this post was submitted on 24 Jun 2024

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What do you think the Great Filter is? (self.asklemmy)

submitted 5 months ago by Cryophilia to c/asklemmy

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The Great Filter is the idea that, in the development of life from the earliest stages of abiogenesis to reaching the highest levels of development on the Kardashev scale, there is a barrier to development that makes detectable extraterrestrial life exceedingly rare. The Great Filter is one possible resolution of the Fermi paradox.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Filter

The Fermi paradox is the discrepancy between the lack of conclusive evidence of advanced extraterrestrial life and the apparently high likelihood of its existence. As a 2015 article put it, "If life is so easy, someone from somewhere must have come calling by now."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermi_paradox

Personally I think it's photosynthesis. Life itself developed and spread but photosynthesis started an inevitable chain of ever-greater and more-efficient life. I think a random chain of mutations that turns carbon-based proto-life into something that can harvest light energy is wildly unlikely, even after the wildly unlikely event of life beginning in the first place.

I have no data to back that up, just a guess.

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[–] [email protected] 44 points 5 months ago (3 children)

My favorite filter is the amount of phosphorous in the universe. Earth has an unusually high amount, and it's vital for life. I like this one, because as more stars die, the amount of phosphorous goes up, implying we won't be alone forever.

Anyway, look up "Issac Arthur" on YouTube for HOURS of content about the Fermi paradox and potential great filters.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

I'm gonna add to this by saying phosphorus may be my favorite, but I think the most likely filter is just time, twice.

Do you know how unlikely it is that earth has been habitable for so long? Do you know how long life was single-celled? One of the theories for how advanced (eukaryotic) cells formed was the combination of at least three different branches of life into the same cell! Archaea (cell wall), bacteria (mitochondria/chloroplasts), and viruses (nucleus). Do you know how unlikely that sounds? Do you know how long it would take for that to happen randomly? Most planets probably aren't even habitable for that long. Once we became eukaryotic, we started progressing much faster.

Then, keep in mind, the life has to continue to exist for billions of more years while it waits for the advanced life to happen again within the same section of the galaxy. So, time is two filters - both behind us and in front of us.

[–] Cryophilia 4 points 5 months ago

Thanks, I'll check it out!

[–] PrettyLights 0 points 5 months ago

Throwing in another similar YouTube suggestion of John Michael Godier

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEszlI8-W79IsU8LSAiRbDg