Bill Nye’s Answer to the Fermi Paradox | Big Think
Bill Nye’s Answer to the Fermi Paradox
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It’s not unusual to hear someone openly say that they can’t do math at all; that they can’t figure out the percentage to tip on a bill. If someone said that chemistry hurts their brain and they can’t even look at an equation, or that they have no idea how a certain part of the human body does what it does, that wouldn’t be too surprising. These are usually light-hearted statements that go down well – many of us would sympathize, nod and say: yeah, me too.
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BILL NYE:
Bill Nye, scientist, engineer, comedian, author, and inventor, is a man with a mission: to help foster a scientifically literate society, to help people everywhere understand and appreciate the science that makes our world work. Making science entertaining and accessible is something Bill has been doing most of his life.
In Seattle Nye began to combine his love of science with his flair for comedy, when he won the Steve Martin look-alike contest and developed dual careers as an engineer by day and a stand-up comic by night. Nye then quit his day engineering day job and made the transition to a night job as a comedy writer and performer on Seattle’s home-grown ensemble comedy show “Almost Live.” This is where “Bill Nye the Science Guy®” was born. The show appeared before Saturday Night Live and later on Comedy Central, originating at KING-TV, Seattle’s NBC affiliate.
While working on the Science Guy show, Nye won seven national Emmy Awards for writing, performing, and producing. The show won 18 Emmys in five years. In between creating the shows, he wrote five children’s books about science, including his latest title, “Bill Nye’s Great Big Book of Tiny Germs.”
Nye is the host of three currently-running television series. “The 100 Greatest Discoveries” airs on the Science Channel. “The Eyes of Nye” airs on PBS stations across the country.
Bill’s latest project is hosting a show on Planet Green called “Stuff Happens.” It’s about environmentally responsible choices that consumers can make as they go about their day and their shopping. Also, you’ll see Nye in his good-natured rivalry with his neighbor Ed Begley. They compete to see who can save the most energy and produce the smallest carbon footprint. Nye has 4,000 watts of solar power and a solar-boosted hot water system. There’s also the low water use garden and underground watering system. It’s fun for him; he’s an engineer with an energy conservation hobby.
Nye is currently the Executive Director of The Planetary Society, the world’s largest space interest organization.
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TRANSCRIPT:
Bill Nye: Ebola’s a classic example for me from an evolutionary standpoint of germs and parasites being your real enemy as a big animal, a multicellular organism. Everybody’s terrified of Ebola because you can’t see it and as the saying goes this is not my idea. People aren’t afraid of dying so much as they’re afraid of how they’re going to die. And the Ebola death looks horrible. It’s awful. And what’s making it worse in Africa in particular is scientific illiteracy. People not realizing that these microorganisms get passed from one to another. When I was in South Africa – I guess it’s five years ago a guy told a story – he was from a village, a small village. He was working for the South African Space Agency which they have. And he says it’s going to villages where kids have never seen a magnet and they recommend that you don’t go near that tree because the lightening bird landed on that tree and that means that tree will get struck by lightning and the tree branch will fall on you. And that’s not true by the way. So by having a population of people who don’t really understand germs and how serious they are, the germ gets spread really readily. As far as people freaking out here in the U.S., it’s appropriate. However, the same legislatures when it comes to climate change say well I’m not a scientist. I can’t have an opinion on climate change sure have a lot of opinions about Ebola. There’s a faction of our leaders, elected officials, who continually cuts the budget for the Centers for Disease Control which, to me reflects an ignorance of how serious germs can be.
I remind us all that in 1918 more people died of what was called the Spanish Flu than died from World War I which killed a lot of people. The Spanish Flu killed – the estimates vary but about 50 million people died of the flu. And when you think …
For the full transcript, check out https://bigthink.com/videos/bill-nye-on-science-literacy-and-elected-officials
@bigthink
November 13, 2025 at 12:52 pm
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@thenigglefish2682
November 13, 2025 at 12:52 pm
Can someone answer this? Why do they have to exist now? Like what if they went extinct a billion years ago, would we even find a trace of them? I just don’t get why they have to be out there specifically right now, unless that’s what the math specifically suggests.
@GarySmith5150
November 13, 2025 at 12:52 pm
I think they've already been here, took one look at us and said, "F— THAT!" and moved on.
@innertubez
November 13, 2025 at 12:52 pm
Thank you Dr. Nye! Great to hear real scientific reasoning.
