Another Lgm Story?

[1581960]

OK seen reflections on the thread about news posts, so here goes.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-66786611
Scientists come up with LGM (little green men) stories from time to time, what do you think of this one?

[ToraToraTora]

Nothing special, the universe is teeming with life that we will never encounter in anyway. The presence of these compounds is to be expected now we have the means to detect them.

[Atheist]

There's just a hint of a possibility that there could be life there, but nothing definite. A hint of a possibility is not proof of anything, but it is better than a hint of an impossibilty.

[Atheist]

The trouble with TTT is that he is certain about things for which there is no evidence. He is certain that the universe is teeming with life - no evidence, just his faith. He is certain that we will never encounter this life - no evidence, just his faith.
I suspect that there is life and that sooner or later we will find evidence of its existence. I may be right, I may be wrong.
At least TTT didn't finish his post with his trademark "End of."

[naomi24]

It’s exciting - but it’s a long way off - in more ways than one.

[Gromit]

// The researchers stress that the detection on the planet 120 light years away is "not robust" and more data is needed to confirm its presence. //

We are never going to go there, so the best we can hope for is to find chemical footprints of life on other planets.
The James Webb will only get better, and our techniques for using it will improve. So a definitive confirmation is not far off.

[douglas9401]

I can guarantee that no scientist will display more excitement about this than Maggie Aderin-Pocock.

A remarkably expressive boffin. :-)

[ToraToraTora]

https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/news/1350/are-we-alone-in-the-universe-revisiting-the-drake-equation/
"“Given the vast distances between stars and the fixed speed of light we might never really be able to have a conversation with another civilization anyway,” said Frank. “If they were 20,000 light years away then every exchange would take 40,000 years to go back and forth.” - it seems NASA agrees with me.

[douglas9401]

They'd be foolish not to, Tora. x

[DTCwordfan]

about the same distance as the black hole creeping up on us.......

[ToraToraTora]

DTC, no it's very close 120 LY, the black hole is about 20000 light years away.

[douglas9401]

https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/news/closest-black-hole-to-earth

[ToraToraTora]

I thought DTC meant the one at the centre of the galaxy, anyway that one is 13 times the distance.

[DTCwordfan]

a bit closer than that - 1560 light years - Gaia BH1, TTT

[Atheist]

TTT. The Drake equation is rather meaningless as there are so many factors with huge ranges of probability. What's more interesting is the possibility that 'faster than light' travel or information exchange could turn out to be possible. You mustn't get stuck in an early 21st century rut where we think we know it all. They thought science was over at the beginning of the 20th century, and they were so wrong.

[ToraToraTora]

20:39, I was going by dougs link

[douglas9401]

I'm confused, it often happens when I'm off the beer.

[Gromit]

If these phytoplankton have just invented the crystal set 120 years ago, we might get to hear them soon ;-)

[douglas9401]

Bet they have their own Jo Whiley.

[douglas9401]

Hopefully not O J Borg

[mushroom25]

// Bet they have their own Jo Whiley. //

it's probably galactic law that radio stations must have a Jo Whily, OJ Borg, Alan Carr, Rylan Clark.......