For decades, there has been a widespread fascination about the possibility of extraterrestrial life and the question of why we haven't been visited by beings from other planets. However, recent findings have shed light on this enigma. As our understanding of astronomy, astrobiology, and physics advances, scientists have revealed some fundamental reasons why they may not have established contact with us or reached our world. And one of these reasons seems to be definitive, all while the expedition to recover fragments of the first known interstellar object that has impacted our world reveals results that indicate the possibility that it may be a probe from another highly advanced civilization.
The universe is extremely vast, filled with countless small universes called galaxies. We are in one of them called the Milky Way, on a small planet orbiting one of the 300 billion stars that make up our galaxy. If each star in our galaxy were a tiny grain of sand the size of half a millimeter, and if we could line them all up, they would encircle the Earth four times. However, if we lined them up towards the moon, they wouldn't even reach halfway. This demonstrates the vast distances that separate objects in space. Even though the distance from Earth to the moon is minuscule compared to light-years, it still presents a colossal distance. This is the greatest limitation for a civilization that wants to leave its planet. The immense distances would require them to approach the speed of light in order to attempt interstellar travel. However, even then, it is extremely challenging. If we don't travel at a speed surpassing the speed of light, also known as warp speed, we are condemned to remain here forever. And if extraterrestrial civilizations exist, they would also be stuck on their planets, unable to leave. While it may seem like science fiction, we must acknowledge that we will never be able to leave our solar system unless we possess a warp drive capable of surpassing the speed of light.
Over small distances, this would become extremely rapid. Just consider how quickly a beam of light could travel around our planet. In particular, it would circle the Earth seven and a half times in one second. However, when we extend the distances to the solar system, the first problems arises. The solar system already becomes too large. For example, traveling to Mars at the speed of light would make the journey so long that it would no longer be quick. Even if we traveled at the speed of light, it would take more than three minutes to reach Mars. And if we extend it to the entire solar system and travel to Proxima Centauri, we would need to use warp speed or even a thousand times faster than the speed of light. With a warp drive and traveling a thousand times faster than light, it would take a day and a half to reach Proxima Centauri, and that's only to reach Pluto in a matter of seconds.
Now, let's imagine that they have advanced technology, like hibernation or suspended animation, as depicted in movies, where they can enter a capsule and endure long years of travel. Suppose, in addition to all that, they can travel almost at the speed of light. We're not talking about reaching the speed of light because that is completely impossible. It would require so much energy that it is entirely impossible. However, they could come close to the speed of light if they were part of a highly advanced civilization. If they were on a planet located about 50,000 light-years away from us and through their telescopes and detectors, they became aware of the existence of bio-signatures or traces of living beings here, they would have detected it from their planet 50,000 years ago. Traveling at almost the speed of light, it would only take a few months or maybe a year of travel for the spaceship's occupants. However, upon reaching Earth, more than 60,000 years would have passed, so it is very likely that life here would be very different from what they imagined initially. For them, it would be a short amount of time to make that journey if they can travel almost at the speed of light. All of this is due to Einstein's theory of time dilation. However, if they were able to truly travel at the speed of light, their journey would be instant, but this cannot be achieved. Therefore, it would take them months or years, assuming they can travel at 98% or 99% of the speed of light. However, from an external observer's perspective, 60,000 years would have passed. Furthermore, if they change their minds and decide to return to their planet, they would have to endure another 60,000 years. In other words, they would see their planet again after 120,000 years, and it's likely that they wouldn't be there anymore. All of this could only be avoided with a warp drive that expands the space-time around the ship, making travel almost instantaneous. The problem with warp technology is that it requires enormous amounts of energy, negative energy, or exotic energy. For now, we are only talking about science fiction.
Considering the many small grains present in the galaxy, it would be feasible for life to exist in many of them. So why haven't they visited us? Two astrobiologists named Michael Wong from the Carnegie Institution of Science and Stuart Bartlett from California believe they have a definitive answer. The scientists have revealed that advanced civilizations may be doomed to stagnation or extinction before having the opportunity to explore the cosmos. What does this hypothesis presented by these two scientists tell us? It states that as space-faring civilizations grow in scale and technological development, they would eventually reach a crisis point where innovation can no longer meet the demand for energy, leading to their collapse. In simpler terms, the more advanced they become, the more energy they need. Eventually, they reach a point where they require so much energy to explore the cosmos that they must choose between space exploration and ensuring the thriving of life on their planet. If they choose to explore the cosmos, they give up progressing on their planet, resulting in the collapse and destruction of their civilization. They give up advancing in the cosmos in exchange for maintaining their well-being on their planet. It would take them thousands of years to make significant advances in space exploration. The researchers argue that this not only means they cannot visit other worlds but also that they remain on their own planet, making their detection more difficult. Interestingly, the hypothesis of these scientists aligns perfectly with human growth in cities here on Earth. It is exactly the same scenario. They believe that this is the definitive reason why they haven't visited us.
The astrobiologists also mentioned that if we were to detect another civilization someday, it is most likely that they would be on the brink of collapse, dissipating vast amounts of energy in an unsustainable manner. However, to prevent their ruin, they may experience a homeostatic awakening, prioritizing social well-being, sustainable development, and harmony with their environment. This would limit their expansion and contact with other civilizations. Taking this into account, it might lead us to two possible and realistic possibilities. First, the highly advanced extraterrestrials or UFOs that we have seen throughout history could be ourselves from the future. Second, we may have already been visited, but not by beings from other worlds, rather by their unmanned probes capable of enduring the passage of time while traversing vast distances. In fact, it would be better to send a probe to another planet than living beings since the latter would perish within the ship due to the passage of time and the numerous challenges they would face. Unless they discover a way to overcome these obstacles, we have not found a solution to traversing vast distances. However, we have already sent probes into space. If they have done so as well, and one of those probes has reached our planet, it raises the question posed by Abi Loeb and his team of scientists. These researchers are investigating the site of the first impact by an interstellar object in history.
Pending further analysis and upcoming expeditions planned for 2024, according to Loeb, it is not ruled out that this object is an alien probe. The material recovered from the bottom of the ocean, near Papua New Guinea, consists of unusual, highly pure iron spheres that do not match the composition of any known meteorite. Apparently, the object withstood four times the pressure that would normally destroy a common iron meteorite. However, more investigations are needed before we can fully believe this information. It is currently being reported in the media. We must wait for further analyses. Nevertheless, it does seem promising, and we hope to find more answers soon through the expeditions in 2024.
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