Why haven’t we found aliens? A physicist shares the most popular theories. | Brian Cox

[@stevesm2010]

"The moment you are shown to be wrong, you learn something" Words to live by!

[@veritas41photo]

Yes! Indeed, this statement expresses the central idea of the Scientific Method.

[@Corusame]

Which a lot of people nowadays hate to hear. That's why we're in this mess.

[@genxin9636]

Another moment is when you realize that you are wrong and you make changes.

[@petebusch9069]

It should be worded, you MAY learn something. Most people will argue facts just to be right, at least in their mind.

[@Ruisu01]

Very true. I’m going to try and remember this

[@ProWrestlingJoe]

It's fascinating how Brian Cox have gone over these theories 1000 times already and he's still as enthusiastic about telling them to potential new ears listening as he was the first time he went over the theories. Just wanted to point out how awesome that is.

[@ordinarryalien]

He's a wholesome guy. I love listening to him and Greene.

[@atheistsince1210]

I have his Black Holes Book he’s such a gem I don’t know how he can smile knowing the Truth ?

[@andersonsystem2]

There are definitely other civilizations out there sos e us so vast and our technology is kinda primitive and so it Combe that we don’t have the technology to reach them and maybe they don’t actually have the 12:27 technology to reach us. They could be on the same evolutionary trajectory we are on. That’s my hypothesis

[@ngmookleong3415]

because that is the only thing he can tell

[@axnyslie]

I was privileged to have a front row seat at his Horizons lecture in 2022. He is the only one that comes as close to Carl Sagan in being the great science orator and evangelist to the stars.

[@wade8130]

"Every scientist should be delighted it they're shown to be wrong, because the moment you've been shown to be wrong, that means you've learned something, and that's the way knowledge progresses." That's brilliant and beautiful.

[@V2RocketScientist]

That earned him my thumbs up

[@TintinAventure]

for science yes, for scientism no

[@prince-solomon]

But real actual science in academia doesn't work that way. Most scientists don't change their false beliefs/convictions, no matter the evidence. They simply die off, and future generations embrace new concepts/theories to a certain degree. That's how actual science is working for centuries. Take a look at history. It's sad.

[@thedon9670]

So different to politics....

[@6XXBANSHEEXX8]

I love and appreciate how Brian Cox, a brilliant physicist, can speak to the majority, in plain English, with great enthusiasm and passion. Thank you, Sir!

[@Seventeen_Seconds]

I love how Brian Cox presents this type of information, he almost makes it more accessible for non scientific people. Could listen to him all day.

[@oahujuniorgolfassociationc6656]

This guy could explain anything well.

[@erikas974]

Me too

[@breadyegg]

He's got the kind of voice that would make you feel both relaxed and smart explaining how to put your shoes on.

[@waseatenbyagrue]

"almost"

[@46oranges]

@@breadyegg That's why he's been chosen to be the baby face of truth, in spite of the fact that he talks silly, unreasonable crap.

[@wj2036]

The fact that we only started to understand space in the blink of an eye relative to the time life emerged, leads me to believe either we don't have the technology to detect them, or we just haven't found the needles in the hay stack yet.

[@marcosdheleno]

i made a post explaining it, people use Sci Fi logic when it comes to aliens. when all they need to explain why we have not found them is simply because its literaly impossible for us to, right now. just look at the andromeda galaxy, that thing is 2.5 Million light years away from us. so what we do see, is so far away, if an alien were to come here at the speed of light, from the point we see andromeda as, there would be no humanity up until the last 25th leg of the trip.

[@stupidveganworld]

We’ve traveled so little in the grand scheme of things. They're planning on sending out clippers to other moons on Jupiter/ Saturn. They think there may be life on those. It does seem lack of technology limits our ability to know.

[@Bob-pd1wf]

We don't understand space. It can't exist as described. The lights in the sky are closer than we are told.

[@kjjohnson24]

Military radar-involved UFO sightings suggest that they do have the technology to detect them. Our own senses, however, may not be able to detect them. These things could be zipping around our skies all the time at such high speeds that we just can’t even see them…

[@Bob-pd1wf]

@@kjjohnson24 aliens are a myth. Extra terrestrials from beyond antarctica could very well exist.

[@mv11000]

Prof. Cox is by far my most favourite science communicator. Thank you for this vid.

[@ctwentysevenj6531]

I always enjoy Prof. Cox's documentaries.

[@tonyjohnson3717]

We get it y'all like cox

[@VeganSemihCyprus33]

If schools were honest they would teach you this 👉The Connections (2021) [short documentary]💖

[@juliajames2]

Yes he draws you in and it was nice hear about all the different theories, he has charisma and is a great story teller, i subscribed to watch his videos. :)

[@irisbaez1972]

WHERE CAN I SEE THE THUMB DOWN? TO SEE YOUR.

[@coyotecreekband236]

Brian Cox, you are a breath of fresh air on this quiet Sunday morning. So glad I found your channel.

[@samstevens2021]

Idk if it's his accent or what , but the way he explains things and breaks things down for us normal people to grasp is just beyond awsome. Hes amazing

[@Jasmin.M-hz5ty]

If their are any aliens out there,then we should all be happy,and honored by their visit.Becouse we can leave planet earth,see,and learn more.

[@ArchYeomans]

We should have a guy with a French accent and another with an Italian accent. I think the latter one would say "Fugget About It!"

[@TheParad0xical]

@@Jasmin.M-hz5ty Like spelling and grammar maybe?

[@atalanta9353]

@@TheParad0xicalOr even grammar.

[@donaldgraham6414]

It’s not his accent. He grew up with a Manchester accent and had to learn a new one.

[@tucker9162]

I have watched and listened to the Prof for many years. He could read out a menu and I'd listen intently. A national treasure. I always learn.

[@ElvisRandomVideos]

I love how Dr Cox is able to present complex information at a human level that anyone can understand. While at the same time accepting that he could be wrong, because there’s so much we don’t know.

[@katelyndoxsee2710]

😊

[@SparkyLabs]

I wouldn't call it complex.

[@alfredosilvaneto]

@@SparkyLabs the Fermi paradox particularly isn't complex, but Brian Cox, just like Carl Sagan, already talked about many other extremely hard subjects in a way that everyone can understand.

[@4J_777]

I supposed the weight of science we are carrying currently proves only for humans since we are very limited until then you are right, we might be wrong. Because science could be different for other beings. Pretty cool to think that

[@chrisstevens-xq2vb]

He talks a lot nonsense mostly which is why he gets on tv

[@miriamrivero5166]

Complex topics are broken down so easily. Everything is made so understandable.

[@mrpearson1230]

One of the most fascinating physicists to listen & learn from!

