Discovery Of Extraterrestrial Life Research Articles

Astrobiology, a New Chapter in the Book of Nature

ABSTRACT The two books' metaphor (book of scripture and book of nature) provides an invitation for re-examining traditional Christian doctrine and practice when extra-terrestrial life is discovered. Christian churches are encouraged to refine their teachings in three areas: (1) anthropocentric creation; (2) the fall; and (3) imago Dei. The work Teilhard de Chardin lays the groundwork for these conversations. I propose that the discovery of extra-terrestrial life could precipitate a re-imagination of church doctrine in these areas. Furthermore, this conversion of thought will be valuable, in a practical sense, toward a renewed sense of gratitude and stewardship toward life on earth.

Extraterrestrial Soteriology

One scientific objection to religion is that the discovery of extraterrestrial life would show that our religions are not veridical, with Christianity being the most common target. I will first look at a parallel issue, the ancient and medieval controversy over antipodes. This raises two problematic Christian doctrines that would apply equally to extraterrestrials: the transmission of original sin and the cosmic fall. These issues raise questions about their spiritual status, but I conclude that not having such answers does not amount to an objection to Christianity’s credibility.

Oceans Across the Solar System and the Search for Extraoceanic Life: Technologies for Remote Sensing and In Situ Exploration

Earth’s ocean comprises 99% of the habitable volume of our planet and contains the largest biomass and species diversity in the known universe. Perhaps unsurprisingly, recent advances in the search for life elsewhere in our solar system have increasingly pointed to potentially viable niches for life on other dynamic ocean worlds such as Titan, Europa, and Enceladus, among other moons of the outer gas giants. Indeed, the discovery of extraterrestrial life on these icy water bodies may motivate adopting an altogether new terminology and further non-anthropic perspective on the cosmos for what may well prove to be an abundant and diverse extraoceanic life, to coin a term. Exploration of such ocean worlds across the solar system will undoubtedly be enabled by technological developments in a range of sensing methodologies primarily developed for oceanography on Earth. As we have learned studying our home ocean, where less than 10% of the benthic surface has been optically imaged, the challenge is daunting, yet recent advances give hope. Here, we review some of the state-of-the-art techniques from oceanography and planetary science that may inform sensing of the biological and geophysical properties of ocean worlds, ranging from large-scale synoptic views afforded by active and passive remote sensing to in situ autonomous sampling and methods for detecting biosignatures.

2021, Year of Discovery of Extraterrestrial Life, on Mars?

2021, Year of Discovery of Extraterrestrial Life, on Mars?

HOW VENUS BECAME COOL: SOCIAL AND MORAL DIMENSIONS OF BIOSIGNATURE SCIENCE

AbstractA 2020 scientific report indicated the presence of phosphine, a potential biosignature chemical, in the atmosphere of Venus. As a result, Venus instantly became a global cultural celebrity. How did Venus become so fashionable, so cool in colloquial language, so quickly? I contend that Venus became the center of attention at least temporarily because Venus became moral. Since life at present is a concept that is as much moral as it is scientific, I explain this point by offering a geographically broad sampling of world philosophies that show that secular and religious Western forms of thought strongly value life over nonlife as do many Asian traditions. These cultural valuations of life over nonlife become infused in human psychologies globally and astonish us at the discovery of extraterrestrial life. This essay's substantial culture sample thereby demonstrates that Venus became revered because of deep‐seated but also widespread attitudes of special moral attendance to the presence of life especially in extraterrestrial settings.

How Will the Emerging Plurality of Lives Change How We Conceive of and Relate to Life?

The project “A Plurality of Lives” was funded and hosted by the Pufendorf Institute for Advanced Studies at Lund University, Sweden. The aim of the project was to better understand how a second origin of life, either in the form of a discovery of extraterrestrial life, life developed in a laboratory, or machines equipped with abilities previously only ascribed to living beings, will change how we understand and relate to life. Because of the inherently interdisciplinary nature of the project aim, the project took an interdisciplinary approach with a research group made up of 12 senior researchers representing 12 different disciplines. The project resulted in a joint volume, an international symposium, several new projects, and a network of researchers in the field, all continuing to communicate about and advance the aim of the project.

Mythic forecasts: researcher portrayals of extraterrestrial life discovery

AbstractScientific discovery, especially at the boundaries of human observational capacity, is an extended, incremental and sometimes controversy-laden process; but practicing researchers' published statements do not always portray it as such. If extraterrestrial life (ETL) exists, and if we find it, the process of observation, interpretation, understanding and confirmation may take decades. Though it is, thus, likely that scientific consensus will accrue around an ETL interpretation in a gradual and subtle process, the general public and even practicing scientists often discuss ETL discovery as though it will be rapid and dramatic. To illustrate this phenomenon, this review analyses a convenience sample of astronomers', astrobiologists' and astrosociologists' statements and assumptions in scholarly and general-audience media regarding a prospective discovery of ETL. Of 30 surveyed scholarly studies and 37 surveyed general-audience pieces, 24 scholarly and scientists' perspectives in 32 general-audience pieces do not acknowledge the extended nature of scientific discovery; and only three and four, respectively, do so explicitly. These results suggest that ETL researchers' statements could often portray an inaccurate or at least atypical vision of scientific progress in their own studies and to general-audience media outlets.

