ElrenGryphon
New Member
Good afternoon! This short story is designed to be like a scientific article written in a journal in the far future. It comes from a universe that I am actively working on. I hope you enjoy!
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On the Fermi Paradox and the Drake Equation in Galactic History
Dr Sarani Dolki
Doctorate of Biology, Evolutionary Sciences and Archaeology
University of Titan, 2736
What follows is an excerpt of a transcript of a lecture given at the University of Titan in the Cassini auditorium in the year 2736 by Dr. Sarani Dolki. Dr. Sarani Dolki was widely regarded as the most influential scholar in the fields of biology, evolutionary sciences and archaeology. Dr. Sarani Dolki was Varg and from the planet of Tantulus within the Nox Nebula. For this lecture he was given an honorary position within the college of sciences of the University of Titan and it has been widely regarded as one of his better lectures.
The year is 1950 by the Earth calendar and four human men are walking to lunch together from the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Just like any group of friends they are speaking about local events upon the planet Earth. It just so happens that a great many appearances of unidentified flying objects had occurred recently. Now these four didn’t believe in the hubbub of aliens visiting people in the middle of the night, stealing livestock or probing the anal cavities of random humans. So it was all just a big joke to the four as they sat down around a table at a local diner. One of them, a man by the name of Enrico Fermi got quiet all of a sudden before exclaiming at the top of his lungs,”Where are they?!”
The group suddenly fell silent as they all stared at Fermi but then one by one they all started laughing, Enrico included. You see, every single one of them understood what Fermi meant by that simple exclamation. They all knew that the galaxy was a massive place with millions of stars. They all knew that logically a great majority of those stars had planets just like the one that they all lived upon. They also all knew that the galaxy was an old place too. So, the simple question of,”Where are they?” turned into something more.
Lets move forward eleven more years to Earth year 1961. This was the first year that Earth scientists from around the world came together to talk about aliens and how to find them. Another scientist by the name of Frank Drake began to postulate a math equation in order to stimulate conversation from his colleagues at the convention. Afterward known as the Drake equation its main goal was to calculate how many civilizations should be near enough to Earth for scientists on Earth to be able to detect them. After all of the data that scientists from Earth had at the time was put into the equation they came out Drake and his colleagues estimated that there were 1000 to 100,000,000 civilizations out in the stars that they should be able to detect.
It took humanity almost 400 years for them to actually meet with another species face to face.
These days most of us take it for granted that our galaxy, our home is filled to the brim with hundreds of thousands of different civilizations but back then on old Earth there must have been a great uncertainty.. A great loneliness not to know that there were others like them out there. It is hard for modern day citizens of the galaxy to properly understand when we have access to faster than light travel and communications. We have all met species that did not arise upon our homeworld, for instance even in this very room we have at least 10 or more species represented.
On my home planet hundreds of years before Fermi even sat down at the diner and asked that famous question my people too looked to the stars. For those of you not well versed in the history of the Varg I have prepared a brief history lesson. Tantulus, a dry planet by all accounts, lies near the heart of the Nox nebula. My kind arose rather quickly evolutionary speaking compared to species like humanity. Our scientists have long believed that our twin planet which Tantulus orbits in a binary partnership was the reasoning for this. It kept many of the large impacts away like a shield.
Now, my people for the longest time thought that we had many different races that arose to intelligence upon it. But with the advent of genetic research and analysis a particular tribe of gifted Varg known as Sar-Varg discovered that in actuality all Varg were very closely related genetically to the point that only minor differences in our genetic code existed. For thousands of years the perceived physical differences among Varg led to great conflicts between tribes, cities, countries and empires. But with that single discovery all of that changed.
Varg came together as one and established the first planet spanning empire. Our eyes left the dirt beneath us and looked to the stars and it was then that we as well began to ask, “Shakar ut fronish?” Or where is everyone? Fifty years later we encountered the Altari from Altan.
