As someone boldly stated, ‘To declare that Earth must be the only planet with life in the universe would be inexcusably big-headed of us.’ This statement has been rightly said. We live in a universe that is infinite and to claim that we are the only living organisms, is indeed laughable. There is no doubt that extraterrestrial life exists somewhere in this universe. For this purpose, we shall not limit extraterrestrial life to aliens but also indulge deeper into undiscovered unicellular species. Next, we shall understand how big the universe is and keeping in mind its infinite magnitude, we will be able to unravel the fact that we haven’t discovered everything within this jaw-dropping totality. Therefore, although we may not have many conclusive facts about the existence of extraterrestrial life, we cannot say that it does not exist.
The Enigmatic Extraterrestrial Life
It is agreeable, that when the topic of extraterrestrial life is broached, the first image in mind is aliens. But extraterrestrials are not just limited to aliens. They can be any form of living organisms that might be living in the universe- even the unicellular species. Furthermore, we’re at a point where we have discovered species on Earth that could potentially live on outer planets and support life.
Scientists in China have identified Syntrichia Caninervis – a moss in regions of Antarctica and the Mojave desert in California – which can withstand Mars-like conditions. It can survive droughts, high levels of radiation and extreme cold. This opens up endless possibilities. If the earthly species can survive outside Earth, why not other species that may be solely found outside our planet? Therefore, if extraterrestrial life can be any type of species outside of planet Earth, how can we be so sure that there is no sign of extraterrestrial life, anywhere?
The Colossal Cosmos
Carl Sagan, an American astronomer, planetary scientist and science communicator who researched extensively on the possibility of extraterrestrial life, once stated, “The universe is a pretty big place, if it’s just us, it seems like an awful waste of space.”
It is astonishing to know how colossal the universe is compared to our planet Earth. Research states that we are seeing a universe that is roughly 75,000,000,000,000,000,000 ( Seven hundred fifty sextillion) times bigger than Earth. Or in simpler words, Earth is smaller than a grain of sand compared to the cosmos. Recent estimates quote that the universe encompasses two trillion galaxies. It also contains more than 10 to the power of 24 stars than all the grains of beach sand on planet Earth. Looking at these figures, one would conclude that the universe is indeed prodigious. Hence, I believe that Carl Sagan was right when he claimed that, “It does feel highly unlikely that we’re the only living organisms in this expanding universe and that there is bound to be extraterrestrial life in this jaw-dropping macrocosm.”
The Undiscovered Universe
Finally, in this whole universe of ours, scientists have only discovered 5% of the total universe. The remaining 95% is still undiscovered. Experts have stated, “Even with the expanding Universe, even with all the galaxies and stars and planets and molecules and atoms and subatomic particles in it, there’s only so much we can access.” Scientists do not have all the tools or resources to understand everything about the universe. As we have only accessed a limited amount of the universe, how can we ensure that there’s no extraterrestrial life? A huge portion of this colossal totality is still unknown.
There is no doubt that we have advanced thoroughly from the last century. We have computers and space-based observatories mapping the far reaches of the universe. But, there is still quite a lot we don’t yet understand. For that reason, let us not jump to conclusions about extraterrestrial life. With all the uncertainty surrounding this topic, the one idea that grows all the more certain is that somewhere out there- extraterrestrial life definitely exists.
Conclusion
The Universe is such a riveting topic. Its revelations and findings are just commendable. But, surely in this huge cosmos of ours, there is bound to be extraterrestrial life. It is ludicrous of us to conclude that extraterrestrial life does not exist in this infinite universe when much of it has not yet been discovered. Furthermore, extraterrestrial life can be so much more than just some imaginary creatures that we have assumed for our satisfaction. And lastly, with all the findings that scientists have listed out, it is alright to believe that in every one of the two trillion galaxies, one in every 200 stars has habitable Earth-like planets surrounding it. So, when we look at the night sky, it makes complete sense to think that someone out there is looking back at us.
Writer : Aarna Sharma
Grade : 7 (Year 2024)
Place : Sydney, Australia
No Comment