Is there life elsewhere in the universe? It is becoming more and more likely that life has certainly found itself another refuge. Yes, it might be too far away to connect. Yes, we may not recognize her when we meet. Theories about the existence of extraterrestrial life near us have ranged from erroneous to downright stupid.
How the Vikings searched for life on Mars
In the 70s, NASA's Vikings lander explored the Martian soil, eagerly looking for signs of life on the Red Planet. Although they did not find any actual microorganisms, traces of carbon dioxide were found in the collected samples. Some scientists studied the results and concluded that living organisms were once on the planet and produced these compounds.
The findings have been challenged for decades. Scientists recently came to the conclusion that glandular particles present in Martian soil (which makes it red) can be oxidized due to carbon compounds that are naturally present in it.
Although the Vikings' data does not indicate the presence of Martians, the carbon in the soil may indicate that there was once life on the planet. Today's research focuses largely not on the search for living organisms, but on the study of whether the atmosphere of Mars could retain traces of life even after a long period of time.
Promotional video:
Arthur Clarke and Martian vegetation
Renowned sci-fi author and screenwriter Arthur Clarke has long believed in life on Mars. In 2001, Clarke uploaded several photos from the NASA website taken by the Mars Global Surveyor and somehow made out trees on them.
Clark gathered people at his home in Sri Lanka and showed them the pictures with comments. Clarke said: “I am very serious when I look at these new images of Mars. Something actually moves and changes with the seasons, which implies at least vegetation. " In another interview, he joked: "Now I am convinced that Mars is inhabited by a race of crazy landscape gardeners."
In fact, the pictures were just sand dunes covered in frozen carbon dioxide. Over time, dark sand fell from the dunes, leaving streaks that could be mistaken for trees if you have a vivid imagination.
Mad communication experiments with the Martians
In 1820, the German mathematician Karl Friedrich Gauss decided to incorporate Pythagoras's work into his plans to link to alien life on Mars. Gauss proposed clearing a large area in Siberia and planting wheat in a shape geometrically illustrating the Pythagorean theorem. After harvest, the bright yellow cropland would contrast with the dark color of the forest. Gauss believed that Martian observers could spot this giant triangle on Earth with a small telescope.
Other strange ideas were popular in the 19th century. Astronomer Joseph Littrow suggested digging 30-kilometer trenches in various geometric shapes throughout the Sahara. Then fill them with kerosene and set them on fire. The Frenchman Charles Cros proposed building a large mirror that could collect sunlight and burn a message onto the surface of Mars.
Nikola Tesla's Martian contacts
Nikola Tesla was one of the most brilliant scientists in the history of mankind, but he also openly lied, claiming that he received artificial signals of extraterrestrial origin. He said that the signals came from Mars or Venus. However, this is not the only strange act of Tesla.
In a letter to the New York Times, Tesla wrote about how Mars can support life. He studied the distance of the planets to the Sun from the point of view of evolution. Venus ended up at a young age and could not support a humanoid life. The earth was in a mature state. Mars has already reached old age, but has passed the main biological and technological stages of evolution.
Tesla suggested ways to improve our communications with Mars, first by moving our observatories to send clear signals through the atmosphere. In 1937, Tesla's work led him to believe that he could win the Pierre Guzman prize of 100,000 francs as "the first person to find a way to contact a star and get an answer." The competition rules ruled out contact with Mars because it "would be too easy."
No one could have verified Tesla's observations for sure, but he probably actually detected pulsation in distant stars. It was a far cry from the transmission of the intelligent messages that the scientists were talking about, but could be considered quite an impressive achievement.
Jupiter and its moons
In the past, Jupiter was considered the most likely candidate for the search for extraterrestrial life - at least when compared to other gas giants in our solar system. Its outer atmosphere was known to be cold enough to instantly freeze any life, and methane and ammonia on its surface could kill just as quickly, but some scientists insisted that there could be a fertile zone between the two regions.
It was believed that part of its atmosphere could support life - floating and sluggish organisms like flying jellyfish. These hypothetical creatures can neither develop in high-altitude cold zones, nor descend too low. However, not so long ago it was confirmed that the existence of such organisms is extremely unlikely.
But the satellites of Jupiter seem to be the most promising places in the solar system for supporting extraterrestrial life, and many theories say that life can exist on them to this day. Ganymede, Jupiter's largest moon, can support salt water between layers of ice. Europe is completely inhabited by extraterrestrial organisms that hide in the underground ocean under the moving ice of the satellite.
