The Chimpanzee Complex - Volume 3 - Civilisation: 03

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It was also thought that their close proximity to the star could result in a tidal lock where only one side faces the star. This would result in a very cold night-side and a very hot dayside that could prohibit advance life forms from evolving. However, a recent study [ 9 ] showed that the atmospheric tide of planets with a relatively thin atmosphere would prevent a synchronous rotation.

Because red dwarfs are so dim and cool, a planet must exist in very close proximity to it in order to obtain adequate energy to harbor life. A planet would have to be much nearer than the Earth is to the Sun, nearer even than Mercury. This would subject it to extreme continuous flow of charged particles which streams from the star in all directions. The intense stellar wind at close distances is capable of stripping surrounding planets of their atmospheres.

The Earth very rarely feels the impact of the solar wind due to its strong magnetic field. This invisible field envelops the Earth, deflecting charged particles away from it Figure 3L. Planets in the habitable zone of red dwarfs are expected to experience intense Extreme Ultraviolet and X-ray radiation Figure 2f. Although the environment of Red Dwarf planets would be too hostile to sustain human-type life, extremophiles hardy organisms capable of thriving in extremely hostile environments could possibly survive.

There are too many uncertainties with Red Dwarf planets in their habitable zones to try to estimate how many may contain intelligent life. Characteristics of the terrestrial planets and outer planet satellites.

The knowledge of our solar system is the only data we have about the constitution of a solar system. In particular, how characteristic the terrestrial planets are of other terrestrial-like planets in the Milky Way galaxy is completely unknown. We only have one example, which is no statistics at all. However, our terrestrial planets can be used to set some limits on the probability of other technological life in our galaxy and the Universe in general.

Our solar system consists of four terrestrial planets, an asteroid belt, and four large gaseous outer planets. There are several dwarf planets, e. There are also a large number of satellites orbiting the planets and dwarf planets; three for the terrestrial planets and 22 for the outer planets. Figure 3a shows that when the Kuiper Belt and Oort cloud are taken into consideration our solar system and its components are very large.

This is illustrated by the inset showing the outer planet orbits and the Kuiper Belt. Therefore, our Oort cloud extends about half the distance to the nearest star; Proxima Centauri at 4. The data from the Kepler mission are not sufficient to show whether or not other solar systems have asteroids, Kuiper belts or Oort clouds. On this scale the inner planet orbits are too small to show. Diagram showing the orbits and size of the planets relative to the Sun. The sizes are to scale, but the distances are not to scale. The gray zone between Mars and Jupiter is the asteroid belt.

It has no atmosphere and varies from extremely hot on the sun-lit side to extremely cold on the night side. This is a Magellan radar image mosaic of the surface of Venus that is totally different from the other solid bodies in the Solar System. The whitish and reddish areas are high and the blue and green areas are low. Comparison of the topography of the Earth and Venus.

The color scale on the right is the elevation in kilometers. This diagram shows the distribution of elevations on Earth and Venus. The Earth has two main distributions of elevations, one representing the ocean floor and the other the continental regions. The arrows indicate the mean elevation of Earth and Venus. These diagrams are the distribution of craters on Mars and Venus. On Mars the crater distribution is very non-random and on Venus it is totally random. This image of Mars shows the Valles Marinaris and the string of 3 large shield volcanoes. This topographic map of Mars shows the low areas in blue and the higher areas in orange and red.

The four white areas are very large volcanoes. The blue area in the northern hemisphere was once the site of an ocean. This image of the Earth shows the North American continent, the cloud cover and the blue oceans. The Earth is totally different from the other solid bodies in the Solar System. The characteristics and geological evolution of the terrestrial planets determine if they can accommodate liquid water on their surfaces and the length of time it will remain there.

All terrestrial planets were formed 4. There are four terrestrial planets that range in radius from km for Mercury to km for Earth. Their distances range from 0. Only the Earth and Mercury have magnetic fields. Table 1 lists the orbital and geometric properties of the terrestrial planets.

Although Earth and Mars have similar obliquities Obliquity is the inclination of the rotation axis to the plane of the orbit. It is probable that some of the terrestrial planet characteristics were caused by very large planet-size impacts during the final stages of planetary accretion. Also the very slow retrograde rotation of Venus could be caused by such a large grazing impact, and the Moon may also have been caused by a large impact on Earth.

