Are there extraterrestrials? As speculation approaches that Pentagon documents on extraterrestrials will be released. In this article, five experts express their views on the existence of extraterrestrials.
Speculation about the unclassified collection of growing reports released this month by the Pentagon Working Group on Unidentified Phenomena (UAP). The June 25 document will likely be a comprehensive review of US government information on UAPs or UFOs (a more common term). Although the report has not yet been made public, the New York Times claims it has access to the findings and has made them available to an unnamed official.
According to Times sources, the report makes no clear link between more than 120 UFO events in the past two decades and the possibility of extraterrestrials visiting Earth. If the New York Times sources are credible, there is no reason to interpret the unidentified object as evidence of extraterrestrial presence; But with all this evidence, can we say that extraterrestrials do not exist at all, or if they do, how can they be found? Are they very different from us; So that it is impossible to find them with the existing methods? In this article, we refer to the answers of five experts to these questions.
Are there extraterrestrials? Jonti Horner, astronomer
According to Jonti Honer, extraterrestrials definitely exist; But the big question is: Are extraterrestrials close enough to us to be discovered? The space is infinitely large. In the last two decades, we have learned a lot about almost all the stars on the planet. The Milky Way galaxy is estimated to have more than 400 billion stars. If each star had five planets, there would be only two trillion planets in the Milky Way galaxy. We know there are more galaxies in the universe that have more planets.
Despite all this diversity, it seems impossible for Earth to be the only planet with intelligent life and advanced civilization; But can we find this kind of extraterrestrial life? It is a difficult question. Suppose that out of every one billion stars, at least one star has the necessary conditions to host the life and development of an advanced civilization. In this case, there will be four hundred stars in the Milky Way galaxy with the possibility of advanced civilization; But the Milky Way galaxy is 100,000 light-years across. In this case, the average distance of the stars from each other can reach tens of thousands of light years, which is too far to receive the extraterrestrial signal, at least in the current situation; Unless there is a stronger way to send the signal. As a result, according to Horner, there is extraterrestrial life; But it is very difficult to prove.
Steven Tingai, astronomer
According to Steven Tingai, there are extraterrestrials; But proving them is not an easy task; As a result, we need to come up with a clear definition of them. Tingai attributes the term “extraterrestrial” to all extraterrestrial life; But there is no exact agreement on the definition of life. This concept is very complex; But if we find a life like a bacterium somewhere other than Earth, we can place it in the extraterrestrial category.
The universe is made up of thousands of billions of galaxies, each of which could contain billions of billions of stars. Most stars have at least one planet. These planetary systems are a rich combination of elements, including the elements necessary for life; As a result, it is hard to believe that the composition of life can be found only on Earth and that there is no trace of life on the trillions of other planets in the universe. Nevertheless, it remains to be seen whether this life is of the microscopic kind of life, like bacteria, or an advanced civilization with which it can be associated.
Many efforts are underway to search for intelligent civilizations. In these searches, it is assumed that civilizations have technology similar to humans, such as powerful radio telescopes, that can send radio wavelength communications from distant planetary systems. Of course, the definition of life may be quite limited, and extraterrestrials (if any) may have completely different laws than humans.
Helen Maynard, planetary scientist
According to Helen Maynard, finding Earth-like life on another planet depends only on time; For this reason, we seek to find the conditions of life in the solar system. Consider, for example, the icy oceans of Europe and Ganymede (Jupiter’s two largest moons). In some parts of these months, suitable temperatures and access to water and minerals are also possible. However, these findings have been examined from the perspective of terrestrial life, and extraterrestrial life can be very different from life on Earth. Helen Maynard adds:
I’m very excited about Titan’s explorations of Saturn. Titan has a collection of attractive molecules on the surface and an active climatic system for the transport of these molecules. We also know that there are other star systems throughout the galaxy.
In view of the above, the existence of life and bioactivity in a place other than the earth seems inevitable; But can this extraterrestrial life send a message to us? This is a different question.
Rebecca Allen, space technology expert
According to Rebecca Allen, there are extraterrestrials; But they probably do not look like us. It is estimated that there are approximately six billion Earth-like planets in the Milky Way; Therefore, life is more likely to exist somewhere other than the earth; But it needs proof. When we hear the word extraterrestrial, an image of human life and intelligence comes to mind; But even on earth, the dominant form of life is much older and smaller than humans. Some microscopic organisms survive while no other form of life survives. It can be said that extraterrestrials can also exist in the form of these stubborn creatures.
NASA recently sent a group of small tardigrades (blue bears) to the International Space Station so that human astronauts can monitor the performance of these creatures in harsh environments and conditions. With the discovery of the raw materials of life in the solar system, it seems that even the most stubborn form of life in the entire galaxy will survive.
What about advanced and intelligent life? The space is vast, and based on what Kepler’s mission has learned, we know it is difficult to find other worlds; As a result, we now have to identify Earth-like planets. In addition, it has taken billions of years for advanced life on earth to evolve; Therefore, it is very unlikely that human-like species will be found. Still, hope remains, and scientists are using advanced radio telescopes to explore the sky in search of new forms of radio communication.
Martin Vanckranndonk, astronomer
According to Martin Van Cranndonk, the simple answer to this question is “no.” If we use and assume empirical data, this question refers to the types of extraterrestrial life that are not limited to humans, the answer is, as far as we know, no. However, our knowledge of this question is limited, and we have not yet searched all corners of the world for signs of life, and we do not even know what the constituent elements of life are in a different chemical system; Because there is no agreed definition even for carbon life on Earth. Therefore, we may not yet know the more generalized answer.
In fact, we may never be able to answer this question with certainty; But much effort is still being made. Maybe one day we will realize the existence of neighbors or maybe we are really alone or maybe we will never be able to find the truth. It goes without saying that the main article was published in The Conversation.