[@ManjulaD]

Dude how did you comment on this video two days ago ? Video was released 12 minutes ago

[@dixonjavier]

@@ManjulaDso damn true😮😮😮😮

[@miguelsalas4852]

​@@ManjulaDThat's a pearson. They are build differently.

[@privettoli]

​@@ManjulaD could it be a live premiere? Or maybe there's a patron group for early access?

[@mrpearson1230]

@@privettoli bingo

[@ToriHalfon]

He has a gift of explaining things very easily and succinctly.

[@CorporationscontrolNewMexico]

The Escajeda Time Paradox is the answer. Humans learn how to develop universes in the future. We created this universe we are in and start the process over again. The universe we created is exactly the same as the one before it so the life develops into humans who create technology to repeat the process. We are in an infinitely repeating loop where we create ourselves and thatis why there are no aliens . It's just us creating ourselves again and again.

[@oggyoggy1299]

@@iociccio936 and you’ve fallen for it.

[@Corusame]

​@@iociccio936let me guess. Its all gods plan.

[@markarundel7856]

It's all in his head. How does he know. No aliens, what about the millions of UFO sightings

[@earth2death]

Almost as if the Gov made it for him

[@nega9000]

"If we destroy ourselves, we might destroy meaning in an entire galaxy forever." That's some responsibillty that. Thanks Brian...

[@257rani]

❤🌏🌍🌎❤🌌🎇🌅✨🌃🔵❤🛸🔭🛰📡🔵🕊💎💫🕊❤🗝

[@CEELOW3000]

too bad the powers that be don't feel this way

[@fredeemoon6053]

Dont worry Brians got it completely wrong There are plenty of other more intelligent species out there , Humans messed up their chance to be anything decent Besides why cant the universe live with just wild animals ? Brian , stop making out humans are all that .. We are all obsessed with money, status and material things ...its been killing the earth ..and everything on it

[@darktagmaster1861]

2nega9000, yes, but isn't it worth it if we can maximize shareholder profit for the top 10% wealthiest individuals for a short time?

[@nega9000]

@@darktagmaster1861totally

[@jordankruk]

I can listen for hours to this man

[@emo_galaxy9413]

Brian Cox is one of the good ones. I always appreciate his take on things. Great video!

[@matildagreene1744]

The good one what ? (good ones ) ??

[@mrsparkymajor5284]

@@matildagreene1744humans

[@davidcross8028]

He's so very wrong about a lot of things. Rarely bother to watch him.

[@watts18269]

@@davidcross8028and yet here you are

[@natesilvers2166]

@@davidcross8028 and he's not even vegan, so can't be that smart or value life that much

[@paulwilliams2663]

Best explanation I heard, was a lady scientist at SETI, who posed, " you can dip a child's fishing net into the sea, a thousand times, and it's unlikely you'll catch a fish. Yet, we know our oceans are teaming with life".

[@kanukki84]

@@Dionysos640 Why we havent found alien life.

[@Daniel-xg3ul]

Lady scientist? So....a scientist.

[@markmonaghan2309]

​@@Daniel-xg3ul , that's right 100% .

[@Frankie5Angels150]

@@Daniel-xg3ul Silly! Ladies can’t be scientists! They can be secretaries, nurses, teachers, or mommies.

[@dademags77]

Although we don’t KNOW that the universe is teaming with life. ALL we actually know for sure is, life ONLY exists on Earth.

[@micealhome6363]

Given the depths of time and the incomprehensible size of even the observable universe I find it hard to believe we are alone. Since there are parts of the universe we will never “see” this only adds to the probability that conditions somewhere in the vastness were/are conducive to the existence of life.

[@marhensa]

I believe that aliens are indeed all around us, observing us in hiding. They are closely watching us, waiting for us to develop some technological advancements that are not in line with their own. If they were to suddenly reveal themselves and their technology to us, there wouldn't be much "new" technological development from their perspective.

[@TheKeirsunishi]

Despite our observable is increasing as more light reaches us, sadly the rate at which this is happening is slowing and will eventually stop due to the expansion of the universe. Our cosmic horizon is also shrinking as time goes on as well😢😢

[@skierpage]

The Fermi Paradox isn't about the prevalence of life, it's about civilizations advanced enough to produce signatures (currently electromagnetic radiation or actual physical objects) apparent to us. There don't seem to be any in the Milky Way galaxy 😢. It would be great to know that other planets have dolphins, ants, or even just protozoa, but that would require us sending probes and sensors all over the Milky Way... so why haven't other civilizations done the same?

[@FOWST]

Some would argue, that aliens have already visited us. There's stories in the mahabarrata, the book of ezekiel and other cultures like the zulu and probably many more indigenous tribes around the world tell stories of their ancestors being visited by sky people, gods or angels. Also, since the atomic age they've made a reappearance, there's been a whole fleet over washington in the 50s, Buzz Aldrin saw them on the way to the moon, The former canadian minister of defence Paul Hellyer saw documents which indicate their existence, the phoenix lights happened with 10.000+ witnesses, military staff stationed at nuclear launch sites have seen them and report them messing with their electronics, the navy has encountered them and chased them numerous times, the latest whistleblower claims they have bodies, but hasn't come forward with concrete proof. Mainstream scientists, Neil DeGrasse Tyson first and foremost, are too quick to dismiss eyewitness testimony. If it weren't aliens, but a shoplifter in court, he would be convicted due to the overwhelming amount of witnesses, including one of the first humans on the moon, and he'd also be captured by multiple security cameras. But most of the scientists speaking about the fermi paradox seem to be completely ignoring all the witnesses and evidence, still trapped in the "science vs religion" conflict of the 60s. Claiming that we have "no evidence of aliens" is a cope which requires extraordinary ignorance. Don't get me wrong, I like Brian, but this is a topic he seems to know nothing about. It's like if a layman was asking for "better" proof of black holes, telling established scientists that "one blurry picture" isn't enough, and that they're not convinced by calculations.

[@honey-fe6pj]

@@FOWST LOL he is the layman you say ?

