Aliens – They are there

NASA – the United States’ Space agency – has just sent a mission to find out whether planets similar to the Earth exist in Outer Space. The mission, which is a telescope named ‘Kepler’, would try to find out whether there are planets having essentials like air, water, temperature etc to support life, like on Earth. <br><br> Ever since the subject of Science evolved, man has always based the existence of Aliens (species living on planets or other heavenly bodies other than Earth) on the pretext of that body having oxygen, water etc. If a planet lacks water, oxygen and favourable temperature, scientists believe existence of life there is impossible. Here is where I – a layman – disagree with them. <br><br> Why do scientists and most others on this planet believe that Aliens need the things we require, to survive? A species – whether more intelligent than us or not – may not need water to drink and oxygen to breathe. It may just survive with whatever liquid or form of gas available on that planet. Earth had water and oxygen before life came into being here. It is we who adapted ourselves to the conditions existing on Earth. Similarly, a species living on a faraway planet might have adapted itself to the conditions existing there. <br><br> Scientists say life evolved on its own on Earth. So, it could evolve in other places as well. How are we so sure that some extra-terrestrial species do not exist without conditions we consider fundamental when we don’t yet even know the scope of our own universe? Our discovery of new planets, stars, comets etc go to a very large extent in proving our own limitations. The height is this that we are yet debating the number of planets in our own galaxy - the Milky Way, with poor Pluto being demoted or promoted to planet status depending on the intellectual and scientific debate on Earth! <br><br> Also, the existence of Aliens has been rejected despite numerous UFO sightings right here on Earth. People of varying nationalities and from different part of the world have reported seeing flying saucers, unconventional lights etc (Unidentified Flying Objects in technical terms). The sightings – reported over centuries – have even been captured in pictures or videos. <br><br> Even governments or its affiliated departments across the world, including in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, the erstwhile Soviet Union, etc have conducted investigations to establish the truth behind UFO sightings. While some of the reports have rejected the sightings as having anything to do with reality, the others have been inconclusive or not-so-forthright in their rejection. Independent or private studies, on the other hand, have called for thorough and continued scientific studies. <br><br> While one can continue to dub the sightings as mere imagination, adopting a more pro-active approach towards seeking an answer to the question as to whether Aliens exist, would prove to be more fruitful for the mankind. <br><br> As against common belief, according to me there is a greater probability of life existing in Space than not. The Universe is ever-expanding and Man has not even explored one percent of it. So to believe that life cannot exist without water, air or favourable temperature is absurd (at least I believe so). As they say, think logically... because commonsense is the sense that is scarce in today’s age.