Io, the closest large satellite to Jupiter, has lost some points compared to its neighbors. He is constantly bombarded with deadly radiation. Nevertheless, the possibility of life on Io is not completely ruled out. Io may have contained liquid water billions of years ago. And if microbes got in this water, they could go deep into the moon and survive all the destructive consequences for them.
Life on Titan
In June 2010, NASA's Cassini probe discovered that Titan, one of Saturn's many moons, has an extremely dense atmosphere. Two further studies raised many questions about the nature of Titan. The first, published in the journal Icarus, showed that traces of hydrogen from Saturn's atmosphere disappear on Titan's surface. Another, from Geographic Research magazine, noted unexpectedly low levels of hydrocarbon acetylene on the satellite's surface.
NASA has offered several possible explanations. A catalyst on the moon's surface can convert hydrogen and acetylene to methane. Sunlight and cosmic rays may also be responsible for the disappearance of chemicals. But the most interesting explanation is biological, they say, organisms breathe hydrogen and consume acetylene. Such an organism would be completely new, having no analogues on Earth. Methane-based life has yet to be found.
NASA scientists, who hinted at methane life, said that we have no evidence of such an option. This is just one of several possible explanations. But this did not stop the media from quoting NASA, saying that "there is alien life on the moon of Saturn."
The alleged lander, the Titan Mare Explorer, which will help find the answer to Titan's methane conundrum, is still in development.
Pluto's aliens
In 2011, astrophysicists Ed Turner and Avi Loeb discussed the incident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, which taught a good lesson in the use of electricity for the people of Tokyo. The city's bright lights turned dim after the disaster and subsequent energy cuts. Turner and Loeb argued that such dramatic changes would be noticeable to observers 30 times farther than Pluto.
The proposed Large Synoptic Research Telescope will photograph the entire night sky for a few days or so. Changes in the light of celestial bodies will be easily noticeable. Scientists suggest that in the coming decades, we will be able to see for sure whether Pluto's light is a reflection of the Sun or is produced by artificial sources on the surface of a dwarf planet, which could become an ordinary planet again.
A continuation of these studies, of course, became theories that life could nest inside Pluto. Scientists have suggested that the presence of tectonics on Pluto would imply the presence of a warm underground ocean - a possible habitat for life. The former moon of the planet Charon may also have similar characteristics. After NASA's New Horizons probe captures the first high-resolution images of Pluto and Charon in 2015, we will have concrete answers.
Aliens in the stratosphere
We may not need to look too far to prove that we are not alone. Extraterrestrial life can be within arm's reach - in the stratosphere.
During the peak of the Perseid meteor shower on August 12, 2013, astrobiologists at the University of Sheffield launched a balloon 27 kilometers into the stratosphere. Project lead scientist Milton Wainwright was surprised by the results, claiming that the balloon returned with traces of extraterrestrial life. Wainwright said the particles were too heavy to be born on the surface of the Earth. Therefore, they are definitely extraterrestrial.
Skeptics have unequivocally questioned the research. Earlier such messages were necessarily erroneous. Wainwright's credibility is also called into question, as he is confident in the theory of panspermia - the extraterrestrial origin of biological life through its introduction by meteorites. Wainwright's beliefs may have confused his research, and the scientist himself has passed on wishful thinking.
Thomas Dick's 50 Billion Venusians
In the 1830s, Scottish minister and amateur astronomer Thomas Dick decided to calculate the exact number of inhabitants in our solar system. Dick suggested that all celestial bodies were inhabited by life, and his interplanetary census took as a basis the population of Great Britain at the time. In short, the scientist decided that 50 billion creatures live on Venus.
Dick allowed himself to make bolder statements. 15 billion Martians live on Mars, several trillion Jupiterians live on Jupiter, about eight trillion Saturnians on Saturn, and in general, only on the rings of Saturn, not counting the planet itself.
In the entire solar system, Dick counted about 22 trillion creatures, not counting the Sun, on which 31 times more creatures could live.
Solarians
Besides Thomas Dick, other people thought that the sun was habitable. (Apparently, they go outside at night, when it's dark). In 1440 the theologian and mathematician Nikolai Kuzansky wrote about the place in the Sun, where "solar beings - bright and enlightened intellectual inhabitants" live.
These beings were supposed to be more spiritual compared to those who lived on the moon (sleepwalkers). Kuzansky was not burned at the stake or excommunicated for his belief in aliens. Years later, he became a cardinal.
Early Mormon leaders like Brigham Young held similar theories. Young argued that the Sun was apparently inhabited because “it was not done in vain; it was made to give light to those who live on it and on other planets."