The Personal Website of Mark W. Dawson

Containing His Articles, Observations, Thoughts, Meanderings,
and some would say Wisdom (and some would say not).

The Rise of Intelligent Life

In my Science Articles, “Intelligent Life in the Universe”,  “The Probability of the Evolution of Life and Intelligent Life”, and “The Fire of Mankind”,I examine the possibilities and probabilities of intelligent life in our universe. A brief outline of the factors needed to produce intelligent life is:

1. The Planetary System must originate in the right Goldilocks Zone galactic location in the right type of galaxy.
2. A Gaseous Nebula with sufficient mass to collapse into a star and with the heavy element’s requisite for life.
3. The Planetary System with the right arrangement of planets in the planetary system, i.e., terrestrial planets close in and gas giants further out.
4. A terrestrial planet of the right size and gravity and a Goldilocks Zone stable orbit around the star.
5.  A terrestrial planet with an ellipse eccentricity that does not bring it too close (Perihelion) nor too far (Aphelion) within the Goldilocks Zone from its star.
6. A terrestrial planet with the proper rotational axis and diurnal period of the planet.
7. A terrestrial planet with a Magnetosphere to deflect extraterrestrial radiation.
8. A terrestrial planet with the proper atmosphere conducive to life, i.e., sufficient nitrogen and not too much or too little oxygen and carbon dioxide, and only trace amounts of other gases.
9. A terrestrial planet with large quantities of surface water.
10. A terrestrial planet in which the Planetary Nebula molecular chains are seeded on the planet and which has terrestrial triggers for microbial life to form.
11. A terrestrial planet where asteroid and meteor bombardment does not massively destroy life or evaporate surface water.
12. A terrestrial planet with a large moon that exerts tidal forces on the water and mantel of the planet.
13. A terrestrial planet with plate tectonics for continents to form and geothermal energy and heavy elements to be released from the core of the planet.
14. A terrestrial planet with insufficient volcanic activity and other geological or meteorological forces destructive to life or the evaporation of surface water.
15. One or more evolutionary triggers for complex life to form.
16. A complex life form with dexterous fingers and opposing thumbs to manipulate objects.
17. The rise of a bipedal species with dexterous toes for bipedal balance control.
18. An enhanced multiple sensory system that are not predominated by one sensory system.
19. The loss of fear and the control over fire.
20. The rise of cooking of food.

When all these criteria factors are met, then intelligent life is possible and indeed probable. However, if any one of these criteria is not met, then intelligent life is less possible and more improbable. If multiple criteria are not met, then the possibility and probability of intelligent life are almost zero. Consequently, although there are a vast number of stars with planetary systems in our Milky Way galaxy, the number of stars and planetary systems that meet this criterion is considerably less but still very large.

In my opinion, it is step eleven (a large moon that exerts tidal forces) that has a very low probability of occurring. Our moon is unique in the Solar System for the size/mass ratio to its planet. All the other moons in the Solar System have a low size/mass compared to their planet. Therefore, their moons have little tidal forces on their planet, and with little tidal forces, step twelve (plate tectonics) is unlikely to occur.

The Origin of the Moon is usually explained by a Mars-sized body striking the Earth, making a debris ring that eventually collected into a single natural satellite, the Moon, but there are a number of variations on this giant-impact hypothesis, as well as alternative explanations, and research continues into how the Moon came to be. The standard giant-impact hypothesis suggests that a Mars-sized body, called Theia, impacted the proto-Earth, creating a large debris ring around Earth, which then accreted to form the Moon. This collision also resulted in the 23.5° tilted axis of the Earth, thus causing the seasons.

