New theory about why we are alone in the cosmos: tectonic plates

Are we alone, and if so, why? So far, the search for extraterrestrial life has yielded nothing but silence, and a team of Earth scientists now think they know why.

Geology. The presence of oceans, continents and plate tectonics on Earth is likely the reason there is no evidence of advanced alien civilizations, according to new research from the University of Texas at Dallas and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich.

Drake equation

Published in Scientific reports from naturea new paper examines the lack of “active, communicative civilizations” and suggests a change to the Drake equation, a formula devised by astronomer Dr. Frank Drake in 1961 that astronomers use to estimate the number of intelligent civilizations in our galaxy capable of communicating with humans. The Drake equation is about formulating a question, but not providing an answer.

Part of the Drake equation refers to the fraction of life-bearing planets where intelligent life emerges. The new research suggests that the need for large oceans, continents and plate tectonics — the latter lasting more than 500 million years — also need to be taken into account.

Plate tectonics

Plate tectonics is a theory that explains how the Earth lithosphere – are upper mantle and crust—is divided into sections called plates, which move. These movements create mountains, volcanoes, and oceans.

“Life has existed on Earth for about four billion years, but complex organisms like animals didn’t appear until about 600 million years ago, which is not long after the modern episode of plate tectonics began,” said Dr. Robert Stern, a professor of sustainable earth sciences in the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at the University of Texas at Dallas. “Plate tectonics gets the evolutionary machine going, and we think we understand why.”

As the plates move, they create new landforms, which generate weather systems and new climates. Weathering brings nutrients to the oceans, while the birth and death of habitats forces species to evolve and adapt.

The Fermi Paradox

This proposed qualification of the Drake equation involving oceans, continents, and plate tectonics makes active, communicative civilizations much less likely. This is important because the Drake equation multiplies several factors, such as the fraction of stars with planets and planets on which life appears, to estimate the number of intelligent civilizations in our galaxy. Yet there is no evidence for life beyond Earth. This is called the Fermi paradox, as proposed in 1950 by Nobel Prize-winning physicist Enrico Fermi.

The Drake equation, the researchers say, assumes that intelligent civilizations would logically evolve on all planets with life. This research suggests otherwise. Earth is the only planet in the solar system with plate tectonics. “It’s much more common for planets to have a solid outer shell that isn’t fragmented, known as single-lid tectonics,” Stern said. “But plate tectonics is much more effective than single-lid tectonics at driving the emergence of advanced life.”

Radio waves and rockets

Stern also argues that the evolution of simple to complex multicellular life must occur in water, while the rest requires land. “The wonder of the night sky, the harnessing of fire and metals to create new technologies, and ultimately the rise of active, communicative civilizations that can send radio waves and rockets into space must happen on land,” he said.

I wish you clear skies and big eyes.

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