Our universe is full of superintelligent alien civilizations | Jeffrey Shainline and Lex Fridman

Lex Fridman Podcast full episode: • Jeffrey Shainline: Neu...
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GUEST BIO:
Jeffrey Shainline is a physicist at NIST working on. Note: Opinions expressed by Jeff do not represent NIST.
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[@mrmojorisin7274]

This helps restore my faith in people. But also a little sad that I haven't made an effort to find friends with whom I can have this kind of fulfilling conversation. Life is weird. Podcasts are weird. And none of us know where we truly fit in this odd expression of the universe that we consider "existing"

[@Itwasalwaysme_Noone]

I like turtles

[@SCRAPSTrash]

Better to walk alone than be mislead by friends.

[@Kinobambino]

Wanna be homies bro, we can talk about aliens and the matrix all day

[@LimitedHandles]

I like that Lex couldn't grasp the idea that his tie would make it easier to choke him, but discusses black holes and the universe in depth.

[@kenadams5504]

"Men in Black" stylist.

[@ogChaaka]

Don't worry. Its a clip on.

[@JonnyQuest64]

Does a deep-sea crab know that a shallow crab even exists? At the boundaries of every life on earth lies another life...why when we ourselves have found the minute(microscopic) would we believe the massive or superintelligent can't also exist on the borders of our lives?

[@squirrelturdz6868]

Great way to look at it, well said!🌎✌️👽❤️

[@kylekissack4633]

You have hit the nail on the head Sir.. from my understanding that is highly likely

[@afk_hesh]

As above so below

[@bigguy7353]

They've been here for millenia.

[@EvasGamingASMR]

Good way to put it

[@dickenstom]

I’d be willing to bet the universe is absolutely crawling with life all over the place. We’re just not able to discover any of it yet

[@dadillonful]

I’m willing to bet that we are alone

[@torenjohnson2585]

​@@dadillonfulI'd take that bet for I trillion you are crazy to think this

[@seasonedbeefs]

Definitely not alone. Bacteria and seeds can travel through space. So yeah. Teaming

[@dadillonful]

@@torenjohnson2585 til I see concrete proof.. we are definitely alone

[@stevewolfbrandt4932]

Most likely so.

[@zzzsydneyhom1379]

So much intellect and so little ego on display. So rare and such a treat! Thank you.

[@cuhmunitycarr140]

The assumption that life outside this planet exists, with absolutely no evidence is diametricaly opposed to intellect. A UFO could be one or more of many nations testing technology. Anytime someone has gotten close to or created any type pf magnetic propulsion they end up dead. Even if you use the model that scientists do, using water as the barometer for life, we havent found a planet that could sustain a carbon based lifeform, let alone an intelligent species. Fun y how nobody had ever seen a ufo until it was published in a book and subsequently film. To be clear, I dont know, anything is possible, buf the smug presumption he is making is ridiculous. The evolution theory in regard to humans is impossible. They literally used to say you dont need your appendix, its a hold over from evolution, well wouldnt we no longer have it if it wasnt used and we “evolved”. Darwin was racist and therefore a blithering idiot. He was also a proponent of phrenology and helped perpetuate the false science of melonated peoples having “stronger bones” and have “extra muscles”. This is simple, no human being alive has seen evolution, anyone can create a system of information or mathematics and reverse engineer it to for your natative

[@johnlshilling1446]

Yep... fertile ground for the next wave of Science Fiction.

[@zeuso.1947]

This is sarcasm. Right?

[@tack3411]

@@zeuso.1947 are you joking?

[@hmq9052]

It seems rare if you're unread and uncultured.

[@dman1848]

We are proof that intelligent beings can exist in our universe. If it can happen once it can happen numerous times. If not now but in the past, present and or future. Like a garden, if a flower can grow given the right conditions in a corner of the garden it can potentially grow in another part of the garden.

[@repsgsongs4562]

Thats just basically saying, reproducing in another planet..

[@vignesh.s3115]

It's like how the isolated nicobar island tribe who never left thier island thought that they are alone in this planet until they saw aircrafts in thier sky and we're shocked about it. We are in the same situation. We are shocked and curious on seeing these UAPs

[@koffiarizamoto9326]

I believe it proves that it can exist. And I believe it exists. It's factual. But I doubt we'll meet them for a seriously long time.

[@ricomajestic]

"If it can happen once it can happen numerous times" That is a leap of faith especially when we have no idea what the necessary ingredients for life are.

[@mbuckholz]

we aren't even close to intelligent life in the universe

[@forthepeoplebythepeople2442]

I'm 40, I wish something like these KZbin vids/podcasts were around 25 yrs ago to get my interest! If these were available, there's a high probability😂 I would have studied physics or similar. Thanks Lex!!!

[@connormudie3870]

I’m 17, I was always more interested in chemistry and psychology but when I was about 14 I started watching things like this and coming up with my own theories and ideas about the universe from a physics standpoint. I have just enrolled in a physics degree at QUT so this sort of thing is truly inspiring scientific passion

[@markalton4610]

Its weird being 40 isnt it. I don’t really feel like I am getting old but I know that we are. Days just come and go and all of a sudden you arent 23 anymore

[@guccicody3647]

stop the cap

[@TheBisasg]

Me too

[@robertchflynn]

you don't need a university program to go to in order to study physics or similar. Just do it and get your ass on Lex' podcast...

[@karmainmotion3060]

Another amazing interview! I love your channel. The more i watch, the more i like!!!

[@Poopinpooop]

I now come to lex podcast for what I use to go to the JRE for. Makes me laugh. Remeber the good times I guess. Lex is a bit dry but I think his humor hits home for me more than joe overall.