[@CrypticSaint]

It's also worth pointing out that anything we can see in the Milky Way isn't a time accurate view. The light reflection off of those planets takes more years to reach us than we have been technologically advanced enough to search for it. So signs of life that could potentially be found could have evolved far past what we would initially believe, or could have been forced to extinction, and we wouldn't know for generations until other signs of life or lack of become obvious

[@AdrianDixon-pw4bp]

Agreed, it's not the space distance of alien civilizations, it's the time distance

[@juankruger2598]

I LOVE Brian Cox. Could and would love to listen to him speak for days

[@Yewbzee]

Great video. I think it's crucial for everyone to grasp that the Fermi Paradox isn't as baffling as it may seem at first. When we ask 'Where are the Aliens?' we often forget about the concept of time and the limitations of the speed of light. Consider this: We've actively searched for extraterrestrial signals with any relevant technology for only about 70 years, which is like looking through a series of 'time windows' into the past. Imagine we're watching a movie, but we've only seen the first few frames, and we're wondering why we haven't seen the whole plot yet! The universe is 13.8 billion years old, and our 70 years of searching are just a tiny snapshot. What's even more surprising is how few reputable scientists discuss this significant temporal gap in our search, glad to see Dr Cox did mention that. The universe's secrets may take far longer to reveal themselves than we initially thought.

[@hannaboba7965]

Totally agree. The movie example is a good one. 70 years as a percentage of 13.8bil is almost 0%. So that’s like watching the first 0.000001 seconds of a movie and wondering what is the plot.

[@hannaboba7965]

Ok I just worked out the percentage.. it’s even less than I thought. It is 0.0000005% 😂

[@ottodidakt3069]

yeah, fully agree, now put that into context of my other post ...

[@johnalden948]

Yes!@@iociccio936

[@mcinb9]

They cant even find a missing dog on my street. You expect to find aliens.

[@GlynWalters]

The biggest Goldilocks aspect for Earth I learned recently was that we're lucky to have tectonic plates, a meteor strike fracturing the surface. Without that, the first emergence of algae and plant life would have cooled the planet to an ice ball it never recovered from. It seems we have more Goldilocks factors than just being a workable distance from the sun

[@Morgan-yl3ou]

Things went right? We are lucky we are here ? After all weve done We are the biggest mistake ever made Ruining everything in our path Our and greed selfishness has cestroyed earth , animals , nature, wildlife, oceanlife We should never have evolved We are toxic

[@Frankie5Angels150]

Or… There is God who made us in His image. Why does no one ever consider that in these silly comments?

[@nikkiishh690]

@@Frankie5Angels150because god doesn’t exist

[@Camibug]

@@Frankie5Angels150god doesn’t exist, evolution does

[@LisaMedeiros-tr2lz]

@@Frankie5Angels150 How old is the Earth?

[@gilpatmore4312]

every day of life is a tremendous gift, and that is how we should live!

[@blastically]

This is a good discussion of the issue. Personally, my guess is that it is a combination of (1) the rare earth hypothesis and (2) a filter going from prokaryotic cells to eukaryotic cells. Regarding the second point, as the video implies, so far as we know, the incorporation of a bacteria mitochondria cell into an archaea single celled organism only happened on earth one single time and only happened after about two billion years of bacterial life. It probably is a very rare event, and most planets may not be stable enough to wait that long.

[@rufusmcgee4383]

I might add two other events, extremely rare, also needed to occur, and in the correct order. The second event was the Cambrian explosion, aided by, as I understand it, a great number of environmental factors that came together after the last snowball earth. All the major life subsystems developed in that short period. Finally, the extinction of the dinosaurs, wiped out the largest, most successful predators of the time to make way for the smaller, but smarter species of mammals. Hard to imagine very many planets end up like Earth, even with a whole universe of them to choose from.

[@theicemankk]

Those 20 seconds of narration starting at 11:15 brought goosebumps. Very elegantly said. If we truly are the only intelligent beings to ever exist then it would be a shame to mess up what we have and experience.

[@matildagreene1744]

Already have..that's obvious !! LOL

[@frankgallagher5786]

yes it would be a shame but would it really matter? There is obviously so much that we do not know and probably will not live to see.

[@delir.6488]

We are NOT inteligent. And humans are not human, most men are inhuman. They don't how to Stop fighting. Men don't know, how to do a business without tricking the clint.😂😂😂😂

[@2BAvalon]

What a pleasure to listen to this man. Lovely way to teach and speak.

[@pippastar1606]

my thought exactly

[@ga6589]

@@iociccio936 Nah... indoctrination is what religions excel at.

[@DamianGerard-p9m]

Simply brilliant and concise. Enables a layman to grasp some understanding.

[@Don12321]

Word

[@Frankie5Angels150]

“There are but two possibilities. Either we are alone in the universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying.” -Arthur C Clarke

[@DilankaDias]

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

[@RnR1001]

​@DilankaDias who created God?

[@RavingEngineer]

God could be a software programmer....

[@222ableVelo]

Being "alone" in the universe is not terrifying. I appreciate the attempt to sound profound, but it's not accurate. Why would it be terrifying? Besides we have all sorts of creatures and animals on the Earth. We're not alone in the first place.

[@alantasman8273]

@@RnR1001Since God is infinite and actually created space-time...your question is like an ant trying to understand the infinite.

[@scottpitner4298]

So glad to see Brian C doing so much for this field and science in general. He will help kids and others learn and become interested, kickstarting careers of future minds to further the knowledge of people.

[@LarryFleetwood8675]

He's a front, like all of mainstream science's scientists.

[@thegoat11111]

😂

[@WaterspoutsOfTheDeep]

Brian Cox is highly dishonest he is doing a disservice to science in general. He doesn't even accept the established research in his own field that shows the universe had a finite start thus is not cyclical or eternal because it counters his Atheistic WORLDVIEW. This from some of our most proven science the space time theorems. How pathetic is that. Once I saw that I lost all respect for him and can't trust a thing he says after hearing him say we don't know if the universe had a start. The audacity of this guy.

[@DataSmithy]

Amazing! The best summary of the fermi paradox and related great filters that I have watched in a while. All alien "watchers" should absorb this, and think deeply about our, and the Earth's, long term fate.

[@juanc3242]

The moment you are shown to be wrong, you learn something". That's what really, really GREAT about science. Being wrong is not a shame. It's just another way of learning.

[@dnjj1845]

Something that religion can't adhere to

[@gregkonig4810]

@@dnjj1845 or governments

[@prince-solomon]

It's an ideal that has little to do with actual science in the real world. Academia doesn't like to admit to be wrong. Read about the history of science and how often morons/experts resisted change. Most scientists aren't that, they're dogmatists/followers. Science advances one funeral at a time. The more you learn about actual science/academia, the more you despise it. Ideal science is rare, it's utopian.

[@juanc3242]

@@prince-solomon - You seem to have no idea what you talking about!

[@SeattlePioneer]

> Of course, that's ABSURD when it comes to modern, government funded science. If you are proved wrong, it's simply time to doctor up your theories and research and to drown out those who would dispute your theories and cut off your funding.

[@SmashPhysical]

Love his conversational way of explaining things.