The Chimpanzee Complex: Civilisation

The crustal dichotomy of Mars may also have been caused by a large impact. Other extra-terrestrial planets may have gone through similar episodes of very large post-accretion impacts. It started about 4. The LHB was caused by sweeping of resonances through the asteroid belt and the Kuiper Belt objects beyond the orbit of Neptune. The sweeping of resonances was caused by the migration of Jupiter and Saturn. The heavily cratered regions of Mercury, the Moon, and Mars were primarily the result of asteroids from the LHB [ 11 ].

That record has been erased on Venus and Earth by geologic processes. We do not know if other planetary systems have asteroid and Kuiper belt objects because they are too small to detect. We do know that some extra-terrestrial planets have migrated which may have triggered heavy bombardments on other planets in these systems. We do not know how representative our terrestrial planets are to others in the galaxy, but they will give an idea of what is possible and some constraints on surface water and possible life. Mercury is the smallest planet and closest to the Sun Figure 3c. Its distance from the Sun is 0.

Mercury has a weak magnetic field. It is definitely not in the habitable zone and surely did not have any liquid water on its surface. Venus km radius is about the same size as Earth km radius. Figure 3d shows the atmosphere, and Figure 3e is a radar surface image-mosaic from the Magellan Mission. Its distance of 0. Venus has a very slow retrograde rotation days and no magnetic field. Its current surface shows no signs of plate tectonics, and its topography is very different from that of Earth Figures 4f and g.

On Earth the elevations are bimodal representing the ocean floors and continents. However, on Venus the distribution is unimodal with the mean elevations peaking at about the equivalent of-3 km on Earth. This main elevation primarily represents the low volcanically flooded regions on the planet. The highest areas are primarily shield volcanoes and tectonic uplifts. Venus has a unique surface history. It is the only planet or large satellite that has a completely random impact crater distribution Figures 3h and i.

This and other evidence indicates that Venus experienced multiple periods of global resurfacing mainly due to massive volcanism [ 12 ]. Some minor volcanism may still be active today. A thermal model [ 13 ] explains how a stress-free deformable lithosphere unique to Venus is easily incorporated in the mantle to cause global resurfacing followed by cooling of the crust. This can occur multiple times. Based on its crater density, the last global resurfacing event was about million years ago.

These massive volcanic resurfacing periods must have emitted huge amounts of CO 2 causing the 62 bar atmosphere.

It is the greenhouse effect of the massive CO 2 atmosphere that causes the high surface temperature. Mars is near the outer limit of the habitable zone at a distance of 1. It currently does not have a magnetic field, but there is evidence that it once had one over 2 billion years ago. There is no evidence that it experienced plate tectonics. There is now abundant evidence that Mars once had a much thicker atmosphere, an ocean in the northern plains and lakes in many of its impact craters.

There are also complex dendritic channels indicative of running water, and large outflow channels probably due to catastrophic floods. Orbital radar data indicates that many of what were interpreted as debris flows are, in fact, debris covered glaciers, indicating that it once snowed on Mars.

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The water vapor responsible for the snow was probably from the ocean and crater lakes. The estimated age of the ocean and glaciers is from 3. Today there is no surface water. Mars probably lost most of its atmosphere about 3 billion years ago due to loss of its magnetic field and the impact of solar energetic particle bombardment that eventually striped Mars of its much denser atmosphere. There may be signs of primitive life forms in carbon compounds discovered by the Curiosity rover, but that is not yet conclusive.

In any event, if life began on a young Mars it did not evolve into complex forms. However, if life did evolve on Mars then it is very likely that life will develop on planets with surface water. Therefore, the likelihood of life on planets with surface water in the habitable zone should be relatively high if future missions detect organic life forms on Mars. Earth has a strong magnetic field Figure 3l , and a long history of plate tectonics dating back to Precambrian times.

We are not alone: Extraterrestrial Technological Life in our Galaxy | OMICS International

It is at a distance of 1 AU from the Sun. Earth and Venus are about the same size Figure 3m , but their surfaces are totally different because Venus had an entirely different geological evolution as discussed earlier. However, there is evidence from pre-Cambrian zircons that Earth had oceans as early as 4.

