Should we be looking for life elsewhere in the universe?
As the number of "potentially habitable" planets that astronomers find continues to rise, we seem ever closer to answering the question, "Are we alone in the universe?" But should we be looking for life elsewhere? If we were to find life in one of these worlds, should we try to contact any beings who may live there? Is that wise? Aomawa Shields navigates the murky waters of pursuing curiosity.
Answer the following questions:
Astronomers look for planets that might have climates that are warm enough for liquid water to flow on their surfaces, like it does on the Earth. What else does life need to survive on Earth?
Thousands of planets have already been discovered orbiting stars other than the Sun. But this is only a tiny fraction of the planets that astronomers think actually exist. What are some of the reasons that astronomers haven't found more planets yet?
Any life we find elsewhere in the universe could look like anything, from the tiniest microbes, all the way to humans, or even more evolved. If there is extraterrestrial life out there that is more evolved than humans, what kind of evolutionary "improvements" do you think that life would have made?
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