Could you imagine everyone else getting to the party and humanity is already drunk? Typical.

Humanity: FIRST! The Universe: Nobody cares. Humanity: Yet!

The thought of us being the wise Precursors is kind of terrifying. And hilarious.

> Be the first civilazation on the Galaxy. > Discover FTL drive. > Become a Fanatical Purifier.

Maybe we’re at the start of a universe wide “Cambrian” explosion and we’ll start to see the Dyson swarms pop up at the same time as our own plus light lag.

It finally happened. I accidentally hit the dislike button. 😱 fortunately I realized in time and was able to switch it to a like. Seems (at the time of writing this) 18 other people also accidentally hit dislike but didnt notice. 😥

"while proximiy helps, is more about the size of your telescope " - Isaac Arthur , 11th of June 2020

"When the universe was forged in the crucible of the Big Bang, our mighty race was already 17 years old." - Lord Nibbler

Something that bothers me about scifi ancient civilizations (precursor species/THE ANCIENTS) is that they never seem to have a beginning. Its like they just appeared one day with their super advanced tech and wisdom. I'd find it cool if the scifi ship finds an ancient library with books about the earliest days of the ancient species or find an ancient satellite like the ones we send out now that had escaped from its star system. I think it would be cool for the people who discover it to realize that at one point, the precursors were no different than them and one day they could reach such heights as them eventually.

Drink and snack acquired.

I wake up to Issac Arthur on my birthday? This is one of the best gifts I could get.

Isaac: I am so grateful that you tackled this. For several years; I have considered this the most-likely explanation. The universe is old... and it isn’t. For enough carbon to be available for complex life (or Si), things seem to just be getting started.

"There is no growing bubble of darkness to indicate an expanding first-born civilization" *Looks at Bootes Void*

The idea that we are the Old Ones is kind of uplifting. The very real possibility that we are the only sentient life or one of the few in the Milky Way gives us a very special purpose. The struggles we've had, all the lessons learned, successes, failures, pain and suffering, and even the wars we've fought very well could be for the younger ones. The possibility that someday our histories could be studied and learned from by younger civilizations could be the answer to our particular "Why are we here?" is inspiring to me.

TFW the Firstborn are a bunch of psychic frogs that obliterated the galaxies spirit realm in their war with a bunch of soulless robots and their star gods.

19:33 - What I love about this channel: "Even" a single star empire with a dyson beam and relativistic kill missiles.

When you work from home, the only day of the week that matters is ArThursday

This was always my feeling. There might be others. But if they are on the opposite side of the universe, they may as well not exist. Assuming there is anything to begin with.

"Why is it us? Why us?" "Because where here lad, and no one else."

I have been waiting for this video for a long time, because of all the solutions to the paradox this one has quite a bit of evidence to support it.

"Glory to the Firstborn!"

Right now, some alien is watching Isaac say "We may very well be the first!" and laughing.

"Touch everything EXCEPT Europa" Instructions unclear, launching exploratory team to Europa now

I'm writing a book based on this concept, this is the dose of scientific input I needed to flesh it out

"The humans lifted us up. We didn't go through the tribal stage. I wonder what the humans did in their tribal stage?" *genocide intensifies*

A wise being when asked: "Are there other civilizations?" Being: "Yes" Then why are we alone? Being: "Because they are alone too..."

14:25 "In sci-fi we’re often seen as the descendants of such ancient critters, in one fashion or another, but rarely does that fashion include saying our creation was from someone flushing their space toilet and dumping their septic tank on Early Earth. Presumably because it is not a very dignified origin story." Interestingly that's exactly how life was created on Earth as described in "At the Mountains of Madness" by H.P. Lovecraft.

Sci fi Precursors “We have been watching you from a distance, guiding your development and protecting you from the dangers of the cosmos. Your development has progressed far enough that we can now welcome you to the galactic community.” Human Precursors - “ha ha spaceship go BRRRRR.”

28:29 “To be the first is both a great opportunity and a great burden. And as of now, it seems plausible that it is our opportunity and our burden.” This is some advice that we as a species would do well to heed. If we are the first, as it appears to be, then we are obligated to set a good example for those who would come after us.

What if life is so rare that it only happens once every billion universes Then there will be no "second" Now I have performance anxiety

I was thinking about using this approach for a sci fi story with humans being the elder civilization, so this helped point out some issues and ideas that need considering Also, Space police sounds both cool and a bit funny

The Fermi Paradox episodes are the best episodes. It makes me think of the early days of the channel...

Years ago I thought up this solution independently, and I remember being disappointed when I inevitably learned someone else had thought of it first. I wonder if humanity will likewise feel that same small disappointment should this solution ever be conclusively disproven...

