Would Science Proof of Hide Alien Life? | Unveiled - video Dailymotion

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00:00 We've long wondered whether we're alone in the universe. However, we've only recently acquired

00:04 the means to hunt for other intelligent lifeforms. Thanks to telescopes that can peer deep into the

00:10 cosmos, research into the possibility of life beyond our solar system is flourishing. We may

00:15 soon find the signs of life we're looking for. Then again, some wonder if we've actually already

00:20 found them, far closer to home. This is Unveiled, and today we're answering the extraordinary

00:26 question; is science already hiding a solar system full of life?

00:30 Do you need the big questions answered? Are you constantly curious? Then why not subscribe to

00:36 Unveiled for more clips like this one? And ring the bell for more thought-provoking content!

00:40 The search for extraterrestrial intelligence began in the early 1900s, but really gained

00:47 momentum in the 1980s. We've never been closer to finding other forms of intelligent life in

00:52 the universe than we are today, with thousands of scientists dedicating themselves to the search.

00:57 The field that studies life in the universe, on Earth, and beyond is called astrobiology.

01:03 It has grown significantly in recent decades, and has three main areas of focus. The first of this

01:08 is the study of how life begins and evolves. Studying this on Earth gives us insight into

01:13 the conditions needed to form life, and allows us to better understand what kind of environments

01:18 we're looking for. The second is the detection of life beyond our home planet. This entails

01:23 searching for potentially habitable worlds, and bio-signatures that could indicate the presence

01:28 of life. The third focus involves theories about the future of life in the universe.

01:33 So, what does make planets habitable? Well, the most crucial thing that scientists are looking

01:38 for is whether or not they lie within the habitable zone of their stars. You may also

01:43 hear this referred to as the Goldilocks Zone; an orbitable distance that's close enough,

01:48 but not too close, for temperatures to support liquid water. Water is the most essential

01:52 component for life on Earth. Even in extreme environments, microorganisms can thrive,

01:58 provided there's water. Just take the tardigrade, also known as the water bear. These micro-animals

02:04 are almost indestructible, and can even survive for a while in the vacuum of space. They're found

02:10 almost everywhere that there's water, suggesting that theoretically, if an exoplanet has water,

02:15 it could also harbour life. Just being in that Goldilocks Zone doesn't guarantee that a planet

02:20 has the vital requirement, however. At least, not in liquid form. Both Venus and Mars, for example,

02:26 orbit within our system's habitable zone. Both are inhospitable. Venus has incredibly high

02:32 temperatures, and any liquid water it may have once had has long since boiled away.

02:36 There's a plethora of other factors that contribute to creating a habitable exoplanet, too.

02:41 The surface temperature is key, and the largest indicator of whether it can, again, sustain water.

02:48 To determine this temperature, we need to know the planet's distance from its host star,

02:52 and the composition of its atmosphere, among other things. These can be quite difficult to figure out,

02:57 and with so many exoplanets in the universe, sifting through them all would be an incredibly

03:02 time-consuming endeavour. Plus, it's easy to make mistakes about the habitability of a world.

03:07 For example, if we measured the reflectivity of Earth's clouds from some far-off system,

03:13 and ignored greenhouse gas effects, we might deem even it unhabitable. Overall,

03:18 finding habitable exoplanets is incredibly tough, and time-intensive, which is why it's one of the

03:23 most active fields of astrobiological research. Since 1992, over 5,000 exoplanets have been

03:30 discovered and catalogued. Those which are potentially habitable are added to the HEC,

03:35 the Habitable Exoplanets Catalogue. This catalogue looks for places with up to 2.5 times the radius

03:41 of Earth and up to ten times its mass, orbiting within a star's Goldilocks zone. Currently,

03:46 as of writing, 63 planets have been entered into the HCE, the closest being Proxima Centauri b,

03:53 which is approximately 4.2 light-years away. So far, however, there's no conclusive evidence to

03:59 allow us to say with certainty if any of these planets really are habitable. At least, not that

04:04 we know about. Because, theoretically, if scientists were to have found another solar

04:08 system teeming with life, would they be open about it, or keep the discovery hidden? Generally,

04:14 science belongs to the public, with almost all major sky surveys releasing their data publicly.

