There Are Thousands of Alien Empires in The Milky Way

Summary

The script explores the possibility of alien civilizations in the Milky Way, questioning why we haven't encountered any despite the galaxy's vastness. It challenges the assumption that advanced technology would make space colonization easy, suggesting instead that space travel remains difficult even for the most technologically advanced civilizations. Drawing parallels with the Polynesian colonization of Oceania, the video proposes that alien civilizations might form 'island empires,' focusing on habitable planets and avoiding the less hospitable ones. It discusses the challenges of maintaining a galactic civilization due to the vast distances between stars and the potential for isolated colonies to develop independently, possibly becoming distinct species. The video ponders whether our isolation is temporary, with the possibility of future encounters as we explore more of the galaxy, and concludes by emphasizing the importance of understanding the universe and our place within it.

Takeaways

• 🌌 The Milky Way might be teeming with thousands of alien civilizations, each spanning a few to tens of star systems, engaging in various forms of interaction, yet we have not encountered them due to vast distances and complexities of space colonization.
• 🚀 Even with advanced technology, the assumption that colonizing space is easy may be incorrect, as space travel remains a significant challenge for any civilization, similar to how humans explored and colonized Oceania.
• 🏝️ Drawing parallels with Polynesian island colonization, space might be filled with 'islands' of habitable planets, but many are uninhabitable or lack the resources to sustain life.
• 🌍 Mars and Venus, despite being 'earth-like,' present significant challenges for human colonization, suggesting that other seemingly habitable planets might also be inhospitable.
• 🤔 The lack of observable galactic civilizations could be due to economic unfeasibility; the resources required to colonize and terraform planets might not be worth the effort for most star systems.
• 🤖 High-tech civilizations might opt for targeted colonization of the most habitable planets, similar to how Polynesians selected the most resource-rich islands, leading to a string of interconnected empires.
• 🌟 The Milky Way's vastness and the temporary nature of stellar neighborhoods could lead to the rise and fall of civilizations, with planets being recolonized and abandoned over time.
• ⚔️ Interstellar conflict might be economically unviable due to the distances between stars, and colonies might not remain loyal to their home worlds if communication and support are not feasible.
• 🧬 Galactic civilizations that do not exchange genetic information could evolve into distinct species, potentially leading to a lack of common governance or cultural identity.
• 🏰 The idea of vast, interconnected empires might not be feasible, but it opens the possibility for new civilizations to arise, spread, and adapt to their environments.
• 🌟 Our current isolation might be due to Earth's position in a less habitable region of the galaxy, but as we explore further, we may discover more 'good islands' of habitable planets.
• 📰 The script also highlights the importance of unbiased media consumption, recommending Ground News as a tool to compare different viewpoints and gain a more comprehensive understanding of global events.

Q & A

What is the possibility of thousands of alien empires existing in the Milky Way?

The script suggests that while it's possible for thousands of alien empires to exist in the Milky Way, spanning a few to tens of star systems and engaging in various interactions, there is no concrete evidence of their existence. The lack of observed contact with such civilizations leads to the conclusion that we might be alone in the galaxy.

Why might it take a civilization a million years to take over the whole galaxy, even if they are traveling at 10% the speed of light?

The vastness of the Milky Way, with its billions of star systems, means that even at a significant fraction of the speed of light, it would take an incredibly long time to traverse and colonize the entire galaxy due to the distances involved.

What is the assumption about technological progression when scientists speculate about alien civilizations?

Scientists typically assume that technology will progress to a point where colonizing space becomes relatively easy, allowing for the expansion of civilizations across the galaxy.

How does the script use the Polynesian colonization of Oceania as an analogy for potential alien colonization of the galaxy?

The script compares the scattered islands of Oceania to the star systems in the galaxy. Just as the Polynesians colonized the most habitable and resource-rich islands, alien civilizations might focus on colonizing the most suitable planets, creating interconnected empires across the galaxy.

What are some of the challenges that alien civilizations might face when colonizing new planets?

Challenges could include the difficulty of terraforming inhospitable planets, dealing with alien microorganisms or ecosystems, maintaining connections over vast distances, and the potential for civilizations to become unsustainable or self-destructive.

Why might it be uneconomical for a civilization to automate the process of colonizing planets across the galaxy?

The enormous distances between stars, the time it takes for information and resources to travel between them, and the vast investment of resources required to make a planet habitable make it economically unfeasible to automate the colonization process on a galactic scale.

What could be the reason for the absence of interstellar wars, except for genocidal ones, according to the script?

