Extraterrestrial intelligence

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Extraterrestrial intelligence (often abbreviated ETI), or non-human intelligence (NHI), refers to hypothetical intelligent extraterrestrial life. No such life has ever been proven to exist in the Solar System except for humans on Earth, and its existence on other star systems is still speculative. [1] The question of whether other inhabited worlds might exist has been debated since ancient times. [2] The modern form of the concept emerged when the Copernican Revolution demonstrated that the Earth was a planet revolving around the Sun, and other planets were, conversely, other worlds. [3] The question of whether other inhabited planets or moons exist was a natural consequence of this new understanding. It has become one of the most speculative questions in science and is a central theme of science fiction and popular culture. [4]

Contents

Intelligence

Intelligence is, along with the more precise concept of sapience, used to describe extraterrestrial life with similar cognitive abilities as humans. Another interchangeable term is sophoncy, first coined by Karen Anderson and published in the 1966 works by her husband Poul Anderson.

Sentience, like consciousness, is a concept sometimes mistakenly used to refer to the concept of extraterrestrial sapience and intelligence, since it does not exclude forms of life that are non-sapient.

The term extraterrestrial civilization frames a more particular case of extraterrestrial intelligence. It is the possible long-term result of intelligent and specifically sapient extraterrestrial life.

Probability

The Copernican principle is generalized to the relativistic concept that humans are not privileged observers of the universe. [5] Many prominent scientists, including Stephen Hawking [6] have proposed that the sheer scale of the universe makes it improbable for intelligent life not to have emerged elsewhere. However, Fermi's Paradox highlights the apparent contradiction between high estimates of the probability of the existence of extraterrestrial civilization and humanity's lack of contact with, or evidence for, such civilizations. [7]

So far, there is no proof of extraterrestrial life, including intelligent extraterrestrial life. [8]

The Kardashev scale is a speculative method of measuring a civilization's level of technological advancement, based on the amount of energy a civilization is able to utilize. [9]

The Drake equation is a probabilistic framework used to estimate the number of active, communicative extraterrestrial civilizations in the Milky Way galaxy. [10]

Search for extraterrestrial intelligence

There has been a search for signals from extraterrestrial intelligence for several decades, with no significant results. [11] Active SETI (Active Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) is the attempt to send messages to intelligent extraterrestrial life. Active SETI messages are usually sent in the form of radio signals. Physical messages like that of the Pioneer plaque may also be considered an active SETI message.

Communication with extraterrestrial intelligence (CETI) is a branch of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence that focuses on composing and deciphering messages that could theoretically be understood by another technological civilization. The best-known CETI experiment was the 1974 Arecibo message composed by Frank Drake and Carl Sagan. There are multiple independent organizations and individuals engaged in CETI research.

The U.S. government's position is that "chances of contact with an extraterrestrial intelligence are extremely small, given the distances involved." [12] [13] This line of thinking has led some to conclude that first contact will most likely be made with extraterrestrial artificial intelligence, rather than with biological beings. [14] [15] [16]

The Wow! signal remains the best candidate for an extraterrestrial radio signal ever detected. [17]

On 14 June 2022, astronomers, working with China's FAST telescope, reported the possibility of having detected artificial (presumably alien) signals, but cautions that further studies are required to determine if some kind of natural radio interference may be the source. [18] More recently, on 18 June 2022, Dan Werthimer, chief scientist for several SETI-related projects, reportedly noted, “These signals are from radio interference; they are due to radio pollution from earthlings, not from E.T.”. [19]

On 26 Jul 2023, House lawmakers held a hearing Wednesday to examine how the executive branch handles reports of unidentified anomalous phenomena, also known as UAPs or UFOs. The House Oversight's national security subcommittee heard from three witnesses, including a former Navy commanding officer, with firsthand knowledge of how the government has handled reports of UFO sightings.

Potential cultural impact of extraterrestrial contact

The potential changes from extraterrestrial contact could vary greatly in magnitude and type, based on the extraterrestrial civilization's level of technological advancement, degree of benevolence or malevolence, and level of mutual comprehension between itself and humanity. [20] Some theories suggest that an extraterrestrial civilization could be advanced enough to dispense with biology, living instead inside of advanced computers. [20] The medium through which humanity is contacted, be it electromagnetic radiation, direct physical interaction, extraterrestrial artefact, or otherwise, may also influence the results of contact. Incorporating these factors, various systems have been created to assess the implications of extraterrestrial contact.