[@asianconnection7701]

Remember the FRENCH GUY who claimed he went to the future and saw himself, what he did was slip into another simulation of himself in the future and see himself. A similar thing happened to me and I witnessed exactly what this FRENCH DUDE saw.

[@jamesbuckley8917]

That old photo at 6:56 is of bison extermination. A grisly image of a mountain of bison skulls. It was taken outside of Michigan Carbon Works in Rougeville, MI, in 1892. At the close of the 18th century, there were between 30 and 60 million bison on the continent. By the time of this photograph, that population was reduced to only 456 wild bison.

[@brandondetroitfanmichaels4325]

19th*

[@tm2jetfire]

@@brandondetroitfanmichaels4325 No, re-read it. 18th is correct.

[@leaveitbetterthanyoufoundit]

Thank you - wondering what was in the photo.

[@Corusame]

Humans doing what they do best.

[@ThePaulv12]

@@Corusame Yes but what was the purpose of exterminating them all? It was to control the Indians and it worked.

[@Footballalwayswords]

One of the most likeable and brilliant science communicator, Simply The Best.

[@sciencemathematics]

Better than all the rest

[@cowtownokla]

We don't know if there is "life" in other areas of our galaxy. It could be possible that we are using a far too rudimentary definition of "life" and therefore don't recognize or haven't developed the ability to see it.

[@anthonywalker6276]

All our suppositions are human. We talk about "aliens" as "people" to converse with, to meet. We portray them as humanoids. We don't even respect, let alone wish to understand, our fellow animals on this planet, and yet think we deserve notice and respect from life in outer space! Lastly, our arrogance in thinking we are worth noticing at all.

[@g00nyt]

Brian Cox is just a brilliant man tbh.

[@W1ldSm1le]

I could listen to him forever

[@PoeLemic]

@@W1ldSm1le Same. If I could have a man-crush, it'd be him.

[@ramirezlensonjosephwhiteca5030]

@g00nyt he's fucking blind to know what's really going on. Don't follow this man. Follow Linda Moulton Howe

[@oggyoggy1299]

@@iociccio936 No.

[@CortezBaby]

What are your thoughts on Dr. Steven Greer?

[@chriswhitenackmediaproduct6906]

I think along the lines of just because we don't see them doesn't mean they aren't there. Our technology today is brand spanking new in space time; not so long ago, the north and south American continents didn't exist. Plate tectonics weren't even an idea. Yeah, we still really need to keep our egos in check.

[@bittersweet7145]

Personally I'd love for them to show up, not just because we'd learn something but it's in the curiosity of the explosion of profound questions and possibilities it opens up and all the other things we can potentially learn from them and the way we interact. It's such an exciting idea - even in discovering single celled organisms on another planet. Also Brian Cox just seems like the nicest bloke

[@BrjanBuckmaster]

Well, they are not going to show up due to the vast distances and the cosmic speed limit.

[@mikestephens5200]

I personally think they are here. Our own government admitted there are things flying around us that we don't know what they are. Most governments admitted such years ago btw. Most people have seen the military videos by now. To deny it is to deny facts. The questions now are; Are they just unmanned probes sent long ago to Earth? Are other beings already amongst us? Were they here before us? Are they residing under water, in Antarctica or on the far side of the moon? Are they our progenitors?

[@RedLineShortFilms]

What do you mean? They are already here. We also have evidence and testimonies from 952 military whistleblowers. What other proof do you want?​@@BrjanBuckmaster

[@muzzyali8011]

Yes exactly. I think a lot of people throw what you said away. I believe there could be life in the galaxy other than Earth but due to the cosmic distances, we will never interact with another planet with life like ours. It's sad but look at the distance of the closest star. It would take us over 50,000 years to reach there with a manned spacecraft.@@BrjanBuckmaster

[@brax2364]

@@BrjanBuckmaster LMAO. You’re basing that statement on what WE know, not on what THEY might know. Look back at our history at how many times so-called experts said this and that is not possible. Hell, it wasn’t that long ago that striking a common match would have gotten you burned at the stake for witchcraft.

[@hatzville]

Brian Cox, probably one of the most interesting people in our galaxy!

[@865TN]

Brian Cox is my favorite physicist - he is so incredibly patient and humble

[@jasont5871]

Considering how much different life that has existed and exists on earth right down to microscopic I'd say the universe is chock full of life,it's just the massive distances that separate us from actually finding out.

[@WaterspoutsOfTheDeep]

The fine tuning evidence and requirements for life show the probability there is another earth like planet is a number 1 in a number greater than the number of atoms in the universe. So it's quite doubtful life exists beyond earth. Those requirements keep growing each month as science progresses.

[@richkavanagh2778]

I agree with you , even if we worked out how to travel at the speed of light , it would still take 4.22 years to reach are closest neighbour. It’s insane when you have think about how much space is between each star

[@NAVMAN987]

Always a pleasure to listen to Brian Cox.

[@mcdade7489]

I absolutely LOVE Brian Cox. Such an excellent teacher. Brian Greene is another excellent Brian.

[@Kat-zj5kd]

Dr Cox is so brilliant - he explained it so well..awesome

[@WaterspoutsOfTheDeep]

Brian Cox is highly dishonest he is doing a disservice to science in general. He doesn't even accept the established research in his own field that shows the universe had a finite start thus is not cyclical or eternal because it counters his Atheistic WORLDVIEW. This from some of our most proven science the space time theorems. How pathetic is that. Once I saw that I lost all respect for him and can't trust a thing he says after hearing him say we don't know if the universe had a start. The audacity of this guy.

[@AngryAnt0]

Utterly love Brian Cox, really is one of the greatest science story tellers of our time. Personally I like to lean towards we're one of the first and as a result should be looking after the world and everything around us & that we've already passed through the great filter, because if it's still to come, then that's terrifying to me.

[@bernardm2528]

We are the only intelligent life in our universe. We can't even look after our own planet? I can imagine going to other planets, and asteroids etc. and dynamiting them to bits to unearth diamonds and gold etc.

[@jameslane9267]

We definitely have not reached the great filter of humanity yet. It’s pretty obvious that it is still to come.

[@WaterspoutsOfTheDeep]

Brian Cox is highly dishonest. He doesn't even accept the established research in his own field that shows the universe had a finite start thus is not cyclical or eternal because it counters his Atheistic WORLDVIEW. How pathetic is that. Once I saw that I lost all respect for him and can't trust a thing he says after hearing him say we don't know if the universe had a start. The audacity of this guy.

[@maddyfighter7881]

@@WaterspoutsOfTheDeepbrian cox is right … we actually do not know . There can be n number of theories and interpretations given but they are still theories only. accepting the fact that we do not know is a tremendous opportunity to learn something.

