Extraterrestrial Life

The universe is a vast expanse of which Earth is a speck. A mere speck. And to assume that this speck alone contains all of the universe’s life is absurd. Certainly, life must exist somewhere outside of Earth. This life can be in any form, from humanoid figures with bulbous heads to microbes floating in the air.  

Popularly, extraterrestrials, or aliens, are perceived as an incredibly advanced civilization that has the means to visit Earth, typically in devices shaped like flying saucers. They are termed UFOs (Unidentified Flying Objects). Another term used is Unidentified Aerial Phenomena or UAP. 

The first major sighting of a UFO was in 1947 by a businessman named Arnold Kenneth who reported seeing nine crescent-shaped objects flying at impossibly high speeds near Mount Rainier in Washington. He describes their motion as, “Like saucers skipping on water.” Interestingly, his phrasing is what resulted in ‘flying saucer’ becoming synonymous with UFO.  

The same year, a rancher in Roswell, New Mexico reported debris spread over an area of 200 yards near an Army airfield. He alleged that it was a UFO wreckage, sparking nation-wide speculation. This became known as the Roswell Incident. Despite the U.S military identifying the wreckage as a weather balloon, the Roswell Incident became the most controversial UFO claim. It is widely believed that it was a government cover-up of alien life.  

The next few decades saw incredible advancement in technology. Humanity went places no human had stepped in before. The first satellite in 1957, the first human in space in 1961, the moon landing in 1969. On July 20, 1976, the Viking Success landed on the surface of Mars. Samples of soil it collected were tested and chemical indications of life were discovered. When mixed with radioactive-carbon-labeled nutrients, the soil sample produced radioactive methane gas suggesting that something in the soil was metabolizing the nutrients and producing methane. The result of the experiment was deemed a false positive by NASA since no other indication of life had been found but scientists who have re-analyzed the data since believing the result to be tangible and blame the lack of technology onboard the craft for no evidence of organic molecules. 

NASA researchers in 2001 suggested that Jupiter’s moon Europa’s red tinge might be a result of frozen microbes. The idea stems from how infrared radiation is reflected in an odd manner off the icy surface of Europa. The infrared spectra of some earthly bacteria that thrive in extreme conditions are quite similar and the fact that some of them are red and brown might explain the color of the moon’s surface. 

In February of 2003 researchers found what is widely thought to be the best candidate yet for alien contact. Using a massive telescope, astronomers with the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) project were observing 200 sections of the sky that had emitted unexplained radio signals over the years. All but one had disappeared. One signal from a spot between the constellations of Aries and Pisces had grown stronger and was pulsing at one of the frequencies that hydrogen absorbs and emits energy. Since hydrogen is the most abundant element, it is thought to be likely that aliens attempting to contact humans would transmit messages at that frequency.  

A lot of things happened in 2020. The Australian bushfires, a global pandemic, death of football giant Kobe Bryant to name a few. Among these was the release of three videos by the Pentagon of UAPs that seem to defy the laws of physics. The videos were captured by naval aviators and show what appear to be flying discs hurtling through the sky, one rotating against the wind. While conspiracy theorists were undoubtedly overjoyed, experts caution that there are likely earthly explanations for the phenomena.  

2020 saw another breakthrough in the investigation into life beyond Earth. On 14 September, a paper was released detailing the discovery of phosphine in the clouds of Venus. Researchers say that this could be an indication of living microbial cells inhabiting the planet.  

Phosphine, made up of one phosphorus molecule with three hydrogen molecules, is quite unstable and would not have been detected in the acidic atmosphere of Venus unless it was frequently replenished. Anita Richards, one of the women that led the data reduction team explained, “Even microbes have cell walls and indeed can get energy and nutrients from imbalances like this. We have no idea if this is what is going on – but at the moment it seems less impossible than other explanations.” 

All of the phenomena mentioned might have explanations other than other-worldly life. Aliens may exist. They may not. We may not find out for centuries but for now, these are probably the most credible evidence of extraterrestrial life.