[@jhrobbins7084]

Yup miss the old joe days

[@hooligoonfilms6298]

Lex is better!

[@RyanonBasss]

Couldn't agree more. Lex's podcast is 100% better than whatever JRE has devolved into.

[@davidreid2301]

Exactly!

[@aggonzalez8096]

I realized recently how funny Lex is and thought it would be great if he had a comedian on to talk deeply about comedy

[@zoop2132]

As a charter member of Men in Black, Lex must constantly update his alien database. ( Always great stuff, sir!)

[@mizuman1687]

I always wondered what bells Lex would ring in my head when I saw him talk.....then you pointed it out ! That's Perfect !!

[@pocohax6552]

I honestly independently had this thought about lex and commented on another video Now I’m in the lex lexicon

[@alanosiris2962]

🎉

[@lnc-to4ku]

Really looking forward to watching this entire podcast!!

[@jorgeborbolla3743]

Lex fills the JRE void quite nicely.

[@vasiovasio]

Well... I don't know mate... I just need to know what happens when the Grizley Bear attacks the Aliens, that's it! 😂😂😂

[@SB-yf6tu]

I could get baked and listen to these two all day

[@thomasomalley510]

Do you even need it when the subject matter is so fascinating? This IS weed...

[@billtribble2904]

🛸👽🤪

[@allanshpeley4284]

Yeah, why do you need weed to slow down and think about interesting things?

[@marshalljohn1175]

One of the best episodes I've heard. Bravo! 👏

[@shredder9536]

They didn't say anything of any value

[@shortyrafael4008]

@@shredder9536 subjective but ok bro

[@jimbevan4107]

Sam Harris is the best guest to date

[@nicksmith9217]

Very interesting and a very very healthy talk and at times, debate. Great work!

[@thegingergrasshopper3908]

I have always wondered about Boots void. If a type 3 civilization has the ability to create Dyson spheres that in theory can absorb 100% of the radiation from a star, from an outside perspective, you would not see anything. It also would seem very cold because no radiation is able to get outside of the bubble. They honestly might be in plain sight and we would have no clue.....

[@koffiarizamoto9326]

The Dyson sphere is one of the stupidest concepts ever. Consider all the resources on our planet. Then consider how many planets would have to fit in said star even a small one..now imagine building that allaround a star and the gravity of said star somehow doesn't destroy the mega structure around it. The Dyson sphere has got be one of the dumbest ideas in the scientific community. And its thrown around too loosely.

[@gregorysagegreene]

And it could be just a hole ...

[@HolyEyeWasHere]

@@koffiarizamoto9326unless you could synthetically create a much smaller star...

[@thegingergrasshopper3908]

@@koffiarizamoto9326 and that is the mind set of a not even type 1 civilization. The things that type 3 civs can do would boggle our minds. We wouldn't be able to even comprehend what is going on.

[@douggaudiosi14]

I think that could be one theory for the bootes void. Or some type or spacial anomaly we don't understand fully that decimated all the stars in the quadrant of space. Or the most boring theory it's just a super dense cloud of dust preventing any light from permiating threw it

[@marcstephan7650]

Thank you for stiring up my brain thought, as you usually do.

[@themattatronmaster]

Lex always hits the spot when you're itching for some intelligent conversation.

[@ciaoitalo]

What a great guest. Lex summed it up well at the end, he's an incredibly smart guy.

[@dbyrd7827]

A brilliant conversation. Thank you.

[@delta-9969]

I'm reminded of one of my favorite Onion headlines: "Aliens mourn as final Cheers episode reaches alpha centauri"

[@slartibartfast7921]

So rare to see mutual respect along with sincere discussion these days. Wonderful 💪🏻

[@planetdisco4821]

Yup. Also how are the fjords going?

[@TheUnknownReject]

Is it?

[@slartibartfast7921]

@@planetdisco4821 They’re great! Thanks for asking.

[@slartibartfast7921]

@@TheUnknownReject known reject.

[@p.georgie]

just let this sink in comrades: "we're only on the third generation of stars.." if ever there was existential context put into a sentence, that was it for me right there.

[@supersonicguru1]

Bruh THANK YOU!!! Just HEARING that put so much "context" on our "space situation" and how "early/baby" we are. Existential? Yes. Slightly exciting? A bit.

[@jinz0]

there is only a few generations before all stars disappear and the universe goes dark

[@masonb9788]

@@jinz0 maybe but this will take trillions and trillions of years.

[@kajuta240]

"The universe is a dark forest. Every civilization is an armed hunter stalking through the trees like a ghost, gently pushing aside branches that block the path and trying to tread without sound. Even breathing is done with care. The hunter has to be careful, because everywhere in the forest are stealthy hunters like him. If he finds another life-another hunter, angel, or a demon, a delicate infant to tottering old man, a fairy or demigod-there’s only one thing he can do: open fire and eliminate them." ~The Dark Forest, by Liu Cixin~ - All life desires to stay alive. - There is no way to know if other lifeforms can or will destroy you if given a chance. - Lacking assurances, the safest option for any species is to annihilate other life forms before they have a chance to do the same.

[@penzman5385]

Wow. This reminds me of my old analogy of waking up in a jungle and you begin shouting for help , letting your presence known to whatever big predators and wild tribes that would be out there, instead of observing and laying low, as opposed to sending Voyagers carrying insttuctions to our position or intentionally beaming signals instead of listening only.

[@cjj4591]

Love This guy watched this whole thing 3 times. Having so many thoughts. Keep up the gr8 work

[@allanshpeley4284]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts about having thoughts.

