What is the Likelihood There is Life Elsewhere in the Universe?

What is the Likelihood There is Life Elsewhere in The Universe?
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What is the Likelihood There is Life Elsewhere in the Universe?
Since time immemorial, humans have wrestled with whether life exists elsewhere in the universe. Individuals ask themselves a fundamental question “Are we the only ones in the universe?” The search for life elsewhere in the universe has gained momentum in recent years due to advances in space science beyond speculation. For instance, detecting organic material in the circumstellar disks has ignited interest in the area. When individuals speak of life beyond Earth, they imply intelligent life, something that closely resembles humans. The issue existence of life elsewhere in the universe has ignited sharp debates, with different individuals camping up with different conclusions. Answering the question of the fact of life beyond the Earth would require concrete evidence.
Answering the question of life beyond the Earth must begin with understanding the meaning of life. While there are various definitions, a better definition of life would be a self-replicating system that can evolve (Lazcano, 2011). When looking for life in the universe, the main focus must be detectable life forms. In other words, scientists must look for life forms that are not too different from human beings. Using the Darwinian Theory of Evolution, it is logical to suppose that simple microbial life constituted the first form of life. Reaching the current intelligent organisms would entail various stages like the advancement of the nucleus and multicellularity and photosynthesis development, among others.
However, a majority of these processes need particular environmental conditions to thrive. It would then be expected that more simple microbial life would be more common in the universe. Given that inhabited bodies occur randomly in the universe’s space, it is implied that more sophisticated forms of life would be further from the Earth compared to other forms of life (Cockell, 2016). If an attempt to establish extraterrestrial life increases with the distance from the Earth, the number of detectable life forms will decrease because of the current technical limitations.
Furthermore, a clearer understanding of the Earth’s subsurface biosphere presents prospects for life elsewhere on the planet. Suppose deep biospheres are possible, even where the surface conditions are harsh. In that case, there is a prospect of getting life in other places like Mars and Europa and even in different bodies (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine & Chyba, 2010). For instance, there is a likelihood that life on Mars originated from the surface because of the availability of energy from the Sun. Over time, it is possible that life shifted to the subsurface as the conditions on the surface became harsh. Similarly, Jupiter’s moon, Europa, likely has a subsurface ocean of liquid water. It appears that the surface conditions were hospitable for life to thrive on the surface. If ...