Can we last forever?

i know forever may be the wrong word, or even eternity, but how long will the human race last? i decided to put this in the space forum as sooner or later one day we will have to leave our planet and solar system as the sun will eventually go supernova. does this mean that perhaps the very far distant future holds for humans, space stations, space ships and a likely 'deep space nine' feel? or is it even remotely possible to live like that? the human race as we know it, hasn't really been around that long, considering how long the universe has been here. so is it realistic to say that we probably won't be around in a 100,000 years, or a million years, or even a billion years time? is the demise of the human race therefore inevitable?

obviously from a religious point of view, eternal and infinte life is possible. perhaps that is the soul reason for religion, as mere humans we are capable of understanding that one day our race may not exist anymore, and to help that religion was invented.

[edit on 5-9-2005 by shaunybaby]

I've read somewhere that the Earth is through 90% of it's habitible life-span. So at least we have the remaining 10% which would be around 250 million more years. By then we will be out and around the galaxy, we wouldn't need Earth anymore.

Also the sun is a main sequence star, it doesn't go "nova". It expands into a red giant when the Hydrogen runs out and will consume the inner solar system. This will not happen for another 4-5 billion years.

The sun will supernova, 5 billion years from now, taking our solar system with it. By then we will have had to moved off into space.

Our Universe is running on a limited source of energy. Once this energy runs out, in all its various forms, then life will cease to exist forever. Stars have been an important key factor in the growth and development of life; the formation of new stars, however, has significantly decreased over the least billion years. In fact, in 100 trillion years, it is speculated that the last star in the Universe will cease to exist.

IF we last as long as the universe, which is very unlikely, they now say to implode, we will quickly die off. There will simply be no more energy in the universe.

However if by then (100 trillion years) we have learned how to create matter from pure energy, then back and forth, back and forth, maybe it will give us more time.

OR if we can ascend to some higher plain, we can possibly travel to a different universe......but come on its a 100 trillion years into the future.

i'm not sure what the fuss is. don't you think it would be really fun to watch the sun explode and consume the earth? it's like the ultimate roller coaster with a fireworks display. my grand children and i will be long dead by then, and then it won't matter to us what happens.

I really want to see when the Andromeda galaxy collide with the Milky Way in 4 Billion years. That would be quite a sight. The Andromeda galaxy would take up a majority of the sky.

That won't end life in the galaxy but it will make for an amazing night sky. This is why I hope there is a Heaven, I surely won't be around that long to see it, if there is one I would have the best view in the house.