[@TanegaJoseph]

Since the oxygenation event about 2.4 bn years ago, what's to say we didn't have a lot of multi-cellulars evolve to off-planet ecosystems. Once a lifeform learns to live (replicate within a closed ecosystem) off-planet, there is nothing in principle to prevent it from crossing the entire universe. The concept of "panspermia" can be taken to any arbitrary level of energetic-minima.

[@Mtbzzzz]

can you be more clear?

[@aaronspencer5560]

Brooooo u need to get luis elizondo, prior director of the ATIP PROGRAM! Aliens man! ALIENS!

[@Sergeant_Camacho]

Luis “That's a very good question, but my NDA exists” Elizondo? Hell, no

[@scottmasson3039]

Lex is a beacon of light and positivity.

[@Aziz0938]

Lob

[@klxaudio]

I love bacon

[@jelybrd]

I also love bacon

[@klxaudio]

Bacon 🥓🥓🥓 is best

[@Moneyinthetill]

I find the cynicism of astronomers when it comes to other intelligent life being out there so perplexing. They say billions of years is nothing, but a few hundred years using telescopes with no results = there’s probably not much/if anything out there and we must be special.

[@uafc1]

It's because we spread over this entire planet like a cancer in record time. So did the ants. So did many plants, so did the rats, etc... It seems that if a species can comfortably expand and take advantage of more resources, it will do that. So one species that can travel through stars should do the same. We will do that as soon as we reach Alpha Centauri. Once our technology let us (and we know it's physically possible to do so), we will colonize the entire galaxy and it will only take a few million years (Based on the speed that we think it's physically possible to reach). Which is nothing compared to the age of this galaxy. And that means that somebody should have done it by now and would be taking advantage of all the resources of the galaxy. But literally everything we see, it's energy from stars being "wasted" that nobody is using. Which leaves 2 options: Either we are the first in this galaxy (and nearest galaxies) or something is killing the civilizations that try to explore the galaxy...

[@JustinLHopkins]

According to an international poll taken by scientists, over 80% believe there is life beyond earth. That’s encouraging to me.

[@worker-wf2em]

That’s because most scientists believe in data and observable fact and not an overwhelming desire for something to be true because they watch too much science fiction

[@sbreslin41]

Great discussion!

[@karih9592]

"The sector that your world exists in is very densely inhabited. What that means is that if 12-15% of solar systems are inhabited, that is considered densely populated in the Greater Community. So your world, rather than being in some far corner of the universe, is actually right in the thick of things. This means that humanity will have to contend with the realities of Greater Community trade, commerce, cooperation and competition to a far greater extent than if your world were in a remote and uncharted region of the Greater Community." [Preparing for the Greater Community]

[@bouchetouche]

This podcast reminds me of every conversation I used to have when I first started smoking weed

[@joseorellana4357]

Great conversation, knowledge goes from the particular small ideas to the general and complex things. 🤔🤔🤔

[@jamesmiller8610]

This lex dude always sounds like he’s just done the biggest bong with the best weed this side of Mississippi

[@alexolanie]

🤣Nice one. Made me laugh!

[@timmy666]

What is Mississippi?

[@khimaros]

@@timmy666 the word you use between numbers to count seconds. Obviously.

[@juanpena7436]

Hes thinking before he speaks a very un-American thing

[@brad4231]

I didn’t know Michael Rappaport was so smart

[@_albeorla]

High comedy 👏

[@maxp9646]

Lol

[@MaxUgly]

How many super intelligent Michael Rappaports are there in our universe?

[@iLikePineTrees]

@@MaxUgly including this guy, 1

[@Wde37]

Hilarious 😄.

[@KingKing-yw4xe]

I love to see the story of Dr. Wudi. He observed timelapse of all Universes. He holds a very different view. He has an unusual Theory of Everything. He has been observing in silence since 2017. If you make a video about him, I think it would be a truly fascinating story.

[@TrendyTryhard]

Looked it up, looks like some sort of cult

[@isaacharvison5323]

Our solar system is young a star could of formed 9 billion years ago developed technology on that planet in our galaxy got to factor that in as well lol 😅😅😂

[@redmed10]

Observed Time-lapse of all universes. Was that on an android or apple phone?

[@Merknilash]

@@TrendyTryhard it’s definitely one of those weirdo things I remember playing EverQuest with a lady who told me essentially that aliens had taught her remote viewing She was such a nice lady but yeah

[@mattturner7500]

This is a scam

[@Nanoscape30]

I loved listening to this! Thank you! ♻️

[@damienhansen7553]

14:35 Lex finally shares my notion about immeasurable laws of the universe, appreciation is certainly one and rarity adds to that value somehow with everything.

[@j._72693]

I also have learned about you from a Joe Rogan podcast I really wish you had as many followers as he does because because your podcast is very enlightening and thought provoking which I think a lot more people need in their lives

[@AngelaMariesweet_amarie_]

Love this so much 🙌🏼

[@alexisc6136]

This was such an information-dense conversation. I'm enjoying going back through the clips to try to reabsorb some of the smartness

[@Mr4Seven]

Was starting to miss the topic of alien civilizations on here. Especially the in Depth scientific conversation.

[@westonscheer5691]

We should build a disco ball in space, (that reflects some code/colors mathmaticly equating the speed of light). Disco beacon ball.

[@juliafox7904]

Lex thanks - you and your guests keep me sane and give me faith in humanity

[@vhawk1951kl]

Presumably you understand that humanity-being a species of universal, is - like all universals, imaginary, which means cannot be directly immediately personally experienced other than as an image , symbol or proxy in the dreaming or associative apparatus or mind

[@jonathandiaz-kd3vo]

Great conversation

[@johnathandavis5657]

Amazing to think how early our civilization is in cosmic time scale. Universe 13.8 bn years old but may last trillions of years.