On a morphology of contact scenario space

The purpose of this paper is to explore the possibility space of scenarios of ‘contact’—the discovery of extra-terrestrial life, whether intelligent or not—using a morphological approach utilising seven principal parameters, chosen both for their descriptiveness of the scope of possibilities, as well as for their relevance in examining potential societal impacts arising from different scenarios, including, for example, the proximity of the discovery. Several classes of contact scenario are examined, and existing approaches to the search for extra-terrestrial life and intelligence are situated within the range of possible search strategies and targets illuminated by this particular choice of parameters, as are some examples of contact scenarios from popular culture. The resulting possibility space can also suggest new search strategies and potential targets, one of which is highlighted—that of ‘galaxy-scale macro-engineering’. It is hypothesised that an example of this might already be known to us, namely the intriguing galaxy ‘Hoag's Object’ (PGC54559), and some specific empirical observations are suggested in order to test this hypothesis. Some possible extensions to the parameters used, as well as some preliminary observations about modelling the range and extent of human societal responses to contact, are also made.

Fermi's paradox, extraterrestrial life and the future of humanity: a Bayesian analysis

AbstractThe Great Filter interpretation of Fermi's great silence asserts thatNpqis not a very large number, whereNis the number of potentially life-supporting planets in the observable universe,pis the probability that a randomly chosen such planet develops intelligent life to the level of present-day human civilization, andqis the conditional probability that it then goes on to develop a technological supercivilization visible all over the observable universe. Evidence suggests thatNis huge, which implies thatpqis very small. Hanson (1998) and Bostrom (2008) have argued that the discovery of extraterrestrial life would point towardspnot being small and therefore a very smallq, which can be seen as bad news for humanity's prospects of colonizing the universe. Here we investigate whether a Bayesian analysis supports their argument, and the answer turns out to depend critically on the choice of prior distribution.

Pluralism or unity in biology: could microbes hold the secret to life?

Pluralism is popular among philosophers of biology. This essay argues that negative judgments about universal biology, while understandable, are very premature. Familiar life on Earth represents a single example of life and, most importantly, there are empirical as well as theoretical reasons for suspecting that it may be unrepresentative. Scientifically compelling generalizations about the unity of life (or lack thereof) must await the discovery of forms of life descended from an alternative origin, the most promising candidate being the discovery of extraterrestrial life. Nonetheless, in the absence of additional examples of life, we are best off exploring the microbial world for promising explanatory concepts, principles, and mechanisms rather than prematurely giving up on universal biology. Unicellular microbes (especially prokaryotes) are by far the oldest, metabolically most diverse, and environmentally tolerant form of life on our planet. Yet somewhat ironically, much of our theorizing about life still implicitly privileges complex multicellular eukaryotes, which are now understood to be highly specialized, fragile latecomers to Earth. The problem with pursuing a pluralist approach to understanding life is that it is likely to blind us to the significance of just those entities and causal processes most likely to shed light on the underlying nature of life.

The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence: Astrosociology and Cultural Aspects

The search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) is a human activity with profound implications for society and culture that fall within the purview of astrosociology. In this article, we review some of the astrosociological aspects of SETI and identify ways to seek evidence-based, rather than purely speculative, answers. Recurrent issues include the organization and conduct of the search; human-alien comprehension and communication; human reactions to the discovery of extraterrestrial life; and the comparative analysis of possible extraterrestrial civilizations. Over the past 50 years, a small but growing number of anthropologists, artists, historians, philosophers, political scientists, psychologists, sociologists, and theologians have applied their expertise to SETI and its possible consequences. The current challenge for astrosociology is not gaining entrée to SETI; rather, it is one of increasing the interest of more social and behavioral scientists in the search and its potential effects.

Discovery of extra-terrestrial life: assessment by scales of its importance and associated risks

The Rio Scale accepted by the SETI Committee of the International Academy of Astronautics in 2002 is intended for use in evaluating the impact on society of any announcement regarding the discovery of evidence of extra-terrestrial (ET) intelligence. The Rio Scale is mathematically defined using three parameters (class of phenomenon, type of discovery and distance) and a δ factor, the assumed credibility of a claim. This paper proposes a new scale applicable to announcements alleging evidence of ET life within or outside our Solar System. The London Scale for astrobiology has mathematical structure and logic similar to the Rio Scale, and uses four parameters (life form, nature of phenomenon, type of discovery and distance) as well as a credibility factor δ to calculate a London Scale index (LSI) with values ranging from 0 to 10. The level of risk or biohazard associated with a purported discovery is evaluated independently of the LSI value and may be ranked in four categories. The combined information is intended to provide a scalar assessment of the scientific importance, validity and potential risks associated with putative evidence of ET life discovered on Earth, on nearby bodies in the Solar System or in our Galaxy.

