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If the force of gravitation is powerful enough to overpower the force of expansion, then expansion will stop and contraction begins.

Recent estimations have proven that contraction won't be possible so rest assured as there will be no big crunch

Yes samppa you see, nothing is acctually something because you use a word to designate it, which has SOME value, thus the object of nothingness has certain caracteristics, which means it exists, in order to exist it has to be someting. Thus nothing is something. Aint this mind boggling

No the universe is not flat and neither is it curved in any form you prefer (example:spherical)

Yeah, well here's an even better mind-boggler: perhaps we don't even have a word for what's "outside" the universe.

Probably we don't but apparently you used the word "void" that designates something. Actually is not mind boggling at all because your brain made an association between unknown and void so we can practically designate that word via associations, that is how language was born starting from the first word.
Looks like our discussion has shifted towards linguistics that's why i ask you: if we ever make contact with a civilization roughly the same tehnological level as us, how will we be able to communicate with them?

I did indeed, in want of a better term to describe the absolute nothingness beyond.



Communication? No idea.

Movie makers go around the problem my inventing sweet instant translation machines, but that's not exactly viable.

Gestures are cultural, so you can't try communicate that way - leaving us with somewhat of a Helen Keller problem.



Of course it doesn't matter cos a need for that sort of communication is never going to cross us

Seems to me like the best way to communicate with them with be by telepathy, and unfortunately were not telepathic

I wish we had some Bablefish around (THe Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy)

If, the aliens we will meet have same intellectual level as us humans, then they will also have same structure of language as we humans do because language and intellectual level is closely related. In that case, it wont be that difficult for the xenocryptologist to figure out their language as they have always been doing this with the seemingly absurd stone writings and other form of language. I think, in case an alien visits our planet, many xenocryptologist will get jobs.

Again, symbols and gestures may also come handy.

And, till the time we make a handshake with the aliens, we must have had developed AI to the level that it can process language. So, by using ultra computers with great AI, we can be able to translate their language in a go.

I am looking forward to making a handshake with an alien and asking him his name

What if youre aliens are not communicating via sound as us but by smell, and there language desigantes smells that have certain meanings as complex as a language with a structure such as grammar, just think how would you describe a smell by relating to it and not try to associate it with a sound. I dont think anybody can translate that or at least they will in a very long process.

You could have read the discussion below before posting idiotic crap like this which suspiciously look like spam (and this is a serious discussion after all)

Well, if the aliens are intelligent enough, we can make them learn to associate objects and all with smells or whatever they communicate with.

In that case, it will be just like training an animal by using visual audio clues and that must not take long. Or, we can learn to associate their media of communication with ours with the help of sensor and computer embedded systems.

I dont think, humans wont be able to learn their language or teach them ours. We are smart and intelligent. We must be able to get through this job easily.

Yes, as long as they have eyes and ears.


I doubt the process would be similar to training some monkey though.

I think samppa made clear the problems of communication. Think about what will occur if the aliens have a sense that we never heard of (nonexistent in our world) whoever makes the first contact im certainly thinking he will not be able to communicate with them.

umm, it is near impossible to communicate with the aliens the first time we meet but i always think that we can really communicate with them.

May be the first problem will be determining their media of communication; be it smell, uv radiation, or infrared media or anything else. Now after that, by close observation we can always figure out what emission or symbol or smell is relating to what object or so.

Well, human beings must me this smart to figure out what the wired aliens are talking about, may be not in a short time but we must be able to do it.

Or, it can also be like this. What if they dont communicate at all? Well, we humans felt the need of communication after we started living in groups or society during the time of our development. If, the aliens turn out to be solitary, they would never need to communicate with each other. I dont think language or any means of communication is needed if we there is no society. What say you??

Solitary animals also have forms of communication, for example a cat will meow and a lion roar. Perhaps finding a mate requires some form of letting others know you're there.

Also, one might think how evolved or technically adequate such solitary aliens might be, after all many things humans have come up with have been the result of teamwork. For example copying tool usage would be tricky without a level of communication, or indeed making their presence in the universe known to us in the first place, let alone making a fancy spaceship.


Determining the media of communication might indeed prove problematic. Still, how would the aliens point out the objects they are referring to by their emissions. At the very least it would take something like centuries of close day-to-day observation to make up "the definitive guide to alien sp33k".

I agree with samppa on taking centuries to make the complete guide.
You didn't take a good example there as both cats and lions are not solitary animals, but i agree on your point, and yes communication in the form of a language or something resembling it is definetly necesary for the existence of society.