Why haven’t we found aliens? A physicist shares the most popular theories. | Brian Cox
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Published 2023-09-29
This question is known as the Fermi paradox, and it continues to go unsolved. However, some theories could offer potential solutions.
Physicist Brian Cox explains the paradox and walks us through our best guesses as to the reason for our quasi-isolation.
0:00 Who is Enrico Fermi?
0:22 What is the Fermi Paradox?
1:29 Rare Earth Hypothesis
2:41 Extinguished Civilizations
3:51 Technological Singularity
4:34 Vast Distances
5:14 Cosmic Quarantine
7:31 The Great Filter
9:51 The Great Silence
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About Brian Cox:
Brian Cox obtained a first class honors degree in physics from the University of Manchester in 1995 and in 1998 a Ph.D. in High Energy Particle Physics at the DESY laboratory in Hamburg. Brian is now Professor of Particle Physics at the University of Manchester, The Royal Society Professor for Public Engagement in Science and a Fellow of the Royal Society.
Brian is widely recognized as the foremost communicator for all things scientific, having presented a number of highly acclaimed science programs for the BBC watched by billions internationally including ‘Adventures in Space and Time’ (2021), ‘Universe’ (2021), ‘The Planets’ (2018), ‘Forces of Nature’ (2016), ‘Human Universe’ (2014), ‘Wonders of Life’ (2012), ‘Wonders of the Universe’ (2011) and ‘Wonders of the Solar System’ (2010).
As an author, Brian has also sold over a million books worldwide including ‘Black Holes’, ‘Universal: A Guide to the Cosmos’, ‘Quantum Universe’ and ‘Why Does E=mc2?’ with co-author Professor Jeffrey Forshaw. He also wrote the series of books to accompany his popular television and radio programs.
All Comments (21)
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"The moment you are shown to be wrong, you learn something" Words to live by!
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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".
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I did NOT make a mistake clicking on this vid and I learned something !!! Excellent discussion and presentation.
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One of the most excellent and thought provoking presentations I have seen for a vey long time.
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"If we destroy ourselves, we might destroy meaning in an entire galaxy forever." That's some responsibillty that. Thanks Brian...
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“There are but two possibilities. Either we are alone in the universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying.” -Arthur C Clarke
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Professor Brian Cox is a great person. I wish there were many like him, which is not the case at all.
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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!
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"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.
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Prof. Cox is by far my most favourite science communicator. Thank you for this vid.
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Love the mysterious background music at the beginning.
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In every way a really exceptionally good analysis. So worth the time to watch. Treat yourself.
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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.
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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
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when you think about it, Star Trek's prime directive would make a lot of sense in how we've never noticed extraterrestrial life.
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The most plausible explanation for me is the "time overlap" hypothesis. Even if there are any civilizations out there, it's highly unlikely we can share the same timeline. For instance: Look at any dot (star) at night. The time of that light traveling to us is beyond comprehension and probably that star you're looking at doesn't even exist anymore.