Chicken and the Egg: In Spaaaaace

Ahhh, finally an episode about my favorite answer to the Fermi Paradox. As so many other explanations depend on assumptions with varying degrees of ridiculousness, this one is the only one so far that is 100% aligned with our current observations. Yes, it could still be wrong when applied to the whole universe, but in our bubble of 50lyr radius it's definitely correct.

Getting my firstborn in 2 months!

The first thing I thought of when I saw the title 'Firstborn' was the Arthur C. Clarke/Stephen Baxter novel by the same name. Hopefully those type of 'Firstborn' never notice us.

what if whe are too early for any radio message too have reached us, but we aren't the first, but one of them

I've always assumed that us humans are the first in the galaxy and that we will see the rest of it.

I love the use of "critters" its so whimsical -- extra points dude!

This is my preferred non-supernatural answer to the Fermi Paradox.

Wow, I acquired alot of knowledge by watching this! God bless, everyone who's in quarantine.

Been binge watching all these videos. Its nice to hear what most people drag out into boring lectures in a more concise and entertaining form.

David Brin wrote a series "Startide Rising" It involved Aliens who had all been raised from semi intelligence to full space faring species by a previous race, all the way back to the First Race, that had long since disappeared, with a promise to one day return. Good series if you like space opera and conflict on a multi-galactic scale.

Let's just hope the first born isn't the BORG

Thank You, You just gave the best reason for why we have such large brains I have ever heard. And I've read a lot of them over the last 50 years.

listening to you while exploring the galaxy on my favorite space game is just magical ! thanks for the moment

*I don't think I've heard anybody float this, but it might be fun to think about anyways. Something like 95% of the universe is supposed to be dark matter/dark energy right? And we can't actually see or interact with dark matter to my knowledge. So what if the answer to the Fermi Paradox was that Humanity is simply one of the only sentient species to be made of matter, and the vast majority are instead comprised of dark matter? In this way, we may be truly surrounded by other civilizations that we may simply never be able to know about or interact with.*

Another amazing episode, thank you! I always figured that the most plausible Fermi solution is that we are the first intelligent life with in at least this, or the next closest galaxy.

Or we could even have a number or nearly simultaneous "firstborn", but if they are all are at around the same state of development, the vast distances makes it impossible to detect each other.

Loving these videos! i just recently found your channel and for some reason i love the intro - grab a drink and some snacks - makes me feel like i can still go out to a movie in these crazy times!

Might be kinda an odd compliment but I love listening to these while working on art. The length and lack of ads makes them great and I like your voice. Keep it up dude!

No matter how many time I listen to this channel, I always feel smarter afterwards. Inspiring to make the best out of life. To be uplifted towards the stars. Isaac, you are a true treasure in this world, in this lifetime and in future lives. Keep doing everything that you are doing!

I am thinking my early limiters on life->intelligence starts with the flux of cosmic rays...I am assuming that early universe was nasty with the destructive brilliance of many early and huge stars and their respective events, and it will calm down over time, especially as the light from the young universe disappears beyond the horizon. And then there is the local GRB shooting gallery problem, we are the lucky duck so far. The next would be star spin/size; the smaller the stars are the less shielding, the more spin, the more flares they generate. So a good sign of an intelligent civilization, would be a statistically large number of slow spinning stars...so far not good Sol's spin is very rare afaict. Thirdly, a stable planetary orbit, precession, and wobble etc, for a reasonably consistent amount of light and heat, at least keeping the world in the habitable zone. An active stable magnetosphere for coping with flares and cosmic radiation...apparently Earth's is not geo-historically perfectly stable, and this may account for the long periods of simple life forms; the Moon seems to be a rare double planet phenomenon, as is an inner system relatively clear of destablizing giant planets. I suspect we are among the earliest of species even capable of going the distance...still gotta keep the fingers crossed too.

Fantastic. Somehow I haven't listened to Isaac in two or three years. Just got back to outlining my sci fi novel and am bingeing the fermi series again. He just goes into so much more depth than many on the internet--yet keeps it very accessible. Lovely stuff!

I really love your videos Isaac. They are the best on KZfaq...Heck they are the best in whole Multiverse. Thank you soo much from the bottom of my heart for making these videos ^_^

"Sometimes the very young do not do as they're told" Nox. Lol

Everyone: Warhammer 40K. Me, an intellectual: Warhammer forty thousand

Thank you Isaac...you're part of my weekly routine...

Fantastic episode! I just got my brain itch, scratched.

We're in a multiplayer game right now but no one else is here yet.

