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Scientists Revise Famous Drake Equation
Assigning values to the seven variables has been an educated guessing game, leading to predictions that such civilizations should be widespread. But if that is true, why is there no conclusive evidence of their existence?
This contradiction is known as the Fermi paradox, named for the Italian and later naturalized American nuclear physicist and Nobelist Dr. Enrico Fermi, who informally posed the question to colleagues.
“Life has been around on Earth for about 4 billion years, but complex organisms like animals didn’t appear until about 600 million years ago, which is not long after the modern episode of plate tectonics began,” Professor Stern said.
“Plate tectonics really jump-starts the evolution machine, and we think we understand why.”
This contradiction is known as the Fermi paradox, named for the Italian and later naturalized American nuclear physicist and Nobelist Dr. Enrico Fermi, who informally posed the question to colleagues.
“Life has been around on Earth for about 4 billion years, but complex organisms like animals didn’t appear until about 600 million years ago, which is not long after the modern episode of plate tectonics began,” Professor Stern said.
“Plate tectonics really jump-starts the evolution machine, and we think we understand why.”
https://www.sci.news/astrobiology-2/revised-drake-equation-13067.html
12 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
“Biogeochemistry posits that the solid Earth, particularly plate tectonics, speeds up the evolution of species,”
How so?
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-54700-x
I have not read it at this point. They started from the fact that the Drake Equation is not working out based on lack of evidence for intelligent life.
I will try to catch up later.
I have not read it at this point. They started from the fact that the Drake Equation is not working out based on lack of evidence for intelligent life.
I will try to catch up later.
It's not my background, but I took a look at that paper, and I'm still not sure how they reached their conclusions. They start with a premise that is cited with a footnote that doesn't have a link(2), but then it seems it's mostly speculations after that - a lot of "correlation, not causation" examples and extrapolations.
They seem to conclude that:
Five processes were likely involved: 1) Increased nutrient supply; 2) Increased oxygenation of atmosphere and ocean; 3) Climate amelioration; 4) Increased rate of habitat formation and destruction; and 5) Moderate, sustained pressure from incessant environmental change.
Are those things only possible with plate tectonics?
I would definitely appreciate the opinion of someone smarter than I to help explain it.