The point of that I am trying to make here is that every species has at one point or another believed that it must be alone in the universe due to the fact that it is unable to detect or see any others. All species have at one point asked, “Where is everyone?” and it is not until that fateful first encounter that the question is answered. We were all here, we just couldn’t see each other yet. Couldn’t hear each other yet…<c>
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
On the Fermi Paradox and the Drake Equation in Galactic History
Dr Sarani Dolki
Doctorate of Biology, Evolutionary Sciences and Archaeology
University of Titan, 2736
What follows is an excerpt of a transcript of a lecture given at the University of Titan in the Cassini auditorium in the year 2736 by Dr. Sarani Dolki. Dr. Sarani Dolki was widely regarded as the most influential scholar in the fields of biology, evolutionary sciences and archaeology. Dr. Sarani Dolki was Varg and from the planet of Tantulus within the Nox Nebula. For this lecture he was given an honorary position within the college of sciences of the University of Titan and it has been widely regarded as one of his better lectures.
The year is 1950 by the Earth calendar and four human men are walking to lunch together from the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Just like any group of friends they are speaking about local events upon the planet Earth. It just so happens that a great many appearances of unidentified flying objects had occurred recently. Now these four didn’t believe in the hubbub of aliens visiting people in the middle of the night, stealing livestock or probing the anal cavities of random humans. So it was all just a big joke to the four as they sat down around a table at a local diner. One of them, a man by the name of Enrico Fermi got quiet all of a sudden before exclaiming at the top of his lungs,”Where are they?!”
The group suddenly fell silent as they all stared at Fermi but then one by one they all started laughing, Enrico included. You see, every single one of them understood what Fermi meant by that simple exclamation. They all knew that the galaxy was a massive place with millions of stars. They all knew that logically a great majority of those stars had planets just like the one that they all lived upon. They also all knew that the galaxy was an old place too. So, the simple question of,”Where are they?” turned into something more.
Lets move forward eleven more years to Earth year 1961. This was the first year that Earth scientists from around the world came together to talk about aliens and how to find them. Another scientist by the name of Frank Drake began to postulate a math equation in order to stimulate conversation from his colleagues at the convention. Afterward known as the Drake equation its main goal was to calculate how many civilizations should be near enough to Earth for scientists on Earth to be able to detect them. After all of the data that scientists from Earth had at the time was put into the equation they came out Drake and his colleagues estimated that there were 1000 to 100,000,000 civilizations out in the stars that they should be able to detect.
It took humanity almost 400 years for them to actually meet with another species face to face.
These days most of us take it for granted that our galaxy, our home is filled to the brim with hundreds of thousands of different civilizations but back then on old Earth there must have been a great uncertainty.. A great loneliness not to know that there were others like them out there. It is hard for modern day citizens of the galaxy to properly understand when we have access to faster than light travel and communications. We have all met species that did not arise upon our homeworld, for instance even in this very room we have at least 10 or more species represented.
On my home planet hundreds of years before Fermi even sat down at the diner and asked that famous question my people too looked to the stars. For those of you not well versed in the history of the Varg I have prepared a brief history lesson. Tantulus, a dry planet by all accounts, lies near the heart of the Nox nebula. My kind arose rather quickly evolutionary speaking compared to species like humanity. Our scientists have long believed that our twin planet which Tantulus orbits in a binary partnership was the reasoning for this. It kept many of the large impacts away like a shield.
Now, my people for the longest time thought that we had many different races that arose to intelligence upon it. But with the advent of genetic research and analysis a particular tribe of gifted Varg known as Sar-Varg discovered that in actuality all Varg were very closely related genetically to the point that only minor differences in our genetic code existed. For thousands of years the perceived physical differences among Varg led to great conflicts between tribes, cities, countries and empires. But with that single discovery all of that changed.
Varg came together as one and established the first planet spanning empire. Our eyes left the dirt beneath us and looked to the stars and it was then that we as well began to ask, “Shakar ut fronish?” Or where is everyone? Fifty years later we encountered the Altari from Altan.
The point of that I am trying to make here is that every species has at one point or another believed that it must be alone in the universe due to the fact that it is unable to detect or see any others. All species have at one point asked, “Where is everyone?” and it is not until that fateful first encounter that the question is answered. We were all here, we just couldn’t see each other yet. Couldn’t hear each other yet…<c>
