Extraterrestrial life

Key people

• Lisa KalteneggerAustrian astronomer
• Robert ShapiroAmerican chemist (1935-2011)
• Milan ĆirkovićSerbian astronomer
• David LathamAmerican astrophysicist

Timeline

• 1859This was changed by the 1859 book On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin, which proposed the theory of evolution.
• 1909By 1909 better telescopes and the best perihelic opposition of Mars since 1877 conclusively put an end to the canal hypothesis.
• 1967Government responses The 1967 Outer Space Treaty and the 1979 Moon Agreement define rules of planetary protection against potentially hazardous extraterrestrial life.
• 2010As of 2010, the UN lacks response mechanisms for the case of an extraterrestrial contact.
• 2011In November 2011, NASA launched the Mars Science Laboratory that landed the Curiosity rover on Mars.

Read

• The Cosmic ConnectionCarl Sagan · 1973Book
• If the universe is teeming with aliens-- where is everybody?Stephen Webb · 2002Book
• What Does a Martian Look LikeJack Cohen · 2002Book
• Are we alone?Paul Davies · 1995Book

Listen

• AREA52 - DEBRIEFED With Chris RamsayChris RamsayPodcast
• UAP Unidentified Alien PodcastGamut Podcast NetworkPodcast
• Ancient AliensPodcastOnePodcast
• That UFO PodcastThat UFO PodcastPodcast

Voices to follow

• Robert Shapiro@BenevolentMagic · XMedium and religious writer
• Inelia Benz@inelia · XChilean shaman, esotericist and author

Debates

• Is extraterrestrial life common in the universe?One view: Yes, the sheer number of stars and planets suggests that life, even microbial, should arise frequently given the right conditions. · Another: No, the specific conditions and complex steps required for life to emerge and evolve might be incredibly rare, making Earth unique.Open question
• Should we actively try to contact intelligent extraterrestrial life?One view: Yes, making contact could lead to incredible scientific advancements and a broader understanding of life in the cosmos. · Another: No, we cannot predict the intentions or capabilities of an unknown civilization, and contact could pose an existential risk to humanity.Open question
• What is the best approach to search for extraterrestrial life?One view: Focus on biosignatures in exoplanet atmospheres, such as oxygen or methane, as evidence of microbial life. · Another: Focus on technosignatures, like radio signals or artificial structures, as evidence of advanced intelligent civilizations.Open question

Glossary

• AstrobiologyThe scientific study of the origin, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe.
• ExoplanetA planet that orbits a star outside our solar system.
• Habitable ZoneThe region around a star where conditions are suitable for liquid water to exist on a planet's surface.
• BiosignatureAny substance or phenomenon that provides scientific evidence of past or present life.
• TechnosignatureAny detectable sign or product of technology created by intelligent extraterrestrial life.
• Fermi ParadoxThe apparent contradiction between the high probability of extraterrestrial civilizations' existence and the lack of observational evidence.

Careers

Roles this can lead toward

Student research

Published policy papers by One Young India delegates — every delegate leaves published under their own name.

• AI-Augmented Multimodal Risk Prediction of Breast Cancer Using Polygenic Scores, Lifestyle Data, and Temporal EMR ModelingAnjali Desai
• The Philadelphia Experiment: Deconstruction of a Military Myth and PseudoscienceDwij Verma
• CRISPR: Rewriting the Code of LifeEkansh Ninawe
• Cosmic Life: Is Only Carbon-Based Life Out There?Swara Patel

Threads 4

Where this connects to other fields — and why it's worth knowing.

• Concepts of God Religion

  Centuries ago, learning Earth isn't the center of everything shook up the idea that humans are special. Finding alien life, or proving we're truly alone, would crack that question wide open again. So scanning space for signals is quietly asking a religious question about our place in the universe.

• Homeostasis Health

  Send an astronaut to space and their bones thin, immune system weakens, and eyeballs slightly change shape. Why? Because gravity was secretly a signal your body used to regulate itself all along. Remove it, and systems you never knew depended on it start to drift.

• Borders and Geopolitics Geography

  There's one special ring in space, way up high, where a satellite can hover over the exact same spot on Earth. There are only so many parking slots in that ring, and countries fight over them. So 'empty' space already has borders, and nations squabble over orbital real estate just like they fight over land.

• Probability, Risk & Uncertainty Mathematics

  There's a famous equation that guesses how many alien civilizations might be out there by multiplying a bunch of maybes together. If life is common, though, the silent sky becomes a warning: something keeps wiping civilizations out, a 'Great Filter,' and it might be a disaster still ahead of us, not behind.