[@boffutt87]

It won't last that long. The universe is expanding and eventually everything will be to far apart to ever reach anything else including light

[@gregoryedwards9097]

@@boffutt87 we are literally in the blooming phase, where the universe is full of flowers and color. Like you said, soon it will enter a season of fall before entering an eternal winter.

[@newagain9964]

It’s not old actually, it’s relatively young.

[@rosscobossco1229]

@@boffutt87 the universe will last MUCH longer than trillions of years. 100 trillion years is just the age of stars, the black hole era will last exponentially MUCH, MUCH, MUCH longer than trillions of years. And then even after the last black hole has evaporated proton decay will take exponentially longer than that. If the universe lasts the length of a human life, the point we are at right now is a few nano-seconds after conception. The universe has barely started, and even at 100 trillion years old the universe will still be in its early infancy.

[@MrRobertpalen]

star formation is on the back 9. fewer stars are made now than were in the past and it will keep dropping

[@seanc6754]

My 2 cents is how do we know there hasn't been 100's of civilization's in our galaxy that have since become extinct by either natural or self inflicted event?

[@deandee8082]

we don't

[@macbeavers6938]

"or" still in existence.

[@hecxtacy]

Not just in our galaxy, but how about on earth?

[@oddgoblin1400]

@@deandee8082 That's what she said

[@UndeniablyGraysen]

Those who are supposed to know, know. This same group has decided for the masses that we aren't emotionally and/or intellectually capable of knowing without freaking the **** out I'm guessing lol. And this is where we find our self in present day, being spoon fed tiny bits and pieces of information to prep the masses for what is known and has been known.

[@maxyogi]

Lex mskes a splendid point. The Cambrian explosion principle of the Universe must make the notion that such is more prevelent in the planetary level than we may like to fathom. Though can be deduced to be extremely rare; maybe or more likely it's not rare at all.

[@mantoniol24]

One of the reasons i too believe that intelligent life may be rare is that any living thing doesn't need intelligence to survive , that's why it's so rare. Before humans there was lots of living things living and thriving without the necessity of what we consider intelligence.

[@Yellow-Rose]

Because they had a purpose. Like he pointed out the metabolic processes created more oxygen.

[@rjwade00]

This is a beautiful discussion.

[@elswae]

Imagine if we were just some random terrarium/aquarium on some aliens desk

[@heavydiligence9721]

One point to make. Jeffrey mentioned how do we know 13.7 Billion years is a long time? I would like to add how do we then know that we are not the most advanced civilization?

[@KanesTrades]

Haha that was really sweet at the end - the mutual "it was an honour"

[@ChrisRaynorMD]

Great conversation. Love Jeffrey’s perspective on this issue.

[@VegetaLaunchedFinalFlash]

Love your channel doc

[@justinsmith4562]

Surely you're joking.

[@BrunoZone5]

This is not an issue

[@johnstrawb3521]

@Dr. Chris Raynor Fire, metals, intelligence. Once you have those it's just a snap of the fingers by cosmic time until supercomputing and, quite probably, superintelligence arises.

[@Edmund_Mallory_Hardgrove]

I do too. I'll often read comments or hear people say ideas where they are negatively juxtaposing humanity to imaginary alien civilizations. The thing that's funny, is the ONLY example of advanced civilizations are here on Earth. Everything else right now is just speculation or science fiction. Maybe right now we are the most advanced civilization in the Milky Way. Maybe the Milky Way is teaming with life, but nothing more advanced than a chimpanzee or killer whale has evolved. Call me a fan of man, but I think the human mind is pretty damn amazing, and I think humanity is awesome. Who knows what great things we might accomplish over the next 500 years. We need to stop comparing ourselves to imaginary constructs.

[@Klyttorius]

We are carbon based life, with living restriction for just that, carbon based life. Just because we haven't seen it or can't yet comprehend it, doesn't meant here isn't such a thing as non-carbon based life. If such a life were to exist, they would not adhere to the same restrictions of the living standards we require.

[@tr1x243]

@@WNT2BLV Theres a reason why all living things on earth (plants included) are carbon based, its his ability to form many stable and complex moleculars as no other element we know. Only other candidate who is "similar" to carbone is silicon, but he has its own problems of which scientist's dont believe its possible to produce life. So unless theres some elements we didn't discover, its very likely that life needs to be carbon based because of its complexity.

[@mantoniol24]

It doesn't meant that it exists either. Since there is no hints of any living form that's not carbon based , why would they add that to the equation? 🤷

[@ginkhoba]

it was a pleasure to listen to both of You.

[@robertschlesinger1342]

Interesting and worthwhile video.

[@StephenPaulKing]

The Illusion of Design seems to be reflection of our own experience of the world, after all to experience a world, our minds must construct narratives full with sensorimotor confirmation that updates and maximizes the "sensitivity to own's own existence" - that is key to consciousness.

[@dicktracy3331]

Lex almost offended the bacteria, but he caught himself. Living on the edge man.

[@jim112180]

exactly, it's a great conversation and to have hypotheticals, but we don't have the data on likelihood never mind something to build possibilities for concrete ideas of the overall possibilities of life , in our galaxy or universe

[@mikefatah]

Two great minds having a very engaging discussion here. 💯

[@anthonyontv1061]

I found there conversation to be pretty elementary, they didn’t really say anything that me and my buddies didn’t talk about while we were getting high in the 8th grade

[@richardhussey8388]

Assuming aliens are already watching us, hiding from us is like hiding from your 3 year old.

[@dominusnox8231]

You got kids?

[@WayneP1973]

There is 10 Billion Trillion Stars. About 10 thousand stars for every grain of sand on earth. Think about that for a second.

