[ExI] When the Universe Seeds Life but Civilizations Stay Silent

[John Clark]

*It's odd that he doesn't mention the most obvious way to explain the Fermi
Paradox and the theory that best fits the data, we are simply the first. In
a finite observable universe somebody has to be. *

*John K Clark*
*=======*



On Fri, Jan 23, 2026 at 7:16 AM BillK via extropy-chat <
extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:\

> Cellular Cosmic Isolation: When the Universe Seeds Life but
> Civilizations Stay Silent
> by Paul Gilster | Jan 20, 2026
> <
> https://www.centauri-dreams.org/2026/01/20/cellular-cosmic-isolation-when-the-universe-seeds-life-but-civilizations-stay-silent/
> >
> Quotes:
> So many answers to the Fermi question have been offered that we have a
> veritable bestiary of solutions, each trying to explain why we have
> yet to encounter extraterrestrials.
>
> The cosmos isn’t hostile to intelligence. It’s just structured in a
> way that makes electromagnetic conversation between civilizations
> vanishingly unlikely—not impossible, just so improbable that null
> results after decades of searching are exactly what we’d expect.
>
> Each civilization, then, is like a cell in a vast organism: seeded
> with the same chemical building blocks, developing according to local
> conditions, briefly active, then transforming or falling silent before
> contact with other cells occurs. Cellular Cosmic Isolation.
> ------------------------
>
> That seems likely to me. Agrees with the evidence so far.
> Some interesting comments at the end of the article as well.
> BillK.
>
> _
>
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