Is NASA About To Announce Alien Life?
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00:00In May 2023, NASA held its first public meeting on UAPs, reflecting the growing seriousness
00:07with which the agency approaches mysterious phenomena. While no definitive evidence emerged,
00:13this new stance signalled a broader and seemingly more committed interest in exploring unexplained
00:18events and sightings that could perhaps point us toward alien technology. So much so, the
00:232020s is fast becoming a time filled with exciting potential for NASA to answer the
00:28ultimate question, are we alone? And now, we really could be on the brink of something
00:34spectacular. This is Unveiled, and today we're answering the extraordinary question, is NASA
00:40about to announce alien life?
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00:54For eons, we've wondered if we are the sole creatures alive to question our place in the
00:59universe. We've pondered whether life on Earth is the only life there is, or if there's more,
01:05out there hiding somewhere across the stars. The good news is that generally, as our technology
01:11advances, so too does our ability to search for answers beyond our planet. Today, NASA
01:16is at the forefront of this gallant quest, using sophisticated tools and fronting groundbreaking
01:22missions in a continuous effort to probe the cosmos for life. Recent developments in
01:27particular, though, have possibly mind-blowing implications, fueling speculation that we
01:32may be on the verge of a monumental discovery. In this video, we'll explore NASA's latest
01:38efforts to determine whether or not alien life is really just around the corner. At
01:43the heart of NASA's search for aliens is the multifaceted, cutting-edge study of and search
01:49for biosignatures. These are chemical clues which we believe are indicative of life on
01:55exoplanets. On Earth, there are certain molecules in our atmosphere that are crucial to sustaining
02:00the life that we obviously know is here. Oxygen, methane, and ozone are all considered critical
02:06markers. With oxygen and methane, for example, while they can be produced via non-living
02:11processes, finding them together is a strong indicator of biological activity. To elaborate,
02:18methane breaks down quickly in the presence of oxygen, so if both gases are detected simultaneously,
02:24it implies that something is continuously replenishing the methane. On Earth, we know
02:29that life in general creates a great deal of methane, and we also believe there wasn't
02:34much methane present here before life emerged. Therefore, and using ourselves as a guide,
02:40NASA has become increasingly focused on detecting both methane and oxygen together on other
02:45planets, because if and when we do, then it's probable that aliens live there. Elsewhere,
02:51though, and by most measures, there are at least 10 broad categories of biosignatures
02:56that stargazing, planet-watching scientists might also choose to focus on. Another of
03:01the most fascinating are technosignatures. These, again, are specific markers that might
03:06in some way emanate from another world, although this time they're markers to indicate scientific
03:12physical evidence of alien technology from either the past or present. Various types
03:17of technosignature have been hypothesized. Astronomers might keep their eyes peeled,
03:22for instance, for evidence of radiation leaks from Dyson spheres, which famously are unfathomably
03:27large, again hypothesized, structures that, if they exist, would surround a star in order
03:33to harvest its energy. Dedicated campaigns have hunted for these megastructures, and
03:38as of summer 2024, evidence for seven potential Dyson spheres has reportedly been found. In
03:45theory, a Dyson sphere would absorb and re-radiate its host star's energy, which should then
03:51result in atypical wavelengths of light being emitted from that star. And that's the technosignature
03:56that researchers are looking for as possible proof of alien engineering. Further investigation
04:02must be completed to understand the true nature of the seven astrophysical anomalies detected
04:07so far. But then, at the same time, many believe that what we've seen to date is likely just
04:13the tip of the iceberg, and that ultimately, the universe should be awash with Dyson spheres
04:18or similar. The hunt for biosignatures, technosignatures, for aliens in general, is certainly a lot
04:25more promising now that we have the James Webb Space Telescope in full operation. The
04:30Webb has an unprecedented ability to observe distant exoplanets. Its advanced spectrographics
04:36instruments are so incredibly fine-tuned that they can identify individual gases in any
04:41one atmosphere from literally hundreds of light-years away. Quite simply, there's nothing
04:47else that can see quite so far, quite so clearly. But then again, it's not as though we should
04:52only be looking as far away as possible, either. Much closer to home, relatively speaking,
04:58we've seen high concentrations of organic molecules on Enceladus, a moon of Saturn. It's part
05:04of the reason why now, scientists increasingly believe that if there are aliens in the solar
05:08system, then Enceladus really could be where they're based. The moon has the potential
05:13to harbour life far below its otherwise icy surface, in deep oceans that are seemingly
05:19warmed by geothermal activity. In this case, we haven't needed the incredible range of
05:23James Webb to uncover potential for aliens, but ultimately we are still looking for the
05:28same kinds of biosignature clues. Naturally, though, this isn't the only field where NASA
05:34is making significant strides. In recent years, Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena, UAPs, have
05:41garnered more and more attention from the public. These were formerly known inside and
05:46outside the official sphere as UFOs, and they were once largely dismissed as conspiracy
05:51fodder. But they're now the subject of serious scientific inquiry, with NASA leading the
05:57way, the well-publicized meetings and high-profile publication of documents beginning in earnest
06:02in 2023, reveals how the approach has changed a lot compared to past generations. Whereas
06:08the 20th century was shrouded in mystery, backdropped as it was by the Cold War and
06:13other tense geopolitical situations, the 21st appears to be an opening up of the story.