The script suggests that the vast distances between stars make it difficult to maintain a consistent civilization and to wage war that is not genocidal. It would be uneconomical to go to war over long-standing grievances when the time it takes to communicate and act on those grievances spans decades or more.

How might the isolation of Earth affect our perception of the existence of alien civilizations?

If Earth is located in a less habitable region of the galaxy, similar to the isolated Pitcairn islands, we might be overlooked or deemed too remote for colonization by other civilizations, leading us to believe we are alone.

What are some existential risks that any civilization, including humans, has to deal with?

Existential risks include cultural, technological, and environmental threats that could lead to the decline or extinction of a civilization. These risks can be exacerbated for smaller colonies on new planets, which may be less resilient than their homeworlds.

What is the significance of the 'good islands' in the context of galactic colonization?

In the analogy, 'good islands' represent the most habitable and resource-rich planets in the galaxy. Alien civilizations might choose to focus on these planets for colonization, creating interconnected and sustainable empires, rather than spreading themselves too thin across less hospitable planets.

How does the script address the issue of genetic isolation between different colonies?

The script suggests that if 'island empires' do not exchange significant amounts of genetic information, the populations on different worlds will eventually evolve in different directions and may become distinct species, making a common rule less likely.

What is the potential impact on humanity if we discover that we are not alone in the universe?

The discovery of other civilizations could have profound implications for humanity, both positive and negative. It could provide an opportunity for cultural and technological exchange, or it could pose existential threats. The script suggests that it might be a good thing if we have time to prepare ourselves before encountering other civilizations.

Outlines

00:00

🌌 The Hypothetical Galactic Civilizations and Human Solitude

This paragraph explores the possibility of numerous alien empires within the Milky Way galaxy, each controlling a few to several star systems. It raises questions about why we haven't encountered any extraterrestrial life despite the potential for civilizations to colonize the galaxy within a million years if they can travel at a significant fraction of the speed of light. The paragraph challenges assumptions about the ease of space colonization and suggests that space travel might be inherently difficult, even for highly advanced civilizations. It uses the historical example of Polynesian navigation and colonization of the islands in Oceania to draw parallels with potential alien expansion in space, highlighting the challenges and the possibility that Earth might be in a currently isolated region of the galaxy.

05:03

🚀 The Challenges of Galactic Expansion and the Search for 'Good Islands'

The second paragraph delves into the complexities and challenges of interstellar colonization, using the Polynesian expansion as an analogy. It discusses the vastness of the Milky Way, the abundance of star systems, and the potential for habitable planets. However, it also points out that many of these planets may be inhospitable, drawing comparisons with Mars and Venus. The paragraph suggests that advanced alien civilizations might strategically select the most habitable planets, forming interconnected empires across space. It raises the question of whether Earth is currently isolated, surrounded by less habitable planets, and whether civilizations might naturally fragment or collapse due to various existential risks. It also touches on the economic and logistical impracticality of maintaining large, connected empires across the galaxy due to the vast distances between stars.

10:06

🌟 The Impact of Media Bias and the Importance of a Broad Perspective

The final paragraph shifts focus from the cosmos to the challenges of understanding reality on Earth, particularly through the lens of media bias. It discusses the prevalence of news media that present information through a particular perspective, often sensationalizing events to attract attention. The paragraph promotes Ground News, a platform that allows users to compare articles on the same topic from different media sources with opposing viewpoints. This approach is likened to reading a meta-study rather than a single study, providing a more comprehensive understanding of events. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of obtaining a complete picture of world events and making informed decisions based on a broader perspective.

Keywords

💡Alien Empires

Alien Empires in the context of the video script refer to the hypothetical advanced civilizations that may exist within the Milky Way galaxy, each potentially spanning a few to tens of star systems. The script explores the idea that despite the potential for these empires to exist and communicate or even wage war, we have not yet encountered any such civilizations. This concept is central to the video's theme of questioning why we have not been visited by extraterrestrial life.

💡Milky Way

The Milky Way is our home galaxy, and the video uses it as a backdrop to discuss the potential for alien life and civilizations. It is described as ancient and gigantic, with the script contemplating the vastness and complexity of the galaxy in relation to the possibility of interstellar travel and colonization. The Milky Way is integral to the video's narrative as it sets the stage for the discussion on the distribution of habitable planets and the challenges of space colonization.

💡Space Colonization

Space colonization is the idea that advanced civilizations could spread throughout space, taking over and inhabiting other planets. The video questions traditional assumptions about the ease of space colonization, suggesting that it might be much harder than commonly thought. This concept is pivotal as it challenges the viewer to reconsider why we haven't encountered alien life and what it might mean for the future of humanity's own potential expansion into space.

