Aliens don't exist

[Sam Slater]

Go have a wank. You'll feel better.

[Arginald Valleywater]

Why do you assume they will be like us, have our technology etc? If they can travel across interstellar space then they are much more advanced than we are and may not even be carbon based lifeforms. They could be among us now.....

[Sam Slater]

I didn't assume they're like us, hence the brackets.

What we know about the observable universe (and by 'observable' I don't just mean within the narrow band of visible light) we presume we know most of the elements that make up all matter. We know how those elements are made, be it through nuclear fission within stars, or radioactive decay. Out of all those elements there's only carbon that readily bonds with similar carbon elements which is essential to form complex molecules like amino-acids, which make up proteins and life itself.

We know what elements make up life (as we know it) and know that it only sprang into existence once, or twice in the Earth's 4.5 billion year history. That's very improbable, but it happened nonetheless. We also know that out of all the different forms of life that has evolved over the 4+billion years, not once has a life-form evolved that's intelligent enough to build crafts that will carry them at least 20.5 light years away, which is the nearest known planet to Earth where we think could support life. Then you have to take into account not only the improbability of life evolving elsewhere, and not only the further improbability of intelligent life evolving that had the knowledge and inclination to visit us, but also the improbability of them being a kind of life that's not based on anything we know. That's a lot of improbable occurrences following on from each other! We're talking odds of billions upon billions upon billions to one of this being true; on the other hand, you have to ask yourself the odds on people claiming to have seen 'UFOs' and aliens being deluded or just liars.

As I've already tried to point out: we're on the verge of mastering teleportation; some say within 50 years. If alien life could visit Earth wouldn't they use such a way of travel rather than saucer-shaped spacecraft?