Theatre of Technicolor Dreams: Welcome Earthling ... to Alien Month!

Are we alone in the universe?

The question has plagued man since he first set eyes upon the starry sky at night. The first theory man developed to the answer the question was that we are not alone, because there is God. Now, we take that idea for granted. Which leaves us to ask the original question all over again.

Exobiology is the name given to the speculative scientific field of ET biology (could it exist, if so, what forms would it take, etc), yet few efforts have been made by scientists to answer the question. Indeed, how can one answer a question asked in an unknown foreign language? The further questions of where and how to look for clues have left mankind equally baffled. The most famous example of the search for interstellar neighbors is the SETI program, whose sole purpose is to search for alien transmissions. Again, how can one answer a question when one doesn’t know it is being asked?

Dr. Frank Drake attempted to answer the question with an estimation. It looks like this:

The Drake equation states that:

(from wikipedia)

$N = R^{\ast} \times f_p \times n_e \times f_{\ell} \times f_i \times f_c \times L \!$

where:

N is the number of civilizations in our galaxy with which communication might be possible;

and

R^* is the average rate of star formation in our galaxy

f_p is the fraction of those stars that have planets

n_e is the average number of planets that can potentially support life per star that has planets

f_ℓ is the fraction of the above that actually go on to develop life at some point

f_i is the fraction of the above that actually go on to develop intelligent life

f_c is the fraction of civilizations that develop a technology that releases detectable signs of their existence into space

L is the length of time such civilizations release detectable signals into space.

The number of stars in the galaxy now, N^*, is related to the star formation rate R^* by

$N^{\ast} = \int_0^{T_g} R^{\ast}(t) dt , \,\!$ ,

where T_g is the age of the galaxy. Assuming for simplicity that R^* is constant, then N^* = R^* T_g and the Drake equation can be rewritten into an alternate form phrased in terms of the more easily observable value, N^*.^[2]

$N = N^{\ast} \times f_p \times n_e \times f_{\ell} \times f_i \times f_c \times L / T_g \,\!$

It has been estimated, from the Drake Equation that there could be as many as 10,000 alien civilizations in the Milky Way Galaxy alone.

Daniel Pinchbeck has speculated that, since mankind, apparently, assumes ET intelligence, and even ET dimensional axes, will resemble our own, that we will never find it (You can find his website here).

And that’s just for starters, there’s just not enough time in a month to cover every facet of such a seemingly simple question.

So, are we alone in the universe?

Well, dear reader, you’re never alone in the Theatre of Technicolor Dreams, you have your ticket, and the minds behind the curtain with whom to witness Astonishing Tales of Wonder!