097. Aliens are exploring the metaverse, not the stars

A digital answer to Fermi’s paradox

I attended a talk recently about developing food for space travel. My main takeaway: space travel is too hard for our bodies to handle.

Past the protective magnetosphere of Earth, you’re constantly being bombarded by dangerous cosmic rays. Without two hours of exercise per day, you lose bone density and muscle mass. Sleep quality is poor because you don’t have the familiar sensation of gravity to weigh you down and your circadian rhythm loses all meaning.

¹

Astronauts are under constant stress because they are literally surrounded by the possibility of death via the vacuum of space. Plus, it just smells pretty bad from all the recycled air and water.

It seems like we’re making much more rapid progress in the digital world than we are in the space exploration world. What’s more, our daily lives and global culture are more and more ingrained with our virtual identities. It simply provides more stimulation than reality. Rather than expanding outward into our physical universe, doesn’t it seem easier to migrate into a digital dimension instead?

If we assume extraterrestrial civilizations follow a similar path of technological revolution

²

, they might have figured out how to upload their essences into digital vessels rather than figuring out how to get their squishy sacks of fragile organs across the harsh expanses of space.

src

1. On the ISS, astronauts experience 16 sunsets and sunrise per day!

2. To be fair, it’s a pretty big “if”!