[@WaterspoutsOfTheDeep]

@@maddyfighter7881 Brian Cox is wrong in saying we don't know. We do know. Mankinds most proven knowledge the space time theorems have told us there must be a God. Borde and Vilenkin took Hawking and Penrose work on classic general relativity and expanded it as far as possible with 5 papers in an attempt to disprove the Big Bang and it's Christian implications and concluded "all reasonable cosmic models are subject to the relentless grip of the space-time theorems." They gave examples where you wouldn't need an absolute beginning to space and time but in such models you wouldn't have life. So there has to be a causal agent(God) beyond space and time because the universe is not cyclical/eternal. This was back in 2009 and his own field of science. So he has ZERO excuse to be ignorant of it. In other words he is completely dishonest because it destroys his Atheistic naturalistic worldview

[@dennistucker1153]

It is "The Great Filter" that deeply moves me. For me, the Great Filter is also known as DEATH. It could be a single event or a series of events that ends all life. I love Brian Cox's speeches.

[@franceshurt3517]

Thank you Brian, you allow me, a mere pleb, to understand cosmology theories, which to my simple mind are basically incomprehensible, you are brilliant xxx 🥰😘💕👍👍👍🙏🙏🙏

[@coachafella]

In every way a really exceptionally good analysis. So worth the time to watch. Treat yourself.

[@peg1028]

I did NOT make a mistake clicking on this vid and I learned something !!! Excellent discussion and presentation.

[@user-tq9dg5cb2u]

One of the most excellent and thought provoking presentations I have seen for a vey long time.

[@jeffcozins7733]

This is the best video I have watched in the last 2 years and I have had an up close UAP experience 40 years ago. Brian Cox is a wonderful human and I wish we had many more of him. Cheers!

[@HikingZaddies]

Damn! Who do you think they were?

[@ralphholiman7401]

I think a lot more people have seen and experienced these UFO/UAPs than will admit it. A good friend of mine reluctantly told me about his very startling sighting, after first getting me to promise not to laugh, and not to tell anyone. He got upset just telling the story, years later, and he said it was like it happened the day before. Not an abduction, but just a close up viewing for several minutes. Telling those people they just imagined things like that, is not dispositive.

[@jeffcozins7733]

yes agreed. I have not told many people at all what I saw. I think it's seeing is believing that convinces most true believers. With all the CG and AI stuff now it's even harder to know whats real and whats fake. 95% of everything is fake, and this is a real shame. Hope we get some kind of disclosure one day, however I don't see it happening. Cheers@@ralphholiman7401

[@-pROvAK]

In 2017 I had 5 up close encounters with multiple different types of UAP. Giant black triangles with lights on each point, smaller equilateral triangles, glowing yellow spheres, and at one time, a semi translucent green glowing boomerang shaped ship with 7 lights in a V shape on the bottom. Every single sighting was with other people too!

[@jeffcozins7733]

Thanks 4 sharing. Weird times we r living in atm. Stay safe.@@-pROvAK

[@MichelleCarithersAuthor]

love this conversation and discussion.....these hypothesis deserves this type of attention and the willingness to take it there....expand the possibilities....I agree to be proven wrong or make a mistake is a great learning experience which will elevate your thoughts

[@rokgod7]

I love me some professor Cox. My wife and I saw him live in Columbus with Robin Ince, and I've seen every one of his BBC specials. Such a great communicator. More of him, please!

[@meierandre1313]

This was really good. Enjoyed every second of it. Thank you!

[@CR0NO-NL]

Love brain cox, always good in explaining stuff, smart guy, and no big ego

[@ZIN74FF]

My opinion is that there is intelligence somewhere else as well. it doesn't necessarily mean that being alive brings intelligence. there must be other forms of intelligence, for example: energy based, machine based or even dark matter based. we mainly focus on finding life which resembles our way of understanding life and intelligence whereas life is indeed an intriguing concept to understand more about.

[@JF-yo7vu]

Nice and entertaining to let our imagination flow. But that isn’t how science developed. We build on what we already know, not on the craziest ideas we can imagine. Theres a reason the structure of the universe looks the same everywhere. The laws of physics are the same everywhere, so we are indeed talking about intelligent species on planets..

[@ZIN74FF]

@@JF-yo7vu Great point you've bring up there, indeed science is based on factual knowledge but I have another example and would like to know your opinion about it. the series of events occurred here in a specific order in the making of AI, there could be a place in this infinite universe where the creation of AI wasn't done by a superior civilization but by nature via same or similar events. to think about that there's high possibility of life being way wild and different than what we can currently undertand. we maybe the first or the last one of its kind where there could be way different kind of life.

[@lucymilne4086]

I agree, we are a carbon-based life form and it's surely possible, somewhere in the universe, for there to be other forms of life out there. We currently have no way of discovering/detecting even at the ends of our galaxy, sadly, nevermind in other places. But it's fun to hypothesise

[@komalpanchal06]

​@@ZIN74FFBelieve it or not. You don't understand AI. You consider it as some being but not biological.

[@ZIN74FF]

Why're u assuming that I'm considering AI as non-biological beings.

[@DhooomKetu]

Brian cox really understands the universe tbh and guy speaks so well

[@dodgecrockett3474]

Dhooom, thank you for your honesty.

[@j.a.weishaupt1748]

8. We are the most advanced species in the galaxy. This is one theory of my own which I don’t see mentioned often. Most people think of extraterrestrial life as technologically way more advanced than we are. But what if WE are the most advanced ones? That could explain a lot.

[@larryroyovitz7829]

I made a comment that I think we're early. Maybe the first, or one of the first, given the age of the universe. The universe is actually young, when you think of how long it will last.

[@garrettstiles7808]

@@larryroyovitz7829 and given that you can’t even have rocky worlds or complex elements until AFTER an entire lifecycle of giant stars form, live, and supernova, the possible timescale for life may be VERY short. I agree that we’re probably early to the party.

[@larryroyovitz7829]

@@garrettstiles7808 Exactly!

[@MunKeeButt67]

I'd say were the most advanced at this point. Consumer electronics are turning us into vegetables 🙃

[@WoolyChewbakker]

So, in an infinite time span, in infinite galaxies, in infinite universes, we have evolved over the last few thousand years to be the most advanced beings ?

[@gretchenchristophel1169]

Thank you Dr, Brian Cox. Your explanations are the best...clear, concise and understandable. I love his books...have read every one.

[@Ionizap]

I've been wondering about this for countless years and I think this video might be the answer. Eukaryotic cells are rare to evolve and they only did so once here on Planet Earth.

[@Cornell84]

And then you have the countless other galaxies. Same physical laws of nature? I always tought its the distance. Even though if someone can tavel in the speed of light, it would take xxxxx years.