[@oldman2800]

And the distances are just humongous. Virtually impossible for our chimpanzees inherent brain to get a handle on

[@yobani3618]

Some aliens listening/watching this: baaah-hah¡ These guys need water to survive lmfao

[@him4882]

The point of coinciding in time simultaneously is what I always think about and leads me to believe that although mathematically it should seem intelligent life is abundant, the time factor in the calculation really makes it extremely rare to discover another species of intelligent life.

[@alectronicmail]

Panspermia. We’re not only descendants of the great ape family but also single cell organisms and bacteria. We’re still discovering new mushrooms/fungi who’s spores float down through our atmosphere from outer space 🪐✌️ On a larger scale we’re the bacteria. Watch us spread or pollute our environment until toxicity levels wipe us out.

[@vhawk1951kl]

"coinciding in time simultaneously" eh? Hilarious. Clearly finding intelligence on this planet or any where in America must be to big an ask of anyone. You have not the faintest idea what you mean by intelligence, have you? It is hardly surprising that of all the peoples on this planet , the Americans are the*Only* people willing to entertain the possibility that there might be aliens other than ordinary run of the mill foreigners or strangers or just people from countries other that America. Do you not understand that anyone can invent any lie he pleases if he can be perfectly certain that no-one can contradict him?

[@ryanblanchard2508]

Smart man. I’ve always taken this into account myself. Being the universe is nearly 14 billion years old, there may have been advanced civilizations that could have come and gone over 100 million years and still totally miss each other.

[@gregnesbeth649]

@@ryanblanchard2508 but where would they go?

[@TwistedwithPower]

Based on what? The conditions for us are a singular example. There is zero evidence that our development is the optimal route... not to mention that the conditions required are often based only upon those parameters 'we think' life can develop under. Even those parameters have changed over discoveries in recent times, or did we forget that? I would guess that life is far more malleable than people think.

[@donnanhuggler8451]

We’re definitely being observed by advanced beings who aren’t playing by the rules we think are in play. We’re not even at toddler’s stage of development & have less understanding of our surroundings than a toddler understands how the Hadron collider works

[@ryanrobin12]

Stop kidding around!

[@nextbizzy]

what makes you so sure?

[@SuperDave7]

This guy is making it harder than it has to be let's just say that there's a lot. Also all life forms don't have to be carbon based

[@jermainelawrence7473]

@Greg W The fact that trees exist. I'm convinced life could exist in ways we can't comprehend.

[@revo1974]

I didn’t see this episode yet-just this clip-so i’m not sure what his “hypothesis” is. With that, I have my own hypothesis regarding life/intelligent life in the universe. I believe that it would make sense that all life is carbon based if it’s true. Here is my argument: Too many people (in my opinion) are approaching the question incorrectly-from a philosophical perspective. There are 10^22 (or 23) stars in the known universe-and there are good reasons to believe the universe is vastly larger than what we can observe. That’s a 1 followed by 22/23 zero’s. They say to themselves there could be millions of civilizations and many billions of exoplanets with primitive life (many will say far less) However, that would still make up an exceedingly small percentage of life harboring solar systems. This conclusion is reached on a bad assumption in my opinion. And that is that life is a result of chance (accident ). I believe life is not a result of chance, but an inevitable consequence of the governing rules/forces of nature. I will provide you with a philosophical argument for why life exists in the vast majority of solar systems. When we observe the known universe we see uniformity; it’s a real lot of the same things. The universe is governed by a specific set of rules/forces, which we can label natural laws. These natural laws govern matter/energy causing it to take on specific forms, e.g. quarks, protons, neutrons, elections, atoms, elements, molecules, amino acids, proteins, moons, planets, stars, galaxies, etc. All of these systems of matter/energy do not emerge by chance (accident). Instead they are an inevitable consequence of the natural laws of the universe at work Let’s take an atom, the building blocks of larger systems including life. The strong force (or strong interaction) takes quarks, which are the smallest forms of matter we have observed and binds them together to form protons and neutrons. On a larger scale it takes these protons and neutrons, binding them to form the nucleus of atoms. The electromagnetic force takes electrons and binds them in orbit around the nucleus and the result is an atom. Two distinct forces are operating here together to produce a highly creative effect, the formation of atoms. Other forces/rules of natural laws then work upon atoms to form larger systems of matter. Why then should we assume that life-the most sophisticated system of matter-which is actually comprised of these smaller systems of matter I mentioned, a chance event (it happened accidentally). As a matter of abductiive reasoning (inference to the best explanation) the best conclusion considering all of the current data is that life is also an inevitable consequence of the natural laws of the universe. And is part of and not distinct from the uniformly we observe all throughout the universe. As a result, life exists all throughout the universe as does all the other mentioned systems of matter. Science is teaching us that rocky exoplanets around other stars exist in abudance. Mars is believed to have had a thicker atmosphere and rivers of water on its surface. The evidence for this hypothesis is growing over time.

[@kylekissack4633]

@@orange-418lol you are correct! But yes expect the unexpected given enough time space and variables

[@TheKoolaidekidd]

@@orange-418lol You did not mention the energy-based life forms. Carbon would not exist without energy.

[@nickl8984]

Just reading the title alone I'm like THANK YOU, can we just accept this as basic common knowledge instead of thinking the ridiculousness of us being alone, it's nonsense

[@aclearlight]

Lovely interview. Could the Cambrian explosion be both rare, as in infrequent, yet also inevitable?

[@masonb9788]

I think we need to think about the time aspect more. The universe will be around for trillions of years. We are here literally in the fist few minutes after the ball dropped. If you consider how long the universe is projected to exist, how rare is it that we dropped in in the first few moments? This is why I don’t have huge hopes that we’ll encounter others beyond Earth.

