The search for extraterrestrial and extraterrestrial life forms is more active than ever, and scientists are expanding their search to see if they can go beyond biosignatures to finding “technological signatures.” It’s expanding. We already know that oxygen is important for life as we know it, but two astronomers are proposing that it could also be the key to accessing advanced technology on a planetary scale. Masu.
Research papers published in magazines natural astronomy Last month, we investigated what conditions on Earth could signal the presence of intelligent life that could generate technology. They found that “the atmospheric requirements can be very demanding,” said co-author Amedeo Balbi, associate professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of Rome Tor Vergata in Italy.
Oxygen: for breathing and combustion
Researchers have proposed that oxygen, apart from its importance in breathing and other life processes, is also an important element in the development of fires. And fire is a symbol of civilization that utilizes technology.
This technology was developed on Earth thanks to the open combustion process. This rudimentary process, in which something burns with fuel and oxygen, is important for everything from tool production to shelter construction.
How much oxygen is too much?
Interestingly, researchers say that the oxygen levels needed to sustain complex biological life and even intelligence are not as high as those needed to develop technology. This should mean that even if life were to emerge on a planet with oxygen, it might not become a technological species.
“In a world without oxygen, we might have biology, we might have intelligent life. But in a world without fire sources, we might have more advanced technology. “Because more advanced technologies require fuel,” Adam co-authors Helen F. Gowen and Fred H. Gowen Professors of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Rochester.・Mr. Frank said in a press statement.
Researchers coined the term “oxygen bottleneck” to describe the dividing line between planets that can support technological civilizations and those that cannot. Essentially, oxygen levels act as a bottleneck that hinders the technological development of extraterrestrial life.
so what?
This research focuses on previously unknown aspects of the search for extraterrestrial life. Planets with high oxygen levels may need to be prioritized when looking for technosigns. This could help fine-tune the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
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Originally uploaded to: May 1, 2024 13:58 IST