Space now terrifies me

[Daystar Clarion]

You're judging evolution by the way it works on this planet.

It could just as easily be something completely different in another part of the galaxy.

Evolution doesn't just "change" based on environment, it describes the nature of the relationship between life and environment. The best adapted species will survive is a universal statement; those creatures with access to the resources they need to survive and propagate will be more successful than those without.

I defy you to name a single situation where the unfit will survive or those that can't reproduce will flourish.

Since we understand that evolution is a universal constant then we can safely assume that the behaviors evolution produces again and again on our own planet are either constants in their own right or at least extremely common.

Even if that is the case, there's nothing to say that the evolutionary contraints of one planet wouldn't allow a species to exists in the same way as described in my OP. There are so many variables that it could happen. I know it it's not likely, but hell, it's space. Freaky shit be goin' on out there yo!

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

Well, yes. Chances are there is life out there, and chances are a portion of it will be harmful to humans...

But the thought I find even scarier is the thought that we never achieve proper space exploration, use up too many resources as our populations grow, and eventually get to watch our entire species die cold, hungry, thirsty or from war, right here on Earth.

So I get right behind space exploration, and bring on anything that tries to stop us.

 

[etherlance]

One word........ASARI.


And now space is totally worth exploring.

You're right. What was I thinking...

Spoiler

Noooooooooooooooooo!

OH FEAR GOD.........MY EYE'S!!!

 

[redisforever]

I have to say, watching the video without sound made me think, Meh, nice graphics, but it looked like it was hugging him! Look! Stuff coming out of his back! Meh.

But I think not all aliens would be evil, I mean, why do they have to be evil?

 

[Sonicron]

Aliens that terrify me most? The bigger Flood forms and necromorphs are already pretty nasty, but what truly scares the pants off me are the little infector-type aliens - you know, the ones that are basically independent penises with 'brutal and fatal rape' as the standard pre-programmed setting. Xenomorph facehuggers, those little Flood buggers, that necromorph thing that looks like a flying vagina with a protruding spike, what have you...

 

[Heathrow]

Even if that is the case, there's nothing to say that the evolutionary contraints of one planet wouldn't allow a species to exists in the same way as described in my OP. There are so many variables that it could happen. I know it it's not likely, but hell, it's space. Freaky shit be goin' on out there yo!

You're full of assertions. Please, since there are so many, why don't you point out some of the variables that would allow for a species to naturally evolve the ability to develop a parasitic or predatory relationship with another species of biology completely alien to their own.

Or to put it another way. Why would a silicon based creature be at all interested in absorbing/exploiting a bunch of useless carbon?

I will also point out that implausible doesn't assert impossibility, only the extreme unlikelihood. In this case laughably unlikely.

 

[Senor Smoke21]

You're judging evolution by the way it works on this planet.

It could just as easily be something completely different in another part of the galaxy.

Evolution doesn't just "change" based on environment, it describes the nature of the relationship between life and environment. The best adapted species will survive is a universal statement; those creatures with access to the resources they need to survive and propagate will be more successful than those without.

I defy you to name a single situation where the unfit will survive or those that can't reproduce will flourish.

Since we understand that evolution is a universal constant then we can safely assume that the behaviors evolution produces again and again on our own planet are either constants in their own right or at least extremely common.

But the idea of a xenomorph style alien is still plausible. It is a parasitic being that evolved by living off of other creatures. Who's to say some spacefaring race doesn't stumble accross it's home planet and unknowingly take it away with them?

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Even if that is the case, there's nothing to say that the evolutionary contraints of one planet wouldn't allow a species to exists in the same way as described in my OP. There are so many variables that it could happen. I know it it's not likely, but hell, it's space. Freaky shit be goin' on out there yo!

You're full of assertions. Please, since there are so many, why don't you point out some of the variables that would allow for a species to evolve the ability to naturally develop a parasitic or predatory relationship with another species of biology completely alien to their own.

Or to put it another way. Why would a silicon based creature be at all interested in absorbing/exploiting a bunch of useless carbon?

I will also point out that implausible doesn't assert impossibility, only the extreme unlikelihood. In this case laughably unlikely.

I'll be sure to tell you when I've visited every planet in the universe.

Like I said, I know it's unlikely, but it may not be as unlikely as you think it is.

 

[Outright Villainy]

Implausible? How so? There's too much space out there for there not to be intelligent life. What's to say this life isn't the spacefaring fuck up your entire day kind?

What evolutionary imperative promotes the annihilation of random species you know nothing about? You wouldn't eat them, their biology would likely be toxic to you. You wouldn't destroy them for their resources, resources are too abundant in this universe to waste time squabbling over. If the aliens are xenophobic it's much easier to avoid us. If they subscribe to a fascist superiority of their species then they aren't advanced enough to be space faring.

More to the point violent and warlike species will probably blow themselves up long before alien races get the chance.

You're judging evolution by the way it works on this planet.

It could just as easily be something completely different in another part of the galaxy.

