Are people really – alone in the universe? And what is the chance that in the future we will meet with aliens?
According to a teacher at the School of Physics and AstronomySt. Andrews University Martin Dominic, there are two answers to the question about the possibility of aliens existing in space. The first one – scientific. Scientists today do not know whether we are alone in the Universe or not. There is no scientific evidence yet for one or the other.
At the same time, from a philosophical point of view, the Universe has a huge scale. Therefore, the probability of finding a planet suitable for life, and the possibility of living organisms developing there – very high.
A certain paradox arises. On the one hand, there is currently no evidence of the existence of extraterrestrial life. On the other hand – the possibility of such life existing in space is great. This phenomenon is calledFermi paradox.
Martin Dominik notes that people have quitelimited opportunities in terms of studying the world around us, and the Universe itself is too large. There is also an opinion that aliens should, if they exist, begin to contact people themselves. Why hasn't this happened yet?
One hypothesis related to this isnext. It is believed that any civilization that is sufficiently developed for interstellar travel will destroy itself before the aliens make contact with it.
Now there is hope that in the search for planets withwith an atmosphere similar to Earth's, the James Webb telescope can help. True, according to scientist Martin Dominik, the study of the atmosphere and geology of the planet can tell people little about the likelihood of life on this planet. The problem is that humanity knows too little about the conditions for the emergence and development of life. It is in this direction that science should be developed.
Source: BBC Science Focus Magazine