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Begin the new year with the thought: Could 2025 be the year we find conclusive evidence for extraterrestrial life? Given that both JWST and the Simons Observatory will now be viewing the universe simultaneously.
From the dragons of The Hobbit and Game of Thrones to the Merfolk of Harry Potter, every fantastic creature that we ever wanted to find, what if we could come across them in this universe as extraterrestrial life? Since the dawn of knowledge, we have looked to the skies, hoping for a sign of life beyond our own Earth. What if there is a possibility, ever so remote, that alien life could resemble the fantastical creatures of science fiction and fantasy? Could there be dragons soaring through alien skies or mermaids swimming in extraterrestrial oceans?
In 1961 American scientist Frank Drake tried to quantify the problem by looking at probabilities, laying down the parameters that would affect the numbers of active, communicative civilisations in our galaxy. He estimated over 1500 billion such alien civilizations across our entire universe! However, this is just an estimate based on parameters we still don’t understand completely, and the discovery of exoplanets has exponentially increased our knowledge of the universe and habitable planets around stars. Let's explore some of these parameters here.
The Goldilocks zone is a certain orbital distance around a star that can in theory support liquid water, and thus life. Since water can only exist in a narrow temperature range, the habitable planet cannot be too hot or too cold. However, there are various factors such as gravity, atmosphere, composition which also affect the habitability of the planet. Our moon lies in the Goldilocks zone of our Sun too, however is inhabitable due to a lack of atmosphere.
The presence of liquid water on Earth has given way to astonishing biodiversity, however many organisms have adapted to an amazing array of environments, from the crushing depths of the Mariana Trench to the acidic springs of Yellowstone. This diversity suggests that alien life could similarly adapt to the varied conditions found on exoplanets.
For a planet with a lower gravity than Earth, more massive creatures with lower bone density could exist, similar to dragons of our fantasy worlds! With lesser gravitational pull, these beings could grow to immense sizes, rivalling those of our dinosaurs, without their structures collapsing under their own weight, and their lower bone density could allow development of larger wingspans and semi-hollow bones for flight. A high oxygen atmosphere or high volcanic activity could also promote the evolution of fire-breathing organisms with specialized glands to store combustible chemicals and self igniting mechanisms!
Conversely, on a high-gravity planet, creatures would likely be more robust and compact, potentially resembling the sturdy, resilient dwarves of fantasy worlds. They would need stronger, denser bones to support their weight and withstand the constant pull of gravity, along with a more compact, stocky build to minimize the stress on their skeletons.
A hypothetical exoplanet with vast, dense forests and abundant arboreal prey might evolve elongated limbs and prehensile tails for navigating the treetops, giving them an appearance reminiscent of the tree-dwelling elves of folklore. Similarly, underwater ecosystems might give rise to streamlined, fish-like creatures or even intelligent beings with human-like traits, echoing the image of merfolk.
Imagine the wonders of the universe, where alien species' lives are shaped by evolutionary pressures on far-off exoplanets. The same dynamics that drive the development of life on Earth—predation, competition for resources, and environmental challenges—may also give rise to otherworldly beings that are perfectly adapted to their own worlds.
The quest for extraterrestrial life perseveres everyday, with astrobiologists delving into the potential for life in extreme environments, from the icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn to the scorching surface of Venus. With the powerful James Webb Space Telescope examining the atmospheres of far flung exoplanets for biosignatures, missions such as the Mars rovers are constantly searching for evidence of life on the Red Planet.
Time and time again, science has followed in the footsteps of science fiction and fantasy, from marvelous submarines in Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea to the accurate depiction of black holes in Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar. As the great science fiction author Isaac Asimov once said, “Today’s science fiction is tomorrow’s science fact.” Maybe, some day, we’ll find extraterrestrial life not unlike the creatures found in our imaginations!
Author: Ria Srivastava Illustrator: Harisankaran
Editor and Reviewer: Aviral Srivastava
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