Explore the ocean or space?

Rachel_Scope
Rachel_Scope Posts: 1,656 Scope Online Community Coordinator
edited July 16 in Coffee lounge

Inspired by the Would You Rather game I wanted to see what you all think about this question.

We have only explored 5% of the ocean so far. Imagine the things we haven't seen! πŸ¦‘

It's believed that we have also only explored 4% of space, what could be out there?? πŸ‘½οΈ

Comments

  • Albus_Scope
    Albus_Scope Posts: 8,327 Scope Online Community Coordinator

    As a massive fish nerd, I have to say the ocean! We're making huge discoveries every year, but I feel people want to explore space more these days.

  • Cantilip
    Cantilip Online Community Member Posts: 623 Empowering
  • OverlyAnxious
    OverlyAnxious Online Community Member Posts: 3,457 Championing

    Space for me!

  • Albus_Scope
    Albus_Scope Posts: 8,327 Scope Online Community Coordinator

    Well now I HAVE to watch that video @Cantilip πŸ˜„

  • Tiramisu
    Tiramisu Online Community Member Posts: 12 Connected

    If I had to pick, oceans and the seas. Why? To learn more about ourselves and our history as both a species and a civilisation. Life on earth (as well as its terrain and topography) is very cyclical with almost inevitable cataclysmic events forcing change on a global scale, be it floods, solar activity, tectonic disasters, comet / meteoric impacts, natural global warming and cooling - ice ages etc. Even the switches in magnetic poles, which themselves have never been constant and will happen again. Places like Antarctica or Greenland haven't always been covered in ice, instead they were and will be again, long after our time, luscious, fertile and temperate lands and … likely civilised.

    So much has been lost to time and tragedy within the history of this planet, and most of what "we" understand is theory. I believe there is much to learn from the depths of the oceans, that speaks of humanity and its origins / losses. There are many sites around the world earmarked for study, where it is suspected civilised lands have been sucked downwards tectonically, lost to the sea, the Caribbean and around Japan specifically for example.

    Not to go off on one, but for me, the oceans and seas as the secrets they hold could add to / change modern understandings with historians, anthropologists, geographers etcetc. If as you say, 95% is unexplored, there's a lot of relevantly new knowledge waiting to be uncovered, some of which will likely challenge world views and belief systems. Interesting question!

  • Rachel_Scope
    Rachel_Scope Posts: 1,656 Scope Online Community Coordinator

    Ooh I love this point of view @Tiramisu. Very interesting. I choose oceans too but I was more thinking of seeing all the weird sea creatures. Your answer is much more thought out πŸ˜‚ You've really got me thinking about what we could discover and how it change the way we see the world and our history. I may have to go on an ocean research binge later!

    @OverlyAnxious Why would you choose space? Is it to wear a cool spacesuit because that would definitely appeal to me πŸ˜‚

  • 66Mustang
    66Mustang Online Community Member Posts: 14,987 Championing
    edited July 16

    Where did the 4% figure come from??

    If you consider that space is infinite (debatable) then it's impossible to put a percentage on it

    But even if we consider the fact that the only bit of space that really exists to us "for all intents and purposes" is the bit that we will ever reach, which is a radius of a sphere that centres something like 13.5 billion light years from us (so relatively large) I even think 4% of that is an awful lot?? Even if we'd fully explored our own solar system in its entirety, which we haven't, that'd be like millionths of one percent surely????

    Did it mean to say we'd explored 4% of our solar system, instead of 4% of space, as that would maybe make more sense I guess!!

  • Tiramisu
    Tiramisu Online Community Member Posts: 12 Connected

    Yes you are right Rachel. Think of all the species that lurk below, undisturbed by humanity, even in the most extreme of conditions down in the crush-depths, way out of our reaches. Fascinating. Species that do not even breathe / require oxygen or even possess sight as a sense. Mind boggling.

