A new theoretical model suggests that the likelihood of extraterrestrial life in parallel universes may be greater than in our own universe. (Image credit: Getty Images)
Scientists have recently proposed another possible explanation for why we have yet to detect evidence of extraterrestrial life in space: perhaps we are in the wrong universe.
A new theoretical model based on the famous Drake equation suggests that alien life may be more likely to arise in certain parallel universes that could potentially exist alongside our own in an infinite multiverse. If true, it would indicate that we are not in the “optimal universe” for detecting extraterrestrial civilizations.
The Drake equation is a theoretical formula developed by American astrophysicist Frank Drake in 1961 to help resolve the contradiction between the high probability of extraterrestrial intelligence and the lack of evidence for their existence, a problem known as the Fermi paradox. The equation estimates the chances of detecting extraterrestrial life in the Milky Way based on the number of stars in our galaxy, since aliens would likely need a star to form an exoplanet to call home and provide the necessary energy for their formation and evolution, despite some theories to the contrary.
But in a new study published Wednesday (Nov. 13) in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, researchers have taken the concept further, extrapolating it to the multiverse level, examining how differences in the density of dark energy — the mysterious force driving the expansion of the universe — could affect the number of stars that can form in different parallel universes.
The model showed that the optimal density of dark energy in the universe would allow up to 27% of non-dark matter to be converted into stars. However, in our universe, the fraction of such matter that turns into stars is 23%, which means there are fewer stars and therefore fewer opportunities for aliens to form, according to the researchers.
Parallel universes with higher dark energy density could form more stars than our universe, increasing the chances of alien life developing. (This image shows a stellar nursery in the Large Magellanic Cloud, which orbits the Milky Way.)
The new findings are entirely hypothetical and suggest the existence of a multiverse, a theory that has yet to be proven. However, “it will be interesting to apply this model to study the emergence of life in different universes and to assess whether some of the basic questions we ask about our own universe need to be reconsidered,” said study co-author Lucas Lomb.
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