Goal: To examine intelligent life in the universe Objectives: Where are they? Would they come here? Are we going to die? What might they be?

Have we already been visited? ~9000 reported UFO sightings per year worldwide (7000 in the USA) Most can be easily explained Large fraction during July 14th. 10% on Jan 1st Seems uncommon at best. Lifetime probability: 1 in 600

Where are they? We have seen that the distances to these civilizations might be large (25000 light years) We cannot detect that far Time, it’s not on our side

Large numbers 400 billion stars in galaxy Possibly trillions of planets Cannot find us?

Other reasons to stay away: Our species can be violent Germs/dieses/viruses Prime directive Need a different climate/environment

First Contact? Why don’t movies ever show this going well?

Reality check The more advanced in technology a species gets the more easily it can destroy itself Technological Darwinism: survival of the most civil Any race that was violent/destructive/warlike would most likely destroy itself before it would have a change to accomplish interstellar travel

Philosophical statement Any race, humans included, should make sure that their technological achievements do not greatly outpace their social achievements Both are required. One must not let the genie out of the bottle before one is ready to make their wish.

Therefore It is most likely that First Contact would be with a kind species that would try to help us and not harm us However, if I am wrong, there is nothing we can do about it (sorry Hollywood). They could just bombard us from space until we surrender.

Will interstellar life be like us? Biological life has a lot of drawbacks. We need air + water + food Have to avoid disease and high energy photons of light Bodies break down eventually Our cells shrink as they multiply, eventually can not do so Parts are hard to make/transfer

Mechanical Life However, at some point and time a species could evolve from biological to mechanical It is very possible that any interstellar species would be mechanical Don’t need air/water/food Only need energy Parts easy to replace and “brain” can be transferred. Easier to add found information to a collective/download from collective. Could live indefinitely

Would they want Earth? Possibly, but it is more likely that without need for air/water they would prefer Mercury for its iron content and abundance of solar power. So even if they took over our solar system, they might still ignore us.

Suppose we do meet Communication might be difficult Clash of cultures? Speciesism and xenophobia As advanced as we are, we would seem like ants. Domestication?

Conclusion We are hard to find and have not been around long enough to be detected Life that comes to our solar system will probably be peaceful towards us Very possible interstellar life could be mechanical not biological Make sure we advance our hearts at the same rate of our iphones