The Fermi paradox has perplexed us for years, but a new paper suggests that perhaps aliens aren’t interested in visiting Earth because they think it’s boring. According to the paper, if life is common in the Milky Way, intelligent aliens may be more interested in signs of technology than signs of biology. However, since Earth has only been sending out radio signals for about a century, it’s unlikely that our signals have reached any other intelligent civilizations. So, perhaps intelligent life is out there – our noise just hasn’t reached them! Read full article here
Oddities
Why Do Modern Pop Songs Have So Many Credited Writers?
The music industry has changed dramatically over the last few decades – with the number of songwriters credited on number one hits more than doubling. This is due to a combination of factors, including money, the computer and a changing definition of what songwriting is. For example, if The Beatles’ classic “I Feel Fine” was released today, it would likely have four writers credited instead of two, due to the influence of producers, samples and interpolations. With the rise of lawsuits, artists now preemptively add songwriter credits to their songs, even if the similarities between their song and the source material are coincidental. It all goes to show that the music industry is becoming more complex and competitive. Read full article here