Aliens and bookies

Could the flying saucers be on their way? One bookmaker clearly thinks so, slashing the odds today of extra-terrestrial life being discovered.
April 25, 2007 12:15 PM
If you remained unmoved by scientists' excitement at the discovery of a "second Earth" 20 light years away from us then consider this: bookies have now slashed the odds of little green men appearing from 1,000/1 to 100/1.

William Hill - rarely a company to miss the chance to turn a news story into a quirky PR opportunity - announced its move today after news about Gliese 581c hit the newspapers and airways.

The new planet is not much bigger than Earth and orbits a red dwarf star. Photograph: European Southern Observatory/EPA

As you may well have read, scientists believe the planet could be precisely the right distance from its red dwarf star to allow its surface to contain liquid water and thus, potentially, life.

Curious as it may sound, betting on the confirmation that intelligent extra-terrestrial life exists seems a common pursuit, with William Hill saying it faces an eight-digit payout should the flying saucers land.

Do the odds of 100/1 appeal? Well, consider this: to win the bet, not only does the prime minister have to confirm the existence of the alien life, but this has to be done within a year of the bet being placed."



There was a time when Parky Industries did a brainstorm on whether this was a good bet, but they've made ridiculous rules to basically stop people winning.

Considering the entire Universe is of infinite proportions with infinity number of galaxies and planets orbiting stars, I don't see how it's possible there is NOT another planet of the same circumstances as ours. It could be 700 billion light years away so doubt there's any chance of a visit.

Even if we view a star say 700 million light years away, the image / light we see is 700 million years old so highly innacurate anyway, in effect if a telescope was strong enough we would be seeing into the past, in a way. I think.

Boggles the mind like. Technically, if the planet was 700 million light years away, the image would be 700 million light years from the past, although I think light travels at different speed though space, maybe. So looking at it like that, if we get a big enough telescope we should be able to catch up with time and see the edge of the universe... probably!

I don't understand why you think they would be looking at us and see Geordie Boyo though?

Just around the corner then, I best run down them bookies.

No s***, Sherlock. You are real a mine of knowledge.

Thanks.  So are you.

This is what happenned a couple of years ago when I wanted to get a bet on regarding the Mars probes.

I had to write a letter and define what alien life meant.

Basically they are very nervous and have added various clauses and time limits as a damage limitation excercise. Al this is not in the spirit of a wager imo.

so do they define it as intelligent life as opposed to microbes or somesuch simple organism?

That doesn't say anything about them actually coming here. I would reckon the chances of finding some little plankton motherfuckers on Mars would be quite high, considering they have already found frozen water.

It's arguable.

Quite surprised at the poll results so far.

They've released a picture of AS9 on this red dwarf:

Just an 'out there' idea, but I reckon, we will  make contact with an alien intelligence, only if they are sufficiently technologically advanced to be migrating to other worlds (in the way we are supposed to be heading).

If you think we have a job with Bulgarians and Armenians, wait until this lot turn up.