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The idea that the Earth is unique in the universe by harboring life is perhaps the ultimate question. And the quest for extraterrestrial life is now moving from the realm of science fiction to serious scientific discussion. Indeed, a recent succession of remarkable discoveries has placed the idea of ​​extraterrestrial life in the mainstream.
Cathal O'Connell of the University of Melbourne believes that "the discovery of extraterrestrial life now seems inevitable and perhaps imminent".
He said: "Although life is a particular type of complex chemistry, the elements involved are not special: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, etc., are among the most abundant from the universe.
"Complex organic chemistry is surprisingly common. Amino acids, just like those that make up all the proteins in our body, have been found in the tails of comets.
"There are other organic compounds in Martian soil and at 6,500 light-years away, a giant cloud of space alcohol floats among the stars."
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The first planet beyond the solar system was discovered in 1995 and astronomers have since cataloged thousands of others.
Astronomers have therefore calculated that there could be up to 40 billion Earth-sized exoplanets in areas called "gold deposits", where temperatures are sufficiently high. clementes to be potentially habitable.
For example, there is even a Earth-like world orbiting our nearest star, Proxima Centauri.
Only four light years away from us, this planet is potentially close enough for humanity to be able to use next-generation technology.
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Dr. O'Connell said, "It seems inevitable that there is another life out there, especially if you consider that life appeared on Earth so soon after the formation of the planet.
"Our planet was inhabited as soon as it was habitable – and the definition of 'habitable' also proved to be a fairly flexible concept.
"Life survives in all kinds of environments that seem hellish to us.
"It is tempting to believe that some of these conditions are replicated elsewhere in the solar system."
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Is there life elsewhere in our solar system?
Mars was once a hot and humid planet and potentially fertile ground for life before Earth.
And Dr. O'Connell thinks that Mars still keeps liquid water underground.
Methane, the gas associated with life on Earth, has been detected in the Martian atmosphere, with levels increasing and decreasing with the seasons.
Dr. O'Connell said: "Martian insects could appear as early as 2021, when ExoMars carrier Rosalind Franklin will search for them with a two-meter exercise."
Besides Earth and Mars, at least two other places in our solar system could be inhabited.
The moon of Jupiter, Europa and the moon of Saturn, Enceladus, are worlds of frozen ice, but the gravity of their colossal planets is enough to turn inside, to melt water to create vast seas under -glaciaires.
In 2017, pack ice specialists from the University of Tasmania concluded that certain microbes from Antarctica could survive under such conditions.
Europa and Enceladus both have underwater hydrothermal vents, as do those on Earth where life may have come into existence.
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