Does life exist on other planets. Extraterrestrial life. Do aliens really exist? Living planets. Presence of chemical precursors to life on other planets

We have no direct evidence that there can be life somewhere on other planets, satellites, or in interstellar space. However, there are some very serious reasons that we will eventually find life somewhere other than Earth, perhaps even in the solar system.

1. Extremophiles on Earth

Tardigrade

Extremophiles are living organisms that can survive in conditions that are completely unbearable from a human point of view: extreme heat, cold, poisonous chemicals and even in a vacuum. We found creatures living in the vents of volcanoes, in the salty waters of the Andes, in the ice-covered Arctic. Tiny creatures called the ability to survive in the vacuum of space. In other words, we know that life can exist in conditions that we sometimes meet on other planets and satellites. We just haven't found her yet.

2. The presence of chemical precursors of life on other planets

A precursor is a substance that takes part in a reaction leading to the formation of a target substance. Apparently, the origin of life on Earth was the result of a series of chemical reactions that formed complex organic compounds - nucleic acids, proteins, carbohydrates, lipids - in the atmosphere and ocean. There is evidence that these "precursors of life" are found on other planets. For example, precursors have been found in and in. Although we have not found life, we have found its "ingredients."

3. Rapid growth in the number of terrestrial planets

Hubble telescope

The rate of detection of planets similar to ours is accelerating: over the past 10 years, scientists have found hundreds of exoplanets, many of them - gas giants like. But new planetary detection technologies are making it possible to track small rocky worlds like Earth. Some of them even revolve around their own solar counterparts. Considering how many such planets we find, it is likely that the next one will be one or another form of life.

4. Diversity and tenacity of species living on Earth

In this picture, four moons of Saturn are visible at once: Titan, Dione, Pandora and Pan

The Earth has gone through various crisis times more than once: eruptions of megavolcanoes, meteorite attacks, ice ages, droughts, radical changes in the atmosphere, etc. However, life on it continues to this day. We can say that life is quite tenacious. Taking into account this tenacity, as well as the incredible variety of organisms living on Earth, one can, again, conclude that something similar must be somewhere in the Universe. Why not on one of Saturn's moons, for example? ..

5. Secrets surrounding the origin of life on Earth

We have various theories about how life originated on our planet, but we still don't know anything for sure. It is still unclear what gave the impetus chemical compounds so that they collectively form a living cell. Especially considering that completely unfavorable environment millions of years ago, in which this happened: the atmosphere was full of methane, and the planet's surface was covered with boiling lava. One of the widespread theories says that life did not originate on Earth at all, but on a planet with more suitable conditions for this, for example, on Mars, and then was brought to Earth on meteorites. This theory is called the theory of panspermia. If it is true, then why shouldn't life spread elsewhere besides Earth?

6. A growing body of evidence that seas, rivers and lakes are found on other planets in the solar system

Europe

Life on Earth originated in the ocean, if it weren't for it, all of us would not exist. But can this happen on other planets? Perhaps, after all, we have received enough convincing evidence, including photographs, that our neighbors in the solar system also have bodies of water. Once water, there are dry riverbeds on Titan, and on Europa (the moon of Jupiter) it was found completely covered with a thick layer of ice. On any of these planets, life could have previously existed. It can exist there and now, we just do not know about it yet.

7. The theory of evolution

Neil Armstrong on the moon

People are often used to explain why we will never find intelligent life in the universe. On the other hand, there is an evolutionary theory that assumes that life adapts to the demands of the environment. Although Darwin and his colleagues hardly thought about life on exoplanets when developing this theory, its unorthodox interpretations suggest that life can adapt to any conditions, for example, to open space. It is possible that one fine day we will still find life in the Universe, well, and if not, we ourselves will evolve to the possibility of living on other planets.

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Recently I came across an interesting idea about life on other planets, and in particular, why we still haven't found anything like it. Someone Schneiderman in his book "Beyond the Horizon of the Conscious World", referring to an article from the distant 90 years, talks about the concept its own cosmic frequency, which is abbreviated as SKF.

