A Harvard scientist, Avi Loeb, has proposed a groundbreaking theory that interstellar objects, like 3I/ATLAS, could be sent by advanced civilisations to "seed" life on Earth, the New York Post reported.
Loeb, who is a prominent astrophysicist, has already pointed out several anomalies with the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, which is currently passing through our solar system, and suggested that it might not be naturally occurring.
Since its discovery in July, 3I/ATLAS has become quite a cosmic celebrity with all space agencies focusing their space assets towards it to get more details about the object, which is expected to be closest to Earth on December 19.
But NASA referred to it as a comet when it released data about the object last month.
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Meanwhile, Loeb suggests that the unusual trajectory and physical characteristics of 3I/ATLAS may indicate it is a technological artefact, potentially acting as a "seed" carrier in a cosmic distribution network.
The scientist also argued that this wouldn't be the first time extraterrestrials have visited our planet. Considering the age of our solar system, "there were plenty of opportunities for residents of previous stars to visit our place," Loeb told the New York Post.
"It really depends on their agenda. But if there is an interstellar gardener, then obviously it could have intervened….it could have seeded the various forms of life on Earth intentionally."
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3I/ATLAS is moving at a speed of 244,800 km/h, roughly one-third the top speed of NASA's Parker Solar Probe. Loeb highlights anomalies, like a retrograde orbit, unusual metal composition, and mysterious acceleration, suggesting it may not be a natural comet. Recently, he claimed that 3I/ATLAS boasts a "heartbeat"-like pulse that could provide evidence of its artificial origins.
"I explained that meter-scale rocks from interstellar space may impact the Earth roughly once per decade, adding up to half a billion such collisions over the Earth's history," he wrote in his blog on Medium.
"If any of these interstellar rocks carried resilient forms of life that survived the interstellar journey, Earth could have been exposed to extraterrestrial forms of life."
Loeb's theory is rooted in directed panspermia, which means that life exists throughout the universe and is distributed by space dust, asteroids, comets, and meteoroids.
"We often consider the history of Earth as isolated from its galactic environment, but this may not be the case," said Loeb.
