Aww, no alien empires yet

[chris0033547]

Incidentally Charles Stross posted a blog on the topic of the Great Filter coincidentally a few days before this came out. Anders Sandberg has posted in it (and there's a link to a recent blog by him). Stross speculates on some filters (in a half serious manner) and then asks commenters to offer up their own ideas.

My proposal was number 7, copying to here:

So this dials up the speculation a few notches but a possible fGF could be a scientific discovery that provides the same benefits of interstellar travel without requiring it. Important modifier: the edges of this discovery lie along multiple paths that would need to be taken in order to develop interstellar technology.

As an example; a new theory of high energy/exotic physics (useful if you want an interstellar rocket) that makes it possible to construct wormholes. But these wormholes don't travel within our universe but connect to other ones. Third and final point to put the last nail in the coffin for interstellar travel, it's possible to influence these wormholes to connect to a universe with desirable physical laws.

The consequence of this is that before any civilisation gets to the point of sending out rockets they find it much easier to colonise into much more hospitable universes.

Speaking of wormholes: Would it be possible for us to detect an advanced civilisation that uses wormholes?

http://www.wired.com/2010/12/wormhole-detection/

The Known Net probably uses a lot of wormholes and overlaps with the God Web. (And then there are also the wormhole networks of the Panvirtuality and the Diamond Network).