exo_doc
Foolish Earthling
That was a pretty intense interview, at the other end of the spectrum compared to last weeks fun "slapstick" kind of episode (Reincarnation of Christ!!!!!).
When discussions about back engineering alien technology come up, I can posit a theory as to why there has been no apparent super advanced tech showing up, such as a battle field super-weapon or such.
If we gave Leonardo Da Vinci, one of histories greatest inventive minds, something like a B2 bomber, and gave him unlimited money to back-engineer it and build another one, it would be impossible.
He would have no knowledge of the metallurgy(aluminum wasn't even discovered until centuries after Da Vinci) not to mention the plastics and polymers. He would have no knowledge of electricity, circuit boards, or even electronic components. Even fueling the thing was beyond 15th century knowledge.
And that's what? 500 years of seperation in technical abilities?
An alien civilization could have 1000's of years more advanced tech than we do, and apparently do.
My question is, how could we even hope to begin to understand anything about recovered alien tech? There would be control systems, guidence systems, communications, life support, and especially power and propulsion systems that would use tech we probably don't even have theories for yet.
What hope would we have to back engineer that stuff? So that is why I think no super tech has shown up. We just don't have the knowledge to do it.
What does everyone else think?
When discussions about back engineering alien technology come up, I can posit a theory as to why there has been no apparent super advanced tech showing up, such as a battle field super-weapon or such.
If we gave Leonardo Da Vinci, one of histories greatest inventive minds, something like a B2 bomber, and gave him unlimited money to back-engineer it and build another one, it would be impossible.
He would have no knowledge of the metallurgy(aluminum wasn't even discovered until centuries after Da Vinci) not to mention the plastics and polymers. He would have no knowledge of electricity, circuit boards, or even electronic components. Even fueling the thing was beyond 15th century knowledge.
And that's what? 500 years of seperation in technical abilities?
An alien civilization could have 1000's of years more advanced tech than we do, and apparently do.
My question is, how could we even hope to begin to understand anything about recovered alien tech? There would be control systems, guidence systems, communications, life support, and especially power and propulsion systems that would use tech we probably don't even have theories for yet.
What hope would we have to back engineer that stuff? So that is why I think no super tech has shown up. We just don't have the knowledge to do it.
What does everyone else think?