The Possibility of Life Elsewhere In the Universe - Research Paper Example

The Possibility of Life Elsewhere In the Universe Introduction Though the prospect of “life off Earth” in the universe is not a fact that is proved with concrete and empirical evidences, theoretical science seems to show an extra interest in the matter. Though scientists and astrologists have variedly opined about the existence of extraterrestrial life, most of their opinions are based on theoretical speculations assumptions.As in this regard, Chris McKay says, “There is no solid evidence of life elsewhere, but several factors suggest it is common. Organic material is widespread in the interstellar medium and in our own solar system” (Great Debates). After the discovery of the fossil of a microorganism in the Meteorite, ALH84001 that -the scientists believe- came from Mars, they say one thing for sure that the possibility of finding microbial life in others planets outsides the Solar system is not totally impossible (NASA). Moreover, current discoveries of several extremophiles or microbes -for an instance, microbes like “Pyrolobus fumarii” have been found to survive in a temperature of 113°C and microorganisms like “Methanococcus jannaschii” (Encyclopedia of Science) cannot tolerate Oxygen while living near hydrothermal vents 2,600 meters below sea level, under the crushing pressure of the seawater- in apparently hostile conditions enhanced the likelihood of finding microbial life in any corner of this universe (Mullen). But yet they can not assert that life in more complex forms or intelligent life can be found elsewhere in this universe on these singular discoveries because the discouraging theories of “life of Earth” also cannot be totally blown out. Indeed there are many theories about life on other worlds, but the scholarly consensus is usually that, although it probably exists, our chances of meeting it are slim. Uncertainties and Hopes that haunts the Scientists Such uncertainty of finding a “life off earth” arises for two points. First, since the fossil of the microbe in the “ALH84001” meteorite shows that those microbes, 3.6 billion years ago (NASA), had been the victim of extinction, environmental congeniality, no matter how tough the extremophiles are, necessarily must be tenable enough to -as Dawkins’ Weasel Program shows- preserve the complex organic changes in one stages of the evolution to reach its next. Given that the environment is endlessly hostile, the possibility of any extremophiles is the lowest that tends closely towards zero (Ward 49-50). Even if life continues to survive in any endlessly hostile environment, that life can be defined as life as it is perceived on earth. Second, the discovery of a new domain of microbial life called, Archaea, has provoked the biologists to speculate whether there exists any non-carbonic form of life. If there is any of such non-carbonic life, the discovery of it will throw the scientists in utter maze that will force them to accept it as it is, since biological science is singularly centered on the empirical knowledge of carbon-based organism. (Sapiro & Schulze 337-9) Hope of Finding Goldilocks Planets and its Implications Obviously there is the ray of hope that the scientists are running after. They hope to find many “Goldilocks” planets in the assumingly infinite universe. Indeed a “Goldilocks” planet is one where the conditions are “just right” for microbial life. This hope essentially evolves from the probability of the finding a planet that will be closely similar to Earth’s environment. Also such hope is boosted up by the increasing knowledge about the environment of Mars. Here the argument of the scientists is that if a close similar planet like Mars cannot be found, there is no reason that one would not find another planet that will be the same as Earth is. Yet another question that confronts this hope is whether the existence of the “Goldilocks” planet necessarily ensures the existence of life. Regarding this question one group of scientists assumes that even if it exists, life will not exist on it. The dominant tenor of this argument refers to some outside forces -like God, aliens from other worlds etc- that imagines life to be created in the same form as they are now. Swedish chemist Svente Arrhenius’s “Panspermia” is one of the dominant theories that “life did not originate on the Earth, but originated elsewhere in the universe” (“Possible Sites for the Origin of Life”). This view is basically biased by Palley’s “Brilliant Watchmaker” theory that itself upholds the Christian belief of the existence of a superior power as the creative force behind the existence of life in this universe. They believe that unless the Brilliant Watchmaker, God, does not wish to create complex watch-like life on those planets, life cannot be found. But the other group of scientists argues that since life is a natural process of evolution through the selections of nature, on a given Goldilocks planet life is destined to grow. This argument depends on the hydro-stimulatory