Life Beyond Earth, What Happens Once We Find It

Humans for the most part have always believed that we are not alone, but in recent decades scientists have been more proactive in their search for alien life, and thanks to a host of discoveries, that possibility now seems more plausible than ever. But what happens once we find life beyond Earth? Scientists and scholars at a recent symposium sponsored by NASA and the Library of Congress aimed to answer that question.

The first attempt to make contact with aliens began in 1960, when astronomer Francis Drake pointed a radio telescope at two Sun-like stars located 11 light-years away, hoping to pick up a signal of intelligent life. And though his SETI experiment went unanswered, we have learned a lot in the 50 years that have passed since then.

First off, recent research shows that even life on Earth can survive in some of the most extreme environments. For example, methane-munching microbes living in rocks on the ocean floor can withstand the deep ocean's oxygen-starved environment, while life can also be found hidden a half-mile beneath Antarctica's thick ice sheet, where no sunlight has been felt for millions of years. So if organisms can withstand these conditions, what's to say they can't survive on other planets?

Scientists have also realized that liquid water - the hallmark sign for life - is not unique to our planet. Jupiter's moons Ganymede and Europa harbor large oceans beneath their icy surfaces that resemble those found on Earth. And out of Saturn's many moons, a few show exciting promise for life. Titan, its largest and by far most famous moon, boasts a mysterious sea of methane, while Enceladus is characterized by inexplicable geysers of water vapor and ice particles. What's more, just last month Nature World News reported that the moon Mimas may be added to the list of possibly habitable moons after a study hinted at a secret sea beneath its surface.