The Drake Equation at 60: Reconsidered and Abandoned

John Gertz

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arXiv · 2105.03984

The Drake Equation at 60: Reconsidered and Abandoned

John Gertz

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Abstract

Each of the individual factors of the Drake Equation is considered. Each in turn is either abandoned or redefined and finally reduced to a single new factor, fd, the fraction of technological life that is detectable by any means. However, neither the Drake Equation, nor its replacement, can actually solve for N. Only a vibrant SETI program and, ultimately, contact with an alien civilization might result in the determination of N.

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John Gertz. 2021-05-09. The Drake Equation at 60: Reconsidered and Abandoned. https://arxiv.org/abs/2105.03984

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