force -in the sea- as the origin of life. Complicated Relationship of different Types of Life with Conditions of Life Although people often talk about “life” on other worlds, in most cases they are not specific about the kind of life they mean. Usually, however, scholars mean microbial life and the regular public means intelligent life. The collapse -of traditional dichotomous division between “Eukarya” and “Prokarya”- due to the discovery of “Archaea” that “a type of prokaryotic organism that had long been categorized as bacteria turned out to have DNA that is very different from bacterial DNA”(Mullen) has motivated the scientists to think about the prospect of “Beta Life”. H. G. Wells defines “Beta life” as “an analogous thing and not the same thing. It may not be individualized; it may not consist of reproductive individuals. It may simply be mobile and metabolic.” (11) Indeed these forms of life have certain correlation with the conditions as the prerequisites of their survival. Scholars argue that since current research is oriented towards finding a life as it is in its traditional sense, may lead the scientist to commit severe flaw and also the lack of sufficient knowledge of these living forms including “Archaea”, “Beta Life” and “non-carbonic life” keep them in the same darkness. (Sapiro & Schulze 335-9) It is unanimously accepted that “where there's organic (carbon-based) chemistry, water and an energy source, there's life - no matter what the conditions” (ESA). The correlations of life on Earth with the conditions require the following insurances in the environment of a planet. Any planet must be able to a congenial temperature with low variances like the one on Earth (Stewart). Low variances of temperature but its diverse allocation on the surface of a planet is essential for the growth of diversity of forms of life on Earth. But the temperature should be stable enough both to evaporate and to condense the water in order to produce humidity and to create water reserve so that life can emerge according to the Hydro-Stimulation theory, as Gitt says, “In particular, it must be in a very narrow temperature range so that liquid water exists” (Gitt). Again in order to ensure the creation carbonic organism, it should have the availability of elements like carbon and nitrogen, and other hydrocarbon compositions like methane, ethane, etc so that the unary organic system like cells can grow easily. At the same time, the planet should have an apparently congenial environment that can preserve each its evolutionary steps. Yet those who argue for hospitable and amiable conditions to sustain life in the universe have had to face the counter argument that since “living organisms have been found alive and well in environments on Earth so apparently hostile” (ESA), it also can be found in a more hostile environment if it ensures organic chemistry of life. Theoretical Basis: Drake’s Equation, Universe Size, Religious perspective and Rare Earth Hypothesis A number of theories, in space science and technology and astrobiology, are focused on the quest whether there is life elsewhere in the universe other than the Earth. These theories have variedly speculated the possibility of life elsewhere in this universe. This simplest and the most generalized of these theories is the concept of infinite universe. It is too simple to satisfy all the questions of the scientists. It infers that if the universe is infinite, then life must exist elsewhere, because an infinite space holds all possibilities. According to the Einsteinian concept of universe the flaw in the theory of infinite universe is that it overlooks the subjectivity of the observing the universe. According to Einstein, if the material bodies are in any way taken out of the sight of an observer, the concept of infinite space will collapse automatically (Calder 87). Therefore, the counter arguments assert that since the universe is not infinite in its traditional sense, the possibility of life is not supposed infinite. Conflicting theories: Religious perspective The religious perspective in Western cultures is that the Universe was created for Man alone. Obviously, this has impacted some thinkers and scientists in their belief on intelligent extra-terrestrial life. Therefore in the first place, the search for extraterrestrial life goes against the theology that the existence of man is unique in this universe. But the opponents argue that to shake off blind religious faith on solid evidence is better than clinging to superstitions. In the center of this religious perspective there lies Palley’s “Watchmaker” theory. Dawkins attacks this perspective from a strong mathematical ground. Dawkins says that since life on this earth is a matter of chance, and since it goes through the process of evolution through natural selections of the fittest, the discovery of another planet with some sort of life would rather prove the validity of the evolutionary theory, than establishing Palley’s watchmaker theory (Dawkins 23). Conflicting theories: Drake Equation Whereas