Is SETI putting us in danger?

[Davros]

Technology is a serious threat, AI's, runnaway nano technology, super viruses, WoMD..... any one of them is probably more likely to wipe us out than Aliens

So there is some truth in the rumour that nvidia is going to change its name to Cyberdyne Systems ?

 

[pcchen]

Interesting, but I'm not at all I follow their logic. How did they determine these changes were advantageous? In fact, why the hell would any sort of change in the modern world have a greater chance over others? The means in which we keep people with "defects" alive means their changes will likely be spread just as much as advantageous ones. I can believe that humans genes are rapidly changing, but when I mentioned "evolution" I was talking specifically advantageous changes, and while the research might show for certain more rapid changes, I'm not sure how it concluded that changes are for the better. I think a lot of traditional thinking with human evolution doesn't apply to the modern world, such as advantageous changes having a greater chance of spreading over negative changes.

Well, better immunity against diseases is advantageous. Although I agree that people with four arms, big teeth and huge claws, while convenient, do not have a better (if not worse) chance to spread their genes than a normal person in a modern civilization.

In a civilization, the most important survival factor is generally immunity to diseases. Diseases kill much more people than any other things in history, including wars. Ironically, in a primitive tribe, smarter people have better chance to survive, so they tend to be smarter. Unfortunately, a civilization can support a much larger population and you can always find someone very smart in a large population, an (in average) dumber population.

 

[Skrying]

That's just one advantageous aspect that might have changed in certain locations. Depending on the culture though I wouldn't be shocked if certain ones were much more greatly at risk to certain diseases, think about how much medication is pumped into our bodies. Half the time our body doesn't do crap, it's all medication.

 

[pcchen]

Well, I wouldn't say that. If the immune system works, you don't need medication and you won't notice. Even if it works partially it can be advantageous because it would be easier for medication to do their jobs.

Sometimes it's not about immune system. For example, thalassemia carriers may have better immunity against malaria, so the genes are common in some places where malaria is/was a great problem.

This is getting off topic, so I'm going to say something on topic
I'm always curious about this: if we actually find some alien signals, what's the best thing to do? Ignore it? Send something back? (sounds quite stupid though) Or?

 

[Verge]

broadcasting is as retarded as listening... look at the timeline of the universe, the chances of another form of intelligent life in our range either listening, or broadcasting during our little sliver of time is neigh impossible...


so who really cares

 

[Frank]

Medicine (drugs) mostly block things before they run amok, or encourage your immune system to deal with it. They don't 'fix' you. They only help your body do so.

Surgically procedures are mostly the same: they remove the dangerous things before they run out of control and make it easier for your body to repair itself.