00:00Alien life may be conscious in ways humans have never imagined.
00:03A new paper from researchers at the University of California, Riverside, explores this possibility.
00:09The researchers argue consciousness may not require Earth-style biology.
00:14Instead, it could emerge in organisms made from completely different materials.
00:18The idea is known as substrate flexibility.
00:21The paper notes that the observable universe contains roughly one trillion galaxies.
00:26The authors also estimate at least 1,000 sophisticated extraterrestrial civilizations may have existed.
00:33They say alien life could evolve under chemistry very different from Earth's.
00:37The research also raises questions about artificial intelligence and machine consciousness.
00:42However, the authors do not claim today's AI as conscious.
00:46Their argument is broader.
00:48Consciousness may take many different forms.
00:50And if life exists elsewhere, its minds may be nothing like ours.
00:54Disclosure. This video contains stock footage and content created or enhanced using AI-assisted tools.
