If you ask anyone whether they believe there’s life on other planets, most will likely say yes. Aliens have been an ever-present element in people’s entertainment, as they have the almost innate belief they’re not alone.
“We know where to look. We know how to look.”
NASA’s chief scientist strongly believes there are solid signs of alien life within the last decade and strong evidence of it within 20 to 30 years. Scientists and space enthusiasts alike have been working on gathering evidence to back claims of the extraterrestrial.
During a panel discussion on NASA’s search for habitable worlds and alien life, the head of scientists formally expressed his confidence in having the appropriate tools to find solid evidence. In fact, scientists have already amassed these incredible findings about aliens from the past years.
Pulse of Radiation
In August 1977, the Ohio State University radio telescope detected pulsating radiation near the Sagittarius constellation. The signal was found within the section of the radio frequencies banned on Earth. This movement was unusual, given that most of space’s natural radiation sources have more comprehensive frequencies. Although the signal is still unexplained, it can be associated with something unearthly. With the closest star within the area being approximately 220 million light-years away, the movement can only be created by either a significant astronomical event or, perhaps, intelligent extraterrestrials equipped with a highly advanced transmitter.
Fossilized Microbes
Years after, in 1996, NASA scientists announced that they’d found what looked like a potato-shaped lump of fossilized microbes on a Martian rock. They initially found the object in 1984, and its origin was assumed to come from a meteorite off Mars that wandered around the solar system for millions of years before landing on Antarctica. After careful analysis, the rock contained organic molecules and mineral magnetite, often found in Earth’s bacteria. Researchers have also claimed to spot nanobacteria. However, much of this evidence has been challenged.
Europe’s Red Tinge
In 2001, NASA researchers associated Europa’s red tinge with alien microbes. Although its surface is dominated by ice, the data showed that it oddly reflects infrared radiation, indicating that magnesium salt might bind it together. To this day, nobody has found the right compound combination to help make sense of the data. However, the infrared spectrum found in some earthly bacteria intriguingly fits this data.
Sulfur Traces on Europa
In 2003, Italian scientists connected the sulfur traces on Europa with alien life. These sulfuric signatures appear similar to bacterial waste products locked into the iced surfaces of Antarctica’s lakes. Researchers suggest that the bacteria survived in water, and similar bacteria might’ve also thrived below Europa’s surface. Additionally, the Galileo space probe first detected the compounds and evidence of a volcanically-warmed ocean beneath the moon’s ice crust, which can help explain this phenomenon. However, other experts have rejected the idea. Instead, they’ve suggested that these sulfuric substances originated from the neighboring moon.
Life on Other Planets
Recent research has suggested that nearby planets could support some form of life. Throughout the rounds of observation within the other planets, scientists have discovered a warm ocean on Saturn’s Enceladus. They have also reported that one of Jupiter’s moons, the “Ganymede,” houses a salty ocean underneath the surface. The presence of water is firmly believed to be one of the possibly numerous solid signs of life on the other planets.
These scientists’ central goal is to find evidence of present or past life beyond Earth. However, along the way, numerous mysteries surrounding the moon and planets and the makeup of space will inevitably be unraveled and confronted as well. Later, the search for extraterrestrial life is possible only as part of the exploration dynamics, the makeup, the history, and the many as-yet-unknown wonders of the cosmos.
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