[@Boodschap]

Civilizations probably exist for a relatively short time on a cosmic time scale. Bringing together 2 civilizations from 2 worlds at the same moment in time is probably like pressing the heads of 2 pins together on a timeline as long as the distance to the sun.

[@WaterspoutsOfTheDeep]

Evolution isn't real. Cosmic requirements for life show there is pretty much no chance there is another location in the universe that can support life. Why would God create life beyond earth when as Dyson wrote it's as if the universe knew we were coming, it was all created just so we could exist is what the evidence shows.

[@Savatanica]

It is easy to understand such English,calm,slow,clear

[@VaughnGeorge]

Great calm, reasonable and sane argument from a brilliant mind.

[@beav1962]

I'm a believer in #4 - Vast Distances. The energy involved in traveling to even nearby stars is enormous. Forgetting stable wormholes, the time involved is also prohibitive. We are just now working on getting BACK to the Moon after 50 years. A manned trip to Mars is probably more than a decade away. I will also add that time between technological advances must play a large part.

[@whitey6317]

sort of proves god is real. why is there such a limitation on how fast and far we can travel.

[@Gabrielbodw]

@@whitey6317how does that prove god is real

[@DanielVerberne]

@@whitey6317 I think you're on the wrong channel if that's what you think.

[@Freakbob28]

@@whitey6317 it proves nothing about god

[@whitey6317]

Because we are incapable to traveling at interstellar speeds due to energy limitations. Quantum physics also proves matter behaves differently while being observed. The most renounced physicists in the world believe we live in a simulation. Which proves gods existence to me. And look around at all the Evil in this world and then read the bible. It all starts to make alot of sense. @@Gabrielbodw

[@maggimar3118]

Never get tired of listening to this man, absolute genius.

[@DanielVerberne]

Cool, but it shouldn't be the host you find fascinating, but the topic. The Fermi Paradox is one of the deepest, most transcendent questions we can pose.

[@maggimar3118]

@@DanielVerberne Can it not go together, the host and the topic? Although my knowledge in the field is non-existent, I can nevertheless enjoy the scholar's discussion.

[@DanielVerberne]

@maggimar3118 it can indeed, I regret my comment.

[@billgordon6489]

What a brilliant talker Mr Cox is 👏🏻

[@572patrickvanhorn]

i love when some one can prove me wrong with logical and real proof because it means i can learn something new more details to the bigger picture and that is always amazing

[@johnboettger864]

WOW, far out, tanks.

[@111FireChief]

Well crafted piece. Easy to listen to, wonderfully informative and thought-provoking. I believe that other advanced civilisations exist and have visited/are visiting us.

[@DallasG83]

We probably aren't as intelligent as we think.

[@mauricearber3477]

I expect they would not really have any desire to communicate with us, but like to watch us while we try to understand clues that they leave around. By a possible comparison, would we really have any desire to have a conversation with a violent baboon.

[@whatadqr1]

A statistics professor used to open his class with, "You cannot make a probability assertion from a single sample. With only a sample of one, it's just as likely that the thing is completely unique as it is that there are more of them." And since life from inorganic materials seems to be more of a metaphysical or supernatural proposition with no scientific evidence how it happens, in order to be intellectually honest, it's not obvious at all that there are aliens or other life out there at all. Without proof or even evidence of either, it's a completely faith-based assertion. Kudos to Brian for even mentioning the unique-life option. Most won't even admit its a possibility.

[@ramaraksha01]

We do know how it happens - a stable temperature, water and presto we will have life I think we can be sure that there plenty of other planets out there where there is life, but whether is intelligent life is there or not that is the question

[@daleviker5884]

@@ramaraksha01 Are you saying that lab experiments have created life? No they have not. "A stable temperature, water, and presto we will have life". If that was all it took then life would have spontaneously arisen time after time on earth. But no, it has happened once and once only. Every living thing on earth descends from one event billion of years ago. No one has a clue whether that was a unique never to be repeated event, or whether it happens automatically given the presence of the same environment. "I think we can be pretty sure there are plenty of other planets out there where there is life" No, you can't be "sure". You can only speculate or rely on faith.

[@darrellprice7014]

Why is it so important to us to think that we are unique and more evolved therefore above other forms of life? Evolution is not necessarily a hierarchical process it is simply adaptive

[@ramaraksha01]

@@darrellprice7014 We do seem to be, right? How long has the earth been in existence? and how long has life sprung up, plants, animals - about 600 million years ago? And thru all these years just one life form has been able to dream, to travel to the moon, thru the use of their brain able to conquer the planet. Does that not count as unique?

[@J_C95]

@@ramaraksha01 It counts as unique if you're looking at it in the context of that single planet at this specific moment in time. If you look out to the scale of 200 billion galaxies, the same conditions that led to us will occur on innumerable other planets.

[@whataday443]

The most frightening hypothesis is the technological great filter. That every civilization at some point along their evolution inevitably discovers a technology that immediately wipes them. A lot of people point to AI as being that thing, but personally I am much more afraid of things like particle science. Who knows what could happen if we keep toying with anti-matter or discover ways to harness dark energy.

[@ottodidakt3069]

except that "AI" is over exaggerated hype at this stage (marketing if you prefer), not saying AI won't happen, but for now we're really talking advanced calculators who stick to the program !

[@thembamabona9809]

climate change!!!!! why is this so hard to understand?!? completely beats me….. especially with such a scientifically informed crowd. there’s no limits to human denialism….

[@uuhuu]

AI + Particle Science then. AI have the ability to speed up the process of particular issue, whatever it is.

[@undefinedvariable8085]

Personally, it's the Dark Forest Hypothesis. Consider how we would perceive our noisy existence in the cosmic neighborhood once we realise, or some how figure out, how easy it is (relatively) to destroy another civilization in another system. If we had the means to do so, would we not suddenly become alarmed of our own vulnerability? It would be logical to assume that similarly advanced civilizations could do the same. And if they're worried about the same thing, would they shoot first not to risk being targeted? If the ultimate price for naïve good faith is total annihilation paranoia may compel action.

[@oggyoggy1299]

@@ottodidakt3069 Well AI is happening so there’s not point saying otherwise. It exists now.

[@jaymac7203]

Brian is always worth a watch! Very interesting 🤔

[@davidcross8028]

Never seen him go head to head with noted witnesses.????

[@Stevros999]

​@davidcrosss8028 religious nuts aren't welcome here

[@shanastroskyphazer8172]

Brilliant great job! Thanks. I'm with 3 and 5 but I'm also inclined to tick all of the above. Maybe there's also a chance its because we are in some kind of biological headset simulation beyond our current knowledge and comprehension. Anyway life and the universe never cease to amaze me. “The possession of knowledge does not kill the sense of wonder and mystery. There is always more mystery.” a quote from Anais Nin.

