dimensional Entities
• Abduction reports
– 9/20/61: a couple driving through New Hampshire, sees
a large pancake-shaped craft flying towards them; they
can’t account for 2 missing hours; physical problems
and nightmares of alien abduction
– 11/5/75: 6 men reported that a colleague disappeared
when he approached a UFO; 5 days later he shows up,
mentally disturbed and dehydrated; says he’s been
examined by aliens
“Real” but “Non-physical”?
• Capabilities of UFOs seem to defy physics
• UFO researcher, Dr. Jacques Vallee:
– UFO phenomenon represents evidence for other
dimensions beyond space-time
• General relativity and Big Bang cosmology both
indicate that the cause of the universe is beyond
physical space and time
• The Bible is the only holy book that refers to a
creator-God who transcends space and time
• The Bible speaks of non-physical extradimensional entities capable of transcending
space and time
Close Encounters
• 1st kind: close visual
sightings
• 2nd kind: physical
effects on environment
• 3rd kind: contact w/ a
UFO being/alien
• 4th kind: abduction by
alien beings
• 5th kind: permanent
physical harm or death
Common Threads in UFO
Experiences
1. Involvement in occult practices
2. Deception
3. Malevolence/Harm
4. Peak sightings at 3 am, along remote, low traffic roads
5. UFO scientific knowledge roughly keeps pace with popular
science fiction
Third Option Fits Best
• The number and frequency of UFO sightings
correlates well geographically with regional
demographics indicating occult involvement
• UFO messengers encourage the practices of
channeling and mysticism.
Conclusions
• Option 1: Inexplicable UFOs violate laws of physics
• Option 2: Physical problems
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Distance
Velocity
Time
Weight
Numbers
Wormhole
Physiology
• Option 3: Non-physical reality
– Not bound by space, time, physical laws
– Consistent with common threads of “close encounters”
– Correlation with occult involvement demographics
REFERENCES
Cottrell, Ron. The Remarkable Spaceship Earth, Accent Publications, 1982.
DiCello, Carmen. UFO Theories: Some Proposals and Thought Provokers,
Angel Fire website: www.angelfire.com.
Kaku, Michu. Theoretical Physicist, City University of New York.
Kelly, Walt. Cartoonist, 1913-1973.
Vallee, Jacques. UFO Researcher /Astronomer/Computer Scientist, EuroAmerica Ventures.
Ross, Hugh, Kenneth Samples & Mark Clark. Lights in the Sky & Little Green
Men: A Rational Christian Look at UFOs and Extraterrestrials, NavPress,
2002.
National Space Biomedical Research Institute: www.nsbri.org
Reasons to Believe, Glendora, CA: www.reasons.org