💡Polynesians

The Polynesians are highlighted in the script as an example of human colonization without modern technology. They ventured across the Pacific Ocean to settle various islands, which the video likens to the potential colonization of planets in space. The Polynesian example serves to illustrate the challenges, successes, and failures of spreading across a vast and sometimes inhospitable environment, drawing parallels to the potential difficulties of space colonization.

💡Oceania

Oceania is a region consisting of numerous islands scattered across a vast ocean, which the video script uses as an analogy for the galaxy. The comparison is made to emphasize the isolation and challenges of colonizing distant islands, mirroring the potential difficulties of colonizing planets across the galaxy. Oceania is used to provide a relatable context for understanding the complexities of interstellar travel and the establishment of extraterrestrial colonies.

💡Habitable Zone

The habitable zone, also known as the 'Goldilocks Zone', is the region around a star where conditions might be right for liquid water to exist, which is considered essential for life as we know it. The video discusses estimates of the number of earth-like planets within this zone, but also points out that many of these planets may be inhospitable. The concept is key to the video's exploration of the potential for life in the galaxy and the challenges of finding suitable planets for colonization.

💡Terraforming

Terraforming is the hypothetical process of modifying the environment of a planet to make it habitable for humans. The video mentions the possibility of terraforming planets like Mars and Venus, which are harsh and inhospitable, but also notes the immense challenges and resources this would require. Terraforming is an important concept in the video as it relates to the broader discussion of the feasibility and desirability of colonizing other planets.

💡Generation Ship

A generation ship is a theoretical type of spacecraft designed to support multiple generations of humans on a journey taking hundreds of years, allowing for the colonization of new star systems. The video uses the concept to illustrate the potential difficulties and long time scales involved in interstellar travel. The generation ship is a crucial element in the video's discussion of the challenges and investments involved in space colonization.

💡Interstellar War

Interstellar war is the concept of conflict between civilizations across the stars. The video discusses the economic and logistical impracticality of such wars due to the vast distances between star systems. This concept is used to explore the nature of interactions between hypothetical alien civilizations and the potential for peaceful coexistence or isolation.

💡Existential Risks

Existential risks are those that threaten the entire existence of a civilization or species. The video mentions various types of existential risks, including cultural, technological, and environmental threats, that any civilization, including humanity, must contend with. These risks are important to the video's narrative as they highlight the fragility of civilizations and the potential for collapse, even for advanced societies.

💡Genetic Drift

Genetic drift refers to the change in gene frequencies within a population over time, which can lead to speciation if populations become isolated. The video suggests that without exchange of genetic information between different planets or 'islands', populations could evolve separately and eventually become distinct species. This concept is integral to the video's discussion on the long-term sustainability and interconnectedness of civilizations spread across the galaxy.

Highlights

The possibility of thousands of alien empires in the Milky Way, each spanning a few to tens of star systems, raises questions about interstellar communication and conflict.

Despite the Milky Way's age and size, no extraterrestrial civilizations have been observed visiting Earth, suggesting we might be alone.

Scientists often assume technological advancements will make space colonization easy, but this transcript questions that assumption.

The idea that space travel might always be challenging, even for advanced civilizations, is explored.

Drawing parallels between the colonization of Oceania and the potential colonization of space, the Polynesian expansion serves as an analogy for potential alien civilizations.

Many potentially habitable planets may be uninhabitable due to harsh conditions, similar to Mars and Venus.

The motivation for humanity to colonize other planets like Mars is questioned due to the existing habitability of Earth.

The economics of interstellar travel and colonization may not be feasible for most star systems.

Highly advanced civilizations might opt to colonize only the most habitable planets, skipping the less desirable ones.

The concept of 'good islands' in space, where civilizations might thrive, is introduced as a factor in galactic empire building.

Earth might be in a galactic 'backwater,' making it unlikely for alien civilizations to establish colonies here.

The potential for civilizations to expand in regions abundant with good islands, leading to interconnected empires, is discussed.

Challenges faced by expanding civilizations, such as alien microorganisms and ecosystems, are considered.

The possibility of civilizations becoming unsustainable or self-destructive, leading to the abandonment of colonies, is explored.

The vast distances between stars may make maintaining a consistent civilization and effective communication difficult.

The potential for populations on different planets to evolve into distinct species due to limited genetic exchange is highlighted.

The notion that large, connected empires may not be feasible in a galaxy with sparse habitable planets is discussed.

The idea that new civilizations may constantly emerge, spread, and die out, with planets being recolonized and abandoned, is presented.

