
3 Theories why Complex Intelligent Life may NOT exist beyond Planet Earth
We discuss 3 theories why complex intelligent life may NOT exist beyond planet Earth.
It can be incredibly overwhelming when it comes to imagining the sheer scale of the Universe. Even the most brilliant scientific minds struggle to comprehend how big it may actually be. And this is just based on the part we can see, the ‘Observable Universe’.
It is estimated that there are around One Hundred Billion ‘Stars,’ similar to our ‘Sun’ inside the Milky Way galaxy.
But wait, there’s more.
Scientists believe there could be up to 2 trillion galaxies in the Observable Universe.
Mind blown!
A study using the ‘Kepler’ space telescope has found that around one fifth of Sun like stars in the Milky Way, contain an Exoplanet similar to the size of Earth. The study also reveals these planets orbit a Star within what’s known as a ‘habitable zone’.
This zone is just the right distance from its Star, the temperature on planets located here is just the right temperature required to support life. Based on this data, there is approximately 20 billion planets in the Milky Way which may be capable of supporting life.
But, even with all this evidence,
We have gathered 3 Theories that suggest we may actually be alone in the Universe.

Theory 1 – Evolution Is Slow
It has taken almost 4 billion years for complex intelligent life to exist on Earth, that’s about one third the duration since the ‘Big Bang’.
During this period, our solar system has been relatively stable, when, you consider how extremely violent the Universe can be.
Planets, along with their solar systems experience catastrophic changes from time to time. Perhaps Earth has been extremely lucky not to have experienced such levels of change on a frequent basis.
A lot of things had to work in our favour for life to evolve from single celled organisms to multi celled organisms, then eventually, to complex intelligent life.
One could argue that the chain of events that unfolded on Earth over the past 4 billion years was the exact pattern that was necessary for complex life to evolve.
If so, what are the odds of the same pattern unfolding on other Earth like planets? Quite slim, I’d imagine.
This could be what makes Earth so unique.
Theory 2 – Advancement In Science
We estimate the Universe to be 13.8 billion years old, there’s no doubt that Earth like planets throughout the Universe have formed long before our planet did.
If civilisations evolved on these Exoplanets, should they not be making their existence known in some form?
Take the advancement in Science on Earth for example,
Since its discovery around 500 years ago, humans have landed on the Moon, soon we will explore Mars, not to mention the role Artificial Intelligence is playing in our daily lives.
This area in particular will no doubt advance at an incredible rate in the near future.
Imagine if the human species manages to survive a million years from now.
If science continues to advance at the rate at which it has, would Intergalactic space travel or even multi-planet colonisation be a possibility?
My point being, if there is a civilisation out there that has a million or even a billion years on us, surely, they would be so intelligent that they would have found ways to make their existence known far across the galaxies?
Theory 3 – The Moon’s Gravitational Pull
Our final theory for why we may be alone in the Universe is related to the role of our Moon. Some scientists believe that Earth played a part in the creation of our Moon.
One theory suggests a major collision between Earth and another planet occurred billions of years ago. The aftermath resulted in the creation of the Moon which then began to orbit Earth.
An orbiting Moon plays a role for the planet it orbits. Earth is tilted at approximately 23.4 degrees; it is stabilized by the Moon’s gravitational pull and as a result this has a positive effect on our climate conditions.
Without the Moon, the climate conditions on Earth would be extreme, perhaps too extreme for complex life to survive.
Our Moon is just the right size and is positioned at just the right distance from Earth. It highlights once again just how unique the Earth may be, when it comes to being capable of supporting complex intelligent life.
The existence of our Moon is yet another ‘link’ in the chain of events that were absolutely necessary in order for complex intelligent life to evolve on planet Earth.