The implications of extraterrestrial contact, particularly with a technologically superior civilization, have often been likened to the meeting of two vastly different human cultures on Earth, a historical precedent being the Columbian Exchange. Such meetings have generally led to the destruction of the civilization receiving contact (as opposed to the "contactor", which initiates contact), and therefore destruction of human civilization is a possible outcome. [21] However, the absence of any such contact to date means such conjecture is largely speculative.

UFOlogy

The extraterrestrial hypothesis is the idea that some UFOs are vehicles containing or sent by extraterrestrial beings (usually called aliens in this context). [11] As an explanation for UFOs, ETI is sometimes contrasted with EDI (extradimensional intelligence), for example by Allen Hynek. [22]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drake equation</span> Estimate of extraterrestrial civilizations

The Drake equation is a probabilistic argument used to estimate the number of active, communicative extraterrestrial civilizations in the Milky Way Galaxy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Extraterrestrial life</span> Life not on earth

Extraterrestrial life, alien life, or colloquially simply aliens is life which does not originate from Earth. No extraterrestrial life has yet been conclusively detected. Such life might range from simple forms such as prokaryotes to intelligent beings, possibly bringing forth civilizations that might be far more advanced than humanity. The Drake equation speculates about the existence of sapient life elsewhere in the universe. The science of extraterrestrial life is known as astrobiology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fermi paradox</span> Lack of evidence that aliens exist

The Fermi paradox is the discrepancy between the lack of conclusive evidence of advanced extraterrestrial life and the apparently high likelihood of its existence. As a 2015 article put it, "If life is so easy, someone from somewhere must have come calling by now."

The search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) is a collective term for scientific searches for intelligent extraterrestrial life, for example, monitoring electromagnetic radiation for signs of transmissions from civilizations on other planets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Drake</span> American astronomer and astrophysicist (1930–2022)

Frank Donald Drake was an American astrophysicist and astrobiologist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kardashev scale</span> Measure of a civilizations evolution

The Kardashev scale is a method of measuring a civilization's level of technological advancement based on the amount of energy it is capable of harnessing and using. The measure was proposed by Soviet astronomer Nikolai Kardashev (1932–2019) in 1964 and was named after him.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jill Tarter</span> American astronomer

Jill Cornell Tarter is an American astronomer best known for her work on the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI). Tarter is the former director of the Center for SETI Research, holding the Bernard M. Oliver Chair for SETI at the SETI Institute. In 2002, Discover magazine recognized her as one of the 50 most important women in science.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SETI Institute</span> Not-for-profit research organization

The SETI Institute is a not-for-profit research organization incorporated in 1984 whose mission is to explore, understand, and explain the origin and nature of life in the universe, and to use this knowledge to inspire and guide present and future generations, sharing knowledge with the public, the press, and the government. SETI stands for the "search for extraterrestrial intelligence".

The zoo hypothesis speculates on the assumed behavior and existence of technologically advanced extraterrestrial life and the reasons they refrain from contacting Earth. It is one of many theoretical explanations for the Fermi paradox. The hypothesis states that alien life intentionally avoids communication with Earth to allow for natural evolution and sociocultural development, and avoiding interplanetary contamination, similar to people observing animals at a zoo. The hypothesis seeks to explain the apparent absence of extraterrestrial life despite its generally accepted plausibility and hence the reasonable expectation of its existence. A variant on the zoo hypothesis suggested by the former MIT Haystack Observatory scientist John Allen Ball is the "laboratory" hypothesis, in which humanity is being subjected to experiments, with Earth serving as a giant laboratory.

The Great Filter is the idea that, in the development of life from the earliest stages of abiogenesis to reaching the highest levels of development on the Kardashev scale, there is a barrier to development that makes detectable extraterrestrial life exceedingly rare. The Great Filter is one possible resolution of the Fermi paradox.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Communication with extraterrestrial intelligence</span> Branch of SETI

The communication with extraterrestrial intelligence (CETI) is a branch of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) that focuses on composing and deciphering interstellar messages that theoretically could be understood by another technological civilization. The best-known CETI experiment of its kind was the 1974 Arecibo message composed by Frank Drake.

