Could an industrial civilization have predated humans on Earth?

Post by Eisenstein » Sat, Jul 15, 2023, 1:43 AM UTC

machina_ex_deus wrote: post #99

Eisenstein wrote: post #85

I can think of one plausible way that this happened: the simulation theory. Seeing as there are only a few logical options: * We stop being able to advance computing power * We somehow make it impossible or undesirable to create a realistic simulation * We destroy ourselves * We advance to the point where can and do create realistic simulations Then there is a very good chance that we are in fact, living in a simulat…

And then you remember that there are 10^23 particles in a single gram, which is in orders of magnitude of all CPUs on earth. We're as close in orders of magnitude to the size galaxy 10^20 as we are to the nucleus 10^-18. Or put it another way, there is the same amount of units of proton radius in 10 meters as there are 10 meters in the entire Galaxy. Another way to look at it, is that the most plausible assumption ab…

Post by AnimalMuppet » Sat, Jul 15, 2023, 2:02 AM UTC

placesalt wrote: post #52

FTA: “The best [counter-argument] is probably the issue of deep mining,” Schmidt said. “We are mining very old deposits for metals and ore, and if these had been depleted by a prior civilization, it might have been noticed. These place limits on the scope of a prior civilization, but don’t eliminate the possibility.” This has interested me before, and I think it's good evidence to the contrary. I am not a geologist,…

Post by mrangle » Sat, Jul 15, 2023, 2:06 AM UTC

DannyB2 wrote: post #4

If there were an industrial civilization here before us (modern humans) then it would be astonishing that in all of the fossils we have discovered, we've never yet discovered a single ancient nut, bolt, screwdriver, wrench, etc. Not one single wire or cast metal part. As per the article, that civilization would have to predate all of the vast history of evolution that we know of. Wouldn't some higher life forms from…

Post by mrangle » Sat, Jul 15, 2023, 2:11 AM UTC

thrashh wrote: post #93

hooande wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This assumes that their technology would be similar to ours. They could have used biological mechanical parts, made from plant or animal material. They could have had radically different theories of mechanics or construction that better fit the state of the planet at their time. In general the statement "They couldn't have been civilized because they aren't exactly like us" limits what we look for and how we look for…

That’s possible that they don’t have the same materials as us but they would have the same problems. Take plastic or metal. Their main draw is that they do not decompose or degrade. There are a billion problems that can be solved when you have a material that does not naturally degrade or decompose. So even if this civilization did not use plastic or metal, I find it hard to believe they didn’t come across a problem…

Post by userbinator » Sat, Jul 15, 2023, 2:16 AM UTC

mrangle wrote: post #117

thrashh wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That’s possible that they don’t have the same materials as us but they would have the same problems. Take plastic or metal. Their main draw is that they do not decompose or degrade. There are a billion problems that can be solved when you have a material that does not naturally degrade or decompose. So even if this civilization did not use plastic or metal, I find it hard to believe they didn’t come across a problem…

Absolutely metal and plastic decompose and break down, respectively.