The article further explores the use of machine learning and artificial intelligence in this quest, with algorithms being developed to identify patterns unique to living things. It mentions the SETI's shift towards looking for a broader array of visible evidence for tool-using extraterrestrial species, known as technosignatures. The article concludes by stating that while the search for extraterrestrial life is progressing, the question of our cosmic loneliness remains a philosophical one.
Key takeaways:
- The search for extraterrestrial life has gained greater scientific footing in the past half-century, with new tools such as machine learning and artificial intelligence aiding in the exploration.
- NASA’s Kepler space telescope has helped in the discovery of over 5,500 exoplanets, with estimates suggesting that between 10% and 50% of sun-like stars have planets like ours.
- Future ground-based instruments and space-based missions are expected to help in the detection of biosignatures—molecules like water, methane, and carbon dioxide present in amounts similar to what we find on Earth—on these exoplanets.
- Machine-learning applications are being used to differentiate between life and non-life, and are also being used in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), which is looking for a broader array of visible evidence for tool-using extraterrestrial species.