The much-awaited Pentagon's report about the unidentified aerial phenomenon (UAP), popularly known as UFO among the general public is expected to be out on June 25. Several people believe that this report will shed light on the mystery of unknown flying objects that baffled US navy officers. Even though many people consider these flying vessels a sign of alien existence, a section of experts believe that these UFOs could be most probably advanced space ships developed by countries like China or Russia. As the alien debate continues in full swing, five experts have talked about the possible existence of extraterrestrials.
Are aliens real?
In a recent article written on The Conversation, five top experts talked about the possibility of alien existence in the universe. Out of the five experts, four unanimously agreed that aliens do exist in the universe, while Martin Van Kranendonk, an astrobiologist assured that the chances of alien existence are pretty low.
"A simple answer to this question is no. If we use purely empirical data and assume the question refers to any type of life outside of Earth that is not related to human activity, then the answer — as far as we know — must be no. But, of course, our knowledge relating to this question is finite; we have not investigated every corner of the universe for signs of life and we do not even know what may constitute life in another chemical system, as there is no agreed-on definition of carbon-based life even here on Earth," said Van Kranendonk who currently works at the University of New South Wales.
On the other hand, Jonti Horner revealed that there could be alien life, sometimes very advanced in the distant nooks of the universe. According to Horner, the universe is so big, and there could be aliens thriving on habitable planets in different star systems.
"I think that has to be a definite yes. But I think the real question is, are aliens close enough for us to discover them? Space is unbelievably big. In the last few decades, we've learned almost every star in the cosmos has planets. In other words, there's a lot of real estate out there. And with so much variety, I find it impossible to believe Earth is the only planet that has life — including intelligent and technologically advanced life," added Horner, a professor of Astrophysics at the University of Southern Queensland.
Alien life is a very complex concept
Hollywood movies have often visualized aliens as the short green men who reach the earth for an invasion. However, astrophysicist Steven Tingay claimed that alien life is a complex concept, and even if we discover bacteria outside the earth, they should be classified as extraterrestrial beings.
"Having said that, there is currently no detailed consensus on the definition of "life". It is a very complex concept. But if we found something like bacteria somewhere other than on Earth, I would classify this as alien life," said Tingay, The Conversation reports.
Planetary scientist Helen Maynard-Casely also shared similar views, and she made it clear that humans will discover aliens one day or the other. She also added that under-ice oceans of Europa and Ganymede (two of Jupiter's large moons) could be hosting alien life. However, she made it clear that alien life could be very different from our own.
Space Technology expert Rebecca Allen claimed that extraterrestrials will be very different from humans.
"When we hear the word "alien", however, an image of a humanoid lifeform usually springs to mind. But even on Earth, the most predominant form of life is much older, smaller, and more resilient. I'm talking about microorganisms, of course. These organisms defy science by existing where life has no business existing, such as in the sludge around volcanic vents. I would bet alien life exists in the form of these extremophiles," added Allen.