The potential for humanity to eventually drift closer to other worlds full of diverse civilizations is considered.

The importance of having a complete picture of current events and avoiding media bias is emphasized.

Ground News is presented as a tool for navigating biased media landscapes by comparing different articles on the same topic.

The kurzgesagt lab is introduced as a place for conducting stellar experiments and creating scientifically accurate content.

A special poster based on the channel's content is available for purchase, with proceeds funding the creation of more videos.

Transcripts

What if there are thousands of  alien empires in the Milky Way,  

each spanning a few to maybe tens  of star systems, chatting, trading,  

sometimes shooting or ignoring each other  politely? And if so, why is nobody visiting us?

While the Milky Way is ancient and gigantic,  even travelling at 10% the speed of light,  

any civilization could take over the  whole galaxy within a million years.  

But we haven’t seen anybody yet. So it  seems we are alone in the Milky Way.

But this idea is built on a lot of  assumptions. Usually when scientists  

speculate where all the alien civilizations  are, they assume technology will progress  

to a point where colonising all  of space becomes kind of easy.

But what if we are thinking about  this the wrong way? What if the  

universe is full of life, but no matter  how technologically advanced you are,  

space is never easy? What if  aliens slowly crawl through space,  

expanding like humans did over the ocean? Let's  look at the only data point we have: ourselves.

The Available Real Estate in the Galaxy

Oceania is a region with tens of thousands of  islands scattered across millions of square  

kilometers, separated by an unforgiving,  deadly sea. Kind of like a galaxy.

Some 5000 years ago the first people set  out to colonise Oceania. Especially the  

Polynesians achieved mind blowing feats.  Without any modern technology they set  

out into the vast nothingness hoping to find a  new island to claim or like die far from home.

But most of the pacific islands are merely a  few wet rocks or corrals, maybe some palm trees  

and if you are lucky, birds making a pit stop.  Others with more vegetation are often hostile,  

lacking the resources to really sustain a lot  of people and remain uninhabited even today.

And then there are the good islands.

The Polyneisians colonised them, spreading  their culture and society to dozens of remote  

islands of all sizes. Some united in kingdoms  spanning many islands, others were independent,  

many home to competing and belligerent tribes. And  although thousands of kilometers apart, even the  

most remote islands were connected with at least  some trade and exchange. A microcosm of humanity.

But it didn’t always work out. The  extremely isolated Pitcairn islands  

were settled for hundreds of years and relied  on trade with each other and bigger islands  

hundreds of kilometers away. And then  the local population vanished. We don’t  

know why – maybe because the islanders did the  human thing and ravaged the natural resources  

until they became unsustainable. Maybe the  decline on distant bigger islands severed  

important connections. We only know their  culture declined and they left or died out.

What if space is an ocean to us? A  hostile place that’s hard to conquer?  

Would alien civilizations  spread like the Polynesians?

The Universe is kind of a horrible place

The Milky Way has around 200 billion star systems  and it seems that almost all of them have planets.  

Estimates vary, but there may be some 300 million  to tens of billions of rocky, earth-like planets,  

in the habitable zone around a star, where water  can be liquid. Amazing! Except that most of them  

are terrible. Hells of lava, dead frozen  worlds, bare rocks sterile from radiation,  

blanked by toxic atmospheres. It's easy to  forget, but Venus and Mars are “earth-like”, too.

Mars is the next human frontier and fairly  exciting – but Mars dust is poison and deadly  

radiation and low gravity will make you sick.  Mars is the worst. Except Venus is even worse,  

crushing you to death, burning  and dissolving you in acid.

If humanity was really motivated and had the  resources and energy, both could be terraformed  

within maybe a thousand years – we showed how in  other videos. But the thing is, we already have  

a planet that's pretty great, so currently  humanity's motivation is not very strong.

Now let's think about this in  terms of galactic expansion.

If the milky way is like a vast ocean full of  islands, most are planets like Mars and Venus.,  

Barren rocks or corals, where nothing  grows and the elements kill you.

Imagine boarding a generation ship to travel for  100 years or more, only to arrive at a new star  

and then you get a… Mars. Or worse, a Venus.  What a let down. Terraforming them is such  

an intense investment in terms of resources to  make it worth spending the time to travel to the  

stars for bad planets. Maybe the simple reason  we don’t see galaxy spanning civilizations is  

that the economics just don’t add up for  almost all of the star systems out there.

But wait, you might say: It's actually easy!  A high tech race with unlimited resources  

could automate this process, sending thinking  machines that report back every few thousand  

years with new planets ready for fresh settlers,  or automated ships with embryos. But if it were  

that easy someone would have done it by now. So  either we are really alone – or it's not easy.

