Where is everybody?

Are we alone in the universe? This question has dogged mankind ever since the first human lifted his eyes to the night sky. If we are alone, then why? If we are not alone, then where is everybody? This phrase was actually uttered by physicist Enrico Fermi and is called The Fermi Paradox. There is an interesting article on the site called Wait But Why that discusses possible explanations to The Fermi Paradox. After all, the Drake Equation calculates there should be at least one billion Earth-like planets and 100,000 intelligent civilizations in our galaxy alone.

Last week, I read an article that stated perhaps our sun was very peculiar and was just the right size and stabilized at just the right time with just the right temperature and the Earth formed with just the right balance of elements and just the right distance from the Sun so that we are simply the first intelligent lifeforms in the galaxy, if not the universe. Interesting but I don't know how you'd prove it. The Earth has been around for more than 4 billion years. You'd think somewhere else conditions were replicated.

There are many other theories. For example, it could be that every advanced civilization eventually implodes and destroys themselves or they invariably get fried by a nearby hypernova. That's depressing. It could be that once a civilization rises to a certain level, they transcend the physical realm and disappear into the aether. Therefore, they are out there but we just can't communicate with them.

Another possibility is that there is life out there but after a brief burst of EM transmissions, internal communication becomes enclosed so we simply cannot detect them. Our Earth is already undergoing that transition from terrestrial broadcasting which goes out into space to cable, internet and satellite broadcasting which is aimed toward the planet. Maybe we are just a computer simulation of some super advanced civilization and they haven't decided to introduce a second intelligent species into the simulation yet.

You should check out the Wait But Why article cited above. It has plenty more fascinating theories about why we haven't heard from any other civilizations.

Possibility 1) Super-intelligent life could very well have already visited Earth, but before we were here.

Possibility 2) The galaxy has been colonized, but we just live in some desolate rural area of the galaxy.

Possibility 3) The entire concept of physical colonization is a hilariously backward concept to a more advanced species.

Possibility 4) There are scary predator civilizations out there, and most intelligent life knows better than to broadcast any outgoing signals and advertise their location.

Possibility 5) There’s only one instance of higher-intelligent life—a “superpredator” civilization (like humans are here on Earth)—that is far more advanced than everyone else and keeps it that way by exterminating any intelligent civilization once they get past a certain level.

Possibility 6) There’s plenty of activity and noise out there, but our technology is too primitive and we’re listening for the wrong things.

Possibility 7) We are receiving contact from other intelligent life, but the government is hiding it.

Possibility 8) Higher civilizations are aware of us and observing us (AKA the “Zoo Hypothesis”).

It is all fascinating stuff. Maybe some day we'll have the answer to the question: where is everybody?