Outer space is vast, even on the scale of the Solar System. To have two such massive bodies collide, such as Earth and Theia, has a low probability. In addition, if Theia had insufficient mass or too large a mass, this collision would not have occurred in a manner that produces a large moon. Also, the angle of the collision could not be too large or too small; otherwise, the creation of an Earth-Moon system with a large moon would not occur. And the result of such a collision that created the proper rotational axis and diurnal period of the planet (step five) also has a low probability. Therefore, the creation of an Earth-Moon system with a large moon seems unlikely to occur in our galaxy, except in rare cases.

Consequently, without step eleven (a large moon that exerts tidal forces) occurring, it is quite improbable that steps twelve through nineteen occurs. We can therefore conclude that the rise of intelligent life in our galaxy occurs infrequently. My next Chirp on “08/15/21 Evolution to Intelligent Life Part Deux – The Timeline of Intelligent Life” examines the question of is their intelligent life in our universe or galaxy that coexists with our own intelligent life?

The Timeline of Intelligent Life

Given the enormous time scale of the universe and the creation of a terrestrial planet where intelligent life arose, the question of is there intelligent life in our universe or galaxy that coexists with our own intelligent life?

Given the above, the enormous time scale for the creation of a terrestrial planet where intelligent life arose, it seems highly unlikely that extraterrestrial intelligence in our galaxy occurred in the same time frame as ourselves. Therefore, the real question is not the number of extraterrestrial civilizations but the number of extraterrestrial civilizations in their current state of evolutionary, scientific, and technological development that would have a mutual interest in communications or visitations.

Given that the evolution of intelligent humans occurred in fits and starts, and the progress of civilization of homo sapiens was uneven, it seems unlikely that extraterrestrial civilizations proceeded in the same timeline and pace as humans. If extraterrestrial civilizations evolved, they are more likely to be ahead or behind the evolutionary, scientific, and technological development of human civilization. Therefore, to have two or more extraterrestrial civilizations at the same stage of development at the same time is highly unlikely.

If you think about where human civilization was at the beginning of the 20th century versus where we are at the beginning of the 21st century, we will probably have little interest in communicating with an earlier 20th-century civilization and probably no interest in communicating with a pre-20th-century civilization. After all, they had no radio or television, no air or space flight, automobiles were newfangled and scarce, electrification and the utilization of fossil fuels was just beginning, industrialization was just starting, and labor was a crude and brute force process. And where will we be at the end of the 21st century? Anyone living today would probably not recognize our civilization at the end of the 21st century due to our rapid advancement of science and technology. And other advanced extraterrestrial intelligent life would probably have the same attitude about communicating or visiting us.

Given the above, I believe that extraterrestrial civilizations that coexist in the same timeframe as ourselves are a possibility but are not very probable. If there were extraterrestrial civilizations that exist in the same 100-year time frame, it might even be impossible for us ever communicating with them, let alone visit them as I examine in my next Chirp “08/16/21 Evolution to Intelligent Life Part Trois – Communicating or Visiting with Intelligent Life”.

Communicating or Visiting with Intelligent Life

In the previous two sections of this article I examined the possibility of extraterrestrial intelligent life, and if extraterrestrial intelligent life arose in our galaxy in the same timeframe as our own intelligent life. If such a possibility occurred, would it be possible for them or us to communicate or visit each other? 

Given the immense distances between stars and the limitations of the speed of light, such communications may take several decades to travel between the two stars. A two-way conversation between extraterrestrial intelligent life would therefore be almost impossible to maintain and may even be impossible to understand. Translating from one human language to another is fraught with problems, as anyone who has learned to read, write, and speak a second language is aware. Even when the languages are similar, there is a multitude of problems. When learning dissimilar languages, i.e., English and Mandarin, the problems are of a greater magnitude. It is possible for humans to do this, as we are all human and have many commonalities that assist us in this translation. Now imagine trying to learn an alien language in which there are few commonalities.

