These radio signals are actually really strong pulses of energy. The power behind the energy pulses has over 1000 times more energy than our sun. Scientists have speculated a number of different causes for these FRBs (fast radio bursts), ranging from black holes, to stellar flares, to even extraterrestrial life.
While most of these FRBs are a one-and-done type of thing, scientists have recently discovered that a specific FRB is repeating itself on a regular cycle. The bursts of radio signal go on for four days, then stop for 12 days, and repeat this 16-day cycle. Is this evidence that there are aliens out there? Probably not. The bursts that happen over the four-day period are relatively random, which leads researchers to believe that these bursts are simply being interrupted by something, like an object in orbit or a black hole.
However, the human race has hardly explored any of the galaxy. Just because we have not seen aliens does not mean they don’t exist. Just because no other planets in our area have liquid water on them does not mean that there aren’t other solar systems out there with water. Even this line of thought is assuming that all extraterrestrials need water to live, which might not be true. The universe is absolutely enormous, if not infinite, so the probability that alien life exists is large.
For as big as the universe is, we haven’t seen any aliens (unless the government is hiding them from us, but that's a whole other topic). The universe is old too; scientists can only guess it's about 14 billion years old. Take a look at how much progress humanity has made in the past century alone. Assuming there’s extraterrestrial life that has been around longer than the Earth, and could be smarter than humanity, there’s no reason we shouldn’t already have proof of aliens. All these questions are asked and discussed by the Fermi Paradox.
I could go on about space forever, but I’ll end it here: Do you think aliens exist or are we the only planet with life? Why or why not?
I think that there is a possibility that life on other planets can exist based on the sheer size of the universe. On top of that, we still don't know if the universe is finite or if it goes on endlessly. If the universe is infinite the matter in the universe will repeat itself creating infinitely many planet Earths which would have life on those planets as well.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI found this really interesting because my sister wants to be an aeronautical engineer and all she ever talks about is space and physics. I think that their is life outside of this world, but I don't necessarily think of them as aliens. They could look exactly like us, or look completely different. We may never know. But I think it's virtually impossible that we are the only form of life in this universe considering the fact that there are plenty of other planets around that are also able to support life.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think that there is bound to be life somewhere in space. I just think that since the universe is so expansive and filled with so many planets we believe are habitable, there has to be life at some point. The only issue I believe is whether or not we'll ever be able to contact them, due to possible technological incompatibilities, or just the massive distance between these habitable planets. Even though we may never know, it is fun to think about.
ReplyDeleteI do think there is life on other planets, but probably not aliens. I believe that there are bacteria and other microorganisms living in other planets because scientists have found water on many celestial bodies in space. I also think that there is a planet out there that can support life (like a planet similar to Earth), and that we just haven't discovered it yet.
ReplyDelete