Are we alone in the galaxy? In recent decades, some have tried to answer this question by signaling our presence to possible extraterrestrials. But not everyone sees this "outstretched hand" very favorably. What if our search for extraterrestrial civilizations turns sour?
Michio Kaku is a professor of theoretical physics at the City College of New York. A great supporter of string theory, he is also known for his talents as a popularizer to better understand the sometimes very complicated world of physics. You have probably already seen him in documentaries or perhaps read some of his books.
This researcher recently sat down with The Guardian to discuss his work. During this interview, the theorist also spoke about a possible encounter with extraterrestrials.
Michio Kaku believes that our chances of contacts are high, referring in particular to the highly anticipated launch of the James Webb Telescope (JWST), still scheduled for October 31, which will make it possible to much more detailed observations of exoplanets. On the other hand, perhaps we should abstain. "Some of my colleagues think we should contact them “, notes the researcher. "I personally think it's a terrible idea ".
Our quest for extraterrestrial contact began in the 1960s with astronomer Frank Drake. At the time, the researcher relied on the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank, Va., to point antennas at the stars Tau Ceti and Epsilon Eridani, which seemed like good candidates for hosting habitable worlds. More than 150 hours of observations and four months later, his quest had failed.
Despite everything, it was this first experience that led to the founding of the SETI Institute (Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence). The SETI method is based on the idea that life not only developed on another planet, but evolved in the same way as life on Earth. Andrew Siemion, director of the Berkeley SETI Research Center and principal investigator for the Breakthrough Listen project, has been listening to the cosmos for direct emissions of possible extraterrestrial technology since 2012.
Created in 2015 in San Francisco (United States) and funded by private funds, the METI Institute (Messaging Extra Terrestrial Intelligence) offers another approach. Some messages have been sent into space over the past few decades. Examples include the Pioneer Plaque, the Message from Arecibo, and the gold record of the Voyager probes. METI thus presents itself as the very first organization dedicated to the development and sending of messages to hypothetical extraterrestrials.
So while SETI listens to the Universe for possible extraterrestrial signals, METI focuses on a more active approach:emitting messages in hopes of sparking answers. “Imagine if all civilizations just listen without transmitting any signal … It would be an incredibly quiet universe “, underlines Douglas Vakoch, the President of the institute.
However, not everyone agrees with the idea of transmitting our own signals out into the universe.
"I personally think aliens would be friendly, but we can't bet on that “, continues Michio Kaku in his interview. "So I think if we were to make contact, then we should do it very carefully ". Recall that before his death, astrophysicist Stephen Hawking also warned humanity against making our presence known.
Within SETI itself, some believe that METI bears a huge responsibility. “The ethical problem is that they are taking a great risk on behalf of all humanity without asking any permission “, thus explains the astronomer John Gertz, former president of the board of directors of the Institute, in Inverse.
Andrew Siemion adds that another technologically advanced civilization would not necessarily be altruistic. "There are probably malevolent civilizations elsewhere in the universe “, explains the researcher. "This is an idea we should consider as we continue to explore the cosmos ".
For Douglas Vakochn, any civilization that has the potential to harm the Earth already knows that we are here. So, while we're at it, we might as well strike up a friendly conversation in hopes of getting on their side. "What people forget is that it's too late to hide “, explains the President of METI. "If they're on their way, then it would be to our advantage to prove to them that we'd make better conversation partners, rather than a good lunch ".
