Search results
- There aren't any aliens to find. As unlikely as it seems in a galaxy with hundreds of billions of stars and as many as 40 billion Earth-size planets in habitable zones, we could be alone.
- There is no intelligent life besides us. (This assumes, of course, that humans count as intelligent.) Life may exist, but it could simply take the form of miniscule microbes or other cosmically "quiet" animals.
- Intelligent species lack advanced technology. Currently, astronomers utilize radio telescopes to listen intently to the night sky. So if alien species aren't broadcasting any signals, we'd never know they existed.
- Intelligent life self-destructs. Whether via weapons of mass destruction, planetary pollution, or manufactured virulent disease, it may be the nature of intelligent species to commit suicide, existing for only a short time before winking out of existence.
- Jonti Horner, Astrobiologist
- Steven Tingay, Astrophysicist
- Helen Maynard-Casely, Planetary Scientist
- Rebecca Allen, Space Technology Expert
- Martin Van-Kranendonk, Astrobiologist
I think that has to be a definite yes. But I think the real question is, are aliens close enough for us to discover them? Space is unbelievably big. In the last few decades, we've learned almost every star in the cosmos has planets. Our galaxy, the Milky Way, is estimated to have up to 400 billion stars. If each of those has five planets, we'd have...
Yes, but that's a bold assertion. So, let's be clear what we are talking about. I consider the term "alien" to reference all manner of life, as we understand it on Earth, resident in places other than on Earth. Having said that, there is currently no detailed consensus on the definition of "life". It is a very complex concept. But if we found somet...
I'm of the opinion that it's only a matter of time before we find something that resembles biology somewhere other than on Earth. This is because we're increasingly finding various potential pockets in our solar system that may be hospitable to life as we know it. For instance, consider the under-ice oceans of Europa and Ganymede (two of Jupiter's ...
Yes, but they probably don't look like us. There are more than 100 billion planets estimated to exist in our galaxy alone (with some six billion potentially being Earth-like). Therefore, the probability that life exists elsewhere is all but confirmed. When we hear the word "alien", however, an image of a humanoid lifeform usually springs to mind. B...
A simple answer to this question is no. If we use purely empirical data and assume the question refers to any type of life outside of Earth that is not related to human activity, then the answer – as far as we know – must be no. But, of course, our knowledge relating to this question is finite; we have not investigated every corner of the Universe ...
Jun 13, 2021 · Five Experts. 5 experts. Even if aliens exist, are intelligent like humans and interested in making contact with us, what are the chances they’ll be close enough for us to hear them screaming...
Jul 3, 2018 · In early June, Anders Sandberg, Eric Drexler, and Toby Ord of the Future of Humanity Institute (FHI) released a paper that may solve the Fermi paradox — the discrepancy between our expected...
- Liv Boeree
Sep 10, 2021 · Extraterrestrial life has never been discovered, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. At NASA, astrobiologists like Lindsay Hays are trying to answer one of the most profound questions ever: Is there life beyond Earth?
Sep 29, 2023 · Europa, one of Jupiter's icy moons is the most likely place in our solar system to be home to alien life. Many astronomers are no longer asking whether there is life elsewhere in the Universe....
Are we alone in the Universe? This question has fascinated humans for centuries, but we still haven't found any conclusive evidence of alien life. In this article, we explore five possible reasons why we haven't detected any extraterrestrial signals, from the Fermi paradox to the zoo hypothesis. Find out more about the challenges and mysteries of the search for aliens with BBC Science Focus ...
