This week, I am thrilled to announce a special guest joining me, my partner and research collaborator, Adam Frank. Adam has recently released an extraordinary new book called The Little Book of Aliens, which encompasses everything we currently know and don’t know about extraterrestrial life. This book takes a straightforward approach to a captivating subject, providing readers with answers to all their burning questions. Contrary to its title, Adam’s book is far from being small. Let’s dive into a Q&A session.
Firstly, I’d like to ask you a personal question. What initially drew you to the field of astrophysics and ignited your curiosity about life on other planets?
Ever since I was a five-year-old child, I stumbled upon my dad’s library. Among his collection of books by Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, and Norman Mailer, I discovered his fascination with science fiction. His office shelves were lined with vintage pulp science fiction magazines from the 1950s and 1960s, adorned with illustrations of rocket ships soaring through space, astronauts traversing alien planets, and otherworldly creatures. I was instantly captivated by this imagery and developed a profound love for all things related to outer space. To further fuel my passion, my father began gifting me science fiction novels and taking me to the Hayden Planetarium in New York City. That’s where it all began.
As I grew older, I started to grasp the concept of mathematics as a language for describing the world around us. It was like a drug, allowing me to see beyond the superficialities of our social constructs and directly into the hidden yet eternal and absolute aspects of reality.
When discussing the existence of extraterrestrial life, how crucial is it to distinguish between simple, single-celled life forms and intelligent beings?
In my opinion, this differentiation is unnecessary, and this theme is central to my book. The discovery of any form of life, whether it be simple or intelligent, would mark the most monumental revelation in human history. Many people believe that finding extraterrestrial civilizations, specifically intelligent life, is the only scenario worth considering. However, even if we were to find a single planet housing a biosphere with “dumb” life, it would revolutionize our understanding of the universe and our place within it. Life is an unparalleled phenomenon, unrivaled by rocks, mountains, stars, or comets. It possesses a unique capacity for innovation and creation that surpasses all other physical systems.
How do you position yourself regarding UFOs and the countless sightings reported by individuals? What drives this innate desire to seek out the “other”?
I firmly believe that I should never dismiss someone’s claim of witnessing something they genuinely believe to be true. As I wasn’t there to witness it myself, who am I to question their experience? However, it’s important to acknowledge that personal narratives hold limited value within the realm of science. If our goal is to establish a “collective knowledge” regarding alien life, we must rely on different methodologies. To expand our understanding and acquire knowledge that is universally accepted, we must turn to the rigor of scientific methods.
Thankfully, we are beginning to witness the integration of scientific principles in the study of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs), as evidenced by initiatives like the NASA UAP panel and the Galileo Project. Considering the widespread interest in this subject, this development is positive. Personally, I maintain a skeptical stance regarding UAPs’ connection to extraterrestrial life, as claimed by Carl Sagan: “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.” Nonetheless, my book examines how a true, agnostic scientific investigation of UAPs should be conducted.
In your opinion, is interstellar travel a plausible endeavor?
Without a doubt, interstellar travel is feasible as long as it adheres to the limits imposed by the speed of light. If we were to transcend these constraints and attempt to surpass the speed of light, violating the known laws of nature, we would need to engage in extensive speculation within the realm of Einstein’s general theory of relativity. In my book, I delved into the possibilities of interstellar travel, ranging from potential advancements within the next century to contemplating wild speculations rooted in established laws of physics. It was an incredibly enjoyable endeavor.
Assuming intelligent extraterrestrial life exists, what would be the most effective approach to discovering their presence?
This question lies at the heart of my book. Over the past few decades, we have witnessed remarkable advancements in astrobiology. We now understand that each star in the sky hosts a multitude of planetary systems. Among these systems, billions of planets hold the potential for habitability. Moreover, we possess the technological capability to peer into the atmospheres of these distant planets, discerning and analyzing their chemical compositions. One method of discovering extraterrestrial life involves detecting chemical signatures associated with alien life forms within the light that has traversed their atmospheres. Countless other avenues for exploration exist. Ultimately, the crux of the matter is that these techniques are available to us presently or will become accessible in the coming decades as astronomical instruments advance.
The existence of intelligent extraterrestrial life is a question with colossal implications. Regardless of whether they exist or not, both answers hold profound importance. However, there lies a conundrum. Due to the nature of science, we can never conclusively prove the absence of something. Does this lack of evidence thus provide hope for believers? How do you personally feel about this? Do you possess a desire to believe?
As scientists, we have the ability to establish limits on the prevalence of life based on our observations. This process is commonplace in scientific endeavors. For instance, we have been tirelessly searching for dark matter particles, yet our efforts have yet to yield concrete results. Nonetheless, this ongoing search has delineated boundaries within which dark matter could conceivably exist. Similarly, if we were to embark on an extensive search for alien life on numerous exoplanets over half a century, yielding no positive outcomes, we would also establish boundaries regarding the probability of extraterrestrial life.
Imagining that intelligent alien life is indeed discovered, how do you envision this impacting our society and our understanding of what it means to be human?
The final section of my book extensively explores this topic. Discovering intelligent alien life would undeniably constitute the most significant revelation in human history. Currently, it is plausible that life on Earth is an incomparable anomaly, a fortuitous occurrence unmatched elsewhere. However, if we were to identify a single instance of extraterrestrial biology, it would invalidate the notion of life as a mere accident. This paradigm shift would ignite unparalleled curiosity, fundamentally altering our understanding of the infinitely vast possibilities within the cosmos. Life possesses a creative prowess that transcends any other physical systems, fundamentally reshaping our perspective of what can transpire in the Universe.
Our search for biosignatures using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is yielding sensational progress. Do you believe we are nearing the cusp of detecting positive results?
I firmly believe that our generation and many others alive today will witness the accumulation of relevant data pertinent to this question. Perhaps even individuals as seasoned as you and I will be privy to these findings. I cannot predict the specific outcomes of this data, but it will undoubtedly be grounded in solid evidence. This is far superior to the last 2,500 years, during which human beings have merely engaged in endless debates loudly voicing their opinions.
Could you kindly elaborate on what technosignatures are and how we may detect them?
Technosignatures refer to the traces of technological activities imprinted in light emanating from distant worlds or their surrounding space. We will detect technosignatures using the same methodologies employed to identify biosignatures, which involves analyzing the light emitted or absorbed by exoplanets. These patterns within the spectral data can reveal the presence of technological phenomena, such as artificial illumination (city lights), industrial chemicals, the utilization of solar collectors, and many other possibilities. Technosignatures play a prominent role in my book, warranting significant attention and exploration.
I understand that this is not a scientific query, but what are your inclinations regarding the existence of intelligent alien life within our galaxy?
As an informed bet, I would confidently wager that extraterrestrial civilizations do exist. The ultimate uncertainty pertains to the longevity of these civilizations. If every civilization has a short lifespan, similar to the current trajectory we find ourselves on, numerous civilizations may have emerged throughout history, but have ultimately perished. Thus, we would presently inhabit a galaxy teeming with silent, vanished civilizations. This supposition renders our current state a…