According to the academician, every body in the Universe has its own cosmic frequency. And it is the SCC that determines the nature of space and time in which this body is located. For the Earth, this indicator is 365, 25, that is, the number of revolutions around own axis during the passage around the central star - the Sun. For each planet, the SCC is unique and unrepeatable. And this is precisely the answer to the question why we feel so alone in the space of the Universe.

Our own cosmic frequency, in which we are born, forms a certain individual pattern for us, through the prism of which we look at the world. All that we are able to see is only a materialized image transformed under our perception.

This is similar to how we perceive colors. After all, flowers, as such, do not exist. We see waves of different lengths, which the brain interprets as color. And another interesting nuance is that our spectrum is far from their entire possible range. There are vibrations that the eye simply cannot recognize. We do not see ultraviolet and infrared, and many more radiation is beyond our perception.

By analogy, life on other planets in its real and objective existence cannot be recognized through the filters of the alien CFS. And even what scientists will probably one day be able to find, according to this theory, will be very far from the truth and only true in a system where the central point of reference is the planet Earth and the individual pattern or view of the Universe given by its sphere.

Contact with an objective alien is possible only through a change in its own cosmic frequency, through its correction and attunement with the object of study. However, this cannot be achieved by means of the technical means... Moreover, the adherents of the concept argue that such an artificial change in the human's TSC, if possible, will certainly lead to tragic consequences. The reason is that an unprepared mind is not able to endure such a transformation, so that afterwards it can return to its original state without disturbance and damage.

Thus, extraterrestrial contacts will be possible only through the development of consciousness through knowledge and mystical practice. Today, for humanity as a whole, these methods are not available, because the main measure of their availability is the level of ethics. And as long as there is “at least one military man on our planet, eager to seize power,” high knowledge will remain hidden from the world community behind seven locks.

Did you know that there is a planet in our solar system, the reserves of liquid water on which, most likely, exceed its volume on our native land? But this is the main criterion by which scientists have been looking for life on other planets for many years, since we have life on Earth wherever there is water. The very name of this planet is very familiar to us, because this is the same Phoenician princess and beloved of Zeus, Europe, after which the continent on which most of our readers live is named. And this is the name of one of the 4 largest satellites of Jupiter, which have been studied by scientists for a long time, since they are quite comparable in size to individual planets. Jupiter's moon Europa is the smallest of them and is almost the same diameter as our moon. However, inside Europe, most likely, hides such a huge number of secrets that, after their discovery, threaten to turn over all man's ideas about the Universe.

Is life possible in Europe?

For the first time, Galileo Galilei saw Europe in his telescope in 1610. However, this planet attracted real attention to itself only at the end of the twentieth century, when the Galileo spacecraft went to Jupiter. In 1997, he approached the satellite at a distance of 200 km, took a series of images, and also made all the necessary measurements. Since the satellite has a smooth and white surface, scientists have long hypothesized that it was formed from ice, but before Galileo's flight, it was not possible to find out for sure. The images taken by this device were able to confirm this hypothesis, and thanks to them it became clear that on the surface of Europa the ice is relatively young, and on its surface there are practically no craters. This means that there is liquid under the ice, which regularly comes out to the surface and fills the cropping craters and irregularities.

One of the main discoveries made during Galileo's flight near Europa was the discovery of cracks on its surface, which, according to appearance practically no different from those that can be observed, for example, in the Arctic. These observations could only mean one thing: on Jupiter's moon Europa, there are places where the surface ice is relatively thin, and as a result of the influence of various forces, it cracks, and water from under it flows out to the surface. Thus, traces of the vital activity of organisms, if any, on Europa, can be found not only if you drill deep under the ice, but even close to the surface. The growth of such cracks leads to the formation of whole ridges in Europe, towering several hundred meters.

During Galileo's flight around Europa, a magnetic field was also detected, which indicates the presence of salty ocean... According to some estimates, its thickness can reach 100 km, which makes Europe's water reserves truly colossal. This interested scientists so much that today several missions to Europe are being developed in the world at once, the purpose of which is to detect signs of life on it, and maybe the first aliens in the history of human civilization. Of these, one of the most promising is the Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer mission, the project of which is now being developed with the participation of NASA, ESA and Roscosmos. With a favorable set of circumstances, the JUICE device will reach Europe in 2030, after which it will have to take a series of photographs, as well as conduct a detailed survey of its surface from an altitude of less than 500 km.