As to travel between these extraterrestrial civilizations, the immense distances between these extraterrestrial civilizations are also prohibitive. Given the energy required, as well as the scientific, technological, and ecological factors required to make the trip, such a trip would be extremely difficult. Even the sci-fi speculation of such things as warp drive, wormholes, subspace, and other exotic means of transportation would be an immense scientific and technological feat and could put us out of that 100-year time frame. And we must also keep in mind the problems of Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity when making this trip. In my Science Article, “Science vs. Science Fiction”, I examine the issues of Energy Requirements, The Immensity of Space and Time, That Which is Seen, and That Which is Unseen, and the Miscellaneous Science-Fiction Issues as it pertains to space travel.

You should also be careful of wanting to communicate or meet extraterrestrial civilizations. Human history has many sad examples of when a more advanced society meeting a less advanced society. It has often been the case that the less advanced society suffers tremendously, if not being obliterated.  

With the recent release of the governments' knowledge on ‘Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs)’, or my preferred term ‘Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs)’, much speculation has arisen that these objects are visitations from extraterrestrial intelligent life. But such speculations should be tempered by my thoughts on this and my previous two Chirps.

There is no doubt that these sightings are unidentified, that they are aerial (as opposed to land or sea), and that they are a phenomenon, but are they visitations from extraterrestrial intelligent life? When analyzing UAPs, you must keep in mind the Philosophical Occam's razor:

"Simpler explanations are more likely to be correct; avoid unnecessary or improbable assumptions."

or:

"The simplest explanation, that fits all the known facts, is most often the correct explanation."

To presume that these UAP’s are visitations from extraterrestrial intelligent life is to violate this razor. There is no question that we should investigate these sightings to determine their true nature. But these UAP’s are more likely to be natural and of a nature that we do not have knowledge about. To jump to the conclusion that they are visitations from an extraterrestrial intelligent life is a leap too great for any rational person to make. Flights of fantasy are wonderful human imaginations, but flights of fantasy are not a way to scientifically investigate these phenomena. Let us rein in the speculation and determine the truth of these phenomena.

Disclaimer

Please Note - many academics, scientist and engineers would critique what I have written here as not accurate nor through. I freely acknowledge that these critiques are correct. It was not my intentions to be accurate or through, as I am not qualified to give an accurate nor through description. My intention was to be understandable to a layperson so that they can grasp the concepts. Academics, scientists, and engineers entire education and training is based on accuracy and thoroughness, and as such, they strive for this accuracy and thoroughness. I believe it is essential for all laypersons to grasp the concepts of this paper, so they make more informed decisions on those areas of human endeavors that deal with this subject. As such, I did not strive for accuracy and thoroughness, only understandability.

Most academics, scientist, and engineers when speaking or writing for the general public (and many science writers as well) strive to be understandable to the general public. However, they often fall short on the understandability because of their commitment to accuracy and thoroughness, as well as some audience awareness factors. Their two biggest problems are accuracy and the audience knowledge of the topic.

Accuracy is a problem because academics, scientist, engineers and science writers are loath to be inaccurate. This is because they want the audience to obtain the correct information, and the possible negative repercussions amongst their colleagues and the scientific community at large if they are inaccurate. However, because modern science is complex this accuracy can, and often, leads to confusion amongst the audience.

The audience knowledge of the topic is important as most modern science is complex, with its own words, terminology, and basic concepts the audience is unfamiliar with, or they misinterpret. The audience becomes confused (even while smiling and lauding the academics, scientists, engineers or science writer), and the audience does not achieve understandability. Many times, the academics, scientists, engineers or science writer utilizes the scientific disciplines own words, terminology, and basic concepts without realizing the audience misinterpretations, or has no comprehension of these items.

It is for this reason that I place understandability as the highest priority in my writing, and I am willing to sacrifice accuracy and thoroughness to achieve understandability. There are many books, websites, and videos available that are more accurate and through. The subchapter on “Further Readings” also contains books on various subjects that can provide more accurate and thorough information. I leave it to the reader to decide if they want more accurate or through information and to seek out these books, websites, and videos for this information.