Alien civilizations could have the ability to avoid self-destruction

PanARMENIAN.Net - Humans have had such a dramatic impact on Earth that some scientists say humans have kickstarted a new geological era known as the Anthropocene. A fascinating new paper theorizes that alien civilizations could do the same thing, reshaping their homeworlds in predictable and potentially detectable ways. The authors are proposing a new classification scheme that measures the degree to which planets been modified by intelligent hosts, Gizmodo reports.

Whenever a distant exoplanet is discovered, astronomers categorize it according to its most obvious physical features and orbital characteristics. Examples include hot-Jupiters, Earth-like terrestrial planets, and brown dwarfs. With ongoing advances in telescope technology, the day is coming when astronomers will be able to expand on these simple characterizations, classifying a planet according to other features, including atmospheric or chemical composition.

But as a new study led by University of Rochester astrophysicist Adam Frank points out, scientists may eventually be able to place exoplanets within an astrobiological context, too. In addition to taking the usual physical measures into account, Frank and his colleagues are proposing that astronomers take the influence of a hypothetical planet’s biosphere into account—including the impacts of an advanced extraterrestrial civilization. Frank’s hypothetical planets, ranked from Class I through to Class V, range from dead, rocky worlds through to planets in which a host intelligence has solved the problems caused by its own existence, like excessive use of resources and climate change. Moreover, as Frank explains, this paper presents more than just a planetary classification scheme—it’s a potential roadmap to an environmentally viable future. If researchers discover signs of an advanced alien civilization—and that’s a big if— humanity may learn a thing or two about how to be able to survive into the far future.

“We’re currently trying to understand the next steps we need to take to become a sustainable civilization, and that’s really why we’re working on this,” said Frank. “We need to develop a sustainable version of the civilization that we currently have—but how do we know this is even possible? Does the Universe even create civilizations that do that?”