06:19Nevertheless, one of NASA's primary goals is still to determine whether or not UAPs
06:24are threats to national security. First and foremost, strange things in the sky are always
06:29viewed with suspicion because they're potentially being piloted or controlled by hostile states
06:34on Earth. But it's not as though the seeming links to alien life have diminished. NASA
06:39acknowledges on the record the possibility that some UAPs really could be evidence of
06:45highly advanced alien technology. The agency's role is then to gather and analyze data using
06:50its expertise in space science. Over the last couple of years, it has standardized methods
06:55for detecting UAPs, hoping to separate ordinary phenomena from the truly inexplicable. And
07:01there's arguably no other organization in existence that's better positioned to seriously
07:06scrutinize UAPs in this way. It's hoped by onlookers that the newfound transparency
07:12that's apparently been adopted will lead to clear and definite answers very soon. But
07:17if nothing else, then NASA's acknowledgement of UAPs has served to shift the stereotype.
07:22Alien hunters are no longer automatically branded as conspiracy theorists. The suggestion
07:27is that actually, they might be onto something. Finally, though, if and when NASA does ever
07:32go public with proof of aliens, then what might we expect them to have actually found?
07:37There are by now quite a few candidates as to what alien life will be like and where
07:42it will be based. Several locations both inside our solar system and beyond hold promise.
07:48One of the most discussed, and arguably most likely locales, remains Mars, the planet we've
07:54studied more than any other. We know so much about it, mainly due to its close proximity
07:59and abundant evidence of past water. The ancient environment of Mars, millions, even billions
08:05of years ago, almost certainly did have the potential for habitability. Today, it's not
08:10quite so vibrant or energized. Conditions are harsh. It's cold, dry, and its atmosphere
08:16has almost completely vanished, exposing the Martian surface to intense radiation from
08:21the sun. But it's still a strong contender for microbial life being present there right
08:26now. There are variously intriguing underground environments of liquid water where life might
08:32still exist. Bizarrely, support for this idea can be found here on Earth. There are hundreds
08:37of underground lakes in Antarctica where explorers have found wholly unique microbes. It's
08:43thought by some that the same could be happening on Mars. Meanwhile, and more specifically,
08:48a spotty rock was discovered on Mars in July 2024 by NASA's Perseverance rover. The rock
08:55had peculiar markings, and bore a remarkable similarity to the look of fossilized microbes
09:00found all across our own planet. Scans revealed organic compounds to be present in the rock
09:06too, which again could indicate distant alien life. It isn't a certainty, as these molecules
09:12could still have formed via non-biological methods, but the find goes down as one of
09:16the latest to suggest that Mars might not be quite so lifeless as it seems from afar.
09:22Other points of consideration include seasonal fluctuations of methane recorded on Mars,
09:27delivering an all-important bio-signature to potentially indicate life. We also have
09:32evidence of organic molecules found in the Martian soil, and studies suggest that there
09:36are still the remnants of ancient riverbeds and lakes etched into the dusty ground. All
09:42of these things combined show that life at least could have emerged and survived on Mars
09:47a long time ago. For some, the same list of signs is reason enough to believe that living
09:52matter is still present, away from Mars, and the gas giant moons Europa, Titan, and Enceladus
09:59rank as the most promising other otherworlds where alien life might exist. By many measures,
10:04Europa, Titan, and Enceladus are actually far better suited than Mars ever has been.
10:10But is NASA about to announce the discovery of alien life on any of them? It's still
10:14very unlikely… whereas when it comes to Mars, it can feel as though we're always
10:19edging ever closer to that fateful day when non-Earth-somethings are finally and definitively
10:25found. Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
10:28Could 2024's spotty rock prove the final piece of the puzzle? Does life exist on Mars
10:34today? Did it ever exist in the past? One thing's for sure, if NASA does ever get
10:39to deliver the monumental news that we are not alone, then life as we know it will never
10:45be the same again.
10:47What do you think? Is there anything we missed? Let us know in the comments, check out these
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10:55content.