Could Earth be the only planet with intelligent life?
Comments ( https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37802926 )
https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/earth-only-planet-intelligent-life/
Could Earth be the only planet with intelligent life?
Comments ( https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37802926 )
https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/earth-only-planet-intelligent-life/
Not even that one, it seems
I think it's possible that we are the only species with industrial technology within the observable universe.
Industrial technology is mind-bogglingly unlikely. It requires a contradictory creature - a social scavenger-turned-predator-turned-pastoralist hunting/farming social prey despite being too weak to kill one, even in groups, and thus relying on tools.
No social prey - no pastoralism - no excess caloric payload allowing complex tool manufacture, trade, food processing (eg cheesemaking) etc.
Not social - no language, writing, trade, etc and no ability to maintain a complex industrial system that exceeds the comprehension of any one individual.
Not a predator - costly digestive tissues take away metabolic budget of nervous system and limit brain complexity
Not a scavenger/not weak - evolution progressively focuses on claws & fangs rather than tools & brains
We also need an oxygenated environment allowing chemical reactions (combustion) to take place with ordinary air. This requires not only the presence of elemental oxygen, but also living organisms to liberate this highly reactive element.