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In all these years of listening, why hasn't SETI detected anything ? Is there no intelligent life out there or is it too far away to detect ?

Peter U
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    Nobody knows, hence close as specualtion. However google "fermi paradox" – James K May 05 '18 at 20:40
  • I know that nobody knows but I was interested to hear peoples thoughts and opinions on "fermi paradox" . Seth Shostak has bet everyone a coffee that we will pick up a signal within the next 20 years. I am not so sure, to me it seems that we are the only one in the Universe. I could be wrong but this is just my gut feeling. – Peter U May 05 '18 at 21:31
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    "I was interested to hear peoples thoughts and opinions" exactly why I voted to close. We prefer questions that can be answered, not just discussed. – James K May 05 '18 at 21:35
  • This isn't a discussion forum, it's a straight Q&A forum. You might be able to open a chat on it if you want to try that. – StephenG - Help Ukraine May 05 '18 at 21:37
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    Your answer is in https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/questions/8146/how-far-away-could-we-detect-that-earth-has-life though obviously, that it doesn't exist is a possibility. – ProfRob May 05 '18 at 23:42
  • Maybe try those fun loving people at the skeptics board. – userLTK May 06 '18 at 21:53

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There are many reasons why nothing has been detected. We could be too far away, no one is listening, listened at wrong time, and many more. But this does not mean there is no life on other planets. We just haven't discovered them yet.

Natsfan
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  • But in the 3 billion years that Earth has been around for, there is no evidence that we have ever been visited. Another possible explanation for this, is that perhaps there is life, but not intelligent life, elsewhere in the Universe – Peter U May 06 '18 at 10:34