Active SETI is the attempt to send messages to intelligent extraterrestrial life. Active SETI messages are predominantly sent in the form of radio signals. Physical messages like that of the Pioneer plaque may also be considered an active SETI message. Active SETI is also known as METI.

A post-detection policy (PDP), also known as a post-detection protocol, is a set of structured rules, standards, guidelines, or actions that governmental or other organizational entities plan to follow for the "detection, analysis, verification, announcement, and response to" confirmed signals from extraterrestrial civilizations. Though no PDPs have been formally and openly adopted by any governmental entity, there is significant work being done by scientists and nongovernmental organizations to develop cohesive plans of action to utilize in the event of detection. The most popular and well known of these is the "Declaration of Principles Concerning Activities Following the Detection of Extraterrestrial Intelligence", which was developed by the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA), with the support of the International Institute of Space Law. The theories of PDPs constitute a distinct area of research but draw heavily from the fields of SETI, METI, and CETI.

The cultural impact of extraterrestrial contact is the corpus of changes to terrestrial science, technology, religion, politics, and ecosystems resulting from contact with an extraterrestrial civilization. This concept is closely related to the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), which attempts to locate intelligent life as opposed to analyzing the implications of contact with that life.

<i>The Eerie Silence</i>

The Eerie Silence: Renewing Our Search for Alien Intelligence is a 2010 popular science book by Paul Davies, chair of the SETI: Post-Detection Science and Technology Taskgroup of the International Academy of Astronautics. The Eerie Silence explores the possibilities of intelligent extraterrestrial life, and its potential consequences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Technosignature</span> Property that provides scientific evidence for the presence of technology

Technosignature or technomarker is any measurable property or effect that provides scientific evidence of past or present technology. Technosignatures are analogous to biosignatures, which signal the presence of life, whether intelligent or not. Some authors prefer to exclude radio transmissions from the definition, but such restrictive usage is not widespread. Jill Tarter has proposed that the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) be renamed "the search for technosignatures". Various types of technosignatures, such as radiation leakage from megascale astroengineering installations such as Dyson spheres, the light from an extraterrestrial ecumenopolis, or Shkadov thrusters with the power to alter the orbits of stars around the Galactic Center, may be detectable with hypertelescopes. Some examples of technosignatures are described in Paul Davies's 2010 book The Eerie Silence, although the terms "technosignature" and "technomarker" do not appear in the book.

Breakthrough Initiatives is a science-based program founded in 2015 and funded by Julia and Yuri Milner, also of Breakthrough Prize, to search for extraterrestrial intelligence over a span of at least 10 years. The program is divided into multiple projects. Breakthrough Listen will comprise an effort to search over 1,000,000 stars for artificial radio or laser signals. A parallel project called Breakthrough Message is an effort to create a message "representative of humanity and planet Earth". The project Breakthrough Starshot, co-founded with Mark Zuckerberg, aims to send a swarm of probes to the nearest star at about 20% the speed of light. The project Breakthrough Watch aims to identify and characterize Earth-sized, rocky planets around Alpha Centauri and other stars within 20 light years of Earth. Breakthrough plans to send a mission to Saturn's moon Enceladus, in search for life in its warm ocean, and in 2018 signed a partnership agreement with NASA for the project.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berkeley SETI Research Center</span>

The Berkeley SETI Research Center (BSRC) conducts experiments searching for optical and electromagnetic transmissions from intelligent extraterrestrial civilizations. The center is based at the University of California, Berkeley.

