Rare Earth

So far as we know Planet Earth is the only place where life exists in our vast universe. Finding life apart from our own solar system would be a monumental discovery. We speak of not only human life, but any sort of life. This includes some of the more than 8+ million separate species of life. Our planet teems with life—all sorts of life—human life created In His Image, and many other forms of life.

We do not assert that life beyond the confines of our Planet Earth is impossible. Our personal belief is that the existence of life on another planet within our Solar System or beyond is highly unlikely because physical conditions on other planets or planetary systems are vastly different than conditions on Planet Earth. Radio signals traveling at the speed of light could not cover even a tiny fraction of the distance across the known universe, estimated to be 92 billion light years by some scientists. Even if we traveled one light year (the distance light travels in one Earth year) we would travel an insignificant distance in our quest to communicate with other life forms in our universe. Likewise, alien life forms are unable to communicate with us via electromagnetic radio signals.

Famous nuclear physicist Enrico Fermi once ventured outside his field of expertise during a scientific conference. He wondered, “Where is everybody?” His scientific colleagues realized he was inquiring about extraterrestrial life. The statement became known as the “Fermi paradox.” Many other scientists have passed judgment on the possibility of alien life: 

https://jasscience.blogspot.com/2018/07/dismissing-et.html

As young people we may have mused on the possibility of life at other locations in our vast universe. We have commented on this question several times in past posts:

https://jasscience.blogspot.com/2018/07/alone-in-universe.html

The question concerning life outside our Solar System has been asked even by creationist theologians. If our God is the Creator of All Things, we would expect alien life had its origin in a divine act of fiat creation by the God described in Genesis 1:1-2. This scenario runs counter to evolutionary theory that living creatures could self-assemble naturalistically without any input from the Divine Creator:

https://jasscience.blogspot.com/2018/07/really-alone.html

Planet Earth has physical conditions unlike any other planet (exoplanet) in our vast universe. Scientists who study this topic are called astrophysicists. Our links discuss just a few topics studied by scientists in this specialized field:

https://jasscience.blogspot.com/2018/07/earth-exceptional-or-one-of-kind_31.html

Our planet has major “spheres” of physical characteristics. Three of the spheres are (1) atmosphere (2) hydrosphere, and (3) lithosphere. Each sphere possesses sub-spheres. For example, the atmospheres consists of the troposphere, stratosphere, and several other sub-spheres.

“Earth’s spheres—atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere work together to sustain life. Each sphere plays a distinct yet interconnected role in maintaining the planet’s balance. The interconnection between these spheres support diverse ecosystems and ensure environmental stability. Understanding these interactions provides insight into their importance in sustaining life.” (BiologyInsights.com10/24/2024)

As we investigate the exoplanets discovered in our minuscule corner of the Milky Way galaxy, we are struck with the small number of planets existing in the “habitable zones” around their home stars. Planets must exist within a specific temperature range, having an appropriate amount of liquid water pooling on its surface, and a precise proportion of elements and compounds composing its lithosphere. If the educated guess of astrophysicists that roughly 50% of exoplanets are rocky instead of gaseous, we quickly eliminate half of the universe’s planets from habitability. There are thousands of additional physical parameters which, if absent, reduce the chances of planetary habitability to near ZERO.

Does extra-solar life exist? The question is impossible to answer. It is possible, however, to exult in the uniqueness of Planet Earth. Our God created the universe to be inhabited by humanity and more than eight million other species of life: “For this is what the Lord says—he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited—he says: I am the Lord, and there is no other.” (Isaiah 45:18 NIV)