Is intelligence inevitable? How altruistic will aliens be (or will they just wipe us out)? These are just some of the questions posed at a Library of Congress astrobiology discussion on January 28, 2014. Moderated by Washington Post reporter Joel Achenbach, NASA/Library of Congress Astrobiology Chairs David Grinspoon and Steven Dick addressed the topic of “Searching for Life in the Universe: What Does it Mean for Humanity?”

Grinspoon said it seems likely life is widespread throughout the universe because it originated so quickly on Earth. Soon after our planet settled down from its own tumultuous origins, life appeared.

“Any universe that allows order will lead to biology of some sort, a building of complexity,” said Grinspoon. Quoting the author Doris Lessing, Grinspoon added, “There’s a cosmic comfort knowing that if we blow ourselves up, there’s plenty more out there.”

Steven Dick said that if we do find aliens on Mars, Jupiter’s moon Europa, or some other more far-flung planets or moons, the discovery could tell us if there are universal biological principles.

But even if we discover that both simple and complex life is widespread, it doesn’t mean intelligence will be universal. Human intelligence implies tool-use and technology — will advanced aliens evolve the same way?

Dick took a pessimistic stance, pointing out that most biologists argue against directional evolution, and so human-like intelligence is not inevitable. He also noted that even if aliens are “intelligent,” they may have mental processes so different from humans there would be no hope for common understanding. Even fundamental aspects of the universe, like math and physics, may be seen by aliens in an entirely different light.

If aliens ever do visit Earth, Grinspoon thinks they won’t destroy us because they’d be so far advanced they simply wouldn’t be bothered. But others take a darker view — referencing the history of Western cultures’ conquest of Native cultures — and so a question often posed in the astrobiology community and particularly SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) is, “How do you practice ‘Safe SETI?’” Especially since our radio signals are traveling out into the cosmos, announcing our presence to any who can listen?

Another “advertisement” of life on Earth is our atmosphere. Life produces gases like oxygen and methane, and that acts as a biomarker for aliens looking our way. “Earth has a flagrantly weird atmosphere due to life,” said Grinspoon, and aliens would notice this.

We also are looking for such gases on the 1,000-plus exoplanets that we’ve discovered so far, hoping to find any indications that we’re not alone in the universe. Dick acknowledged an audience comment that our view of exoplanets is a picture of the past, due to the time it takes light to travel, and added that the farthest back our telescopes can see exoplanets is 1600 light years away.

But telescopes are improving, and more exoplanet space missions are in the works. Grinspoon said he’s jealous of astrobiologists 5,000 years in our future, when exoplanets are more commonplace and well understood.

Watch a video of the entire event here: http://youtu.be/8FweCQJ80kc

Steven Dick is an astronomer, author, historian of science, and the 2014 NASA/LOC Astrobiology Chair. Prior to this position, he held the chair in aerospace history at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. He served as NASA’s chief historian from 2003 to 2009.
David Grinspoon became the first NASA/LOC Astrobiology Chair in 2013. A planetary scientist and former curator of astrobiology at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Grinspoon has been involved with many space missions and serves as an adviser to NASA on space exploration strategy.
The astrobiology chair was created through a collaboration between NASA’s Astrobiology Program and the Library of Congress, and is named for Baruch “Barry” Blumberg, the founding director of the NASA Astrobiology Institute. The chair holder conducts research on the societal implications of astrobiology.