    Enjoy your researching! The oceans and our seas hold many secrets I am sure. In fact, a few years back, I remember news coverage of the tsunami and the awful aftermath to the tragedy. However, that churned up a lot of new undiscovered species up onto landmasses, particularly in Japan I seem to remember. I just had a quick google, cannot find the specific article from the time, but here are a more general couple from the BBC:

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-65722878

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-55427860

  • Rachel_Scope
    Rachel_Scope Posts: 1,656 Scope Online Community Coordinator

    @66Mustang I got the figure from here https://www.worldatlas.com/space/ocean-or-space-what-have-we-explored-more.html . I totally agree it would be extremely difficult to put a percentage on it. There's just so much we don't know about what's out there. When choosing what to explore you would be provided with any necessary equipment so you could go absolutely anywhere in the universe πŸš€

    I'd love to know if there were other lifeforms like us out there. It'd just change my whole viewpoint on life. What do you think?

  • Rachel_Scope
    Rachel_Scope Posts: 1,656 Scope Online Community Coordinator

    @Tiramisu thanks for the links! When I'm back here on Saturday I may be posting lots of ocean-related things πŸ˜‚ I absolutely love learning and discovering new things.

  • Tiramisu
    Tiramisu Online Community Member Posts: 12 Connected

    Me too! Enjoy the learning!

    Also, interesting question you asked Mustang66 - 'I'd love to know if there were other lifeforms like us out there. It'd just change my whole viewpoint on life. What do you think?"

    Me, personally, I'd say yes, definitely. There are likely less grains of sand on this planet than there are planetary systems across (this) universe, many of which with habitable planets with the right conditions for life and evolutionary progression. Some likely have a completely different set of building blocks / elements, more than one sun too. I mean… scientists do discover new elements from time to time too, not all are known on this planet let alone elsewhere. Fascinating pondering the unknowns, just my opinions above.

    I guess the fact that we exist… makes it very likely that others do.

  • Rachel_Scope
    Rachel_Scope Posts: 1,656 Scope Online Community Coordinator

    @Tiramisu I agree that it's very likely that other lifeforms exist but can't wrap my head around them being similar to us. There's also the question of alternate realities/timelines where there's another version of us living a different timeline. I don't think I believe it but it's very interesting to think about!

  • Tiramisu
    Tiramisu Online Community Member Posts: 12 Connected

    Neither can I Rachel and I am with you on the whole alternate timeline thing. My understanding of all that is limited to what I learned from Doc and Marty McFly.

  • THE_DUDE
    THE_DUDE Online Community Member Posts: 234 Empowering
    edited July 16

    Cave on the moon

    https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce784r9njz0o.amp

  • THE_DUDE
    THE_DUDE Online Community Member Posts: 234 Empowering
  • Sandy_123
    Sandy_123 Scope Member Posts: 59,320 Championing

    The ocean would be good to explore more of

  • OverlyAnxious
    OverlyAnxious Online Community Member Posts: 3,457 Championing

    I don't like getting wet.πŸ˜†

    Seriously though, I just prefer physics to biology.πŸ™‚

  • Cantilip
    Cantilip Online Community Member Posts: 623 Empowering

    Space because it is stranger than fiction, as immortalized in the old limerick

    There was a young lady namedΒ Bright,

    Who traveled much faster than light.

    She started one day In the relative way,

    And returned on the previous night

    With reference to alternate realities, the multiverse is something serious scientists talk about, not just Discworld and Pratchett

    https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26234971-300-we-are-closer-than-ever-to-finally-proving-the-multiverse-exists/

  • Albus_Scope
    Albus_Scope Posts: 8,327 Scope Online Community Coordinator

    I wanted to be a marine biologist ever since I could talk apparently, my prize possession as a child was an animal encyclopedia, but the section on fish was really well worn. πŸ˜† Alas it was not meant to be, so now I spend far too much time nerding out on anything ocean related, so I'm loving people sharing interesting facts about the big blue. ❀️

    Space is also most excellent. I do think there's life out there, but it may be in the form of bacteria. But we all had to start somewhere.

  • michael57
    michael57 Online Community Member Posts: 872 Trailblazing

    me thinks you may have watched the fringe series haha if not you may enjoy it the thought of 2 of me and my dawnie does not bode well