Finding alien life in the universe just got way more likely, according to groundbreaking study

The search for alien life in the universe has fascinated the scientific community for decades – and the chances of finding intelligent life out there in the cosmos just got more likely, according to a new study.

When considering how life on Earth flourished, for a long time experts have focused on the series of unlikely factors that eventually led to where we are now – from our planet’s distance away from the sun, to the unique makeup of the Earth’s atmosphere and beyond.

However, while the “hard steps” theory of life has been prominent in scientific thinking for years, a new study could change perspectives.

It comes following the publication of new research described in a paper, ‘A reassessment of the “hard-steps” model for the evolution of intelligent life’, published in the journal Science Advances.

According to the study, life existing in the universe may not have been that unlikely to begin with.

Is life out there?iStock

“This is a significant shift in how we think about the history of life,” said Jennifer Macalady, professor of geosciences at Penn State and co-author on the paper. “It suggests that the evolution of complex life may be less about luck and more about the interplay between life and its environment, opening up exciting new avenues of research in our quest to understand our origins and our place in the universe.”

The “hard steps” theory attests to the idea that the chances of life existing anywhere was unlikely and that it would need a series of things to fall into place to start with.

However, according to the new research, formation of life could be a relatively predictable process that takes place as the planet goes on.

“We're arguing that intelligent life may not require a series of lucky breaks to exist,” said Mills, who worked in Professor Macalady’s astrobiology lab at Penn State, in a statement. “Humans didn't evolve ‘early’ or ‘late’ in Earth’s history, but ‘on time,’ when the conditions were in place. Perhaps it’s only a matter of time, and maybe other planets are able to achieve these conditions more rapidly than Earth did, while other planets might take even longer.”

The researchers maintain that more study is required, and they also suggest that it could include studying other planets to see whether the supposed ‘hard steps’ are unique to Earth.

Elsewhere, a new study has revealed where alien life could be located on Mars.

Although firm evidence has yet to be found, a new NASA study has proposed the idea that alien life could be lurking beneath icy layers on Mars in water pools.

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