[@zane2065]

You shouldn’t pretend like 11 billion years is a short amount of time though lmao

[@GeorgeEast-hj5zt]

At this point it's official that " others" are here. If by " encounter others beyond Earth" you mean meet them where they come from, your point makes sense. But if you mean we are " alone" , I must remind you that Lex had David Fravor on his podcast a while ago! Please watch it!

[@masonb9788]

@@GeorgeEast-hj5zt I don’t know what “official” means but ok.

[@masonb9788]

@@zane2065 is it? From your perspective I suppose. Gotta think outside the box.

[@jrr2479]

"When aliens pass by earth they roll up the windows and turn down the radio..." Not sure who came up with that, but seems likely.

[@nrich5127]

By definition , an advanced and evolved lifeform would have a thought process that would be incomprehensible to us. They wouldn't want to conquer or subjugate - those are human thoughts. They might want to explore or observe.

[@samanthanoellesmith]

12:45 when this guy says he shocked by Lex’s cynicism. Lex isn’t cynical. He’s just smart. It truly astounds me when people don’t understand we as a species are not the best or brightest. Far from it. And stating that doesn’t make one cynical. It makes a person aware…we have a long way to go.

[@kenmolloy1645]

Why don’t you discuss the “Dark Forest” theory? If a super intelligent species evolved, they might erase all emerging species before they could pose a threat.

[@pilot.wav_theory]

I never heard this angle, thanks for sharing

[@Dreadlock420]

That’s creepy but very possible

[@jarodandrews7425]

Somebody read Cixin Liu

[@Mrjga90]

No its obvious ET are real and they've been here on earth and if they wanted to they could of wiped us off the face of the earth but they didn't or at least haven't. In fact they've helped us grow in technological advances. One best shoes you can watch is Disclosure with Steven Greer

[@pilot.wav_theory]

@@Mrjga90 steven greer is part of the Rockefeller initiative. Look it up. So is Linda Moultin Howe. You know Rockefeller? The name of the family that exerts humongous financial control on the world and is the target of many conspiracy theories. I can only guess that this is a counterintelligence aka psyop to mix a little bit of truth is with the version of the alien narrative that they want to push. Im not saying to discredit everything he says but its crucial to know if someone has political financial or personal conflicts of interest to encourage them to spin things a certain way. Again not saying he is a fake or anything necessarily but i wouldnt rule it out for sure.

[@jackmariner]

I used to think it was a bad thing that we were too far away from the closest star to get there in a lifetime. As I get older I realize how lucky we are for that to be the case.

[@nofurtherwest3474]

Lucky? how so?

[@JohnDoe-nq5pk]

@@nofurtherwest3474 aliens would fuck shit up if they were closer

[@nofurtherwest3474]

@@JohnDoe-nq5pk just because another star is close does not mean aliens are close. likely no life in the nearest stars. and you have no basis for thinking they would fuck shit up. most likely they'd be friendly.

[@JohnDoe-nq5pk]

@@nofurtherwest3474 until we get to witness the chances of hostility or peace, it would be best to assume hostility. Every time an alien race meets another, it increases the possibility for destruction. Seems wisest to stay away unless you can catch them early.

[@nofurtherwest3474]

@@JohnDoe-nq5pk lol what are you even talking about... stay away? that's not in our control. anywho. don't worry. sleep well knowing that aliens don't care to even visit you.

[@ENikolaev]

13:55 was wondering if anyone could explain this to me a little bit. I have an above average grasp of astronomy/physics (I spend way too much of my time thinking about and watching videos regarding anything in space) but I’m confused what is expected from future generations of stars? Was the case that say like after first Gen, only 20 elements were there after supernova era, and after second it’s 40-50, third we are where we are now? Is the idea that there’s “new” things that will come from a future generation? Was just confused how anything that we can’t either synthesize as a stable(or even unstable) isotope would be produced? Hope someone can answer this. Love learning about all of this.

[@Big_Slick]

I don't really know much or even specifically what you're asking but all the lighter elements up to iron are produced by fusion in the cores of stars. Elements heavier than iron can only be produced in super novas and neutron star mergers. Can't remember exactly why but I think it's cause the fusion of lighter elements produces energy but fusion of heavier elements absorbs energy so they can't be used as fuel in very massive stars. They will only fuse when they are forced together in massive explosions. I'm not even sure where this notion came from; the life cycle of stars is well documented and I can't imagine why it would change in any way. Maybe they come in waves or something but the cycle is the same. It's not like stars in the future are going to start fusing iron in there cores unless physics changes, it just won't work. And the periodic table is thought to be complete so there isn't any unknown elements yet to discover.

[@o.fm.a5573]

OMG, "one would be enough to increase the fecundity"!! Love that phrase,was having troubles following the idea until there

[@sferrin2]

Unless it's a simulation. If that's the case we're probably it and the rest is just fancy wallpaper. (In this universe anyway.)

[@adamjensen2795]

No, we are just an insignificant byproduct of the simulation like every other life form throughout the universe. A simulation of this magnitude wouldn’t seek to understand a bunch of apes.

[@christopher3556]

What he means is that the simulation hypothesis is an answer to the Fermi Paradox in that no computer would have enough processing power/resources to run a simulation with innumerable civilizations. It would be too inefficient. That's why in simulations, images aren't rendered until they are observed.

[@christopher3556]

I agree that odds are this is a simulation. The visitors may be extra dimensional, coming from outside the simulation, that is to say space and time. This would make it so that the issue of processing power is eliminated.

[@parsimoniousdialog]

it's a pretty narrow thing when you examine the timeline. it takes a long time for light to get from place to place and as far as observing an alien structure from so far away we might just overlook it.

