This material is taken from several prior columns, combined here into one, for the sake of ease of reading. Enjoy.
HERE are the factors in the so-called Drake Equation, which proports to prove it is statistically improbable for aliens worlds not to be teaming with life:
N = R × f-p × n-e × f-ℓ × f-i × f-c × L .
R = the average rate of star formation per year in our galaxy
f-p = the fraction of those stars that have planets
n-e = the average number of planets that can potentially support life per star that has planets
f-ℓ = the fraction of the above that actually go on to develop life at some point
f-i = the fraction of the above that actually go on to develop intelligent life
f-c = the fraction of civilizations that develop a technology that releases detectable signs of their existence into space
L = the length of time for which such civilizations release detectable signals into space.
And the result, N = is the number of currently active, communicative civilizations in our galaxy.
Unless N = nonsense number.
Study this list with care, and you will see that the Drake ‘equation’ is not good for anything but a good laugh.
The equation is of course nothing of the kind.
It is a laundry list, woefully incomplete, of some of the things Drake idly daydreamed may or may not be necessary for intelligent extraterrestrial civilizations able to release detectable signs in space to exist.
Anyone can make a laundry list of any kind to suit himself.
In fact, let me add additional factors:
n-g = the number of congregations of life forms whose society or civilization requires a form of legal organization we would recognize as a government.
f-m = the fraction of the above governments that are hereditary monarchies.
f-spncss = the fraction of the above monarchs who, due to a recognizably bisexual biology, can and have brought forth daughters.
f-yowsababe! = the fraction of the above daughters who are above average in intelligence, courage and physical good looks by Eurocentric terrestrial standards of beauty, nubile and of mating age, who are either nudists or scantily clad.
We can call this the Space Princess Equation, which defines how likely we are to find an attractive yet nubile Space Princess in space.
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