Extraterrestrial civilizations are either far behind or far ahead of us

If we find evidence of extraterrestrial life, this civilization will either be far behind or far ahead of our scientific knowledge. It has been calculated that the probability that this potential civilization exactly corresponds to our technological phase is approximately one part in a hundred million.

As we continue to explore the cosmos, we hope to one day find proof that our planet is not the only one in the entire universe where life has appeared. If we find evidence of extraterrestrial life, this civilization will either be far behind or far ahead of our scientific knowledge. It has been calculated that the probability that this potential civilization exactly corresponds to our technological phase is approximately one part in a hundred million. This means that we will discover either less developed civilizations, which probably have not even developed the ability to fly in space, or civilizations at the top of the Kardashev scale. The search for aliens is slow and painstaking. There are two ways to find evidence of the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations.

In search of extraterrestrial civilizations

We’ll likely have to send autonomous spacecraft to distant solar systems to find life elsewhere. For example, chemical rockets, which humans have used for space exploration for decades, are extremely slow. To get to our nearest star system, Alpha Centauri, some four light years away, we would have to travel forty thousand years. Our chemical rockets today travel at ten thousand times less than the speed of light.

But there is another way to find traces of extraterrestrial life. If life appeared billions of years ago in the universe, these civilizations must have developed their technology considerably if they survived all that time. To find them, we don’t need to travel to their star systems. Their technology has probably already made its way to our own cosmic depths. It may be in the form of interstellar artifacts. And to find these objects, we must turn to interstellar archaeology , a science that will greatly help humanity to search for extraterrestrial life.