The search for life on Ganymede

Perhaps, another device developed by scientists in Russia will join the JUICE mission. More precisely, these are as many as two spacecraft with the general name "Laplace-P": one of them must survey the vicinity of the Jupiter system, and the second must land on one of its satellites. Only now we are talking not about Europe, but about the satellite of Ganymede - the largest among the satellites of Jupiter with a diameter one and a half times larger than that of our Moon. According to many Russian researchers, this satellite is an even better candidate for the search for extraterrestrial life than Europe. It is located at a greater distance from Jupiter, which means that it is less susceptible to the destructive effects of radiation emanating from the gas giant. The satellite Ganymede itself is a large ice body, which, due to the effects of gravity and subsurface forces, could well form a liquid ocean, no less than on Europa. At the same time, there are many other geological attractions on the surface of the satellite that scientists would like to study.

Let's hope that the search for life on other planets will not be stopped due to another lack of funding, since discovering the secrets of the Universe, in my humble opinion, is much more useful for humanity than spending money on tanks and aircraft carriers designed to destroy their own kind.

Economist, analyst. Studied at a special gymnasium, then at the Donetsk National
University of Economics and Trade with a degree in Finance. Graduated from the magistracy and
graduate school, after which he worked for several years as a research assistant in one of the
institutions National Academy Sciences of Ukraine. In parallel with this, I received a second
higher education with a degree in Philosophy and Religious Studies. Prepared for
defending a Ph.D. thesis in economics. I write scientific and journalistic articles with
2010. I am fond of economics, politics, science, religion and many others.

We do not (yet) have direct evidence that life exists on other planets, their satellites, as well as in interstellar space. And yet, there are compelling and very compelling reasons to believe that over time we will find such life, perhaps even in our solar system. Here are seven reasons why scientists believe that life must exist somewhere and is only waiting to meet with us. Maybe they won't be green-skinned ladies in flying saucers, but they will still be aliens.

1. Extremophiles on Earth

One of the main questions is whether life can exist and develop in worlds that are radically different from the earthly one. It seems that the answer to this question is yes, if you think about the fact that even on our planet there are extremophiles, or organisms that can survive in extreme conditions of heat, cold, exposure to toxic (for us) chemicals, and even in a vacuum. We have found living things that live without oxygen at the very edge of hot volcanic vents on the ocean floor. We found life in brackish waters high in the Andes mountains, as well as in the subglacial lakes of the Arctic. There are even tiny organisms called tardigrades (Tardigrada) that can survive in the vacuum of space. So, we have direct evidence that life can quite successfully exist in a hostile environment on Earth. In other words, we know that life can survive in the conditions that we observe on other planets and their satellites. We just haven't found her yet.

2. Evidence for the presence of starting materials and prototypes of life on other planets and satellites

Life on Earth likely originated from chemical reactions that eventually formed cell membranes and proto-DNA. But these primary chemical reactions could start in the atmosphere and in the ocean with complex organic compounds such as nucleic acids, proteins, carbohydrates and lipids. There is evidence that such “precursors of life” already exist in other worlds. They exist in the atmosphere of Titan, astronomers have noticed them in the rich environment of the Orion Nebula. Again, this does not mean that we have found life. However, we have found ingredients that many scientists believe contributed to the development of life on Earth. If such ingredients are common throughout the universe, then it is quite possible that life has appeared in other places, and not just on our home planet.

3. Rapidly increasing number of Earth-like planets

Over the past decade, celestial hunters have discovered hundreds of planets beyond Solar system, many of which, like Jupiter, are gas giants. However, new methods of finding planets have allowed them to find smaller, solid worlds such as Earth. Some of them are even in orbit around their stars in the so-called "habitable zone", that is, at such a distance when temperatures close to Earth's occur on them. And given the huge number of planets outside the solar system, it is likely that some form of life exists on one of them.

4. The enormous diversity and resilience of life on Earth

Life on Earth developed under extremely difficult conditions. Sometimes she managed to survive the most powerful volcanic eruptions, meteorite strikes, ice ages, droughts, ocean acidification and radical changes in the atmosphere. We also observe an incredible variety of life on our planet in a fairly short period of time - in geological terms. Life is also a pretty persistent thing. Why shouldn't it originate and take root on one of Saturn's moons or in another star system?

