Maybe we are alone in the universe

[BigP]

I am with Skippy. To think we are IT in the universe (and there could be an infinite number of universes out there) is extremely arrogant and typical of what we are.

Why haven't they contacted us? Why would they want to?

Exactly. If they have the ability to contact us they are probably far more advanced then us.

You are more advanced then a cockroach. Do you go out of your way to say hello to a cockroach?

I dont think your analogy is a particularly good one Raven, Cockroaches can not modify there environment as we can , we would be of interest to intelligent life for the same reasons that we are interested in them

We go out of our way to kill cockies.
they know we are here.

And they have not evolved a resistance to sole rubber lol

[Outlaw Yogi]

I dont think your analogy is a particularly good one Raven, Cockroaches can not modify there environment as we can , we would be of interest to intelligent life for the same reasons that we are interested in them

We go out of our way to kill cockies.
they know we are here.

And they have not evolved a resistance to sole rubber lol

My brother put a cockroache in a microwave, turned it on and the roache was fine.
A mate in Bundy put one in a glass jar, put it in the freezer over night, pulled it out and thawed in next day and the roache was fine.

Once upon a time reptiles ruled the Earth ... and now mammals do ... and I theorise that when the mammals fall off the top rung, something from the insect world will evolve and become masters of the planet ... just hope it's not ants, 'coz they're communists

[Super Nova]

Once upon a time reptiles ruled the Earth ... and now mammals do ... and I theorise that when the mammals fall off the top rung, something from the insect world will evolve and become masters of the planet ... just hope it's not ants, 'coz they're communists

The only problem for insects is their body design doesn't allow for them to grow big enough. They were bigger when we had more oxygen in the attmosphere so I I think it will be birds that have the best chance when mammals have died out.

[boxy]

Once upon a time reptiles ruled the Earth ... and now mammals do ... and I theorise that when the mammals fall off the top rung, something from the insect world will evolve and become masters of the planet ... just hope it's not ants, 'coz they're communists

The only problem for insects is their body design doesn't allow for them to grow big enough. They were bigger when we had more oxygen in the attmosphere so I I think it will be birds that have the best chance when mammals have died out.

I don't see a likely change that puts birds on top. Insects are already doing fine, ants included. They do better than mammals in our heavily modified ecology.

[Outlaw Yogi]

A backpacker showed me a photo of a butterfly in Indonesia ... it was about 2 foot wide.

Given the right conditions, just about any life form can evolve to suit those conditions.
If that means getting bigger because there's more food available or out size a competitor or predator, they will.

[boxy]

Insects are limited in size by their respiratory system. But in the fight for dominance, size is not a significant factor. Insects are the original zerg rushers.

[Raven]

I am with Skippy. To think we are IT in the universe (and there could be an infinite number of universes out there) is extremely arrogant and typical of what we are.

Why haven't they contacted us? Why would they want to?

Exactly. If they have the ability to contact us they are probably far more advanced then us.

You are more advanced then a cockroach. Do you go out of your way to say hello to a cockroach?

I dont think your analogy is a particularly good one Raven, Cockroaches can not modify there environment as we can , we would be of interest to intelligent life for the same reasons that we are interested in them

Raven would argue that a cockroach can modify it's immediate environment to a certain degree.

This planet is our immediate environment and we modify it to a certain degree.

If life exists out there and they have the ability to traverse the vast expanse of space why would they bother with a species that has barely taken its first steps outside of the atmosphere.

[Raven]

Once upon a time reptiles ruled the Earth ... and now mammals do ... and I theorise that when the mammals fall off the top rung, something from the insect world will evolve and become masters of the planet ... just hope it's not ants, 'coz they're communists

The only problem for insects is their body design doesn't allow for them to grow big enough. They were bigger when we had more oxygen in the attmosphere so I I think it will be birds that have the best chance when mammals have died out.

I don't see a likely change that puts birds on top. Insects are already doing fine, ants included. They do better than mammals in our heavily modified ecology.

Raven's money is on octopuses. Those bastards are smart. If they evolve to the point where the mother could pass on knowledge, instead of dying when the offspring are born, who knows what they could do.

[brian ross]

A backpacker showed me a photo of a butterfly in Indonesia ... it was about 2 foot wide.

Queen Alexandra's birdwing, is the largest butterfly in the world, with females reaching wingspans slightly in excess of 25 cm (9.8 inches). This birdwing is restricted to the forests of the Oro Province in eastern Papua New Guinea.

[Source]

24 inches (2 feet) would be remarkable if it was true...

[Black Orchid]

Owlet Moths have been known to have a wingspan of 18 inches.

The Hercules Emperor Moth (Coscinocera hercules) of northern Australia and New Guinea is one of the largest moths in the world with females of the species capable of reaching a wing span of 10.5 inches. Great Owlet Moths (Thysania agripinna) of South America have females with a wingspan that measures up to 12 inches. Owlet Moths, or Noctuids (Noctuidae), are part of a gigantic family of moths with some specimens on record with an amazing 18 inch wing span.

Atlas Moths are supposedly the biggest in the world so who knows how big they grow. They can be mistaken for medium sized Bats.

Not sure about butterflies and there as varying accounts of wingspan. Butterflies can also be mistaken for Moths. Moths aren't all dull grey/brown.

The largest butterfly in the world is the Queen Alexandra's Birdwing (Ornithoptera alexandrae). This huge, poisonous butterfly lives in the rain forests of Papua, New Guinea, and is an endangered species with a wing span of 11 inches. Males of the species are much smaller than females. The second-largest butterfly in the world is the Goliath Birdwing and it lives in Indonesian rainforests and has a wingspan up to 11 inches as well.