Alien life could take unimaginable forms; they can be viruses on meteors.
Given the recent calculations that were made in astrobiology, scientists claim alien life spreads like a virus. The phenomenon, known as panspermia, has not yet been confirmed, but scientists think it could account for alien life in space.
Sustainers of this new model claim alien life exists in space under the form of viruses or volcanoes. Judging from the knowledge that science experts have on viruses, astrobiologists think alien life might spread like an epidemic. If this theory turns out to be true, it means alien life has already reached our Earth.
Henry Lin and Abraham Loeb from the Harvard University think alien viruses travel in space by following a specific pattern, much like viruses do on Earth when they spread from one location to another. The model they have suggested relies on a bubble-like pattern that is formed around the alien-populated planets.
Lin and Loeb admit that their theory needs to undergo additional investigations and studies before it can be generally acknowledged. In their opinion, the study will come in handy after scientists locate the first alien-inhabited planet in the universe. Then, they can apply their new theory to find other nearby planets that could contain signs of alien life.
According to the panspermia model, the Earth is a strong indicator that alien life exists in space. Since our planet can support life, it means that the surrounding celestial bodies could also have life. It’s the first rule of an epidemic, in Lin’s opinion: if a person has a virus, the neighbor will most likely have it, too.
Based on these suppositions, Lin recommends space experts to continue investigations among the celestial bodies in our Milky Way. The best way to look for bubble patterns in the space is by focusing on at least 25 exoplanets. However, investigations could be hindered by a series of factors.
Humans’ imagination of aliens is limited to the information we have in our biosphere. We indirectly look for forms of life in space that can breathe oxygen and have more or less the same characteristics as humans. Yet, the life forms in space could be a lot different than the ones on Earth.
In addition, the speed of panspermia-based phenomena is a powerful factor determining the location of alien life in space. If these phenomena happen very quickly the bubble-like pattern could break and take new forms that are easier to observe. If life spreads at a much slower speed, it means the bubble takes too much time to grow for scientists to be able to quickly observe it.
Lin and Loeb think many similar suppositions could be made thanks to the panspermia model. While many of them will turn out to be false, some of them could provide new leads for the study of alien life.
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