Fermi paradox

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] As a 2015 article put it, "If life is so easy, someone from somewhere must have come calling by now."^[3]

Italian-American physicist Enrico Fermi's name is associated with the paradox because of a casual conversation in the summer of 1950 with fellow physicists Edward Teller, Herbert York, and Emil Konopinski. While walking to lunch, the men discussed recent UFO reports and the possibility of faster-than-light travel. The conversation moved on to other topics, until during lunch Fermi blurted out, "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.

^ 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.
^ 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.
^ ^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.
^ Cite error: The named reference Eric-Jones was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ 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.
^ Urban, Tim (June 17, 2014). "The Fermi Paradox". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on April 2, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2015.

[INS-20190921-1] 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.

[Krauthammer2011-2] 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.

[NYT-20150803-3] 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.

[Eric-Jones-4] Cite error: The named reference Eric-Jones was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[:0-5] 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.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]