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Has any scientist or sci-fi writer proposed adding new variables to the Drake equation? Science in every area has progressed a great deal since the days of Enrico Fermi and his contemporaries, after all. Has there been a serious attempt to make an "updated" Drake equation? Maybe one that includes some basic social factors?

Jem
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    Have you looked at Wikipedia, by any chance? There's a decent subsection there on the topic. – HDE 226868 Apr 29 '20 at 14:20
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    Randall Munroe has proposed a new version of the equation with a new variable: https://xkcd.com/384/ – The Square-Cube Law Apr 29 '20 at 14:26
  • @HDE226868 Great link! I wasn't familiar with any of these proposals. – Andrew Brēza Apr 29 '20 at 14:29
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    @Renan I'm a simple man. I see an XKCD link, I upvote. – Andrew Brēza Apr 29 '20 at 14:29
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    This reads more like a question about the possibility for extraterrestrial life in our galaxy, rather than a question about building fictional "worlds" where you can have as much or as little extraterrestrial life as you want. – sphennings Apr 29 '20 at 14:35
  • The Drake equation itself has never been intended to be taken seriously... It is just a discussion opener, a purely heuristic starting point. So that I doubt that anybody has bothered to make a serious attempt to update an equation which was not serious to begin with. – AlexP Apr 29 '20 at 14:58
  • @Renan That sounds like an answer to me! – DJClayworth Apr 29 '20 at 15:48
  • @AlexP, sorry, bud- You're just wrong. It's very serious, and very much a study in updates. See : https://worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/questions/48096/how-many-planets-with-sapient-life-can-i-expect-to-find-in-a-random-galaxy/48098#48098 – Joe Apr 29 '20 at 16:25
  • A slightly different approach to the question might have been: "Have any of the existing variables been quantified with a greater degree of certainty?". If you go and ask this on [astronomy.se], you might get a better reception. Also related on [space.se] is Are we alone after all? Understanding the recent re-evaluation of the Drake Equation- worth takeing a look at. @Joe might be interested too. – Escaped dental patient. Apr 29 '20 at 16:57
  • The big problem with the Drake equation is that at least one of it's terms is currently indeterminate, so the answer is indeterminate. – Slarty Apr 29 '20 at 17:53
  • @Jem, check out the Rare Earth Theory. It’s pretty much what you’re looking for. It tries to also explain the Fermi Paradox by explaining that intelligent life is so rare that it is likely that there are only 1-2 civilizations per galaxy. – Galactic Apr 30 '20 at 03:48

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