Over the past ten years, humanity has significantly accelerated the pace of the search for planets outside the solar system. No, on the one hand, this is certainly great - a lot of new scientific information, but on the other - what are we going to do with all these planets? Of course, now it is no longer in doubt that one day humanity will become an interplanetary species, but it is still necessary to live up to these times. So what are we to do all this time? Is it really just to wait, or should we start preparing for this now?
Such questions that arise in the scientific and pseudo-scientific environment lead to very interesting and ambitious proposals. Such a proposal, for example, is the Project Blue project, within which it is proposed to create a space telescope, whose sole task will be to directly observe and study any planets in the constellation Alpha Centauri, which will be the first target of interstellar flights. Or, for example, Breakthrough Starshot is a joint initiative of the famous theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking and the Russian billionaire Yuri Milner, which sets itself the task of sending a nano-sized spacecraft to Alpha Centauri "astride" on a very powerful laser beam that can deliver it there in just 20 years. But perhapsthe most daring and ambitious among the proposals presented recently is the "Project Genesis", which sets itself the task of populating planets outside the solar system with "seeds of life".
The proposal was made by Dr. Claudius Groß, a theoretical physicist at the Institute for Theoretical Physics at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University of Frankfurt. In 2016, Gros published an article describing how microbial life could be stimulated on "partially inhabited exoplanets" (that is, planets that can support life, but cannot independently spawn it) using robotic missions in which these planets special gene factories will be sent.
The goal of Project Genesis is to populate "partially inhabited exoplanets" with the seeds of life, thereby initiating a new evolution.
Not so long ago, the Universe Today portal wrote about one of the latest studies of Dr. Gross, in which he proposed using a special magnetic sail as a deceleration system for an interstellar spacecraft, which would come in very handy to the same project of Hawking and Milner. The Futurism portal, in turn, was able to contact Gros and ask him in more detail about Project Genesis. Below you will find answers to the most frequently asked questions. In addition, everyone can read Gross's detailed article "Developing Ecospheres on Transiently Habitable Planets: The Genesis Project" ("Development of ecospheres on transiently inhabited planets: Project Genesis"), though in English.
What is the goal of Project Genesis?
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Space is full of a wide variety of exoplanets, each with its own unique size, temperature and chemical composition. The goal of the "Project Genesis" is to create alternative evolutionary paths for life on earth on planets, although they are potentially inhabited, but do not have their own life. Many scientists believe that the simplest life is not such a rare phenomenon in the Universe. Complex organisms are much less common in it. We do not know for sure, but at the moment it is this opinion that has widespread support.
Under the right conditions, simple life can develop very quickly. The difficulty arises precisely in creating complex organisms. On the same Earth, this took a huge amount of time. The so-called Cambrian explosion occurred only about 500 million years ago, that is, almost 4 billion years after the formation of the planet. If we can give planets the opportunity to accelerate the process of evolution, then perhaps by doing so we will create their own Cambrian explosions.
Which planets to inhabit?
The main candidates are habitable "oxygen planets" located around stars of spectral class M (red dwarfs), the same TRAPPIST-1, for example. It is likely that the oxygen-rich initial atmosphere of these planets prevented the development of abiogenesis, that is, the independent emergence of life.
Astronomers today are most often looking for planets near red dwarfs. However, the planets of such stars will differ significantly from those that are found next to the sun-like stars. Star formation takes a certain amount of time to reach the necessary conditions for the start of a thermonuclear reaction and energy production. For example, it took our Sun about 10 million years, which is pretty fast by cosmic standards. However, for stars like TRAPPIST-1, this can take anywhere from 100 million to 1 billion years. And only after that they will begin to lower their temperature, becoming more suitable for the appearance of life on the planets located next to them.
The planets around TRAPPIST-1 were most likely (and may still be) very hot, as the star itself remained hot for a very long time. Powerful UV radiation during this time split all the water in their atmosphere into oxygen and hydrogen. Both of these elements then escape into space. This happens faster with hydrogen, but oxygen, as a rule, is retained. All studies indicate that the TRAPPIST-1 planets have oxygen in their atmosphere, but it is a product of chemical reactions, not photosynthesis (as we have on Earth).
There is a high probability that such oxygen planets are completely sterile (lifeless), as oxygen enhances the greenhouse effect. We believe there may be billions of oxygen planets in our galaxy. There is no life on them, although just for a complex life oxygen is required. In science fiction, we are often shown planets with the same atmospheric conditions and life. Perhaps, in 500 million years, such planets will also appear in our galaxy. We could achieve this by artificially populating them.
Illustration showing how the TRAPPIST-1 system might look from the side of the planet TRAPPIST-1f (the largest on the right).
What organisms to send?
The first wave would consist of unicellular autotrophs synthesizing organic substances from inorganic ones. These photosynthetic organisms are the first links in the food chain. They are the primary producers of organic matter in the biosphere and will provide food for heterotrophs, which should be sent in a second wave.
And how can they be sent to inhabit other planets?
This will depend on the level of technology that we have at our disposal. If we make significant progress in technological terms, we will be able to use the so-called miniature gene factory. This project will generally require a large level of miniaturization. If we can master the required level, then this will be the perfect solution. Submit a whole database of genes, and then select the most optimal organism for repopulation. If this is not possible, then use frozen genes. Again, it all depends on what level of technology you have.
