The life on earth began 3.5 billion years ago and the world is likely to support life for another 1.75 billion years if nothing happens disastrously, like a big asteroid impact. So the whole period is 5.25 billion years in the case of our planet. We have been sending radio signals for about 100 years. Many people will agree that humans are on a fast track towards their extinction, towards being a part of "the great silence". In that case, out of 5.25 billion years, there will be 100 years during which we will have sent radio signals to the outer space. That makes 1 / 52,500,000 of its time. So if those aliens ever reach a technological level to send interstellar signals and then share our fate, what is the probability of a coincidence where two civilizations will exist at the exact period where one would be able to detect the other's signals?

#civilization #extraterrestriallife #fermiparadox #greatsilence

Pocket quit and I'm going through my export to see do I still want to keep them.

This is wonderfully written and ending is heartbreaking 😔

https://nautil.us/the-great-silence-237510/

#birds #biodiversity #greatsilence #TedChiang