Looking for physical evidence of alien life in all the wrong places? (science video)
What does extraterrestrial life “really” entail? Strong views are held by Avi Loeb, the director of the Galileo Project and the chairman of the Harvard Astronomy Department. Perhaps our civilisation is simply another one that will soon perish when our sun dies. Perhaps the length of the galaxy prevents us from coming across extraterrestrial civilizations that have endured. Maybe we’re simply not seeking for tangible proof in the correct places.
Well, well, well, it looks like we’re still trying to figure out the age-old question: are we alone in the universe? And let’s be real, it’s a question that we may never fully be able to answer. But that doesn’t stop us from speculating and coming up with all sorts of theories about what the reality of alien life could be.
First of all, let’s consider the possibility that we are just another civilization that is about to be wiped out when our sun dies. I mean, it’s not like our sun is going to live forever, right? And if we’re being honest, our planet has already seen its fair share of mass extinctions. So it’s not too far-fetched to think that we might just be the next civilization to go down in flames. Or, you know, freeze to death or something.
On the other hand, maybe the problem is that we just haven’t been around long enough to encounter alien civilizations that have survived. After all, galactic timescales are pretty darn long, and it’s possible that any civilizations that might have existed before us have already come and gone. Or maybe they’re still out there somewhere, but we just haven’t stumbled upon them yet.
And then there’s the issue of physical evidence. Maybe we’re just not looking in the right way for it. Or maybe there isn’t any physical evidence to be found because any advanced civilizations out there have figured out how to leave no trace behind. Or maybe they’re just really good at hiding.
So, the reality is that we just don’t know. And that’s okay. It’s part of what makes the search for alien life so fascinating. Who knows what we might discover next? Maybe we’ll find evidence of an advanced civilization on one of Jupiter’s moons. Or maybe we’ll pick up a signal from deep space that can’t be explained. Or maybe we’ll just keep searching, wondering, and speculating about what could be out there.