Is there Life Out There?

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I have always wondered if extraterrestrial life exists. I mean, why should we earthlings be the only living beings in this universe? Given the vastness of the universe and the billions of stars and planets within in, I think it is probable that life exists elsewhere in the universe. If life exists outside the earth, is it likely to be more advanced than us or primitive? If it is more advanced, wouldn’t those aliens have tried to contact us?

The late physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking had a complex and nuanced view on the possibility of contacting aliens.On the one hand, Hawking believed that the existence of extraterrestrial life was very likely given the vast size of the universe and the number of habitable planets that could exist. However, he also warned that we should be cautious about actively trying to contact any potential alien civilizations. Hawking expressed concern that any aliens we might encounter could be hostile, given the tendency for life on Earth to compete for resources and engage in conflict. He suggested that it might be safer to simply listen for signals from alien civilizations rather than trying to send out messages of our own, which could alert potentially hostile aliens to our presence. In 2010, Hawking even participated in a project called Breakthrough Listen, which uses radio telescopes to search for signals from extraterrestrial civilizations. However, he cautioned that if we do discover evidence of alien life, we should proceed with caution and consider the potential risks before attempting to establish contact.

The recent hullabaloo over UFOs has increased my curiosity regarding extraterrestrial life. It is likely that most UFOs are weather balloons or spy balloons or even hobby balloons and not from outer space. It is also likely that most accounts of UFO sightings are false alarms. I also do not believe that there has been any government cover-up of UFOs. However, I do wish we could settle this issue conclusively one way or the other in my lifetime. Even as I say this, I realise that unless we find evidence of extraterrestrial life, this question will never go away.

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