This would indicate the water was present well before the LHB and was intrinsic to Earth. Furthermore, a recent study [ 15 ] of deuterium-to-hydrogen enrichments finds that the solar nebula had abundant water ice that was available for comet and planetary water formation. Life probably evolved in the early oceans from compounds of the six essential elements required of all life; carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, sulfur and nitrogen. We do not know how life originated from these non-organic compounds, but the energy was probably provided by photosynthesis.

The earliest most primitive life on Earth was prokaryotes unicellular organisms whose cells lack a membrane-bound nucleus. They were present about 3. Life may have occurred earlier, but that record has not yet been found. The first complex life cyanobacteria using photosynthesis began about 3. Complex cells eukaryotes began about 2 Ga and multicellular life started about 1 Ga. Complex animals animals with a back and front began about Ma. Land plants began about million years ago, and amphibians about million years ago with the first migration and adaption to land. Reptiles began about million years ago, and mammals about million years ago.

At least two were caused by climate changes. It was caused be the massive eruption of the Siberian flood basalts that covered an area about the size of the United States. The eruptions resulted in the release of massive amounts of greenhouse gases that drastically warmed the planet and drastically acidified the oceans over a period of about 10, years.

This eruption of the Deccan flood basalts is the same age at the Chicxulub impact [ 17 ], and released massive amount of CO 2. Furthermore, the impact first caused warming, and then a major cooling for about 10 years with temperatures equivalent to an Ice Age. During the impact there was first an extreme heating of the atmosphere by the entry of impact ejecta. This was followed by freezing conditions for about 10 years from huge amounts of atmospheric aerosols ejected into the stratosphere that reflected sunlight back to space. The climate change from very hot to ice age temperatures resulted in the extinction of the non-avian dinosaurs, but some mammals survived because they were burrowing animals that largely avoided the fatal effects of extreme climate change.

Furthermore, their greatest predator, the dinosaurs, had been eliminated by the climate change. If that extinction had not happened dinosaurs would still be here devouring mammals and keeping them in a relatively primitive state, and almost certainly we would not be here today. A new study indicates that Earth has entered its 6th mass extinction event [ 18 ]. These results are consistent with earlier studies by Duke University and E. The new study found that vertebrates are disappearing at a rate times faster than when Earth was not going through a mass extinction.

It could be times faster. From to present, more than vertebrate species have become extinct. Normally this type of loss would take about 10, years. The current extinctions are the result of climate change, deforestation, pollution, and over population. Below are two tables where the geologic timescale and human evolution are shown relative to one year. This puts in perspective our species evolution compared to the geologic timescale. On the geologic time scale relative to one year it lasted 10 months and 17 days from Jan.

The Cenozoic Era that started after the 5th mass extinction and includes human evolution comprises only 1. Relative to one year it started on Dec. The evolution of humans on a geologic timescale relative to one year as in Table 2. On this relative timescale all human evolution starts on the morning of Dec.

It is important to understand that our technology occurred very late on the geologic time scale and that other present technological civilizations in our galaxy probably developed much earlier than ours. Therefore, they should be much more advanced than our technology. On a geologic time scale relative to one year, our technology began 1. Human evolution began about 7 million years ago, and our species began about , years ago. Civilization began about 12, years ago and the Industrial Revolution Technology began only years ago.

We began radio transmission that would have been emitted to the rest of the Universe only 92 years ago. That signal of our existence has now traveled only 92 LY into our galaxy Figure 2f. Since our galaxy is about , LY in diameter, our signal has only traveled 0. On Earth it took 4. During this time We are here because a mass extinction killed the dinosaurs and allowed us to evolve from the mammals that flourished after the impact. Will we be the exception and escape extinction, or will we also become extinct like the vast majority of other species?

Currently Earth apparently has entered the 6th mass extinction due to climate change, deforestation, pollution and over population. Unless we do something to stop these conditions soon, it is likely we will become extinct in the not too distant future. In this case photosynthesis, where energy is acquired from light, is not required. This type of life will not be discussed in this paper. A technological society consists of intelligent beings that have developed machinery or complex devices that facilitate productivity. Our technological society began with the Industrial Revolution in about It included going from hand production methods to machines, new chemical manufacturing and iron production processes, improved efficiency of waterpower, the increasing use of steam power and the development of machine tools.