04:19 So, if one team of researchers stumbled upon intelligent life, other teams would be likely

04:24 to as well. In principle, then, if this were to have happened, the data pointing to such a

04:28 conclusion would already be available for anyone to access. The optimists among us might hope for

04:34 such news to be shared with the wider public as well. However, there are practical reasons,

04:39 rooted in scientific understanding and historical precedent, that might warrant keeping such a

04:44 discovery confidential. One reason lies within our own human history. Stephen Hawking famously

04:50 warned against contact with aliens, saying "if aliens visit us, the outcome would be much as

04:55 when Columbus landed in America, which didn't turn out well for the Native Americans". He believed

05:02 that instead of seeking out alien civilizations, humanity should be more inclined to avoid them.

05:07 In human history, encounters between unfamiliar cultures have often been fraught with conflict,

05:13 and resulted in invasion and colonization. Extraterrestrial beings might perceive our

05:17 planet as a prize, potentially landing them to subjugate us, establish their own dominion,

05:23 and seize our most precious resources and artefacts. If a team of researchers stumbled

05:27 across extraterrestrial life, and then publicly released this information, it could fall into

05:32 the wrong hands. We live in an era where space exploration is advancing primarily through the

05:37 efforts of the world's wealthiest billionaires. Things could then become problematic if one of

05:41 them became enamoured with the idea of any particular alien civilization. With the immense

05:46 wealth of the private sector, it's possible that governments and institutions wouldn't be able to

05:51 prevent them from reaching out to an alien group… if one were found. Without comprehensive and well

05:56 considered protocols in place, such contact could be disastrous, and lead to long-running conflict.

06:02 On the other hand, at least it would be open. Meanwhile, and in a scenario that perhaps isn't

06:07 quite so difficult to imagine, it's also possible that researchers could discover signs of life,

06:12 but simply wait to announce it while they perform more studies, until they are 100% sure of what

06:18 they've found. This, in itself, could be a lengthy process. However, given the enthusiasm that often

06:24 meets such announcements, it also seems somewhat improbable that any one researcher or group would

06:29 be able to keep something as big as this a secret. It's probably much more likely that they'd release

06:34 what they know in order to secure more funding, and so that other scientists could build on their

06:39 work. Today, the search for extraterrestrial life is at its most active point in history.

06:44 We are currently cataloguing thousands of exoplanets with the hopes of finding habitable

06:49 ones. And, if one such world had already been found, we'd like to hope that the researchers

06:54 responsible would make it public knowledge. But it also isn't impossible that they'd prefer to keep

07:00 it quiet, so that first contact could be made responsibly or while they verified their results.

07:06 What's your verdict? Do you think science could ever keep something as big as this

07:10 under wraps? Be sure to let us know in the comments. And while we're on the subject,

07:14 is there anything else that you think certain academics, institutions, or leaders could be

07:20 keeping from us? Of course, there are some theories that the life we have found isn't

07:24 even just confined to some far-off star system. Instead, there are various claims and conspiracy

07:30 theories that aliens might already be "on Earth". What's your opinion on that? For now,

07:35 the search for extraterrestrial intelligence is only set to gather more and more pace,

07:40 and with seemingly total transparency. But how can our ever-improving knowledge of what's out there

07:46 be squared with the plain statistical probability that there must be alien life that we don't know

07:52 about? The famed Fermi Paradox continues to loom over astronomical study as one of science's

07:58 greatest and most profound unsolved problems. If you're desperate for answers, then all you can

08:03 really do is wait… and weigh up the physical evidence and theoretical predictions that

08:08 humanity has gathered so far. Space is vast, our lack of understanding is still huge,

08:14 but we are slowly improving. And if it ever feels like all hope is lost, then there's always the

08:20 slim chance that science itself could be holding something back… maybe. What do you think? Is

08:27 there anything we missed? Let us know in the comments, check out these other clips from

08:31 Unveiled, and make sure you subscribe and ring the bell for our latest content.

Would Science Proof of Hide Alien Life? | Unveiled

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