Science Sees Farther: Extraterrestrial Life

Are we alone in the universe? Can we save the lives of millions with new vaccines? How can we manage the increasing demands on our planet’s resources? Scientists try to answer these questions and more as part of a celebration of the 350th year of The Royal Society, the UK’s national academy of sciences. The Society has unveiled a new section on their website today, called “Science Sees Farther”, which includes essays, interviews and more on 12 different scientific topics, including extraterrestrial life, aging, health, climate change, and geoengineering, as well as discussions of the always-present uncertainties in science and how the internet has changed the science landscape.

This video is from the “Extraterrestrial Life” section, always of interest to Universe Today readers. Dr. Martin Dominik and Professor John Zarnecki sum things up very well, and write in their article, “The search for life elsewhere is nothing but a search for ourselves, where we came from, why we are here, and where we will be going. It encompasses many, if not all, of the fundamental questions in biology, physics, and chemistry, but also in philosophy, psychology, religion and the way in which humans interact with their environment and each other. The question of whether we are alone in the Universe still remains unanswered, with no scientific evidence yet supporting one possible outcome or the other. If, however, extra-terrestrial life does exist, an emerging new age of exploration may well allow living generations to witness its detection.”

See more topics on “Science Sees Farther.”