Scientists have refuted the idea that the appearance of intelligent life on Earth was an accident. According to a new study, this is a natural process that may occur faster on other planets.
For a long time, humanity considered itself a unique phenomenon in the Universe, the result of an incredible coincidence of circumstances. However, a new study published in the journal Science Advances shows that the emergence of intelligent life is a natural step in the evolution of planets. Moreover, on other planets this process can proceed much faster than on Earth.
The solar system has existed for about 4.6 billion years. If we consider the appearance of writing to be the beginning of intelligent civilization, then humanity is only about 5 thousand years old. Even if we take the first use of tools as a starting point, the age of civilization will be only 2.6 million years – an insignificant period by cosmic standards. At the same time, the Sun is predicted to exist for another 5 billion years, but after 1–2 billion years its activity will make the Earth uninhabitable.
Why did intelligent life appear so late? British physicist Brandon Carter proposed the “hard steps” hypothesis in 1983. He believed that evolution took too long and the Earth was simply lucky to pass through key milestones such as the emergence of DNA and the separation of human ancestors from primates.
However, the authors of the new study – scientists from the USA and Germany – propose to look at the problem from a geological point of view. They argue that the delay in the emergence of intelligent life on Earth is due to its unique conditions, and not to the slowness of evolution.
Key stages of Earth’s evolution:
1. The Great Oxygen Event (2.4–2.2 billion years ago) – the appearance of oxygen in the atmosphere thanks to cyanobacteria. This event was catastrophic for most organisms, but opened the way for complex life forms.
2. Development of multicellular organisms – after the oxygen revolution, evolution accelerated, which ultimately led to the emergence of humans.
The researchers emphasize that on other planets with suitable conditions, similar processes may occur faster. For example, if native cyanobacteria analogs appear earlier, intelligent life could emerge in a shorter time.
The Fermi paradox and the search for extraterrestrial civilizations
The absence of visible traces of extraterrestrial civilizations, known as the Fermi paradox, remains one of the main mysteries of science. However, scientists believe that humanity has not yet explored space enough to draw conclusions. Perhaps other civilizations already exist, but we cannot yet detect them.
The appearance of intelligent life is not an accident, but a natural stage in the evolution of planets. On Earth, this process took billions of years, but on other planets it can happen much faster. This discovery changes our understanding of humanity’s place in the universe.
Source: naked-science.ru
What else influenced evolution? Read in our article – Planet Earth and a snowball on the New Year tree – what do they have in common?