[@Karl.Jayce-DE]

You are Amazing Mr. Cox

[@mdesign8675]

Love the mysterious background music at the beginning.

[@VicJang]

Great video. I watched the Kurzgesagt one long time ago so I knew about the different theories. It’s great to hear more explanations on this topic for sure.

[@SixSioux]

Amazing channel Kurzgesagt!!

[@timmyonthego9617]

Great video, I think it is just a tyranny of distance problem. It may take another civilization thousands of years to travel here and we have only been broadcasting our presence for the shortest time, they will not have seen our signals yet.

[@ky1ebetts]

Why don’t you and the word “tyranny” get a damn room already.

[@reekinronald6776]

Exactly. There is a barrier with respect to time, distance and "economics". Look at our own exploring eras. People explored for personal gain, gain for people that actually explore, but more importantly for those who finance the expeditions. People explore for new land, gold, spices, wealth. Wealth that can be brought back to the financiers of the expedition. Time flows slower when you approach the speed of light, that means a round trip for explorers will be actually hundreds of years if not more for those back on the home planet. Unlikely, that what ever information or wealth that the explorers bring back will be useful as technology and culture will likely be unrecognizable once the explorers return. Also, why would people invest in exploration which they will never benefit from. Well, you may say that for some life, life spans may be in the hundreds or thousands of years so they might benefit....then you run into the problem of evolution. How can a life form evolve if the life-death cycle is so long?

[@TheKeirsunishi]

​@@reekinronald6776I would have thought living that long would be from some sort of technology rather than evolution.

[@anyaaa2801]

My obsession for anything related to space has come back again so I’ve been watching videos related to it 😓.

[@rolf-joachimschroder917]

On the topic of rare earth, what makes our solar system so unique? The planets do not only rotate around the sun like the moon does around the earth, but also rotate around their own axis, which is not normally the case in a solar system. what makes our earth so unique, it is a rocky planet just outside the habitable zone that consists of two planets that collided, the light parts flew into space and formed the moon, the heavy parts form the earth. The Earth therefore has an iron core and thanks to the rotation around its own axis, a magnetic field is created around the Earth. So the fact that in a solar system the planets not only orbit the sun but also revolve around themselves and that a planet in or near the habitable zone has an iron core that has produced such a magnetic field is very unusual.

[@vice2versa]

I feel like no one is really considering just how huge the universe is. Its significantly bigger than the rare probability of life forming like it does here.

[@jhinrichs378]

Brian Cox is the absolute best at presenting this information !!

[@------YeahOK------]

It's good to hear Brian hypothesise about advanced beings. Normally he won't entertain this. But we have to consider that we are not alone on Earth, and possibly never have been.

[@TehDanny]

The idea is interesting. The proof just isn't there yet. If there's anything we explore a lot, it's our own planet. If there's anything we talk about, it's when someone or something is acting out of the ordinary. So I think that we'd know if there were others. If one person saw one alien, and uploaded credible proof to the internet, it would have a billion views within a week.

[@JF-yo7vu]

Although entertaining the alien stuff brings more attention to science and helps grow the industry. Almost all big scientists believe we are alone and give small probabilities to alien theories for a reason

[@mjt1517]

You also have to consider that we are alone.

[@Admiralty86]

​@@JF-yo7vu imagine what they'll know tomorrow.

[@kylebushnell2601]

He’s still Very far behind on this. Fermis paradox should literally never even be spoken up again, unless it’s to decipher how it is totally incorrect.

[@giselazunino781]

"The moment you're shown to be wrong, it means you've learned something" I hope you don't mind me quoting you. Excellent video. 😊

[@gsco82]

I have always favoured hypothesis #4, about the vast distances involved. There could be intelligent life on other planets, but the distances are too great for travel or even communication. It was interesting and very thought-provoking,to hear the other hypotheses. Thanks for posting this.

[@davidkennedy4845]

I agree. If so, the tyranny of distance is probably for the better. Humans have trouble co- existing on this planet. Image if we had interstellar neighbours!

[@Tes7000]

In addition to the distances is the sheer number of stars in our galaxy. A civilization with the technology to throw wormholes for instantaneous travel would still have to spend time in each solar system to find out what is there. Assuming a solar system could be visited and mapped in one Earth day, quite an ambitious goal, it would still take a billion years to visit them all. An advanced civilization in a different part of our galaxy could have found quite a few other civilizations like ours, but just not made their way to us yet. Or maybe they have already been here and left. We can only theorize about many of the archaeological marvels around the world, and you can add to that the many cultural groups with ancient myths about visitors from the stars.

[@FredrikAndersson597]

Here he is also only talking about our galaxy - which is of course extremely large. The distance to other galaxies with possible life is of course even greater. The distance hypothesis is reasonable. Furthermore, there is nothing to say that life elsewhere necessarily needs to be particularly intelligent. The intelligence in another world with advanced life may not be higher than that of our mammals, for example. Crocodiles have been on Earth since the time of the dinosaurs, but they are probably not much more intelligent today than they were then despite millions of years of possible evolution.

[@chuckheap]

I've always loved the idea that for centuries there was just Europe/Asia, then we had the new world. Then we were the only planet in the universe and then we discover Mars. Then we see other solar systems, other galaxies. We've hit these boundaries and stated that this is what the universe is..until it's not. I can't wait until we discover the next plateau. What is beyond space? Beyond the universe? What is the next level of our world?

[@Frankie5Angels150]

Your timeline is f^cked. Most of the planets were discovered WAY before the New World was discovered!

[@0ptimal]

To reach super advanced intelligence such that can travel the stars would probably require a mastery of concealment. Its most beneficial to avoid unnecessary conflict and what better way than to stay hidden. Maybe we are playing hide and go seek and dont know it. Concealment could mean different things, like invisible, or even deception. Like the bug that looks like a stick. Imagine the bird scanning the branches for bugs but not knowing such deceptive tactics are used, all this time they were right under its oblivious nose.

[@M3l_0N666]

If something was truly invisible, all you need to look for is a black spot in space.

[@oggyoggy1299]

@@M3l_0N666 Why would the spot be black?

[@ChristopherStrevens]

my friend was abducted by aliens..... They travel light years in milli-seconds.... She was discharged from a treatment centre and is well , doing well.... The photographs I took of the flying saucer were lost and I was told if they were true our civilisation would vanish overnight. I'm on parole now as it is a crime to report ET's Mostly witnesses are attacked by ridicule... If that fails the attackers move on the psychiatry.... You humans are babbling mad, concieted and deluded.