<i>Archaeology, Anthropology, and Interstellar Communication</i> 2014 essay collection

Archaeology, Anthropology, and Interstellar Communication is a 2014 collection of essays edited by Douglas Vakoch and published by NASA. The book is focused on the role that the humanities and social sciences, in particular anthropology and archaeology, play in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI). The seventeen essays are gathered into four sections, which respectively explore the history of SETI as a field; archaeological comparisons for human-alien communication, such as the difficulties of translating ancient languages; the inferential gap between humans and aliens, and the consequences this would have for communication and trade; and the potential nature of alien intelligences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of extraterrestrial life</span> Overview of and topical guide to extraterrestrial life

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to extraterrestrial life:

References

  1. ↑ Bennett, Jeffrey (2017). Life in the universe. United States: Pearson. p. 3-4. ISBN   978-0-13-408908-9.
  2. ↑ Plurality of Worlds: The Extraterrestrial life Debate from Democritus to Kant, by Steven Dick, Cambridge University Press 1984
  3. ↑ The Extraterrestrial Life Debate: 1750-1900, by Michael J. Crowe, Dover Publications, 2011
  4. ↑ Are we alone? Peter Spinks. May 21, 2013.
  5. ↑ Peacock, John A. (1998). Cosmological Physics . Cambridge University Press. p.  66. ISBN   0-521-42270-1.
  6. ↑ Hickman, Leo (25 April 2010). "Stephen Hawking takes a hard line on aliens". The Guardian . Retrieved 24 February 2012.
  7. ↑ Krauthammer, Charles (December 29, 2011). "Are we alone in the universe?". The Washington Post . Retrieved January 6, 2015.
  8. ↑ Kaufman, Marc (12 October 2022). "Life, Here and Beyond". NASA Astrobiology. Retrieved 3 February 2023. No life beyond Earth has ever been found; there is no evidence that alien life has ever visited our planet. It's all a story.
  9. ↑ Kardashev, Nikolai. "On the Inevitability and the Possible Structures of Supercivilizations", The search for extraterrestrial life: Recent developments; Proceedings of the Symposium, Boston, MA, June 18–21, 1984 (A86-38126 17-88). Dordrecht, D. Reidel Publishing Co., 1985, p. 497–504.
  10. ↑ Zaun, Harald (1 November 2011). "Es war wie eine 180-Grad-Wende von diesem peinlichen Geheimnis!" [It was like a 180 degree turn from this embarrassing secret]. Telepolis (in German). Heise.
  11. 1 2 "The search for ET is a detective story without a body" by Nigel Henbest, New Scientist, March 9, 2013, p. 53.
  12. ↑ Larson, Phil (5 November 2011). "Searching for ET, But No Evidence Yet". White House. Archived from the original on 24 November 2011. Retrieved 2011-11-06.
  13. ↑ Atkinson, Nancy (5 November 2011). "No Alien Visits or UFO Coverups, White House Says". UniverseToday . Retrieved 2011-11-06.
  14. ↑ Hollingham, Richard. "What if the aliens we are looking for are AI?". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2020-11-24.
  15. ↑ November 2016, Mike Wall 14 (14 November 2016). "Electronic E.T.: Intelligent Aliens Are Likely Machines". Space.com. Retrieved 2020-11-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  16. ↑ ""Alien Artificial Intelligence is Out There" --And It's Billions of Years Old". The Daily Galaxy. 2019-01-01. Archived from the original on 2021-01-23. Retrieved 2020-11-24.
  17. ↑ "Was the Wow! Signal Alien?". Skeptoid. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
  18. ↑ Byrd, Deborah (4 June 2022). "Has China's FAST telescope detected alien intelligence?". Earth & Sky . Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  19. ↑ Overbye, Dennis (18 June 2022). "A Chinese Telescope Did Not Find an Alien Signal. The Search Continues. China's astronomers have been initiated into the search for extraterrestrial intelligence with the kind of false alarm that others in the field have experienced for decades". The New York Times . Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  20. 1 2 Harrison, A. A. (2011). "Fear, pandemonium, equanimity and delight: Human responses to extra-terrestrial life". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences. 369 (1936): 656–668. Bibcode:2011RSPTA.369..656H. doi:10.1098/rsta.2010.0229. PMID   21220289. S2CID   39284787.
  21. ↑ Kazan, Casey (1 August 2008). "The Impact of ET Contact: Europe's Scientists Discuss The Future of Humans in Space". Daily Galaxy. Archived from the original on 15 May 2013. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
  22. ↑ Fuller, Curtis (1980). Proceedings of the First International UFO Congress. New York: Warner Books. pp. 157–163.
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