I've always disliked the idea of aliens coming around and razing random planets from time to time, as the LIFE on those planets does one thing really really well... it keeps the chemistry of life on the surface of the planet. Granted your K2 species are likely capable of just creating all the phosphorus they'd ever need. But I could imagine a scenario where a planet is just culled from time to time of a good amount of its life just to get some of those chemicals.

This was my favorite video in a while!!!! I also feel that this is the best answer too. We may not be the absolute first , but imagine that we are #10 and we are evenly spaced in our galaxy. We are still so far away that they still haven’t heard our signals.

Great job. Always love that music at the end too. 👍🏻

"Dumping their septic tank on an early Earth" that's probably exactly what happened. It makes more sense than other origins of life.

That's the one. We are first born.

I just want to let you know, aside from your videos being really good, and the video is just absolute heaven for someone like me who thrives on all things space, the thumbnail for this video looks like an absolute mad awesome album that I would listen to regardless of genre.

I like watching your channel, Issac because you extend my thinking and don't let me forget that I am one person with infinite possibilities. Thank you for allowing me the belief and think beyond my own mind.

I'm not a simple man. I see Issac Arthur, I click.

What if so called tech singularity always accelerate species so much, that "colonizing" universe by ships is just something they dont need to do? Like at certain point using wood from trees just isnt something anybody do?

I'm not sure how you make a 30+ minute video over the simple solution of just being the first born but you do, and it is very good!

I'm waking up to a new Issac Arthur Fermi Paradox video?! Today is getting off to a great start!

So there's no civilization to call us NEWBORN? xD

18thborn comment! Im so early, it seems i have some youtube-comments equivalent of Fermi paradox - if the internet is full of users, and lots of them use youtube, then where are all the comments?!

Mind utterly blown!

Very good video, nice choice of words, nice music.

We are the cosmic horrors that come from the early days of the universe. Just remember, WWCD "What would Cthulhu do?"

Another brilliant episode

an excellent episode, good job

I find this premise to be a more appealing twist on "Humans are the Aliens." Being "ancestral aliens" or "alien ancestors" in itself has that appeal, regardless of our flaws.

I was the seventh to like this video. Seven is my favourite number. This channel is without doubt my favourite.

I just need to see some alien Jerry springer drama. (We found intelligent life, but its cheating on it's a wife with it's cousin!)

Love the new episode!

love this channel.

I don’t know, ever since I’ve been into astronomy 🔭 I’ve seen some strange things in the sky. I know how to identify satellites 🛰 and the ISS and the velocity at which the cross the sky. BTW I love your channel and never put on CC, you speak very clearly.

Here's a thought, early civilizations nuked each other to death over who was the first civilization and that's why we haven't found any alien life

Great exploring the Universe

Great video as always. Being the first is a thought as strange and scary as being the only ones. A huge responsibility if this is true!

I look forward to dunking on all the future intelligent civilisations out there.

Great episode

Thanks A I! Really did the hobas far as decent entertainment

Hi. Sixth! Oh we have, we dismissed a 'rock' *that changed both speed and trajectory without any outside actor acting upon it* as just a rock.

So many anti-humanity coments in this video... Come on guys, I know that all those "humanity sucks" statements sound deep and badass in movies and such, but in reality they are just realy inacurate.

Just beautiful. Sagan would approve this video. Thanks man

I love your're content Issac 💓

The idea of an expanding civilization's outer wave of colonization being (relatively) technologically backwater doesn't actually seem very plausible. Since as gone over in other episodes there's going to be some limit to technologic advancement. So unless a civilization enforces a ban on AI it starts to seem difficult for a technological disparity to stick around for long. Since AI on scales like a Jupiter brain should be able to do subjective billions of years of scientific theorizing, simulating and thinking in very little actual time. Similarly colonization ships could house some extremely large AI to run during voyages advancing tech. So it would seem like an expanding civilization would tend to plateau before very significant inter-stellar expansion, simply because for a partly digital civiization time in which to make advancements can be practically produced on demand (and people have incentives to stay on the cutting edge). Really the only plausible scenario where a tech disparity seems feasible is if research starts generating massively diminishing returns. Such that at a certain point only conscious stellar objects and megastructure sized scientific interments allow any progress to be made. Though even in this case you must also assume that the tech requiring Jupiter brains to develop isn't providing very diminishing returns so that the front colonization wave doesn't quickly (in astronomical terms) end up with a "good enough" tech level that stays like 90% as good as the inner systems.

Humans in an alien youtube video: first

I’ve been waiting for this one and BAM! Here it is. Only a minute in. 🙃

My favorite Fermi paradox solution!

This should be interesting