@relaythebrand
November 13, 2025 at 12:52 pm
WARNING This may trigger you, its foolish to ask for knowledge and not understand it, Yes we are alone but Space exploration must continue (what I mean is Emotion of being alone creates a deep feeling to seek, space exploration is a journey into the unknown i.e the space on earth, the space beyond earth)
The First Human was found in Africa, the last human came from Africa, this is the only hint I can give you because I Hacked the Matrix and know all that is and know nothing at the same time.
8 = If you want to know the meaning of life come see me and drink from the river of memory
I am the Apex Predator, top of the food chain!
@thomfiel
November 13, 2025 at 12:52 pm
Primitive, microbial life is probably common in our galaxy, and most others as well. It may even exist elsewhere in our own solar system–for example, the moons Europa and Enceladus. However, a highly advanced, technologically sophisticated civilization, such as our own, is probably a rarity. All conditions have to be just right for an immensely long, long time. And even then, it likely won't come about. The nearest one to us is most likely to be thousands of light-years away. So at some point, we most likely will find some form of alien life. However, what we encounter will probably be more like the bacteria that live around us than like the aliens in sci-fi movies.
@jimmywill7250
November 13, 2025 at 12:52 pm
Comments
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Jimmy Will
1 second ago
Science says at the end of your life your going to be in a coffin and then berried 6 feet under ground then worms are going to get thru that coffin and eat every part of your flesh to the bones then nothing. Jesus Christ promises a free ticket out of that coffin to the new planet called heaven… what was science offering again????? NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!……….. Don't get stuck in that coffin with all the worm's eating your flesh to the bones because bill Nye thinks it's better if you risk your free ticket out of that coffin with all the worm's eating your flesh to the bones and then nothing. Just a free ticket out of that situation is good enough. Not even to mention your going to heaven once you accept your free ticket where the streets are made of gold we have glorified body's and there's no pain no suffering you live forever…. to accept your free ticket you must accept Jesus Christ as lord and savior and love your neighbor………..so bill Nye the science guy thinks it's smart not to accept your free ticket out of that coffin even if it's real or not just to have a chance at getting out of that coffin I'm taking it because if you don't your going to die get eaten by worms to the bones then nothing theses are your options choose 1 you must choose 1 and can only choose 1. Theses are your options. You cant lose you can only gain by accepting Jesus Christ as lord and savior and loving your neighbor. You should have already been doing half of the requirements anyway so when it comes down to it all you have to do is say a few words to ensure that you advance to heaven that simple get it done see you up there…….
@Berniewahlbrinck
November 13, 2025 at 12:52 pm
Bill is cool, as always. However, I would have loved to hear from him whether he thinks there might be a danger of bumping into very aggressive aliens …
@mjcruiser4238
November 13, 2025 at 12:52 pm
If how we get along with each other on this planet is an example of how we might get along with aliens; maybe it’s better if we never make contact!?
@mrloop1530
November 13, 2025 at 12:52 pm
Despite hundreds of billions of galaxies each containing hundreds of billions of stars, the Universe is in overwhelming majority made up by empty space. The distances between stars – let alone between galaxies – are just so enormous that every civilization is condemned to be on its own. This is no paradox at all.
@ralphacosta4726
November 13, 2025 at 12:52 pm
It's my understanding that part of the Fermi Paradox is that SOME technological civilization, even traveling at way sub-light speeds should have filled up the galaxy by now; they should be HERE. It's not just about "hearing" or "seeing" them, they should be physically nearby; can't miss them. Even before the European Age of Exploration, most societies on Earth knew there were other people, because people move around and run into each other, even in the Pacific ocean, even in the Eurasian landmass, Africa, North and South America. And researchers aren't just looking at visible light or listening on radio waves; they're also looking for indications of large scale changes an advanced civilization might make, e.g. Dyson Spheres. Eventually, some expect we'll have telescopes capable of imaging distant planets well enough to look at the composition of their atmospheres for signs of industrial changes. Even with our level of technology, we can see it's just a matter of money and motivation to build generation ships to actually go to other parts of our galaxy; real slow, but that's ok. A few thousand years to get to another planetary system, a thousand years for that group to build up to where their economics allow building the next wave, and bingo in a million years fill up a lot of the galaxy. It's theoretically possible, and if we could do it, some much older civilizations could have too, but apparently haven't. So the real question is why not? Do tech civilizations just not last, do they close in on themselves, become extinct, what? That's where the idea of the Great Filters comes in – is there some circumstance that eventually kill/stop everyone, and are we headed toward the same fate? So a lot of people can't explain it, they just make the same excuses – they're too far away, they're invisible, they don't want to meet us, etc. Yeah, i really hope to live long enough to see us develop meaningful exchanges with other civilizations, but i personally go with Occam's Razor – the simplest explanation at this point is that tech civs are VERY rare, or they die pretty quickly, or, hey, we really ARE the only ones around. Keep thinking of and funding new ways to search, but don't hold your breath. And if ARE alone, so what? Then Elon's goal of a self-sustaining city on Mars is really important, and his thousand-year goal – to spread the light of consciousness throughout the universe – is the one i think we should pursue.
