Seven facts about aliens that science has so far discovered, from lunar bugs to ocean moons

 Seven facts about aliens that science has so far discovered, from lunar bugs to ocean moons

Here are some things we now know about extraterrestrial life owing to science. Extraterrestrial life may really exist amid the stars.

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The program has explored a variety of tales throughout the years on what life on other planets may be like and what finding alien life would mean. We have chosen some of our favorite extraterrestrial facts as we begin a week of special coverage on aliens in honor of the forthcoming 60th anniversary of Doctor Who, the most well-known alien lifeform.

Our fortunate encounter with extraterrestrial life

We now understand that the Moon is a site of death. We couldn't be certain, however, until the Apollo 11 astronauts touched down there. The three crew members on the trip really faced the very real risk of returning with space bugs.

Strict anti-contamination measures were in place when the Apollo spacecraft landed in the ocean following its lunar voyage to stop extraterrestrial life from spreading to Earth. Until they entered quarantine, the astronauts were supposed to remain inside with the door shut. But they were permitted to open the door since it was hot and unpleasant while bouncing about on the waves.

Lunar bugs may have taken advantage of this chance to cross into the Pacific Ocean if they had hopped along with the journey. In theory, it may have been disastrous for life on Earth. Fortunately for us, it didn't occur.

Read more in this essay by Richard Fisher on the incidents that could have unintentionally destroyed mankind.

Perhaps the greatest areas to look for extraterrestrial life are on ocean moons.

It is thought that some moons in our solar system contain oceans that are eerily identical to our own: they are salty and heated by hydrothermal vents. These lunar waters may now be the greatest areas to look for alien life, according to experts.

While Saturn's moon Enceladus generates enormous water plumes that suggest the presence of hydrothermal vents on its ocean bottom, Jupiter's moon Europa is considered to have more liquid water than all of Earth's seas combined.

It might be important if they turn out to be comparable to deep ocean vents discovered on Earth. These are among the most likely locations for the origin of life on Earth.

The moons of Jupiter, Callisto and Ganymede, as well as Saturn's Titan, are other moons that may harbor life. Over the next ten years, a number of significant space missions are planned to look for signs of life in extraterrestrial seas. What kind of life would we find, though? 

Why we're not ready for an extraterrestrial visit

Although alien life has not yet been found, would we treat it respectfully if it were? Fictional situations haven't given us much hope since extraterrestrials are often portrayed as inferior and subservient to humans. Universal rights are too often not upheld, even among the current population of humans on our globe. 

However, ethical theorists are increasingly debating what might occur in the event of extraterrestrial contact. One crucial first step would be to determine their consciousness and intellect. Another would be to determine what they intended.

We could also have to ask quickly what rights they would be prepared to provide us in exchange, particularly if they already have the capacity to land on Earth.

Not every "alien" signal originates from space

Many hours are spent by astronomers gazing upward, searching the skies for signals that could provide information about far-off stars, exoplanets, and galaxies. But on sometimes, they also need to look closer to home and stoop down.

Researchers at Australia's Parke's Observatory in New South Wales in 1998 made the unexpected discovery of radio bursts that lasted a few milliseconds and were observed over a period of many weeks. Strangely, they only appeared to happen on weekdays during business hours.

The source was eventually located in 2015 by scientists. The observatory's microwave was to blame. When the researchers were heating up their meal, the bursts were captured on camera. The observatory's antenna detected transient emissions of radio waves of around 2.4GHz as a result of opening the microwave oven before it had pinged.

There may already be Earthlings on Mars.

Spacecraft are meticulously maintained before launch to prevent any contamination with creatures that would later be taken off our planet. The construction of orbiters, landers, and rovers takes place in clean rooms under rigorous guidelines, including the pre-infection of every component.

However, it is very hard to totally keep germs off the surfaces of spacecraft. Instead, they are maintained as low as possible in the hopes that whatever that does survive would perish in space's hostile environment. 

However, it has been shown that certain creatures are able to endure both cleaning and space travel. Even in the pristine rooms where some of the robotic rovers trundling about on the surface of Mars were constructed, scientists have discovered DNA from bacteria with tolerance to radiation, cold temperatures, and desiccation. Could we have sent life to Mars? is a question that is raised by this.

UFO sightings correlate with socioeconomic changes Titan may have "vinyl life," or cells made of the cyanide present in its atmosphere.

Unexpectedly, there was a significant increase in UFO sightings throughout the US during the Covid-19 outbreak, according to specialists. People were suddenly confined to their houses, giving them more opportunity to observe the night sky. Perhaps something we had previously overlooked was being seen by all those additional eyes. This was one explanation that may apply.

The researchers instead suggest another reason in a study article regarding their findings: During lockdowns, people were just paying greater attention to questionable items. 

There has been an increase in sightings since the US government's first evaluation of UFOs, or unexplained anomalous phenomena (UAPs), in 2021. There were more than 350 in only the previous year, as opposed to 144 during the previous 17 years combined. The phenomena has been labeled "a new age of UFO mania" by some analysts. Nasa just recently began its first investigation into these allegations.

Read this article by Zaria Gorvett to learn more about how NASA makes the distinction between conspiracies and events deserving of study.

But not life as we know it: Titan

There is a surprisingly livable mass of rock, with immense liquid seas and a dense atmosphere, located some 746 million miles (1.2 billion km) from Earth.

Perhaps there are microbes moving deep beneath these oceans. Titan, Saturn's biggest moon, is expected to have conditions favorable for life, both in the seas of liquid methane that cover its surface and the oceans of water that are assumed to be subterranean to Titan.

According to one theory, Titan may have "vinyl life"—cells made of the cyanide present in its atmosphere. Now, researchers are seeking to find some solutions. For Titan's next summer in 2047, NASA has suggested deploying a submersible to investigate the methane ocean near its north pole.