Renowned British space specialist predicts that humanity is likely to come across alien life forms within the next fifty years, cautioning that they may not be as glamorous as depicted in movies. Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock, affiliated with University College London’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, anticipates a confirmed discovery of extraterrestrial life by 2075. However, she forewarns that the beings might not be anything more captivating than featureless slime.
She suggests that the most probable scenario is that aliens will resemble colorless slime, as reported by the Daily Star. Despite this, Dame Maggie remains hopeful that humans might encounter an advanced species with advanced communication technology.
The expert shared her insights while gearing up for this year’s prestigious Royal Institution Christmas lectures, focusing on profound mysteries in space exploration. Her optimism is based on the “numbers game” theory encapsulated in the Drake equation. Dame Maggie pointed out the vastness of the universe, with approximately 200 billion galaxies, making her strongly believe that life exists beyond Earth.
Our galaxy alone contains around 300 billion stars, each with planets orbiting them. Recent discoveries, like exoplanet K218b located 124 light years away, have shown promising signs of potential life with molecules in its atmosphere that could only exist due to the presence of life forms. NASA’s findings on potential life indicators on Mars further reinforce the possibility of extraterrestrial life.
While cautioning against expecting humanoid creatures, Dame Maggie suggests that discovering basic organisms is more likely. However, she acknowledges the chance of encountering highly intelligent beings surpassing human capabilities. Any encounter with alien life would demand extreme care and isolation to prevent contamination.
Efforts are underway to establish specialized laboratories for secure examination of alien specimens on Earth, as transporting scientific equipment to distant planets is challenging. Dame Maggie remains optimistic about future advancements in space exploration, expressing her desire to potentially relocate to Mars. She believes that space exploration could serve as a unifying force for humanity.