Life: A theory based in Emergence of Complexity and a guide for Astrobiology
Extraordinary times! A signal from Proxima Centauri, the nearest star to our home was captured at the Parkes Observatory in Australia in 2021. This news was leaked to the Guardian prematurely and was later found to have originated from closer to home. But before this could be verified, the media and internet was abuzz with mentions of this discovery and what it could mean. Finding any form of life other than our own has significant philosophical implications and will mean we have to reassess our place in the cosmos. But it could also be the most important discovery that we are yet to make. So how are we going about such an important human endeavor?
SETI institute and Breakthrough Listen are the most preeminent campaigns that unabashedly go about alien hunting. And they do this by hunting for “techno-signatures” using radio telescopes such as the VLA (Very Large Array)
This basically involves pointing mainly radio telescopes to look for narrow band signals that cannot be naturally created. And assumes intelligent life may use or emit Radio signals in their technology. Other indicators of possible technologies include laser beams, structures built around stars to capture the star’s power output, atmospheric chemicals produced by industries, and rings of satellites similar to the ring of geosynchronous communication satellites orbiting above Earth’s equator. These approaches, though nascent, are inherently anthropocentric.
Here I propose another alternative view on the emergence of life based of complexity of interactions.
Quarks interact with other quarks through the strong force and gluons - the side effect of which creates the nucleus of an atom and electrons interact through the electromagnetic force. They combine to form matter and gravity attracts matter. Just this is enough to create protein molecules and life as we know it
Is there any other branch of interactions at the fundamental level that can cause such a wide variety of stable configurations that could create a high probability of intelligence through the seemingly infinite possible interactions?