However, this beginning of technology did not produce any communications that could be detected by other beings in some other part of the galaxy. That began in when the BBC began broadcasting radio programs to a wide audience. On a geologic time scale relative to 1 year Table 3 it would have happened only 0. Therefore, we have only been a technological society able to make ourselves known to another extra-terrestrial society for the past 92 years with radio waves.

Consequently, our presence could only be detected by radio waves within a radius of 92 LY of our Sun or less than However, if they could detect street lighting on our planet they may have detected us years ago Part 7. The SETI Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence project has for the past three decades been conducting a search for signals being transmitted by extraterrestrial life located outside the Solar System, primarily in the radio frequencies of the electromagnetic spectrum.

These searches are directed at specific stars and to date the project has not detected any signal. SETI searches for electromagnetic radiation emitted by advanced technologies. Many radio frequencies penetrate our atmosphere, and this led to radio telescopes that investigate the cosmos using large radio antennas.

Human activities emit considerable electromagnetic radiation as a byproduct of communications such as television and radio. These signals would be easy to recognize as artificial due to their narrow bandwidths. There should be at least several technologies that are emitting electromagnetic radiation similar to ours.

Astronomers are puzzled by the apparent absence of technological detectable signals when there are so many Earth-like planets. If we are representative, it may be that other technological beings also have very short lifetimes. Maybe we have missed signals because they have become extinct before we had the ability to detect such signals.

The other question that needs to be considered is the possibility of the development of a technological society on a given Earth-like planet. It is possible that the evolution of intelligent beings is rare and that we may be the exception to the rule. Maybe these factors are at least possible reasons for the lack of detection of other technological civilizations. Frank Drake devised an equation to determine the number of technological civilizations trying to communicate with us at the present time. It is called the Drake Equation:. Although these are important probabilities, there are others that should be considered.

This number could replace ne as the present number of Earth-like planets in the habitable zone, but there are other important considerations some the same as in the Drake equation that need to be taken into account before we could say that they actually develop technological life. These are discussed below. There are several other questions that must be answered in order to estimate the number of technological beings that may be in our galaxy:. This assumes that life started in a water environment. Of the seven factors in the above equation only the first one n h is based on extrapolated observations from Kepler mission data.

These questions cannot be answered with any certainty, because Earth is the only habitable planet we know. Even Earth itself may be very unusual and not typical of other Earth-like planets. Furthermore, there are still many things we do not fully understand about our own Solar System and the history of the terrestrial planets. However, it is possible to make some educated guesses based on our current understanding of the Solar System and the occurrence and history of life on Earth.

Before the possible number of technological civilizations in our galaxy can be determined it is necessary to discuss the factors that determine that number. The reliability of estimates for the different factors varies greatly, from completely unknown to moderate confidence. They will be determined for Earth-like planets between about 0. The possible billion Earth-like planets in the habitable zones of Red Dwarfs will not be considered because of the problems discussed earlier. However, there could be a substantial number that could survive the harsh radiation environment of Red Dwarf stars.

Therefore, this evaluation is very conservative. The signature of water has been observed in giant molecular clouds between the stars, in disks of material that represent newborn planetary systems, and in the atmospheres of giant planets orbiting other stars. This suggests that water may be very common in planetary systems.

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We are fairly sure that water is required for life to develop. Does this water have to be on the surface of a planet? It has already been mentioned that life could originate in subsurface oceans that probably occur on outer planet satellites like Europa and Ganymede at Jupiter , and Enceladus at Saturn by chemoautotrophic processes in the absence of light.

However, it is highly unlikely that this life would evolve into intelligent technological societies. It is not even certain that all planets with surface water will develop intelligent technological life. We only know two planets in our Solar System that have had surface water. One, of course, is Earth, and the other is Mars. A very early Venus may have had surface water but it was lost early in its history.

However, any surface water was lost long ago. It is probable that not all Earth-like planets in other solar systems have surface water. If they had characteristic geologic histories like Mars and Venus then they would not have standing bodies of water long enough to give rise to complex intelligent life forms. It is possible that plate tectonics and a magnetic field would be required which Mars and Venus does not have.

We do not know what fraction of Earth-like planets in our galaxy currently has surface water. This estimate is probably too low. Although water may be required for the origin of life, we do not know if life will always occur if it is present. However, the precursors to this primitive life have not been found so we cannot be sure how common it would be. If future missions to Mars determine that the organic compounds the Curiosity rover discovered are indeed due to life, then it would indicate that on a planet with surface water life should be common.

