Are we alone? New super telescopes could reveal the answer
March 12 2008 / by futuretalk
Category: Space Year: Beyond Rating: 12
By Dick Pelletier
In the 19th century, Jules Verne and H.G. Wells popularized the idea of Martian aliens. Astronomer Percival Lowell even built an observatory to study the red planet. He believed that its surface was criss-crossed by canals, dug by an advanced civilization.
How life began, and does it exist elsewhere in the universe
remains a fascinating puzzle; but today, astronomers do not
anticipate finding intelligent life on Mars. Nobody expects that
other human-like life even exists in our Solar System. However
scientists remind us that our Sun is just one among trillions in
the universe. Astronomers 
estimate that a countless number of stars have planets
swirling around them, and that billions of Earth-like planets may
exist.
Some of these planets harbor intelligent life? It’s certainly possible, but skeptics wonder; if aliens are common, why haven’t they already visited us? Well, UFO supporters say they have, but British astronomer Sir Martin Rees says that evidence for UFOs is no better than that for ghosts, and most credible scientists view UFOs as an invention of human imagination.
The vastness of space may explain why aliens have not contacted us, Rees says. The nearest stars are so distant that even communication signals could take centuries to reach us. And the possibility of aliens transporting their physical bodies across this huge expanse may be impossible.
But a new generation of super telescopes will soon probe the most far-off heavens, which many believe could provide clear cut evidence of extraterrestrial existence. In 2013, NASA will launch the James Webb Space Telescope, seven-times stronger than the Hubble Telescope. This new tool will help us understand how stars and planets form.
In 2016, the Giant Magellan Telescope will become the world’s largest, but its glory may be short-lived. Already in the dream stage is a 42-meter monster called the European Extremely Large Telescope that could produce crystal clear views of Earth-like planets revealing irrefutable proof of intelligent life.
A major challenge facing tomorrow’s astronomers will be processing the huge amounts of data from these larger scopes. The number of variables and interactions are too massive for current computers to handle, but researchers see the solution in quantum computers.
Expected in the 2020s, quantum computers will provide better weather predictions, improved air traffic control methods, and unravel many of the human body’s mysteries. This IT marvel will also help astronomers identify planets with the highest probability of harboring intelligent life, and it could even help scientists develop ways to contact these new neighbors.
When we make first contact, the aliens’ appearance may surprise us. They could be balloon-like creatures floating in dense atmospheres; or appear as tiny ant-like insects – or even super-computers created by a race of beings that had died out. Regardless of how they look though, Rees believes we would consider them distant cousins. We are built from similar atoms and we both can trace our origins to the “big bang.”
As we trek through this 21st century “magical future,” the odds increasingly point towards a first contact with intelligent aliens. What might this mean for civilization? Forward-thinkers imagine that today’s Star Trek science fiction world could become tomorrow’s reality.
Comment Thread (4 Responses)
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These people who don’t believe in alien life – what are their arguments besides the fact that humans haven’t discovered them yet? How could one possibly assume we’re the only living beings in the universe/multiverse? The probability is just too high. And why do we assume they’d want to visit our planet?
Great piece, futuretalk, I’m really excited for some proof that we’re not the only beings in existence. :) —And as a side-note, what might such a discovery do to religion???
Posted by: Marisa Vitols March 13, 2008
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Confirmation of the existence of extra-terrestrial intelligent life, combined with science realizing its greatest dream – eliminating human death – will surely end religious dominance.
Groups like the American Humanist Association, Free Thinkers, and Atheists may become the world’s new “religions.”
Posted by: futuretalk March 13, 2008
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Interesting. But religion surely won’t go down easily. Could this cause a WW3? Produce a wave of luddite communities or states? Perhaps religions will simply adapt their philosophies again to accommodate scientific discovery, eventually to run out of followers when these change become so frequent and so profound. I guess it could go a bunch of ways.
Posted by: Marisa Vitols March 13, 2008
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I cannot envision a WW3 ever happening.
Concerns brought on by terrorist activities, crime, violence, and world strife will drive security technologies forward, which will not stop until the development of neuron enhancements that will one day make it impossible for humans to take violent action towards each other.
I realize this sounds like a “Big Brother” thing, but as life extension technologies progress and people begin to realize that their lifespan could reach into the hundreds; even thousands of years, human life will skyrocket in value.
Some of the more positive aspects of religion may survive though; such as the camaraderie that takes place in group meetings (church) and encouraging the “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” mantra that has wielded such a positive effect on humanity through the centuries.
I believe it will be a must for religions to accept tomorrow’s futuristic science advances and change their routines accordingly; otherwise they will simply lose members and disappear.
Posted by: futuretalk March 13, 2008
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