Do aliens exist? Here's what ISRO Chief S Somanath thinks

Reflecting on humanity's technological progress over the past century, the ISRO chairman suggested that civilisations across the cosmos could be at various stages of development.

Extraterrestrial civilisations are not only possible but likely to exist throughout the universe, proposes the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) S Somanath. During a podcast with Ranveer Allahbadia, the ISRO chief discussed how rapid technological advancements could imply the presence of advanced alien life.

Reflecting on humanity's technological progress over the past century, the ISRO chairman suggested that civilisations across the cosmos could be at various stages of development.

"Imagine there is a civilisation out there just 200 years behind you, and another civilisation 1,000 years ahead of you," he said, highlighting the potential range of technological and evolutionary stages among alien civilisations.

He noted that advanced extraterrestrial civilisations might be observing or interacting with the universe in ways beyond our current understanding. "Alien systems which are 1,000 years more progressive than us will always have been here," he noted, suggesting that such civilisations could be present but undetectable by our current means.

Describing these potential aliens as "much evolved" compared to humanity, Somanath highlighted humanity's relatively recent appearance in the cosmic scale of life. He proposed that "origins of life and much evolved [forms]... are everywhere in the universe."

While intrigued by the possibility of encountering advanced alien civilisations, he expressed a cautious stance on direct contact, citing potential risks and conflicts. "I would be happy to never be in contact with aliens," he said, warning of the dangers posed by fundamentally different life forms potentially dominating one another.

The ISO chairman also noted that extraterrestrial life might have entirely different genomic and protein structures from those on Earth, which could lead to perilous interactions.