Life on Other Planets Essay Example
A major discussion and debate has arisen among scientists and the general public about life on other planets, and whether or not it is possible. While it is possible for there to be life on other planets, a bigger question is brought up: whether or not the other planets can develop and sustain complex life, equivalent to that of Earth. While many do think the universe is too large for there not to be a human race equivalent, it is rebuked by facts and probability about the multitude of conditions needed for comparable advanced life to thrive and even simpler the conditions for the planet itself to be comparable to Earth. An analysis of the facts given in the article, “The Two Billion Earthlike Planets in the Milky Way” by Casey Kazan proves moreover that it is nearly impossible for equivalent life to exist.
There is the argument made by many that the number of planets in the universe is so great that at least one other planet should be able to sustain life. Even though not found quite yet, there is much speculation around life being found relatively soon on other planets in our solar system. For example, “... life on the microbial level will be discovered sometime in the next twenty years on Mars or on one of Jupiter or Saturn’s moons” (Kazan, 2). Also, there is an attempt to back up this possibility with the fact that these planets have similar components to Earth, such as mass, size, and even the chemical elements that are present; these are all pivotal in establishing an environment crucial to forming and sustaining any form of life. Due to these components, many have come to believe that the possibility of life could be possible and it just has not been discovered yet.
However, all of these supporting claims can be rebutted by the main fact that to be similar to Earth all of the factors need to align. For example, “Size alone, for example, doesn’t say enough about habitability” (Kazan, 1), this proves that there needs to be a variety, if not all, of the same components to create a similar planet capable of sustaining life as it is known on Earth. All components of the planet must be similar if not the same, as well as aspects such as the stars of this planet, the surrounding planets, and a moon that stabilizes the planet's tilt, to name a few. Lastly, major events that laid the pathway for Earth's evolution need to align such as giant impacts, and even more simply, biological evolution. Additionally, with all of these factors taken into consideration, it was found that “... the zones and regions of the known universe described below are the ones that astrobiologists have concluded have little or zero chance of supporting life as we know it” (Kazan, 2). While the possibility of short-term life on other planets is possible it can not be compared to that of life on Earth and its processes of evolution. After a deep analysis and understanding, it is clearly accepted that the statistics given in the document about the probability of a planet having the same evolutionary processes from the planet itself to the organisms created is nearly impossible.
Overall, the possibility of life existing on other planets similar to Earth is widely debated, but data inevitably the data shows that it is nonviable for this comparable planet to exist. Also, the theory’s behind the possibility of this planet are just abstract possibilities based on just that, possibilities but not factual data. The last thing to think about in this debate is whether or not we humans can aid in the creation and sustainability of potential life on these Earth-like planets in the years to come. Until there is the exploration of this comparable planet found somewhere in the galaxy it is widely accepted that Earth is the only of its kind able to support complex life.