the previous two are the perspective-related generalizations of the possibility of extraterrestrial life, Drake Equation attempts to count the possibility from a mathematical point of view. It is a mathematical formula used to calculate both the likelihood of extraterrestrials' existence and the likelihood of our being able to contact them. Though Drake equation appears to be a solid mathematical ground for calculating the possibility of life, the strength of this equation essentially lies in the accuracy of its independent variables (Rood & Trefil 45). Indeed it serves the purpose of the scientists as a blind calculation machine. The Drake equation is as following: Here the equation is found to be extremely depended on the accuracy of variables such as R*, fp, ne, fℓ, fi, fc, L etc while each of them refers and requires calculations of various probability (Seeds 48). Conflicting theories: Rare Earth Hypothesis Again another scientific approach is the Rare Earth Hypothesis. The Rare Earth hypothesis looks at the conditions not for microbial life, but for a race of intelligent beings with similar technology and cultural levels of achievement to our own. Referring to the role of the star-planet distance in the determination of habitability of a planet, it argues that the possibility of the existence of another same earth-like planet is almost rare. But at the same time the hypothesis infers that the survival capability of other different, but complex organisms –very likely totally different from Earth life- mat give birth to different civilizations in some corners of this universe (Darling 38). Elaborating the Rare Earth Hypothesis, Donald Brownlee necessarily says: “Most planets and other places in the universe clearly could not support any type of Earth-like creatures…..What fraction of stars harbors Earth-like planets with Earth-like life? Is it one in a hundred, one in a million, or even less? Even the most optimistic have to admit Earth-like environments must be rare.” (Great Debate) The Rare Earth Equation is as following: Conclusion Finally it can be asserted that if the possibility of life in the universe is judged for empirical science, one is to be rather despaired than to hear any hope. Both Empirical and practical science do not have much evidence to prove the existence of life in any corner of the cosmos. Even the few evidences, “Mars rock”, UFO, etc that the scientist presently have in their hands are not strong and concrete enough to advocate for the extraterrestrial existence of life, as Gitt says, “this “proof” of life in the “Mars rock” has very much lost-lost favor among the scientific community. The supposed “nanofossils” were probably no more than magnetite whiskers plus artifacts of the experimental process” (Gitt). Again the evidence of the UFO appears to be more of a fairy imagination of human mind. In 1900 the French Academy of Science declared a reward of one hundred thousand Francs for the man would be able to contact with the alien from another world. Again Gitt claims, “Since then, not a trace of “little green men,” or indeed any life, has been found on any of the planets that our probes have explored, including Mars”. Works Cited Calder, Nigel. Einstein's Universe. Seattle: Beckham Publishing, 2001. Darling, David. Life Everywhere: The Maverick Science of Astrobiology. Basic Books/Perseus. 2001. “Drake Equation.” Seti Institute. Web. 18 Nov. 2010. Great Debates. “Complex Life Elsewhere in the Universe?” July 15, 2002 from Encyclopedia of Science, “Extremophiles”, 23 November, 2010. available at European Space Agency. “Europe joins the search for life elsewhere in the Universe”. Life in the Universe. 8 November 2001. 24 February 2009. From ESA. “Life on Mars”. Life in the Universe. 8 November 2001. 24 February 2009. From ESA. “Press Release”. Life in the Universe. November 12. 2001. 24 February 2009. From http://eu.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=6558 Gitt, Werner. “Are we alone, or is there life elsewhere in the universe?” Creation Ministries International, 19 (4):46-48, Nov 1997. 24 Feb, 2009. from Mullen, Leslie. “The Three Domains of Life”, 06 Feb. 2002. 22 Nov. 2010. Available at NASA, “Evidence of Ancient Martian Life in Meteorite ALH84001?” 8 November 2001. February 2009. From “Possible Sites for the Origin of Life”, 23 November, 2010. available at Rood, Robert T. and James S. Trefil (1981). Are We Alone? The Possibility of Extraterrestrial Civilizations. New York: Scribner Seeds, Michael. Horizons: Exploring the Universe, London: Brooks/Cole Publishing Co., 10th edition, 2007. Stewart, Brian. “What is the possibility of life on other planets?” Ask an Astrobiologist. NASA Astrobiology. January 28, 2002. Web. 18 Nov. 2010. Ward, Peter. Life as We Do Not Know it-The NASA Search for (and Synthesis of) Alien Life. New York: Viking, 2005. Print. Wells, H. G., Huxley, Julian, and Wells, G. P. "Is There Extra-terrestrial Life?" In H. G. Wells, Julian Huxley, and G. P Wells, eds., The Science of Life, p. 11. New York: Doubleday (1931). Read More