Space Aliens in the Yard, the Search for Life

No Need to Look Towards the Sky, Turn Gaze to the Neighborhood

Nov 5, 2009

As soon as mankind started to leave notes and pictures there was proof of man's interest in what exists beyond the stars.

From the dawn of mankind, it appears that most cultures had a desire to know what lies beyond the clouds. This could be to gain insight into the place of man in the universe or just to feel a little less alone. No matter the reasoning behind the action, the urge to seek out other forms of life has driven man's eyes to the sky. There are a few possible reasons why man has falling short of this goal.

Missing Alien Sightings When They Present Themselves

It can be argued that the drive to look for extraterrestrial life is now innate and simply part of being human today. That drive could be internal, but what if it is wrong?

There is a concept called perceptual blindness. It is when someone is so focused on a particular task he fails to see images outside of this limited area. The images missed could even be the exact ones he is looking for.

Perhaps mankind could be experiencing a group perceptual blindness. Humans are looking towards the stars instead of, say, to towns and neighborhoods. In an attempt to discover the unknown in the sky, man could be missing some proof on the ground, if there is such proof.

Fear of Aliens Stops the Search

While this appears to contradict the possible innate drive of man it is not implausible. As a species, man is interested in the unknown and in gaining knowledge through new experiences. However, some individuals may not be as much interested as fearful. A feeling that is often far more powerful than the excitement of discovery is the feeling of fear.

Fear can cause individuals to remain non-responsive when the need for action is appropriate. Fear can also cause individuals to avoid situations and deny information that is clearly presented. Fear is often linked with negative connotations but that view is incorrect. Fear is also important to preservation of the species.

Leaving a situation or avoiding conflict is not a negative action. To understand when a battle is lost or unnecessary can actually be considered a human strength. The weakness is when innocuous items are feared because of their unique nature. Many people may avoid taking up the task of seeking aliens not because of the difficulty of the work but because of the possible findings at the end of the search.

Not Recognizing the "Alien" Within

The unknown is difficult to identify because of the nature of its being unknown. This is different from being uncommon. An uncommon item stands out because it is clearly unique from other somewhat similar items. Albino tigers are highly visible in a pride because they are uncommon. An unknown item is different because it may not be placed in a specific category.

Research like that completed in the Miller/Urey experiment postulates that the environment of early Earth was a kind of laboratory. There were gases and minerals available to support lifeforms and the energy needed to create simple compounds was readily available in the lightning storms of early Earth.

Another theory is that traveling through space was an asteroid with a few frozen components of life. The Murchison meteorite is proof that this is possible. The meteorite contained 92 amino acids (building blocks of life) but only 19 of these are found on Earth. The meteorite has shown that it is possible for these simple compounds to be transferred from one planet to another by space fragments.

If this is how life began, the plants and animals on Earth today are descended from organisms outside of Earth's atmosphere. With more research and advanced technology, it may be possible to trace meteorites containing amino acids to their origin and maybe even find life.

Movies about contact with aliens continue to be made. In these movies the aliens are often shown with malicious intentions but in reality, these travelers may just arrive to see their distant cousins.

"Miller/Urey Experiment", Duke University, Cruising Chemistry website (n.d.). Retrieved November 11, 2009.

The copyright of the article Space Aliens in the Yard, the Search for Life in Astronomy & Space is owned by Christopher Clayton. Permission to republish Space Aliens in the Yard, the Search for Life in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.