In a universe teeming with stars and galaxies, how could life only exist on Earth? This existential query has fueled decades of debate, with pop culture and UFO sightings conjuring visions of alien life. The scientific quest to find our cosmic neighbours is called SETI – the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, which turns our technologies skyward to find living worlds beyond our own.
Initially, the hunt targeted nearby planets, but tools like the Kepler Space Telescope have expanded the search, probing exoplanets orbiting distant stars. Here, astronomers look for biosignatures like oxygen that could indicate life as we know it. However, alien biology may be fundamentally different. Are our technologies too primitive to detect extraterrestrial organisms? Might our loneliness be intentional, with other beings withholding contact? Or is life itself rarer than presumed?
Despite countless theories, most scientists agree Earth is unlikely to be the sole cradle of life. With technological advancements, could we be close to answering Fermi's profound question?