[@tragicslip]

Massless particles can escape speed limit and when energetic produce particles with mass. They make pretty good tuners for forming universes.

[@HansenFT]

Prove it

[@tragicslip]

@@HansenFT which part? At what speed do you think massless particles move?

[@chaunceyrash5067]

Given a certain amount of time life is inevitable.

[@shark23-17]

What if the earth is one day the cradle of life 20000 years from now, abandoned, cause humans will change differently if coloniasation of the stars happens, aliens to us but normal to them in the future

[@miraculixxs]

@@shark23-17 come again?

[@stabngab]

I often think about what if lifeforms were different things that we couldn't even comprehend as human beings, like what if the feeling of "Deja Vu" is actually a race of people and like the closest we can come to understanding them within the context of our physically based realm is that feeling, the deja vu thing is just an example i dont actually think that

[@joesands8860]

@Stabngab what if your dreams are not just created by your brain when you sleep and is a different reality you "slip" into? Kinda like if the "multi universe" theory is correct and dreams are your consciousness jumping between different parallel realities. Probably not, but who knows.

[@dadillonful]

@@joesands8860 lay off the drugs

[@dodgygoose3054]

That was brilliant ... thank you. I love the theory of evolution of single intelligent/aware life being a catalyst seed for intelligent/aware life to spread throughout the universe... It's 'all' one big evolutionary chain from the first plasma burst to intelligence creation and beyond.... how wonderous.

[@Spaghettineck]

What does Jeffrey mean when he asks this question ? 0:26 please somebody

[@richardpowell4281]

I think there's a bunch of problems when we consider these type of calculations. What if most worlds that support life are completely saturated with water, so there could intelligent life but its not capable of metallurgy or fire or electricity. What if most civilizations get to the nuclear stage and then go extinct, for us the time between electricity and the nuclear bomb was under 200 years and we've come very close to nuclear exchange. Our magnetic field shields solar rays, what if that's a rare thing

[@henrycowsert3999]

allot of what ifs

[@aggonzalez8096]

They may be rare things, they seem to be, and they may be the necessary conditions for life, but with the size of the universe that still leaves plenty of opportunities for intelligent life, and in that bunch there’s a potential for intelligent life that do not make the bad decisions that you’re talking about.

[@THeSPARTEnMORTER21]

its a mistake to assume that other intelligent life would follow the same invention structure as humans on earth, using your example, if a civilization was on a planet covered completely by water, they wouldnt need what we need on earth. alien life, let alone intelligent life, could be so different from what we know, understand or even comprehend.

[@richardpowell4281]

@@THeSPARTEnMORTER21 sure, and I'm note saying it's impossible. I think it's quite probable. I just don't like when people try to make equations for something that has so many variables there's no way we could account for everything. And while life may evolve differently on a different planet and achieve similar technology, there are some inherent limitations. If you want to use nuclear power you have to be on a planet with deposits of heavy radioactive elements like Uranium or Plutonium, of you don't have those you're not doing fission. Perhaps life becomes highly advanced but their atmosphere obscures the stars, so astronomy is not a thing, they can't observe things that would prove general relativity. There a lot of single points of failure.

[@S4MBONE]

It would only need to be theoretically possible for the universe to be flooded with it. I think the universe is so big, and there's so many universes that you would only need the slightest chance for there to be a nearly infinite number

[@heeroyuy298]

This is what I have always wanted to see brought into these discussions: What will happen when an advanced alien civilization runs out of space to reproduce? Consider that for example if we extrapolate current birth rates the spherical mass of humanity would expand faster than the speed of light in just a few hundred thousand years. Consider that any medium can be used for computation, even light. Any advanced civilization that cares about propagating themselves over a long timeframe will have no choice but to transfer their consciousness to working with light as a medium. The road to this is gradual. It begins with augmenting our brains with chips. Every step helps us, there is no going back. We add more until we are more chip than jelly. Eventually the last bit of jelly is removed and we are fully mechanical, but the pattern set by our primate brains is carried forward. By this time, far in the future, barriers to reproduction are removed. Those of us that seek to propagate ourselves do so until eventually everything becomes scarce, even including physical space. The only recourse is to begin shrinking the physical body and the computer inside, and this won't stop until we are beings of light, intelligent perturbations in the fabric of space. Consider how long it would take us in this form to exponentially multiply and fill the universe. We would expand at the speed of light. Now consider the instincts that some lifeforms advanced enough to evolve this intelligence probably share: 1) Curiosity and a desired to learn, especially about other life 2) Growing things, like gardens or pets 3) Teaching Now take all this together: - Life logically must tend towards using the most efficient means of computation possible (light). - This intelligent, live light will quickly (on astronomical timescale) fill the observable universe. - If it has any interest in us at all it is likely curiosity and sometimes to help us grow - When we look for life we are looking for it in the brief window that it is intelligent but still using organic chemistry and corporal bodies like we have, so we don't see it

[@cevain]

Is this an idea that is based on some prior thought experiment? Is this the start of the next advanced religion? Not trying to be disrespectul but if I understand correctly you are saying light is full of life that we don't see yet with our understanding. I think it's time to lower the microdose.

