Aliens ‘should exist’ as ‘widespread sense suggests the galaxy is teaming with life’
Leading scientist Professor Avi Loeb argued it’s “arrogant” to believe we’re alone in a universe teeming with billions of stars and habitable planets, pointing to mounting evidence
The idea that our kind might be unique in the whole universe is completely ridiculous, a reputable theoretical physicist exclaimed. Everything from the size of galaxies to the very origins of our existence proves, according to the expert, that the fact we aren’t alone in the universe is just “common sense”.
As scientists are still grappling with the baffling behaviour of the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, Professor Avi Loeb, who has emerged as one of the most vocal personalities speaking out about the viral phenomenon, recently shut down the suggestion humans are alone in the universe.
In a recent Q&A published to his Medium blog, the Harvard astrophysicist said that it was “arrogant” to consider our presence as being completely isolated.
Someone asked the professor: “What is the best evidence so far that suggests we are probably not alone in the universe?” To which he replied: “It is arrogant to believe that we are alone in the Milky-Way because it contains 100 billion stars.
“Since we emerged from a soup of chemicals which is common on habitable Earth-mass planets, common sense suggests that the galaxy is teaming with life.” Top scientists have long argued that we’re not alone in the universe, and the evidence is mounting.
The late famed astrophysicist Professor Stephen Hawking once said it’s “perfectly rational” to assume intelligent life exists elsewhere, given the billions of planets in our galaxy alone. NASA’s late Carl Sagan, too, insisted that “the universe is a pretty big place”, and the sheer number of stars makes it “inconceivable” that Earth is unique.
Recently, Professor Loeb has further pointed to other lives existing in the universe and urged the scientific community to take the search for extraterrestrial intelligence seriously. Moreover, the scientist has often argued that the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS is of alien origin.
Furthermore, he has long suggested the object blasting through the Solar System at 130,000mph could be an alien “mothership”.
Earlier this month, Professor Loeb claimed the object’s observed network of jets could be “combing from a set of jet thrusters used for navigation of a spacecraft”.
What is needed for life to exist on a planet?
According to NASA, a planet needs liquid water, an energy source, essential chemical elements (like carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, sulfur), a stable star, and a protective atmosphere with suitable conditions (temperature, pressure) to support life as we know it, all ideally within the “habitable zone” for liquid water.
Key factors also include geological activity (plate tectonics) and a magnetic field for protection.
While Earth-centric models focus on these factors, scientists are finding life can exist in unexpected places (like deep-sea vents or icy moons with subsurface oceans), expanding ideas about what’s possible for life beyond our planet.
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