Seventy percent of Earth is covered by water. On Earth there is intelligent life in the oceans in the form of dolphins and whales, but they do not have body parts arms and hands to develop technology. It is probable that for life to develop technology it must manipulate tools to acquire civilization and eventually technology. However, if plate tectonics are active on the planet there would probably be at least some land surfaces above sea level for life to migrate. If life emerged on a planet it is possible that in time it would evolve into more and more complex forms as it adapted to changing conditions.

We have to define what intelligence is in order to estimate the probability that it will evolve.

One comprehensive definition is: It appears that on Earth intelligence is restricted to one Class of animals mammals. On other planets this might not be the case. How long it takes for intelligence to evolve, or if it could occur in other Classes of life, is not known. It may have appeared in dinosaurs or other complex forms of life earlier in the geologic past. However, it is fairly likely that intelligence would appear given enough time and increasing complexity of the life.

There is a large uncertainty in both numbers but it is likely to be somewhere between these values. Just because intelligent life evolves on a planet does not necessarily mean that intelligent life will automatically evolve a technology. It has taken 4. It depends on whether the intelligent life develops appendages that can manipulate complex mechanisms. Although chimpanzees are intelligent, have hands and can manipulated objects in a crude way, they have not developed a technology.

S.A.M., Tome 3 : Un million d'hivers

These uncertainties make it very difficult to estimate the percentage of planets with intelligent life that has technology. This is by far the most difficult constraint to evaluate. Furthermore, that technological life would still not be here if it had not been for a mass extinction 66 million years ago that killed the dinosaurs and many other species Part 4, Table 3. It is highly unlikely that technological life on other planets developed at the same time as ours. It may have developed much earlier or has not yet developed. The percentage of technological life estimated in the last constraint is for technological life that is present now.

In this case it probably developed at or before our own technology. Since our technology only started about years ago—a miniscule part of the geological time scale—the other technologies probably started well before ours. In this case they could be millions of years before our own, and, therefore, much more advanced.

The other unknown is how long they survived in a technological state. For humans there are 6 ways that we may become extinct or at least end civilization and technology; four are natural occurring and two are suicidal:.

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Currently we are causing the Earth to head in that direction Suicidal. All of these extinctions would happen in a geologically short period of time. Consequently, technological beings may only last a short time on a geologic time scale. Maybe our technology can prevent this from happening to us, but it could also kill us. On other planets with technological life there may be other ways to become extinct. Certainly an unrealistic value is 0. However, it is probable that most or all surviving technological life formed earlier than our own, and is probably much more advanced than our technology.

In Table 4 are the results of the estimated parameter values discussed in the previous section. Using the optimistic values gives an enormous number million of technological civilizations in our galaxy. If the minimum size of the habitable zone is used then that number is about 20, This table lists the constraints, and the percentage and number of planets with the various parameters.

The initial number of planets is 6. This is highly unlikely. Again this is unlikely. Jun 24, Corinne rated it it was ok Shelves: This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Jul 10, Trike rated it did not like it Shelves: Interstellar came out in and the first issue of this was released in I'm wondering if the similarities are due to the fact that the Nolan brothers read this and craftd a movie similar to this.

I thought that mo Oh, come on. I thought that movie was genuinely terrible, so a similar story is not going to win any prizes from me. May 11, Alec rated it really liked it. C'est long long long. Alberto rated it it was amazing Sep 09, Ivan rated it liked it Aug 21, Ben Wroe rated it it was ok Mar 20, Ben rated it really liked it Aug 30, Jayaprabhu Nadarajan rated it liked it Nov 28, Knuckles rated it really liked it Jan 16, Jefferson Garcia rated it liked it Dec 13, Maud rated it really liked it Mar 25, George rated it liked it Feb 29, Lattelis rated it it was amazing Dec 01, Sven rated it really liked it Nov 13, Fabrizio Codello rated it really liked it Jan 18, Keji rated it liked it Nov 15, Laura rated it it was amazing Aug 26, There are no discussion topics on this book yet.

Other books in the series. Books by Richard Marazano. Trivia About Civilisation The No trivia or quizzes yet.

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