Colonizing Planets

For years we now we have been going up into space, visiting the Space Station, and coming back down to Earth. But I want to ask how long until we can go up into space and not return. I'm not talking about just going up and dying in space, but taking humans another planet. And even more than that, i wonder when we can start colonizing said planet so that it is fit for survival, able to stand the test of time and support human life for centuries.

For a small amount of time now, private companies have tried getting funds for these projects. Mars One is trying but hundreds of thousands of dollars later there has been no news on the project, all that is known is a plan for 2024, and one would think its because it was a scam. That is the problem with fan-fund raised projects like this, not that Mars one is necessarily a scam just the majority would seem that way. But who knows, it could be just the time needed for preparation.

So even though that some are failures, some are legit. Plans to colonize planets exist now but they do take years of preparation. The shuttle to get there, setting up food and power. All of this work for a trip that could backfire in a week because the oxygen supply was too low. This is why only the best of the best are chosen to go. One would need to be smart and a good problem solver, no or little history of genetic diseases, or any diseases for obvious reasons. But how many people would need to be sent on this one way trip to almost certain death? I think the number of people that would need to be sent is around 16 (as to avoid eventual incest...). So if you meet all of these criteria than you would have a chance if a situation like this came up.

With overpopulation being a big problem in the near future, this could be a really cool solution. Would you go on a one way trip to another planet if offered? I would, just to be a part of something that would make history, even if I died within a month I would still be among the first people to die on a planet other than Earth.

Alien Contact

Lets assume aliens are coming into contact with us for the first time. There are multiple senarios. 1. The aliens are hostile like in War of the Worlds. 2. The aliens are friendly like in E.T. Or 3. The aliens are just a bunch of bacteria or small organisms on a planet we've discovered. Lets look into this deeper.

So aliens have arrived, but they are here to take the planet either for the resources on Earth, or the resources LIVING on Earth (people). We most likely will not just let them take it and leave, we have nowhere to go! So war is inevitable. If this is the case we will probably lose. If they found us first that means they are much more advanced than us and it would be a quick fight. We depend on electronics for a lot now a days and the aliens would exploit that weakness quickly, leaving us in the dark and soon, dead.

If they are friendly it wouldn't be all sunshine either. I mean, i would love a sweet alien sidekick like chewbacca but that is best case senario. Say they gave us their future technology, how do we know mankind could handle it. Would we kill eachother over the space laser or teleportation pad? Nuclear warfare prompted by alien gifts... Or another situation could be radical humans who didn't trust/like the aliens could soon drive them away or attack turning them hostile. There are almost too many unknowns in this scenario.

Even if the aliens were mindless lumps of bacteria we could STILL all die. The aliens could and most likely would bring bacteria that our bodies cannot fight off. The Europeans sailing over to the Native Americans brought plenty of diease with them that killed thousands of natives but was harmless to the Europeans. The same goes with all 3 alien contact senarios, once we met them everything would need to be quarantined as to not wipe everyone off this Earth.

Even though the result of contacting aliens is extremely dangerous I do hope something else is still out there. SETI (the Search for Extraterrestrial Intellegence) is searching and sending signals out into space, hoping for a response even though the odds are against us the aliens will be helpful. Thats probably because It's a creepy feeling to think we are alone in this universe, plus if they do find anything I still need my Chewbacca sidekick.

Mutation Probability

Mutations exist in science fiction films or comic books. They are almost like special "powers" that give a person abilities others don't possess. We all would love to have claws that shot out of our hands on command or the ability to move metal objects through the air with our minds. So the question is, can humans ever spawn a mutation with X-men like capabilities?

Well curently we can tamper with genes to create some pretty weird things. I could put extra legs on a fly's head or increase a monkey's muscle size. None of those examples are practical but the point is they are possible.

So it is possible, but is that it? Just a possibility? No in fact, humans have mutated before. About 7,500 years ago humans gained an incredible ability, the ability to process lactose. Now its not super strength but it is something, i mean, we all eat cheese.

If we leave mutations up to nature it is a much, much slower process. Animals adapt to survive, but not in a day. It takes hundreds of years for mutations and adaptions to show if any are needed. And humans change their environment to suit their needs, like if its cold you get a coat, not grow your body hair out 3 inches. This means no baby is probably going to be born today that can breathe under water or shoot webs out of his hands, probably.

If you think about it one way we already can mutate organisms in different ways. But the mutations you and I are looking for are much more difficult to achieve. The mutations we want are something that could allow flight or super vision. But the likelyhood of that happening is extremely slim. And if it did it would most likely show in small, slightly noticable changes to the DNA of organisms through time. If humans take the matter into our own hands its not a shoe-in either. There are very real and very serious side effects that could occur from tampering with genes. Godzilla-like monsters come to mind and are a possibility when going down this path, and all so man could one day grow a third leg or lift an extra 40 lbs. Is it worth it? Do the pros outway the cons? Or should stuff like this stay science fiction.