Thinking about alien civilizations you  need to make loads of assumptions – and  

for this video we are assuming that space is hard,  

even for high tech civilizations that have  broken free from the limitations we have today.

Now things are getting exciting.

So what if alien civilizations actually  ignore the bad islands and just pick  

the very best? Stringing together  island empires like the Polynesians?

Thousands of Galactic Empires

Every star moves in its own orbit through  the galaxy and most stellar neighbourhoods  

are only temporary. At any given time, in  some regions there will be more good islands  

than in others. While simply because of bad  luck, other regions will be pretty isolated.

Earth might currently be in one of these  backwaters, surrounded by really bad  

islands for dozens of light years in all  directions. We may be Pitcairn island,  

so isolated that nobody knows we are here,  or cares to establish a colony so remote.

But elsewhere in the Milky Way good islands may  be more common! There it would be relatively  

easy for a high tech civilization to jump from one  good star system to the next, creating connected  

empires. Strings of worlds, with all the adventure  and challenges of expansion even to really good  

planets. Do they need to animate dead worlds with  oceans? How do they cope with alien microorganisms  

or strange ecosystems? Do they need to burn it  all down and create a mirror of their home world,  

or do they adapt? How many centuries do  they need to make a planet truly their home?

Empires expanding in regions full of good islands  would probably meet each other. Maybe they trade,  

maybe they fight. Maybe they have coffee  and chat about the meaning of it all.

And just like some of the Polynesian islands,  it is likely that many of these planets would  

be abandoned or for the empires to  break apart for a number of reasons:

First of all, most great neighbourhoods  would dissolve over time and connected  

islands would become remote. Then it just  may be the nature of civilization to become  

unsustainable or self destructive – humanity  is extremely young and we’ve already flirted  

with extinction. There are numerous existential  risks, cultural, technological and environmental  

that any civilization has to deal with. And  smaller colonies on new planets would likely  

be less resilient than their homeworlds and  in bigger danger of dying out. Whenever this  

happens this would leave a good island free  again for others to rediscover and colonise.

Also space is just a different ballpark.  The enormous distances between stars make  

it hard to maintain a consistent civilization  – just think about how many cultures we have  

on Earth alone. Imagine if sending a message  between continents took decades to arrive.  

Would colonies care what the home world wants  from them, if it can neither help nor really  

enforce its will on them? This also would make  interstellar war, except the genocidal kind,  

completely uneconomic. Would you go to war with  someone because their great grandfather killed  

yours? At these distances, it's not like anyone  could easily sneak up on each other anyway.

And on a much more fundamental level, if  island empires don’t exchange relevant  

amounts of genetic information – if there  are no hook ups between worlds –, sooner  

or later these populations will develop in  different directions and eventually become  

different species. Making it less likely  that they’ll want to be under common rule.

So the idea of enormously big, connected  empires may just not be feasible if the  

galaxy is an ocean where good islands are few  and far between. But this also means that new  

civilizations may pop up constantly, spread and  partially or completely die out, even if just  

by splitting into different factions. Islands  may be recolonized and abandoned over and over.

What would this mean for us?

We might think we are alone only because  we are on an isolated island right now.  

But there could be thousands of worlds full of  diverse civilizations elsewhere, that we would  

eventually drift closer to - does this make  the milky way more scary or less scary? Is it  

a good thing that we'd have time to get our act  together before we face anyone else? Or is it a  

great tragedy that we might not have the chance to  meet our neighbours beyond for a long, long time?

Well we don’t know, but it is something for you to  ponder tonight when you look up at the sky again.  

Hopefully humanity is still at the beginning  and we’re learning a tiny bit more about the  

universe every day – one day, we might spot a good  island. And if we are lucky, many more close by.

One huge problem we face as a species is that we  can’t agree on what's going on. There are loads  

of news media but most of them tend to frame  reality through their point of view. And worse  

they are trying to get your attention with the  most alarmist take, distorting reality further.

Ground News, the sponsor of this video,  helps you navigate our biased media  

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from media with opposing viewpoints. This  not only reveals how different sides are  

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otherwise miss. Which massively improves how  you can access what's really going on in the  

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It’s like reading a meta study instead of  one single study, giving you a much better  

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This is personal to us – like most people,  kurzgesagt founder Philipp, who wrote this video,  

got his information from the same news site for  most of his life. Until during a long hospital  

stay, he read all German newspapers out of  boredom, every day – it was simply shocking  

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