👽 Fermi Paradox Explorer
Where is everybody? Explore the Drake Equation and the Great Silence through interactive simulation
🤔 What Is the Fermi Paradox?
The Fermi Paradox is the contradiction between the high probability of extraterrestrial civilizations existing and the total lack of evidence for them. In 1950, physicist Enrico Fermi asked "Where is everybody?" during lunch at Los Alamos. With hundreds of billions of stars in our galaxy alone, many billions of years older than our Sun, statistically some should have produced intelligent life that colonized the galaxy long ago. The Drake Equation attempts to estimate the number of communicative civilizations, but every optimistic calculation clashes with the Great Silence — we detect nothing. The "Great Filter" hypothesis suggests some nearly-impassable barrier prevents civilizations from becoming interstellar, and the terrifying question is whether that filter lies in our past or our future.
Why does this matter? Understanding the Fermi Paradox shapes our view of humanity's future. If the Great Filter is behind us (life itself is incredibly rare), we may be alone but safe. If it lies ahead (civilizations self-destruct before reaching the stars), our long-term survival is uncertain. Every variable in the Drake Equation — from star formation to civilization lifetime — represents a profound question about the cosmos and our place in it.