[@Tanglewood78]

brian cox is my favourite person. i even struggled spelling favourite.

[@wimpymcsteel4458]

Since this question first came up, we have discovered an almost limitless number of "filters" to advanced technological life. Combine that with the fact that the universe is way more hostile to life of any kind than initially thought, and we need to realize that we are living in a very unique situation. And we need to make protecting that the top priority.

[@s4uss]

There is billions of galaxies though. And this might be one of almost infinite number simulations, and not even the original universe with even more infinite time and space and possibilities for civilizations. So thinking like this, we're definitely not unique, just relatively rare, and probably not original.

[@ukacip9310]

and... what about all the UFO footages confirmed by not only the american but chinese and russian governments??

[@sOnIcBo0mBoY]

One I've been thinking about is fossil hyrdo-carbons, without coal/oil/gas we wouldn't be anywhere.. if the carboniferous stage didn't occur on another planet then there'd be no fossil fuels to use....

[@SegaSnatchers]

You'd be very ignorant to assume we are the only life in the Universe.

[@JoshuaTootell]

Life will continue to live on until the sun burns the earth to a crisp. How long humans survive is unknown.

[@andysedgley]

I'm with Douglas Adams, and Technological Singularity. "For thousands more years the mighty ships tore across the empty wastes of space and finally dived screaming on to the first planet they came across - which happened to be the Earth - where due to a terrible miscalculation of scale the entire battle fleet was accidentally swallowed by a small dog."

[@newride5367]

Yes Brain Cox is amazing. However all of you are ignoring the fact that they are already here. 30 whistleblowers providing evidence to congress, since David Grusch testified under oath. He and other whistleblowers have provided names, locations of craft and biological material to the IG. Please keep up guys x

[@vice2versa]

Exactly its so annoying and close minded how people like him just ignore this.

[@Traitorman..Proverbs26.11]

@@vice2versa It’s because he is intelligent enough to understand that what they blow in their whistle is bollocks.

[@vice2versa]

@@Traitorman..Proverbs26.11 and you know that how??? He doesnt know anything about what these people are saying. You are basically dismissing it because youve always viewed aliens as something out of science fiction.

[@vice2versa]

@@Traitorman..Proverbs26.11 what is bollocks abput what was said???

[@Traitorman..Proverbs26.11]

@@vice2versa Anybody can make unsubstantiated claims.

[@eCitizen1]

Brian Cox is a marvelous narrator.

[@ansoor123]

I guess probably the quartine hypothesis would be the case, human mental state doesn't have the capability to remain silent whe they know there are civilization out there. It is extremely dangerous for the both sides. So the other side chose not to be seen.

[@marcosdheleno]

OR, it could simply be because they are so umbeliveable far that its literaly impossible for either part to see each other. its like complaining that there are no people in australia, if you live in the us, because you cant see people there using a photo taken from a binoculars 200 thousand years ago(from the US looking at the direction australia is)...

[@mjproebstle]

There is an economic/resource filter as well, which could also be considered in a greater overall political filter. Attaining the capability of Interstellar travel would, depending on the technology involved, potentially put a heavy strain on global resources, money, labor, time, materials, etc.

[@bchristian85]

We'd have to develop a technology that could give us near-unlimited clean energy before destroying the planet. Life will go on after climate change, but modern civilization may not. Earth will recover, but it will take thousands of years and millions for evolution to replace the species we will lose. There's a high possibility that the future of humans will be permanent pre-industrial level technology.

[@Robin-Visser]

Indeed. It could just be impossible to travel to other stars no matter how evolved our technology becomes

[@vice2versa]

​​@@Robin-Visser people used to say the same thing about man flying before planes were invented. People need to realize that we simply dont know everything yet and wont until new discoveries are made. Inorder for interstellar travel to be possible, we would first need to learn how to create a machine that can create its own gravity waves.

[@bartstewart8644]

Number four is the theory I have always favored. The distances are just too crazy vast. Also, intelligence may be inherently unstable. Look at us! We could be living in a near utopia now. We prefer the madness we are in now. Or we are just stuck in this rut.

[@SamJ6131]

Maybe opposable thumbs are rare, multiply a dolphins intelligences by a thousand, and he still couldn't build a spaceship.

[@BernieClemenz]

Great video. I am thinking about this myself. Just one thought: Could it be that they are in the same development phase as we are because our time in the universe is sort of a "goldi locks" timezone for (intelligent) life? And because of distance and light speed that their signals have not arrived here because they're just a bit to far away? I mean we are transmitting radio signals for about 100 years now. Meaning that the farthest away a civilisation could have received us is 100 lightyears. That is just a tiny spot in the galaxy...

[@lukesimas]

I don’t know how someone could be an intelligent scientist and be shocked we haven’t seen signs of life for reasons you mentioned. And to be so arrogant and say since we haven’t seen signs then they must not exist should have them terminated from ever being called a scientist.

[@BernieClemenz]

@@lukesimas We just have to be patient… I think..

[@lukesimas]

@@BernieClemenz we will have empirical evidence in 5 years

[@ACDCBOWSKI]

That's exactly what I think, whether wrong or right. I guess there are many exo planets that can harbour life throughout our galaxy, but as you said, if they have been around for as many years as we have, they may or may not be more advanced than us, so as you said we have been sending radio signals out for decades which in cosmic distances is about 0.5cm away from a pea in football field & if they are on the other side of the football field, it'll take 1000's of years to ever hear from them or they us & as for travelling there.....not a chance.....love Prof Brian Cox, he explains things so well.

[@BernieClemenz]

@@ACDCBOWSKI Exactly 👍

[@jacoblind5390]

I think he is right on about the rarity of intelligent life in the galaxy. The rare earth hypothesis says that the conditions on our planet are so unique that they allowed for advanced life to develop over a long period of time. Starting with our position in the galaxy, to our type of sun, to the structure of our solar system, to having one large stable moon, etc are all factors that allowed life to develop over a long period of time. And it all seems rare when compared to other observed stars and solar systems. I wouldn’t go as far as he did saying we are the only civilization in the galaxy but I’d put the number at only a handful.

[@aquicktake]

A bit surprised that the Simulation Theory wasn't discussed.

[@ItzKamo]

"The moment you are shown to be wrong, you learn something" quote of the century.

[@dcbaars]

I am very surprised by brian’s guess….knowing there are many exoplanets within the goldylock zone. Statistically life should be abundant even complex life, yet unreachable within our lifetime. All those exoplanets have had a long window of opportunity to create more complex cells. Maybe not human like complex but definitely animal like complex. At least this is my belief.