Extending Astrobiology: Consciousness and Culture
Nature Precedings January 5, 2011 DOI: 10.1038/npre.2011.5286.2 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that alien life is likely ubiquitous and often conscious, but advanced technology is less probable, and communication with any such beings would be extremely difficult and limited to basic exchanges. |
Abstract
Abstract The Stanley Miller experiment suggests that amino acid-based life is ubiquitous in our universe, although its varieties are not likely to have followed the particular, highly contingent and path-dependent, evolutionary trajectory found on Earth. Are many alien organisms likely to be conscious in ways that we would recognize? Almost certainly. Will some develop high order technology? Less likely, but still fairly probable. If so, will we be able to communicate with them? Only on a basic level, and only with profound difficulty. The argument is fairly direct.
Citations in the library
Cites 3
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