5. Secrets surrounding the origin of life on Earth

While we have theories about the origins of life on Earth, involving the complex carbon molecules I mentioned earlier, it is ultimately a big mystery, such as chemical substances coalesced to form fragile membranes that eventually became cells. And the more we learn about what an unfavorable environment existed on Earth, when life was born and developed - an atmosphere filled with methane, boiling lava on the surface - the more mysterious the mystery of the origin of life becomes. There is one general theory that simple single-celled life actually originated somewhere else, maybe on Mars, and was brought to Earth by meteorites. This is the theory of pansermia, and it is based on the hypothesis that life on Earth originated from life on other planets.

6. Oceans and lakes are widespread, at least in our solar system

Life on Earth originated in the ocean, and from this it follows that from water it could appear in other worlds. There is compelling evidence that Mars once flowed freely and abundantly, and Saturn's moon Titan has methane seas and rivers flowing across its surface. It is believed that Jupiter's moon Europa is one continuous ocean, warmed by the crust of this moon and completely covered with a thick protective layer of ice. In any of these worlds, life could once exist, and maybe it still exists now.

7. Evolutionary theory

People often use the Fermi Paradox as proof that we will never find intelligent life in our universe. On the other side is evolutionary theory, which postulates that life adapts to its environment. Darwin and his contemporaries hardly thought about life on planets outside the solar system when they created their theory of evolution, however, they also argued that where life can take root, it will definitely do it. And if you think that our environment it is not only planets, but also other stellar systems, and interstellar space, then an original assumption can be made within the interpretation of the evolutionary theory - that life will adapt to open space too. One day we may meet creatures that have evolved in ways that are inconceivable for us. Or we ourselves may one day become such beings.

Was there life on other planets? There is growing evidence that Venus was once inhabited.

If you could go back 3 billion years in time and land on any planet in our solar system, what place would you choose? The Earth, with its barren continents and its breathless atmosphere? Or maybe Mars frozen through and through? What about Venus?

Second planet from the Sun

"If Venus rotated faster in the past, then most likely the planet has remained as lifeless as it is now."

Venus now appears to be hell in the flesh. The temperature of its surface, just think, 464 degrees Celsius. However, three billion years ago, this planet may have been the most suitable habitat within the solar system, or at least the second, after the Earth. This hypothesis has been in the scientific community for a long time, but thanks to new climate models created by scientists from the Goddard Institute for Space Research, we have good reason to believe in it.

These models suggest that Venus may have actually been a resort planet about 2 billion years ago. Moderate terrestrial climate, acceptable temperatures, liquid oceans of water. In fact, the ideal place, if you do not take into account the increased, compared with the current level on Earth, about 40 percent, the level of radiation. These models are built taking into account the difference in the speed of rotation of Venus.

« If we take a world similar to Venus, slowly rotating and located in a system of a star like the Sun, then this world is quite suitable for the existence of life, especially in the oceans."Says Michael Wei, lead author of a new study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

The level of habitability on Earth and Mars has constantly changed throughout the history of the solar system. Geological evidence suggests Mars was once wetter in the distant past, but whether it had an ocean of liquid water or was constantly covered in ice caps is still the subject of much debate. The earth, in turn, went through the stages of transformation from a greenhouse greenhouse into an ice block and back. All this time, oxygen was accumulating in its atmosphere, which made it more and more suitable for complex life forms.

Potential cradle of humanity

"If we take a world similar to Venus, slowly rotating and located in a system of stars like the Sun, then this world is quite suitable for the existence of life, especially in the oceans."

But what about Venus? Our closest neighbor and its level of habitability have quite undeservedly attracted less attention from scientists than Mars.

Our little interest in this planet is very likely due to the way Venus appears to us now: a lifeless world, with an impenetrable dense atmosphere, toxic thunderclouds and atmospheric pressure 100 times higher than on Earth. When a planet and its atmosphere within a few seconds is able to transform one space probe after another into molten goulash, it is quite understandable why people are very skeptical in its favor and decide to turn their attention to something else.

