CyberWorld

Extraterrestrial life has always been the subject of human expressions in various forms like movies, paintings or popular stories. This topic has been a subject of intense debate, not only among the common people but also the intellectuals around the world. However, one fact clearly stands tall and that is; there is no proof till date that can conclusively state or authenticate the presence of a life form other than that on Earth. Even though there is no evidence, the possibility of a civilization existing somewhere out there, may be worth considering. Crop circles, another phenomenon that has benumbed humans, is thought to have been influenced by the aliens.

The most important factor in determining the presence of life is the environment. If we assume that the conditions such as those on Earth can be created anywhere in the universe or already exist in it, then the idea of life on that planet is almost a certainty. Based on the survival mechanism of human beings, we may be able to predict the possibility of a whole new set of beings similar to us. Human beings need air to breathe, water to drink and food for survival. The availability of these factors is a must for each one of us to sustain on Earth. Hence, there is a lot of curiosity among experts with regard to the planet Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, the moons of Jupiter and Saturn like Europa and Titan respectively, in our solar system. These have been found to have traces of water on their surface. Therefore, there is every chance that life will be able to thrive on these bodies.

The 1976 Viking probes sent to planet Mars had detected chemical activity which was quite similar to daily activity of living organisms on Earth. NASA had conducted detailed analysis of the samples collected by the probes and closed the speculation, citing lack of concrete results. In 1961, US astronomer Frank Drake had developed an equation that suggests presence of many more life-bearing planets. The equation included seven factors like age and formation of stars or number of Earth-like planets and so on. In 2001, another updated theory based on a complex set of equations suggested the presence of many planets that could sustain life. Jupiter's moon Europa radiates infrared waves, which is typical of an organism such as bacteria. Hence it is subject to a very intense scrutiny and observation by NASA but substantial evidence still eludes us. However, all the above incidents have encouraged lot of interest and a renewed effort by researchers all over the world to settle the claims of life on other planets once and for all.

The presence of life beyond the solar system is a very contentious matter. There is a section of people who believe that on account of the expanse of the Universe, there must be a planet like Earth that supports life. The issue is a matter of research and speculation. The argument that there could be a planet like Earth, that exists in the realms of the Universe is a very likely event. Considering the sheer expanse of the Universe, we may be tempted to believe in the theory that there is a parallel civilization flourishing somewhere out in the cosmos. The only constraint facing us and perhaps the aliens is that both sides are unaware of a communication mechanism. We, humans have come a long way since our evolution on this planet. But our achievements have not yet been able to make us aware of such an extraterrestrial being (if at all they exist). Similarly, if we again assume that a civilization does exist somewhere out there, even they have a long way to go and actually communicate with us.

Another theory assumes that there is a unique structure (as that of the Earth) that has got the right components to enable life to flourish. The discoveries until now have failed to conclusively prove the existence of conditions exactly similar to those on Earth. If we consider the part of the universe that we know, as a sample of the larger expanse, there might be no life at all. This is again just a probability based on the knowledge that we have been able to garner till today.

SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Center located in Mountain View, California is dedicated to finding life in the universe. This organization works in two broad areas: research and development and projects. The first part includes development of new search techniques and equipment that would facilitate the search, for example large telescopes and communication devices. The projects are the actual work directed with a well-planned strategy to search for the evidence of life. A lot of people claim to have seen an alien life form. The being is 'immortalized' in our memories by its depiction in various Hollywood movies which lead us to firmly believe that there is life on other planets.

They say, 'Reality is more important than dreams', and all our assumptions and theories are still distant dreams created by our mind. The fact remains that so far we have not been able to detect life on other planets but at the same time there is no denying the possibility that it might actually exist!