He sometimes hides from his neighbors to avoid having to greet them with a slightly embarrassed hello or to think about the music being too loud. So much so that we never come across them. On a larger scale, that of the universe, the situation could be somewhat similar with extraterrestrials: scientists suggest that we have not yet encountered them because they are hiding in a parallel universe.
An article from Futurism media tells us that a team of researchers led by Daniele Sorini, an astrophysicist at the University of Durham, has imagined a new version of the Drake equation. This, proposed in 1961 by radio astronomer Frank Drake, aims to estimate the number of extraterrestrial civilizations present and locatable in our galaxy.
This equation takes into account a certain number of parameters, such as the rate of star formation suitable for the development of life, the potential number of stars with a habitable planetary system, or even the number of these planets allowing the appearance of civilized intelligent life.
In their study published on November 13, 2024Daniele Sorini and his team propose to reformulate the equation by considering the possibility that parallel universes would be more likely than ours to harbor an intelligent civilization. This could help explain why we haven’t yet made contact with extraterrestrials.
The balance of dark energy at the origin of all life?
Sorini’s team also indicates that dark energy would have a role. This mysterious force, responsible for accelerating the expansion of the universe, indirectly shapes the conditions necessary for the formation of stars and planets. Scientists have discovered that a universe, in order to build stars, needs a precise balance of dark energy. For the proper development of stars, and therefore of extraterrestrial life, the density of transformed dark energy should amount to 27%.
However, in our universe, this density rises to 23%, which would explain why there are no traces of life other than on Earth. In a statement related to the research, Daniele Sorini writes: “Surprisingly, we found that even a high dark energy density would still be consistent with the presence of life. It also suggests that we may not live in the most pleasant of universes.”
The idea that aliens are hiding in a parallel universe is a bit far-fetched, worthy of a sequel to the Marvel saga. But for Daniele Sorini and his team, this makes it possible to reconcile modern physics with the search for life beyond our planet. His co-author Lucas Lombriser, professor of cosmology at the University of Geneva, states: “It will be exciting to use our model to explore the emergence of life in different universes and to see whether some fundamental questions we ask about our own universe need to be reinterpreted.”
Source: www.slate.fr
