Universe Civilizations. I think you know, there is still no evidence of the existence of life beyond Earth. Many scientists believe that we are not alone in the vastness of the universe.
It is believed that a significant number of stars in the Milky Way alone may contain potentially habitable planets, and recent calculations have shown.
The probability of the existence of life, approximately 665 light years from us is 99.9%. Based on the assumption that space is inhabited by technologically advanced civilizations.
Astrophysicists have concluded that they have only 1000 years until conditions on planets become uninhabitable. This is due to climate change, which occurs even when civilizations rely on renewable energy sources.
Universe Civilizations, life beyond Earth.
The search for extraterrestrial life continues, despite the deafening silence of space. Although most scientific research is focused on searching for microorganisms beyond Earth.
If anything, it is reasonable, given our limited capabilities, astrophysicists are not afraid to make bolder and bigger guesses.
After all, they have at their disposal many astronomical instruments, including the James Webb Infrared Space Observatory, which can peer into the depths of the universe.
Studies of civilizations in the universe.
The catalog of discovered exoplanets includes more than 5,000 worlds. Let us recall that exoplanets are planets orbiting other stars. Some of them, according to astrophysicists, are potentially habitable.
If we talk on the scale of the entire universe, then the probability of the existence of intelligent life in its vastness is not small.
ChatGPT mathematical calculations show that at a distance of 665 light years from Earth (this number in kilometers looks like this:
6,290,000,000,000,000) life is almost inevitable, it would be real and we can say with confidence that she is there.
Universe Civilizations, why do advanced civilizations die?
So, according to the authors of the scientific work, any exponentially growing technological civilization has only 1000 years before the temperature on the surface of its planet becomes too high to support life.
The team came to this conclusion by assessing the technological energy consumption of advanced civilizations, which significantly affects the climate.
The laws of thermodynamics state that any energy conversion occurs along with the release of heat.
This means that the more energy a civilization consumes, the more heat it releases into the environment.
What about Earth?
Although today this warming effect on Earth’s climate is small compared to the greenhouse effect caused by CO₂ emissions, the situation could change dramatically if energy consumption continues to increase along with technological advances.
To show that with an annual increase in energy consumption of just 1%, the planet could reach a critical level in less than 1,000 years, astrophysicists used simple theoretical models.
The results showed that such exponential growth would cause a significant increase in the average surface temperature, which could make the planet uninhabitable due to the possible loss of liquid water.
Thus, it could take less than 1,000 years for an advanced alien civilization to destroy its planet as a result of climate change, even if it relies solely on renewable energy sources.
The growing needs of civilizations in the universe.
Note that the authors of the scientific paper were initially inspired by human energy use, which has increased exponentially since the 1800s.
For example, in 2023, humans used about 180,000 terawatt hours (TWh), which is roughly the amount of energy that comes to Earth from the Sun.
Much of this energy comes from gas and coal, which are excessively warming the planet.
Even if all this energy were produced from renewable sources such as wind and solar power, humanity would continue to grow and therefore need more energy.
The higher the civilization’s needs, the more serious the consequences.
As the energy drain increases, even from clean energy, eventually any planet will overheat to the point where it becomes uninhabitable.
Three possible paths for civilizations to develop.
As part of the study, astrophysicists pointed to three possible ways for civilizations to develop.
According to the first scenario, civilizations that do not limit the growth of energy consumption risk facing ecological collapse and extinction in a relatively short time.
The second scenario suggests that limiting or reducing energy consumption could prolong the existence of civilization, allowing us to maintain the conditions necessary to sustain life on the planet.
The third option involves using space infrastructure to generate energy and dissipate heat.
It is believed that this approach could help civilizations bypass the limitations of their own planet and continue to develop without the threat of overheating and climate collapse.
Fortunately, there are other options for both humans and alien civilizations.
The authors of the study suggested that instead of accepting extinction or developing technology to move energy production off-planet, civilization could stop growing.
If a species were to choose balance, learning to live in harmony with its environment, then the species itself and its descendants could survive for up to a billion years, the scientists concluded.
Why is this important for civilizations in the universe?
Although the study’s conclusions cannot be supported by substantial evidence, the work has important implications for astrobiologists.
The fact is that the identified 1,000-year limit, a moment by cosmic standards, significantly complicates the search for life in other parts of the universe.
If anything, worlds like Earth take hundreds of millions of years to become habitable. The results also have implications for the so-called Fermi paradox.
If most technological civilizations self-destruct due to uncontrolled growth, then the chance of detecting them is greatly reduced.
On the other hand, civilizations that have learned to manage their energy consumption or have moved to other planets and galaxies may exist longer and be more visible to us due to their technological footprint.
Overall, the study highlights the need to rethink our approach to energy consumption.
As humanity is already facing the consequences of climate change, understanding the long-term consequences of technological development is more important than ever.
Civilizations of the Universe, do not recommend sending signals into space, it could cost us our lives If anything, in the mid-20th century, the topic of encounters with aliens was very relevant.
Military personnel.
Many people, from military personnel to ordinary citizens, often perceived lights in the sky and other strange phenomena as evidence of the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence.
For example, in 1947, metal and rubber parts were found in the American city of Roswell, which were mistaken for the wreckage of a “flying saucer”.
They were carefully studied by specialists in various fields, and many believed that aliens really crashed near the city and that the authorities were carefully hiding it.
Only in 1994 did it become known that the debris belonged to a nuclear test monitoring device.
For many years, scientists have been trying to communicate with aliens by sending signals into space.
Recently, artificial intelligence has made a recommendation not to do this – the consequences can be sad. Universe civilizations, how dangerous can aliens be?
Theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking warned that aliens can be dangerous. Indeed, if intelligent life exists somewhere and has more advanced technologies, it is unlikely to be kind to the inhabitants of Earth.
It is quite possible that advanced aliens will make something like “domestic animals” out of us, that is, they will do the same thing that we did with dogs, cats, cattle, etc.
Based on such concerns, some researchers have advised against sending any messages into space. If we receive a signal from an extraterrestrial civilization, we should not respond to it — it is better not to reveal our location.
Civilizations of the Universe, how to escape from aliens?
Recently, American and Chinese scientists developed an artificial intelligence called CosmoAgent, which is able to imagine what human interaction with aliens would look like.
In simple words, this system recreates real-world conditions inside a computer and can predict the “future” based on the conditions proposed by scientists.
The system showed that if a more militarily advanced alien civilization learns about Earth, it will definitely try to destroy us — the chances of survival are zero.
Of course, if extraterrestrial life is less developed, nothing bad should happen.
But we have no idea what an extraterrestrial civilization might be like, so trying to contact them is very risky.
Artificial intelligence emphasized that humanity, in order to survive, must be as quiet as possible in space and limit the transmission of any signals.
Maybe there is no one in space except us.
Caution never hurts.
Good day!