[@heeroyuy298]

@@cevain I arrived at these conclusions by examining basic principles and extrapolating. My claim consists of 4 parts, surely you will find them reasonable if I break it apart: 1) Claim: Advanced life has evolved many many times Justification: There are by some estimates over 100 trillion earth like planets and they are on average age 1 billion years older than Earth. I don't think we or Earth are that special, certainly not 1/100,000,000,000,000 special. It feels intuitively more likely that life is an emergent property (as another guest on the podcast said) of a low entropy energy source bathing a surface containing a solvent and the constituent chemicals necessary for complex reactions for billions of years. 2) Claim: At least some advanced life has transcended organic chemistry and uses light as the basis of being and consciousness Justification: positive 3) Claim: For at least some light based life, the barriers to reproduction and expansion will be removed and it will spread widely and rapidly through the universe compulsion 4) Claim: At least some of these advanced, light based, prolific intelligences will be benevolent. Justification: Admittedly this is somewhat weak. I do feel that any advanced life will certainly be curious. Maybe only life which evolved from social creatures have something like morality, and who knows what the fraction of life that reaches an intelligent stage that would be. I do feel, however, for humans at least there is a positive correlation between intelligence and morality. throughout

[@InSaNeRuSsELL59]

This is a refreshing take on our potential evolution. ty

[@anthonyontv1061]

@@cevain we are human beings hu-man hue means light, we are creatures that thrive off light, that’s why when you eat an apple that was grown by absorbing sun light it’s healthy for you, and other things like a donut are not, processed foods do nothing for us while things that are grown from sunlight always have at least 1 beneficial effect to us.

[@FrancisMasaba1]

I find that last point you made very interesting to ponder. That makes sense to me.

[@ehambright]

Nailed it with different systems with a richness of Physics beyond ours.

[@jaimedelarocha2531]

This to me was a fight to see who could use the biggest words in a sentence.

[@cthulhupoe]

So possibly there's a planet where dinosaurs never went extinct.

[@Cannabiskweekengebruikersgids]

And one where the Neanderthalers drive Porches and Corvettes. Lol

[@masonb9788]

Absolutely there is. And one where you’re riding on one.

[@Cannabiskweekengebruikersgids]

@@masonb9788 I choose to only ride on one when its totally hemp made and hemp driven, you with me ;-)

[@TheMightyMurse1917]

You can watch them on intergalactic cable, the ones where people race raptors like horses and the winners get to eat the losing jockeys are INTENSE

[@Makabert.Abylon]

@@TheMightyMurse1917 do you have Rick as your cable guy

[@philosopher0076]

Lex looks like he hasn't slept in 3 days and has a hangover on top of that.

[@thertcll]

He just looks stoned. That's all.

[@ratreptile]

One important point is that the cambrian explosion was not one single event were suddenly there was a bunch of animals with a bunch of new bodyplans, the cambrian explosion was when they started getting harder shells and stuff, the bodyplans probably already existed and had been evolving for a long time, its just that soft bodies don't leave much evidence behind.

[@sparkmanuk]

Life wants to be, life doesn’t want to be much! Was one of the best quotes.

[@mourad80]

I remember there was a man who claimed to have been abducted by aliens to work as a soldier for their space army or something like that. He also spoke about telepathic communication. His story was pretty believable and was trying to find his name again - anyone have an idea?

[@johnscanlon2598]

Google key words something should pop up for ya ! I think I’ve heard that story can’t remember his name either

[@AgentSmith-sb1gk]

Must have been some good shit he was smoking

[@holtzify9883]

In my opinion, aliens are watching us and have been watching us for years. Studying us.. imagine how earth looks to them from up above.. all the lights and buildings, cars.. they must think we are insanely advanced and powerful! little do they know we are nothing compared to them..

[@billtribble2904]

Oh, they know. Also, they are here. 🛸

[@aulzhoefer]

They won’t be impressed by BMW

[@jordanshetrone7468]

Great Video

[@Stukkeman]

Four possibilities: 1. We’re simply the first in the universe 2. Many co-arose at approximately the same time, yet the distances between are far greater than is needed for signals to arrive elsewhere 3. We’re not first, but so far away from others that we don’t yet know about others (if we’re 100 million LY away from a civilisation that emerged 50 million years ago, it’ll still take us 50 million years before we become aware of them) 4. We’re alone in the universe I believe 2 or 3 are most likely.

[@roboninja3194]

These "experts" believe all intelligent life in the universe requires very specific things for that life to exist. None of them seems to think outside the box and realize that other life forms may not need the same things we need to survive and thrive. Other life may not need water. It's very weird to me that they believe all life needs very specific things to live when they've not encountered a single other life form other than humans.

[@rizzledizzle3443]

Agreed, the 'goldilocks theory' is very frustrating, life could thrive on a frozen planet for example.

[@JaketheJust]

If there is intelligent life out there, I’d think they’d be smart enough to stay away from us

[@MyCatFooed]

Agreed, hence the lack of true contact between our species and someone else from somewhere else.

[@saguirre760]

@@josephmassaro any advanced civilization will view us like ants, or bacteria. We aren’t as impressive as you think.

[@rowland5951]

@@josephmassaro Being of Italian descent Italy has produced plenty of screw-ups and impressive people.

[@saguirre760]

@@josephmassaro if you say so. have a good day!

[@squadwipesyt3639]

One of the better conversations I've heard between people. How many more iterations can the universe as we know it go through before it ultimately consumes itself in black holes. How many more generations of stars can be born, new solar systems, and life bearing planets that give rise to intelligence before this all gets recompressed by black holes that eat each other until there's no more observable matter in the universe and BOOOOOOOM!!!!! It starts all over again. And again. And again...... Is consciousness just flowing from one state to another for eternity over what we conceive as "time". How thin can consciousness be spread before it collapses back in on itself and has to reset? What is the ultimate goal of all this? How does our consciousness transcend into higher dimensions where time no longer exists? Wtf is actually going on? Does anybody know? Can someone please tell me, because I have no damn clue.

[@crisstryna_mma1622]

Don't forget about Yorkshire puddings, needed!

[@mynameis5427]

I love Lex's realization of the obvious truth of reality 12:24 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@afk_hesh]

Lex inadvertently comes to the conclusion that the astral plane is real lmao