@k-bretta9087
November 13, 2025 at 12:52 pm
Or by definition there has to be a first. Frighteningly, what if we are the first? I'd be pretty embarrassed if all these future civilizations look back at the first species to rise to this level and see how we treated each other. Then again, maybe they treat each other the same or worst. Just saying……
@k-bretta9087
November 13, 2025 at 12:52 pm
Oh my Gosh! Thank goodness you finally addressed the most obvious answer to this question- Our brief 15,000 year history as a species on a timeline of 15 billion years. We just missed each other!
@MrButch8844
November 13, 2025 at 12:52 pm
Bill's an engineer he only plays a scientist!!! Major jerk!!!
@johntresemer5631
November 13, 2025 at 12:52 pm
Would it make a difference in our ecocidal suicidal behavior if we established some sort of communication from “out there”?
@Autonova
November 13, 2025 at 12:52 pm
We're alone in the galaxy as the only intelligent life. It would take only 0.002bn years to colonise the whole galaxy with self replicating probes and that hasn't happened. The galaxy has been around for 10bn years.
@robertgee4540
November 13, 2025 at 12:52 pm
Bill Nye is not a scientist. He's DEFINITELY NOT an astronomer, astrophysicist, or any other kind of physicist. Ask an actual scientist, instead of an undergrad engineer who is reading something that someone smarter than him wrote.
@peterchristie1096
November 13, 2025 at 12:52 pm
Call our miserable shitshow on this planet a civilization, you've got to be joking. The doomsday clock is showing 100 seconds to midnight before us "civilized" dickheads commit planetary suicide with an all out nuclear war possibly initiated by the situation in Ukraine. This could even possibly sterilize the planet completely with no chance of life ever arising again. For all we know this may be the death knell for all life ever in this universe.
@zrebbesh
November 13, 2025 at 12:52 pm
I profoundly don't get the connection between not finding anybody else out there and succumbing to despair or thinking we won't amount to anything etc etc etc…
As far as I can see, not finding anybody else out there means that if we can keep our shit together and not kill ourselves, ALL OF THAT STUFF IS OURS. Our descendants can colonize this entire galaxy in the next million years, and we go from there.
@Eatdameats
November 13, 2025 at 12:52 pm
The science guy is always a voice or reason in a scientific community that is getting less and less reasonable and more and more narrative based.
@BadJ63
November 13, 2025 at 12:52 pm
is joe biden secretly bill nye?
@DJ-pt7wg
November 13, 2025 at 12:52 pm
Dumb take. Why would a user civilization die if they’re multi multi planetary. We wouldn’t miss them if they ever existed bc they would still exist
@Daniel_Grgic
November 13, 2025 at 12:52 pm
Is it really a paradox? It seems more like a general question.
@ghostarray6022
November 13, 2025 at 12:52 pm
It might be a dark forest, let’s just listen for awhile lol
@lastchance8142
November 13, 2025 at 12:52 pm
Enrico Fermi was a genius. Bill Nye is a smart guy but he, like the majority of comments, is missing the point! It's not about how long we've been listening, or how closely, or anything to do with us! What it's about is billions of years, and many millions of alien civilizations potentially millions of years more advanced than us! A good number of them should have colonized the milky way long ago, and unmistakable markers and evidence of their presence should be everywhere out there. So, "where is everybody"?
@0-M72-0
November 13, 2025 at 12:52 pm
Do you know what the great filter is?
@nocturnalrecluse1216
November 13, 2025 at 12:52 pm
And Oxford has the audacity to say that we are all there is.
@erichorton1440
November 13, 2025 at 12:52 pm
Bill Nye is not a scientist. He was a paid actor that played as a scientist. He has a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. It's dumb to use this clown for anything.
@Emanresu56
November 13, 2025 at 12:52 pm
There are multiple reasons for why aliens might not contact us, I don't see why people usually focus on just one reason. Different civilizations will have different reasons.
