If there are at least 100 billion galaxies in the universe, each containing up to 1,000 billion stars, then where are they all? Fermi Paradox
One of the questions that has been worrying us since time immemorial is: are we alone in the universe? Then there is what we know for sure, which is that they exist, at least in the universe. 100 billion galaxies, each containing up to 1 trillion stars. Based on this, there must be trillions and trillions of planets, some of these potentially habitable. But then where is everyone? Why hasn’t anyone contacted us yet?
Are we alone in the universe?
This is where the so-called “Fermi paradox”, the apparent contradiction between the possibility that our life form is not the only intelligent life form in the universe, and lack of contacts set with extraterrestrial civilizations. But how did Enrico Fermi arrive at the formulation of this contradiction? To understand this, we need to go back a little to 1950, when an Italian physicist was working in the laboratories of Los Alamos, New Mexico. Hearing in the press talk about the appearance of UFOs, Fermi exclaimed: “Where is everyone?” (Where is everyone?)
Doubts
This question is often used for interrogation Drake equation (which we will explore in more detail in a future article), a mathematical formula that says the universe is rich in galaxies, stars, and planets. And, consequently, advanced civilizations capable of communicating with us. It follows that either Drake’s estimates are wrong, or (more likely) our observations of the universe it is still incomplete.
Possible Solutions to the Fermi Paradox
The simplest solution (but one that risks making us feel very lonely) is that the likelihood that life will spontaneously develop in the universe, eventually creating an intelligent civilization, is very small. The alternative is that average lifespan of an intelligent life form very small (about 10 thousand years according to the Drake equation). The reasons underlying the extinction or, in any case, the disappearance of a reasonable form of life, can be many, both natural and cultural.
one more answer
Another plausible answer to Enrico Fermi’s question is that other intelligent life forms exist but are too far away in space and time to contact us. The last “acceptable” solution to the Fermi paradox is the possibility that these extraterrestrial civilizations exist, but who do not want to communicate or be seen. It is more likely in this sense that our technology is not yet capable of receiving messages from an alien civilization.
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