Fermi paradox

This article is about the absence of clear evidence of extraterrestrial life. For a type of estimation problem, see Fermi problem.
Enrico Fermi (Los Alamos 1945)

The Fermi paradox is the discrepancy between the lack of conclusive evidence of advanced extraterrestrial life and the apparently high likelihood of its existence.[1][2] Those affirming the paradox generally conclude that if the conditions required for life to arise from non-living matter are as permissive as the available evidence on Earth indicates, then extraterrestrial life would be sufficiently common such that it would be implausible for it not to have been detected yet.[3]

The quandary takes its name from the Italian-American physicist Enrico Fermi: in the summer of 1950, Fermi was engaged in casual conversation about contemporary UFO reports and the possibility of faster-than-light travel with fellow physicists Edward Teller, Herbert York, and Emil Konopinski while the group was walking to lunch. The conversation moved on to other topics, until Fermi later blurted out during lunch, "But where is everybody?"—although the exact quote is uncertain.[3][4]

There have been many attempts to resolve the Fermi paradox,[5][6] such as suggesting that intelligent extraterrestrial beings are extremely rare, that the lifetime of such civilizations is short, or that they exist but (for various reasons) humans see no evidence.

  1. ^ Woodward, Avlin (September 21, 2019). "A winner of this year's Nobel prize in physics is convinced we'll detect alien life in 100 years. Here are 13 reasons why we haven't made contact yet". Insider Inc. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  2. ^ Krauthammer, Charles (December 29, 2011). "Are We Alone in the Universe?". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 10, 2014. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
  3. ^ a b Overbye, Dennis (August 3, 2015). "The Flip Side of Optimism About Life on Other Planets". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 19, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Eric-Jones was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ If the Universe Is Teeming with Aliens ... WHERE IS EVERYBODY?: Seventy-Five Solutions to the Fermi Paradox and the Problem of Extraterrestrial Life, Second Edition, Stephen Webb, foreword by Martin Rees, Heidelberg, New York, Dordrecht, London: Springer International Publishing, 2002, 2015.
  6. ^ Urban, Tim (June 17, 2014). "The Fermi Paradox". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on April 2, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2015.