Some 5,000 confirmed exoplanets are the most likely places lifeforms other than ours to exist
Aliens and the search for life in the universe have always been a source of intrigue and curiosity for humans. In search of extraterrestrial life, scientists are now abandoning conventional thinking and coming up with new theories. Now, a pair of astronomers have suggested that extraterrestrials living on exoplanets could be hitching rides on meteors to colonise planets including Earth, LiveScience reported.
It's all to do with the idea of "panspermia" – a fringe theory which suggests that life forms can move from planet to planet by 'hitching rides' on meteors. The theory further suggests we may not be aware of their arrival. Researchers Harrison B. Smith and Lana Sinapayen have also published a plan detailing how such phenomena can be detected.
It's believed that the some 5,000 confirmed exoplanets are the most likely places lifeforms other than ours to exist and that if they do, they might hitch rides to other planets. However, the biggest challenge is identifying these life forms which have travelled on meteors.
But if panspermia is possible, then it means that scientists could theoretically narrow their search for alien life, even if they don't know specifically what they're looking for. As per the researchers, if the aliens can travel as per panspermia, then they are likely to try to make similar changes on every planet they travel to.
The astronomers also suggested that life could start on one planet and then spread to others via meteorites. A key characteristic of any life form is its capacity to alter the natural balance of the planet. Extraterrestrial life could possess the ability to disrupt Earth's natural balance as they attempt to terraform our planet to make atmospheric conditions similar to those of their home planet. On Earth, for example, we have far more oxygen in our atmosphere than we would were life had not present.
Researchers could measure this by statistical testing that observes a planet, unrelated and separate from a cluster of planets that share similar characteristics. If these individual planets show similarities to others within the cluster, it could indicate alien life has travelled to it and began colonisation or at least something strange was happening in space.
However, the researchers acknowledged that their work has limitations, and it is yet to be peer-reviewed. Firstly, panspermia is an untested hypothesis and secondly, their technique only works there is enough data about a large number of exoplanets.