Our planet Earth is teeming with life. With about 8.7 million different species, and with a potential of millions more waiting to discovered, Earth seems to be an exception to the rule. In comparison, the other planets in our galaxy seem barren and hauntingly desolate. For centuries, humans have been calling out into the void of space, desperate for a response. Are we alone in this Universe? That is a question scientists have been struggling to answer. In recent years, research has become increasingly hopeful.
Humans are unique from other life forms on Earth. We create, we communicate, and we don’t just survive- we live. Certain animal species have displayed incredible cognitive abilities that have far surpassed human expectations. And most people agree that it is time to turn to the stars in search of companions on par with our intellectual abilities.
While space travel technology has advanced wildly in the past decades, we still don’t have the means to explore other galaxies. However, we do have the ability to explore within our own solar system. The search for extraterrestrial intelligence has been going on for over a hundred years. In 1896, Nikola Tesla invented the wireless electrical transmission system. And he believed that a more advanced version of that technology could potentially contact aliens on Mars.
Of course, humans later discovered that Mars appeared to be little more than a barren and rocky terrain, completely devoid of life. Many people disappointed that another race of intelligent beings didn’t live on the surface of Mars. And scientists haven’t discredited the possibility of life- just on a much smaller scale.
As more research is conducted, scientists have weighed the possibility of life existing on other planets in our solar system. While we have yet to discover extraterrestrial life for certain, scientists have reason to believe that some organisms could inhabit planets other than Earth. While the discovery of bacteria might seem disappointing to some, it would be a huge breakthrough in the search for more intelligent life elsewhere.
In today’s video, we’re going to look at compelling evidence which suggests extraterrestrial life may be out there- perhaps even in our very own solar system! However, some people have difficulty imagining how other life can exist in conditions so different from Earth. Make sure you stick around to find out a new scientific discovery which suggests other life forms might be getting energy from a surprising source!
One of Jupiter’s Moons May Have an Ocean
While scientists still don’t know exactly how life on Earth developed, it most likely began in the ocean, rather than on the surface of our planet. Furthermore, water is one of the most important factors which sustains life on Earth. Life could potentially evolve on planets without water, it’s not too far-fetched to assume that planets which do contain water might more likely to contain life.
On March 2nd, 1979, the spacecraft Voyager 1 took photos of one of Jupiter’s many moons- Europa. The surface of Europa is covered in ice. But scientists have compelling evidence to suggest that, just below that ice, is an ocean filled with liquid water. This has made Europa one of the major targets in our solar system during the search for extraterrestrial life forms. However, scientists have to be extremely careful with how they proceed. And any Earth spacecraft that is sent to Europa must perfectly clean. Any bacteria from Earth could potentially destroy any delicate life forms that have evolved in Europa’s hypothetical ocean. It may be many years before we discover whether or not life exists below that icy surface. It is a tantalizing possibility. Join Facts Verse to know the details about what aliens might eat according to scientist.
Earth Is Not the Only Goldilocks Planet
Earth is what scientists refer to as a “Goldilocks planet.” In reference to the popular story Goldilocks and the Three Bears, a Goldilocks planet is any planet located within the habitable zone of its solar system. This means that the planet isn’t located too close or too far from its sun. When a planet is located in the habitable zone, the atmospheric pressure and the temperature are just right for liquid water to be present. Even though it is potentially possible for life to exist without water. And scientists believe it is more likely that we will find extraterrestrial life on planets or moons which contain liquid water.
For a long time, people believed that the conditions on Earth too perfect and too rare to ever be recreated elsewhere in the Universe. More recently, however, scientists have discovered that this may not be the case.
Based on data from the Kepler space telescope, scientists estimate that there are around 40 billion planets in the Universe that are roughly the same size as Earth which are also located in the habitable zone of their respective solar systems. That’s a lot of potential for life!
Scientists Finally Discovered How Aliens on Mars Get Energy
For the longest time, humans baffled at the prospect of how life could sustained outside of Earth. For years, scientists have been looking to our neighbor, Mars. While most, if not all of the water on Mars today exists as ice, scientists believe that Mars was once much warmer, when our sun was younger and larger than it is today. As a result, it is possible that life forms could have existed on Mars during this time. But how would they have survived? Well, newer research suggests that early Martians could have gotten energy from sulfur.
Of course, if life did exist on Mars in the past, it would not have been nearly as advanced as many of the species on Earth today. Scientists are only looking for evidence of past microbial life on Mars. It is highly unlikely, if not impossible, that multicellular organisms ever dwelled on the red planet. Join Facts Verse to know the details about what aliens might eat according to scientist.
Even though microbial life may sound boring, however, don’t disappointed! If scientists can finally prove that life, even single-celled life, existed outside of Earth, it will be a huge breakthrough in our search for intelligent life elsewhere.
This new evidence that suggests life might have once existed on Mars isn’t the only recent development, though! Make sure you stick around to find out which planet in our solar system might be harboring life at this very moment. And, if you’re enjoying this video so far, please take a moment to subscribe to our channel and like this video!
Extraterrestrial Life Could Be Common
With space being as vast as it is, many humans would expect the Universe to be teeming with life. However, most people are discouraged by the deafening and impenetrable silence of space. In other words, it can often feel like we are alone. However, it is important to keep in mind that 99% of the Universe is empty. There are incomprehensibly vast distances between planets, stars, and galaxies. On the flipside, however, there is also an enormously high number of planets.
So, what exactly are the chances of life existing elsewhere in the Universe? Columbia University assistant professor David Kipping may have the answer. He used a statistical technique called Bayesian inference to predict the likelihood of life on other planets. After running repeated tests on the likelihood of life evolving on Earth, he determined that the chance of life evolving on other similar planets is 9:1. Out of those outcomes, he discovered that the chance of intelligent life evolving was 3:2. With about 40 billion Goldilocks planets in our Universe, that makes the chance of intelligent life existing elsewhere overwhelmingly high. We may not have found intelligent life elsewhere, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. It may take centuries to find it, but scientists are finding increasingly creative ways to search for extraterrestrial life. Join Facts Verse to know the details about what aliens might eat according to scientist.
Will we find aliens in our lifetime? Maybe not, which might sound discouraging. But our technology is advancing rapidly, and who knows? Maybe we’ll get lucky and discover that we aren’t alone in this Universe someday soon!
There Might Be Life on Venus
For a while, scientists have discredited the possibility of life on certain planets in our solar system- especially the planet Venus. After all, there’s no way any of the life on Earth could exist there, and the conditions are wildly different. However, experts are finally realizing that it’s important to remain open to the possibilities. Just because life evolved on Earth under very specific conditions doesn’t mean that life can’t evolve under entirely different circumstances!
Even though Venus is known for its extreme temperatures, telescopes have detected the presence of a gas known as phosphine in Venus’ atmosphere. Scientists baffled at the discovery, because phosphine is what is known as a biosignature. And which can defined as any substance that provides evidence of past or present life. The presence of phosphine could owed to unknown chemical processes which don’t take place on Earth. And scientists are now realizing that we should never overlook anything in the search for life.
It may be many decades, or even centuries, before humans locate intelligent extraterrestrial life. However, we certainly aren’t about to give up the search anytime soon! Do you think it’s more likely that life exists on the planet Venus, or on Jupiter’s moon, Europa? Let us know in the comments below, and don’t forget to subscribe to Facts Verse for more!