However, even if Venus is so strange and terrible today, this does not mean that it has always been that way. The fact is that absolutely the entire surface of this planet has changed as a result of prolonged volcanic activity about 700 million years ago. And we do not know what it was like before that time. Measuring the ratio of hydrogen isotopes in Venus's atmosphere shows that the planet once had much more water. Perhaps there was so much of it that it was enough for whole oceans.

Therefore, in an attempt to answer the question of whether Venus was once inhabited, Wei and his colleagues added information from a common topographic database collected using spacecraft Magellan, with data on estimates of water reserves and levels of solar radiation typical of Venus in the past. All of this information has been loaded into global climate models similar to those used for modeling and learning. climate change on the ground.

The results were quite intriguing. Despite the fact that ancient Venus received much more sunlight about 2.9 billion years ago than modern Earth, Wei's models showed that the average temperature on its surface was only 11 degrees Celsius. About 715 million years ago, the temperature rose by only 4 degrees. In other words, for more than 2 billion years, the temperature at the planet's surface was suitable for the existence of life.

Electric Winds of Venus

Powerful "electric winds" on Venus could have caused water to evaporate from the planet's atmosphere, according to new research. However, there is one "but" here. These numbers are entirely dependent on Venus's past, according to which it has similar topographic and orbital characteristics to the "current version" of the planet. When Wei reconfigured his models but made Venus more like today's Earth, 2.9 billion years old, its surface temperature rose sharply.

« We wanted to see how a change in topography could affect the climate of this world.", Says Wei.

The scientist notes that the reason for this may be changes in the amount of the reflective surface of Venus, as well as a shift in atmospheric dynamics. Another interesting observation is related to the rotation of Venus. In the original computer models of Venus, 2.9 billion years old, Wei set the speed of rotation equal to the current 243 Earth days. As soon as its orbital period was reduced to 16 days, the planet immediately "turned into a double boiler." This is due to the areas of special circulation of the atmosphere of Venus on both sides of the equator.

« The Earth has several regions of circulation, as our planet rotates rapidly. However, if it spins slowly, then there will be only two areas: one in the north, the other in the south. And this will change the whole atmospheric dynamics to a very large extent.", Says Wei.

If Venus spins slowly, then huge greenhouse clouds will form right under the heliographic place of the luminary (that is, exactly the point on the surface where the sun's rays fall). This will actually turn Venus into one giant solar reflector. If Venus spins faster, this effect will not occur. This study does not provide a clear answer to the question of whether Venus was once inhabited. However, it gives an idea of ​​the scenario in which it could be. It is worth noting that the planet's rotation rate can change dramatically over time. For example, our Earth slows down its rotation due to the gravity of the Moon. Some scientists speculate that Venus has rotated much faster in the past. However, finding out this is an extremely difficult task. The most appropriate solution is to observe compact and Venus-like planets.

The mystery of Venus

If we assume that Venus was indeed a habitable planet several billion years ago, then it is worth thinking about what kind of catastrophe led to what Venus is now?

« We need to collect and validate more data before we can say more. Wei replies.

The scientist adds that worlds like Venus should not be considered a priori as uninhabited.

« If we talk about the habitable zone of the star, then Venus is usually considered outside of it."- says the scientist.

« For modern Venus, this observation is true. However, if a world similar to Venus were located near a sun-like star and at the same time had a lower rotational speed, then this world would definitely be suitable for the existence of life, especially in the oceans, if there were any.».

Scientists believe that today's Venus may contain many secrets about the nature of life on Earth. From meteorites, we learned that a transfer of material took place between Mars and Earth, which in turn made astrobiologists wonder if the Red Planet could "seed" the Earth with life. If a similar opinion is true for Venus, then this planet should also be added to the list of potential incubators of earthly life. Surprisingly, we still don't know if there are meteorites from Venus on Earth. First of all, because we have not yet had the opportunity to analyze the Venusian breed and compare it with the terrestrial one.

In general, we cannot immediately deny the possibility that this acid bath, which Venus is now, could have been the homeland of our most ancient ancestors.

« It is quite possible that life in the solar system began with Venus and then migrated to Earth. Or maybe vice versa", Says Wei.