Space is not finite. There is no "edge" to the universe per se. Our perception of the universe is limited to our ability to measure it and that is limited by the speed of light. If we were to be able to travel instantaneously to the furthest part of the universe from where we are now and looked out from there away from the direction in which we came what would we see? Although this is pure speculation on my part I suspect that we would just see more galaxies, stars, planets, etc, etc. That is where the "dark matter" and "dark energy" resides in my opinion. In the regions of the universe all around us that are beyond our ability to detect. The universe is infinitely larger than we currently understand it to be and I suspect that it is "tidal" in that it has "weather" on an unimaginable scale where some areas are expanding (like our own) and others are contracting, possibly even into singularities that could then explode and expand again in a cyclical manner. Yes, that is all just my personal opinion based upon my own speculations. I am nothing more than an interested amateur in cosmology but it was a couple of decades ago that the concept of a cyclical universe occurred to me. Today that concept is being explored by serious scientists. That could just be coincidence.
@Swensson - Off Topic Comment. I suspect that you are being baited for the sake of baiting and not because of anything at all that I have seen you post. If Arjay cannot point to anything specific that you have posted then just ignore him and move on.
We only have evidence of biogenesis on this planet but there are literally billions of similar planets to our own. If life did not originate on any of the others that would be weird because nothing in the universe is unique. I will agree that the probability of intelligent life capable of communicating across interstellar distances is considerably rarer than just life itself. Even the ability to make that kind of communication occur is not something that we can say that we have achieved either. Our furthest space probes are barely at the edge of our own solar system.
Depends on whether the universe is really "expanding" or only appears to be, whether there was a singular "big bang" or something else, whether the speed of light really limits our ability to know as you suspect or not. We don't know. That's what I think. I'm agnostic about "space" being some infinite "void" evenly littered with matter, but only in its "fabric." So far it only appears to be what any given theoretical physicist has willed it to be. Thanks for keeping it real. I've enjoyed our discussion.
Inverse Square Law. Because radio waves spread out from the source in all directions...the more area the signal covers, but there is less of it at any given point. So you have a strong signal at 10 miles from a radio source. Double the distance to 20 miles and you're only getting 1/4th the signal. Go out to 10 times that distance and you're only getting 1/100th the signal. So for any civilization using radio...yeah their signals may be reaching us but are now so weak as to be unidentifiable from background noise. In fact...it's likely part of the background noise. But has it only occurred once? We're running tests to recreate the early atmosphere of the Earth and subjecting it to similar conditions. The chemicals used in the experiments are recombining themselves into organic molecules. No it's not life yet...but we can recreate some of the early stages in the lab. And if we can recreate those in a lab...what's to say that the universe couldn't recreate it on planets with similar conditions?
RE: You claim that God does not exist, ※→ Grumblenuts, Derideo_Te, et al, Prologue Thought: Every time I read the title of this thread, I cringe just a little. Because we all know that any such claim (assertion about that something) concerning a deity, an immortal, supernatural or the Supreme Being is undefined, uncorroborated and lacking any empirical evidence. This is an interesting question about the relevant light cone of the observable universe. I've always had trouble with this. The Australian Academy of Science has probably one of the best lectures that I've ever seen on this topic. (COMMENT) Australian Academy of Science Lecture: Cosmology: the physical edges of the Universe - Edges of Astronomy 2014 It is pack full of information, and goes very fast. You might have to watch it multiple time to appreciate it. Everytime I watch it, I see something I didn't see before. Most Respectfully, R
So do I, I just don't mind. In a sense, he spends more time painting himself into a corner than presenting anything I should comment on, so he's more or less trolling himself at this point.
My problem is that biogenesis has only occurred once on Earth. Over the course of how many years has biogenesis occurred once? You see what I find that concerning?
Yes, it has only occurred once. That's why all life on Earth is said to be related. Over how many years, once. Paints it to be extremely unlikely. And it makes sense. Have you ever read about how the first multicellular organisms came about? Organisms getting stuck inside other organisms, wild stuff.
Yes, it only occurred once over a period of about 1 billion years while the earth was cooling that we are aware of. But it might have happened more than that but only one strain of life was adaptable enough to survive through the subsequent environmental changes. In essence evolution might have weeded out the others and since soft tissue does not fossilize well there might not be any fossils showing how many other times it happened. Alternatively we just haven't recognized what those other fossils might be yet.
Oh My God! Look at this supposed picture of the Earth. The picture is FLAT. We all know the Earth is a SPHERE. The picture is obviously a fake. Use your mind and you will see that. I guess I need to post:<sarcasm>
No, you will continue to deny them of spin them in a further attempt to justify yourself. I suggested a way for you to resolve this and you refuse. Arrogant and incredibly vain of you, not to mention dumb.
False premise. Biogenesis occurred at least once on Earth. I don't know if it only occurred once, and neither do you. Does that disspell your concern, even if just a bit? Further, if you research early Earth history you will find certain data (e.g., lack of free oxygen in the atmosphere and oceans) and plausible explanations from scientists concerning that data, focusing on conditions favorable to abiogenesis. Study hard.
I watched with some interest. Nowhere near your fascination, but thanks for the link. Australia truly loves science and they poke well at many good questions, but I deliberately look away from academia for answers these days. I trust the establishment to increasingly hamper or bury meaningful progress, favoring near term profits and lowered insurance "risk." Suffice it to say that all I've learned by doing has stuck and remained valuable. From many years of formal education, not so much. I find myself seeking direction and advice from those who do, especially outside the mainstream, far more than from those who teach. My parents were very academic and couldn't have fixed a lawn mower if their lives had depended on it. There's different kinds of knowing. Different priorities. Tastes and flavors.
Provide a quote to discuss and we can get somewhere. It seems to me I have not said as much about me as you do, but feel free to provide evidence if you think you have it.