And there you go. Another part of the galaxy. If even that. Could be another one in our local group, or one much farther out than that. Point is, space is big. Monstrously fucking huge, and the whole speed of light velocity limit means travelling to even the closest planet with intelligent life, unless it's in your solar system, won't be worth the resources, if it's even feasable at all.

The nearest galaxy to us is 2.5 million light years away. Anyone viewing earth from there, with even the most technologically advanced equipment, won't see any evidence of human life for another 2.4 million years.

 

[Condor219]

There are, most likely, creatures vaguely (or even closely) similar to that in appearance somewhere. Given, it's probably beyond both our means of travel for thousands of years, and even if it was, it'd probably be on some obscure planet we'd not find for tens of thousands of years after. But still.

And I used to be afraid of what space held. Then I looked at the stars, and appreciated that those creatures existed, even if they would be out to kill me.

 

[Someone Depressing]

As long as there's not Goblin sharks in space, it's a damn sight better than Earth.

It could happen...

Spoiler

The next plausible step for the Jaws franchise.

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

I don't know what scares me more the fact there might be some sort of hyper intelligent alien out there watching us or the chance of giant fishies on Europa.


GIANT FISHIES O.O

 

[Heathrow]

I'll be sure to tell you when I've visited every planet in the universe.

If you can't come up with a single hypothetical reason then perhaps nature hasn't either. Some puzzles are in fact puzzling because they are impossible.

But the idea of a xenomorph style alien is still plausible. It is a parasitic being that evolved by living off of other creatures. Who's to say some spacefaring race doesn't stumble accross it's home planet and unknowingly take it away with them?

The word you are searching for is possible not plausible. However, it's far more likely that any two alien species will just have incompatible and therefore poisonous biologies.

 

[Wadders]

Space has always scared the shit out of me.

Anyone see that BBC program; Wonders of the Universe?

It was brilliant, but I stopped watching after a few episodes, it made me feel so small and unimportant, as well as slightly depressed, certain in the knowledge that all we have worked for on this planet, all the evidence that we and any other life on this planet will one day disappear.

Frightening stuff.

 

[Heathrow]

then you have no imagination and are boring. lame answer. 'nuff said.

Tell that to all the scientists and great thinkers who spend their days trying to come up with theories of what alien life will actually be like when we finally do meet it. I find your shallow mind to be, as you say, "lame".

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

Tell that to all the scientists and great thinkers who spend their days trying to come up with theories of what alien life will actually be like when we finally do meet it.

Xenobiology is in fact a really interesting field You can come up with loads of interesting things just by changing pressure, chemicals, gravity.

It's almost like playing spore but more fun.

 

[FalloutJack]

I have a number of alien designs - some based in our own mythology - which would be entirely worthy of Doctor Who if not other places. Uhhh...just to entice you, here's a few names...

Hydrans
Shadow-Stealers
Archons
Trinodes
The Rez
Wargs
Teracylians
Living Elements
Kryvn

There's a bunch of them swimming around in my head at times. These things...would make space terrifying.

 

[JMeganSnow]

What i find scary is the possibility of virulent alien bacteria. What horrors could that wreak? Melty flesh viruses? Terrifying parasites? Maybe even, the awoken dead?

Probably not much worse than bacteria and viruses we've already got that have had hundreds of thousands of years evolving to target us specifically and at least 40 years of having their efficacy augmented by our overuse of antibiotics. Alien bacteria would most likely encounter us, go wtf, and die.

 

[blindthrall]

Implausible? How so? There's too much space out there for there not to be intelligent life. What's to say this life isn't the spacefaring fuck up your entire day kind?

What evolutionary imperative promotes the annihilation of random species you know nothing about? You wouldn't eat them, their biology would likely be toxic to you. You wouldn't destroy them for their resources, resources are too abundant in this universe to waste time squabbling over. If the aliens are xenophobic it's much easier to avoid us. If they subscribe to a fascist superiority of their species then they aren't advanced enough to be space faring.

More to the point violent and warlike species will probably blow themselves up long before alien races get the chance.

Resources are not abundant in the galaxy when you stop to consider the distance between them and how many resources you'd have to burn up just to travel anywhere. I agree with Hawking who said that any intelligence that gets here has put huge amounts of resource into the trip, and even if they are just stopping by to say hello, would at the very least still need to top off their tank.

And how do you know a fascist society couldn't become advanced? The Nazis created jet propulsion, fer crissakes.

 

[MercurySteam]

See, I've very recently played through Dead Space and am currently playing through Dead Space 2. Now, these games aren't scary, like say, Amnesia: Dark Descent, but the situation your are playing in would be absolutely terrifying if you were not a resourceful engineer with a mineral cutter.

I figured that this thread had to do something with Dead Space or Event Horizon. The first one is much more terrifying (that's probably why chapter 10 scared the shit out of me) though the second one is a better overall game in my opinion.

Play DS 1 + 2 for the total experience.