Since space exploration experienced that great takeoff in the 1950s, finding extraterrestrial life has undoubtedly been one of its main objectives. Very interesting works have been written on this subject, and theories have also been elaborated that give a lot to think about. Personally, one of my favorites is one that focuses on a seemingly simple, yet deeply complicated question: Would we really be ready to face the challenge of finding extraterrestrial life?
I don’t want to ramble, since that is not the point of this article, after all, but I am sure that most of our readers will already be clear about all the implications of that question. Finding extraterrestrial life can lead our species to a golden age, as long as the contact is positive for us, but also could condemn us to slavery or lead us directly to extinctionprovided that extraterrestrial life is hostile and that it is more advanced than us.
In the end, find extraterrestrial life It would be a lottery and an important risk, that does not support discussion, but this has not changed its importance within space exploration, and now, thanks to the latest discovery made by China it seems that we could have found signs of extraterrestrial life.
Extraterrestrial life on exoplanets, a possibility
According to Bloomberg, they detected narrowband electromagnetic signals by the 500-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope, also known by its acronym in English as FAST, located in a natural basin of Da Wo Dang. It is the largest and most sensitive radio telescope in the world, and the data it captures always generates great interest, although this time the original report was deleted for unknown reasons.
Returning to the captured signals, these are different from those that had been previously captured, and for this reason they are being investigated, according to Zhang Tonjie, chief scientist of the extraterrestrial civilization search team co-founded by Beijing Normal University, the National Astronomical Observatory of Beijing. the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the University of California, located in Berkeley. According to Zhang, they had already identified “suspicious” data in 2020 while processing signals from 2019, and have once again found “strange” signals in data from 2022 after observing various exoplanetswhich are those planets that are outside our solar system.
These captured signals seem artificial, although experts have called for calm to avoid generating a crazy “hype”. In this sense, they have clarified that they could be caused by radio interference, and have commented that their verification can take a long time. On the other hand, Zhang has also said that he does not agree with the theories that we should avoid contact with extraterrestrial life because of the potential danger it represents, but rather that he thinks the opposite, that we should look for it because it could help us survive when we can no longer stay on Earth.
