Edited by: Harvi Karatha, Aarav Navani & Laya Vijay, Blogged by: Sahithi Lingampalli
Humanity stands on the edge of a cliff made of evidence and theories; facing a massive dark valley of the unseen. What the valley keeps, no one knows. Regardless of how potential proof develops, it is our duty to take the plunge to see what the universe has to offer.
There are roughly twenty billion sun-like stars in the Milky Way galaxy, and figures suggest that one-fifth of them have an earth-sized planet in a habitable zone. There could be one million planets with life in the Milky Way Galaxy itself if only 0.1% of those planets harbored life. In this vast universe, we must assume that civilizations begin millions of years apart and develop at different rates. If aliens should follow the same rules of physics as humans, progress can then be measured in terms of energy consumption akin to how human progress is measured. Even though they haven’t reached Earth yet, the possibility of extraterrestrial intelligence thriving cannot be ruled out. Furthermore, it is believed that a collapsed civilization of aliens still exists. The ‘Zoo Hypothesis’ suggests that ETI (Extraterrestrial Intelligence) is observing Earth.
One approach is to search for electromagnetic signals. Another approach is to locate terrestrial planets whose atmospheric composition promotes life such as the presence of 02, 03, or CH4. SETI (Search For Extraterrestrial Intelligence) recognizes that the probability of remote ETI discovery is at least as possible as interstellar ETI transmissions. Additionally, it is important to understand that a solar vicinity search could be more strategic than all sky hunts for encoded messages. A special biosignature on Earth is the red edge of chlorophyll, and settled extrasolar civilizations may also possess their own characteristic biosignatures.
Is anybody out there? Are aliens just a science fiction idea, or do they actually exist? The answer remains in the realm of speculation. Further research and space exploration is the key to unravel the mystery of what the universe holds. The endless quest for our brethren in this universe shall continue!
References
Jacob D. Haqq-Misra and Seth D. Baum (2009, June 2). The Sustainability Solution to the Fermi Paradox. Popular Physics I arXiv. Link
Kurzgesagt - In A Nutshell (2015, June 4). The Fermi Paradox II — Solutions and Ideas – Where Are All The Aliens? Link
Kurzgesagt - In A Nutshell (2015, May 6). The Fermi Paradox — Where Are All The Aliens? (1/2) Link