Communicating about the discovery of extraterrestrial life: Different searches, different issues

Current searches for evidence of extraterrestrial (ET) life are accomplished in a number of distinctly different ways. The various searches can be viewed in three general categories: (1) ‘SETI’ searches for messages from extraterrestrial civilizations, (2) exploration for extrasolar or habitable planets, and (3) searches and research within the solar system (e.g., planetary missions, meteorites, cosmochemistry). Each search-type occurs in different locations, uses different scientific instruments and methods, and seeks different types of evidence and data. Moreover, the meaning and implications of a ‘discovery’ in each of the categories are different, as are the policy, legal and societal ramifications. In considering how to manage future communications about the discovery of extraterrestrial life, it will be important to understand these distinctions, anticipate relevant concerns and issues, and be prepared to explain them clearly to the public.

The need for operating guidelines and a decision making framework applicable to the discovery of non-intelligent extraterrestrial life

While formal principles have been adopted for the eventuality of detecting intelligent life in our galaxy (SETI Principles), no such guidelines exist for the discovery of non-intelligent extraterrestrial life within the solar system. Current scientifically based planetary protection policies for solar system exploration address how to undertake exploration, but do not provide clear guidance on what to do if and when life is detected. Considering that martian life could be detected under several different robotic and human exploration scenarios in the coming decades, it is appropriate to anticipate how detection of non-intelligent, microbial life could impact future exploration missions and activities, especially on Mars. This paper discusses a proposed set of interim guidelines based loosely on the SETI Principles and addresses issues extending from the time of discovery through future handling and treatment of extraterrestrial life on Mars or elsewhere. Based on an analysis of both scientific and ethical considerations, there is a clear need for developing operating protocols applicable at the time of discovery and a decision making framework that anticipates future missions and activities, both robotic and human. There is growing scientific confidence that the discovery of extraterrestrial life in some form is nearly inevitable. If and when life is discovered beyond Earth, non-scientific dimensions may strongly influence decisions about the nature and scope of future missions and activities. It is appropriate to encourage international discussion and consideration of the issues prior to an event of such historical significance.

Education for macro-engineering?: A new challenge to industrialized societies

The purpose of this paper is to explore the possibility space of scenarios of ‘contact’—the discovery of extra-terrestrial life, whether intelligent or not—using a morphological approach utilising seven principal parameters, chosen both for their descriptiveness of the scope of possibilities, as well as for their relevance in examining potential societal impacts arising from different scenarios, including, for example, the proximity of the discovery. Several classes of contact scenario are examined, and existing approaches to the search for extra-terrestrial life and intelligence are situated within the range of possible search strategies and targets illuminated by this particular choice of parameters, as are some examples of contact scenarios from popular culture. The resulting possibility space can also suggest new search strategies and potential targets, one of which is highlighted—that of ‘galaxy-scale macro-engineering’. It is hypothesised that an example of this might already be known to us, namely the intriguing galaxy ‘Hoag's Object’ (PGC54559), and some specific empirical observations are suggested in order to test this hypothesis. Some possible extensions to the parameters used, as well as some preliminary observations about modelling the range and extent of human societal responses to contact, are also made.

Teaching the Patient About His Chronic Pulmonary Diseases

While formal principles have been adopted for the eventuality of detecting intelligent life in our galaxy (SETI Principles), no such guidelines exist for the discovery of non-intelligent extraterrestrial life within the solar system. Current scientifically based planetary protection policies for solar system exploration address how to undertake exploration, but do not provide clear guidance on what to do if and when life is detected. Considering that martian life could be detected under several different robotic and human exploration scenarios in the coming decades, it is appropriate to anticipate how detection of non-intelligent, microbial life could impact future exploration missions and activities, especially on Mars. This paper discusses a proposed set of interim guidelines based loosely on the SETI Principles and addresses issues extending from the time of discovery through future handling and treatment of extraterrestrial life on Mars or elsewhere. Based on an analysis of both scientific and ethical considerations, there is a clear need for developing operating protocols applicable at the time of discovery and a decision making framework that anticipates future missions and activities, both robotic and human. There is growing scientific confidence that the discovery of extraterrestrial life in some form is nearly inevitable. If and when life is discovered beyond Earth, non-scientific dimensions may strongly influence decisions about the nature and scope of future missions and activities. It is appropriate to encourage international discussion and consideration of the issues prior to an event of such historical significance.