Burst 10 - Nick Nielsen on the Wilderness Hypothesis

Released: 3 December 2015

Duration: 13 minutes, 43 seconds

Is the cosmos a trackless wilderness in which apex predators, in the form of advanced extraterrestrial intelligences (ETIs), roam at will, and vulnerable civilizations (like ours) learn to maintain a low profile? Nick Nielsen considers some variations on the theme of the 'zoo hypothesis' of John Ball, each being a response to the Fermi paradox, and how we might prefer to 'play dead' as a civilization given the potential dangers of the cosmos primeval.

The Zoo Hypothesis by John Ball (PDF)

The Wilderness Hypothesis post at the Grand Strategy Annex

Another Astrobiological Thought Experiment and a Comment Response

If the Universe is Teeming with Aliens, Where is Everybody?

Observational Signatures of Self Destructive Civilizations

The Cosmos Primeval

Writer and Presenter: Nick Nielsen

Producer: Paul Carr

Music: Jason Robinson