@AConcernedCitizen420
November 13, 2025 at 12:52 pm
If there is intelligent life out there.
It’ll probably just be another bunch of humans.
@peterdollins3610
November 13, 2025 at 12:52 pm
Lots of aliens on this planet. Octopus. Insects. And my neighbour is a little strange.
@randomdude9758
November 13, 2025 at 12:52 pm
Should we allocate money to search the ends of the rainbows for leprechaun treasure? Should we send a search party to find Santa's toy factory in the north pole? Should we allocate money to track down the tooth fairy? Hey maybe there is a giant flying spaghetti monster hiding on the opposite side of the sun – its our responsibility to search for him! Lol!!!
@johnthijm5113
November 13, 2025 at 12:52 pm
Let’s say there is intelligent life on a planet in andromeda galaxy. How long will it take for a laser beam to reach them. Yes millions of years. And this is just our nearest galaxy neighbor.
@WindoVista2007
November 13, 2025 at 12:52 pm
Why do we have amino acids in asteroids?
@WillGate15
November 13, 2025 at 12:52 pm
Bill Nye has a BS in Mechanical Engineering. I'll stick to Alan Guth and Ashoke Sen.
@GavStaR79
November 13, 2025 at 12:52 pm
Agreed. Stripping the Fermi Paradox to its essentials: "If the universe is so vast with potential for life why haven't we detected them yet?". Well firstly what do you define "detect" as? In this context you equate and assume "detection" as the ability of ETs to receive and respond to our Radio Signals. Not realizing that you're assuming in order for detection to occur the ET must be able to understand our radio signals and respond to it..and because they haven't thus far….it's therefore a paradox? They therefore don't exist? On the contrary, just because we haven't detected alien radio signals nor others have responded to ours yet doesn't mean there is an absence of life…Our radio signals came to be because of the human tech we created….Perhaps Aliens can't detect this type but can with other types….or perhaps they can but either the signal hasn't been received yet or has and is enroute back to us. We therefore need to do 2 things. First, diversify the type of signals we send to increase the chances of them being recognized and secondly continue to send them as we've only been sending signals for 50 years and even at the speed of light that still only covers a very tiny region of space. We need to wait more because sending and recieving signals in the vastness of our galaxy needs more time. Keep sending keep listening!
@maxkronader5225
November 13, 2025 at 12:52 pm
I hesitate to use the word, but this "solution" to the Fermi Paradox is just stupid. It is entirely based upon the irrational assumption that the only evidence of advanced alien civilization would take the form of radio signals.
What about the distinctive spectrographic indication of a Dyson Swarm, as just one alternate example?
@Ladieboogie527
November 13, 2025 at 12:52 pm
Omfg I just tweeted him this question like two days ago
@ralphroodhorst4296
November 13, 2025 at 12:52 pm
BILL BILL BILL BILL BILL BILL
@theresacarmen9847
November 13, 2025 at 12:52 pm
I dont think humans are so special that we are the only ones in the universe.
@fredrichenning1367
November 13, 2025 at 12:52 pm
We may not have heard from them YET, but it doesn't mean that they aren't THERE. If the truth be known, THEY are already here. OK, almost all of these "UFO" sightings may be delusions or something else, but every once in awhile there are sightings that cannot be explained away… like the recently released military ones. THEY probably do have a "rule" to leave such primitive cultures such as ours alone, but their "teenagers" probably "buzz" the earth from time to time just for fun.
@Algunavaraidk
November 13, 2025 at 12:52 pm
Also it would be understandable if aliens just don’t care about us or they have a non-interference policy regarding planetary civilizations
@keithjames3024
November 13, 2025 at 12:52 pm
Aliens came here and left, because they heard too many crazy women screaming "YOU DONT LISTEN TO ME"…..
@geobla6600
November 13, 2025 at 12:52 pm
For Bill The Fermi Paradox is not a reason to give up and take the black capsule ( commit suicide)
and have no hope for mankind because were just this "Unique Thing in the middle of nowhere?
So, yes were unique for trillions of reasons and were in very favorable position in the universe , so
there's still hope Bill . All you need to do is research the actual evidence and don't take the capsule.
So what are you hoping that some aliens will come and save you from our perfect world by doing
what ? Move you from the perfect location in the universe to this nowhere in the middle of the universe?
. This is the kind of nonsense that you get when you have a comedic actor imitating a scientist.
Is this just another thoughtless thought from Bill Nye in this world of thoughtless thoughtlessness?
Comments are closed.