Evans, Jenny EvansMs. GardnerEnglish 10H (2)9 May 2015Is Extraterrestrial Life Really Such An Alien Topic?In the future, the Sun will explode and the Earth will be decimated. Although scientists have extrapolated that this event will occur some five billion years in the future, the Earth will become a wasteland much sooner. As the Sun continues to heat and expand, the oceans and atmosphere will begin to evaporate. In approximately one hundred million years, the Earth will become uninhabitable. Although this may seem to be in the distant future, in terms of relativity, this event is quickly approaching. Thankfully, scientists have been searching for planets in other star systems--and even other galaxies--that could support life; however, this life might not necessarily be from Earth. In the search for habitable planets that humans may be able to dwell on once the Earth becomes desolate and barren, scientists have theoreticized that these planets may already be supporting extraterrestrial life. Dale Griffin, an astrobiologist for NASA, characterizes extraterrestrial life as life not pertaining nor originating from Earth. Additionally, Griffin asserts that extraterrestrial life may also pertain to possible existence from bacteria-like to human-like forms from another planet or in space. Searching for extraterrestrial life promotes curiosity among our society. Furthermore, in the process of searching for extraterrestrial life, scientists have discovered many intriguing facts about planets in our solar system and about planets in other star systems located in the Milky Way and in other galaxies. Scientists have even identified Earth-like planets that may already be supporting life or that could be habitable in the near or distant future. Spending money on research on alien life is often criticized due to the belief that this type of research is a waste of money; however, from realizing that life does not solely exist on Earth, to having the possibility to examine new biological structures, to uncovering what circumstances give rise to life, the discovery of extraterrestrial life would be monumental. The government needs to support and fund the search for extraterrestrial life because it is a pertinent topic that should not be discredited simply because aliens have not yet been discovered, it is inspiring discoveries regarding our solar system and what makes it capable of sustaining life, and it is prompting revelations pertaining to our galaxy and the chemical construct of our universe.Initially, many would argue that the government should not be wasting its money on searching for extraterrestrial life because they believe that alien life does not exist. For example, Ilya Samin of the Washington Post argues we should by now have detected some intelligent aliens. Additionally, research seems to suggest that believing that life existed on Mars is futile since no methane--a byproduct of living organisms--has been detected in the atmosphere (Proof of Life in Space Still Stubbornly Elusive). Finally, people tend to find the concept of alien life comical due to how many presumably fake UFO sightings are reported annually (Sheng). Many people support this claim and are disappointed that the government continues to pour money into research that has yet to glean any evidence of alien life. Indeed, many might believe that alien life does not exist. However, even though extraterrestrial life has yet to be proven, scientists believe that life existing on other planets will be discovered soon.Admittedly, scientists have yet to discover extraterrestrial life. However, when one considers the vastness of the Milky Way and the universe, it is impossible to conclude that life could not exist anywhere besides Earth. For instance, approximately one fifth of every sun-like star has a habitable planet orbiting around it (Other Potential Earths? Try 25 Billion of Them). If that approximation is correct, then our galaxy should have about twenty five billion habitable planets (Other Potential Earths? Try 25 Billion of Them). Likewise, Fraser Cain, a journalist for Universe Today, estimates there are 100 to 200 billion galaxies in the Universe, each of which has hundreds of billions of stars. Based on this research, the amount of planets capable of hosting extraterrestrial life is astronomical. In summation, if there are so many habitable planets in our universe, then immediately ruling out extraterrestrial life to be impossible would be foolish and nonsensical.Furthermore, research on extraterrestrial life has inspired numerous discoveries regarding our solar system. To illustrate, Mars's Gale Crater, notes Christian Science Monitor journalist Pete Spotts, was habitable in its distant past, perhaps during the same period in which microbial life was establishing itself on Earth between 3 billion and 4 billion years ago. In particular, the minerals in the rock samples from Mars indicate conditions that would have been neither too acidic or too alkaline for life and that there would have been energy sources readily available for any organisms that may have lived there (Spotts). Using the research that has been collected from Mars, scientists can determine how fast our Sun is expanding and heating. In addition to Mars, Jupiters icy moon Europa shows signs of being ideal for life. Signs of internal heating suggest that there may be an ocean below the thick ice crust of Europa that has conditions viable for microbial life (Seidel). If we were to discover alien life in our solar system, scientists could compare biological features to those of animals and humans living on Earth and then use these biological features to hopefully discover what made the emergence of life possible in our solar system (Seidel). As a result, scientists would have a much clearer understanding of where, how, and why life exists. Ultimately, the government should fund the search for extraterrestrial life because it has prompted revelations pertaining to our galaxy and beyond. In particular, telescopes searching the night sky have discovered one thousand seven hundred ninety three planets that are orbiting Sun-like stars (Cain). Out of this abundant compilation of planets, scientists have pinpointed twenty one of these planets as being habitable and capable of sustaining life (Cain). Additionally, Jamie Seidel, a journalist for the Advertizer, reports the Earth received a strange 72-second radio signal from deep space on August 15, 1977. This signal, which originated from the Sagittarius constellation, can not be explained by any known natural event (Seidel). Although we may never know the meaning behind this signal, its presence continues to provide inspiration and encouragement for scientists to explore space. Fundamentally, these revelations have given us destinations for potential space travel in the future, clues about our cosmos, and a possible communication from extraterrestrial life. In summation, if scientists were able to discover life existing within or beyond our galaxy, our world would inherently be changed forever. From gaining new technology to developing new societies to discovering what types of galaxies are capable of supporting life to learning the secrets of the universe, the possibilities for advancing the human race as a result of finding extraterrestrial life have the capability of being as infinite as space itself. Finally, finding extraterrestrial life might help us pinpoint the time that our universe became habitable, which could provide us with information pertaining to the chemical construct of our universe during its earlier years (Sparks). This knowledge would also help us understand how and when planets, stars, and galaxies were formed (Sparks).Based on how the search for extraterrestrial life is a pertinent topic that should not be discredited simply because aliens have not yet been discovered, is inspiring discoveries regarding our solar system and what makes it capable of sustaining life, and is prompting revelations pertaining to our galaxy and the chemical construct of our universe, this expedition deserves support and funding from the government. Without funding, scientists might miss a distant signal from or overlook an omnipotent discovery pertaining to extraterrestrial life. SETI, an organization comparable to NASA that is devoted to searching for alien life, reports that the lack of funds for operating expenses is a terrible loss. SETI has recently discovered over one thousand new planets, but without government support, they will not be able to analyze their findings (Krieger). Additionally, in an age where almost any question can be answered with a quick search online, the hunt for alien life promotes and allows curiosity, wonder, and discovery. Conclusively, the search for extraterrestrial life promotes the search for habitable planets. If we are unable to fund the search for extraterrestrial life, then in the future when the Sun expands and heats to incredibly high temperatures, humans may not have any planets to escape to.

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