You can also try sending an artificial life. Synthetic biology is a new and very attractive field in science, including the active use of methods for reprogramming the genetic code. Science fiction tells us about species with different genetic codes. Today scientists are trying to get the same thing on Earth. The ultimate goal behind all this is to obtain a new living form based on a different genetic code. For Earth, such progress would be extremely dangerous, but for another planet it could be beneficial.
What if these worlds are already inhabited?
Project Genesis is a project about life, not about its destruction. Therefore, of course, we would like to avoid such a development of events. The sent probes will be tasked with first entering the orbit of the desired planets. From orbit, we can already figure out for sure whether there are complex life forms on a particular planet. Project Genesis is primarily aimed at planets that have always remained uninhabited. Earth has been inhabited for billions of years, but we're not sure about exoplanets.
The star illuminates the exoplanet's atmosphere.
There are a great many exoplanets. Each has its own size, temperature and habitability potential. Many of these planets may become habitable over time, perhaps in a billion years. However, life may simply not have enough time to develop into complex forms. You are faced with a choice: leave everything as it is, or try your luck and try to help a complex life appear there.
Some people think that all bacterial cultures are very important. But there are no special installations on Earth to protect all bacteria. At the same time, for some reason we begin to worry about the planetary security of other worlds. So we say that any life is more important than the opportunity to study it, right? On Mars, most likely, life also existed at one time. Now it is not there, perhaps with the exception of only a few species of bacteria. They are as invaluable as those that can be found on the exoplanets of interest to us. But nevertheless, we are going to go to Mars, that is, we practically do not care about its planetary ecosystem and safety, endangering these bacteria. Aren't there any contradictions here for you?
I'm very optimistic about the discovery of extraterrestrial life, but what about those planets where we don't find life? The Genesis Project can be an alternative to create life, not destroy it.
Will there be any benefit to humanity from this?
Yes and no. Yes, since our descendants (or representatives of any other intelligent and technologically advanced civilization that will live on Earth by that time) will be able to visit the planets of the Genesis Project in 10-100 million years (which is considered as the minimum time for the life sown on these planets could fully adapt and unfold). No, since in this case we will talk about such distant time perspectives that it would be irrational to talk about “benefits” now.
The Starshot Project is an initiative of the Breakthrough Foundation, which aims to bring humanity into its first interstellar flight.
How soon will we be ready for a project like this?
Sending the Genesis probes will require the same directional energy launch system as the planned Breakthrough Starshot mission. Within the framework of the latter, it is planned to send a very fast, very small and very light, weighing 1 gram, space probe to another star system using a powerful directed laser system. Similar laser technology can be used to send something larger, but as a result, the speed of the launched object will be slower. Relatively lower, of course. Therefore, in the end, everything will depend on what is most optimal.
An article I recently wrote on a magnetic sail described a test mission that could prove such a voyage is possible. In short, it talks about the possibility of launching an object the size of a car and weighing one ton into space, as well as accelerating this object to a speed of about 1000 km / s. Of course, for interstellar flight relative to the speed of light, this is very small, but by earthly standards, it is very fast. The fact is that on such long-distance flights, by sacrificing speed and reducing it by about 100 times, you can use a mass 10,000 times higher. The launch of the Project Genesis probe weighing a ton will still be possible using the technologies proposed for use in the Breakthrough Starshot project.
In addition, thanks to this approach, we immediately solve the problem associated with the need to build a new launch pad. In this case, we will be able to adapt and use the same equipment as in the case of the Breakthrough Starshot project. Once it is built, the only thing that remains is to conduct a test launch of the magnetic sail, and if everything works out, then proceed to a new phase of the project. Realistically, all this can be realized in the next 50-100 years.
Does this project have opponents?
There are three main aspects. The first is religious. The religious opponents of Project Genesis say that humans should not try to play God. However, they do not understand or do not want to understand that the Genesis Project is not a project of creating life. This is a project that can provide life with an opportunity for future development. Not on Earth, but somewhere in space.
According to numerous studies, Mars can still support life, which in turn only heightens the heated debate about "planetary protection".
The second side is the proponents of the idea of planetary protection, who argue that we should not interfere with the ecosystem of already formed planets. Think for yourself, some people who oppose Project Genisys even quote "the first directive of Starfleet" from the fictional universe of "Star Trek" as an argument. Be that as it may, Project Genesis fully supports the idea of protecting planets that are already home to complex life forms, or planets where complex life can develop on its own in the future. The goal of Project Genesis is only those planets where complex life forms cannot appear and develop on their own.
The third argument of the opponents of the project is related to the allegedly insufficient level of its potential benefit to humanity. To put it simply, they believe that Project Genesis is not in the best interests of humanity. If we put the question in such an edge, then, indeed, priority values for certain species (for example, humanity), as a rule, are put above everything else. That is, everything is good that is good for one's own species. In this case, the huge financial costs of a project like Project Genesis would really not be in favor of our own species, and therefore, from this position, it can be considered meaningless.
Nikolay Khizhnyak