Aliens and the idea of extraterrestrial life has long fascinated human beings who have probed the solar system since the beginning of time. Many scientists, including Dr Cox, support the idea that some form of alien life exists in our universe, most likely from microorganisms. However, the idea that an intelligent race, similar to humans could be somewhere out there, is a whole different question, according to the expert.
Dr Cox, who is best known to the public for being his work with the BBC, is a professor of particle physics at the University of Manchester.
However, the 51-year-old also once sat on a panel for ABC’s “Q&A” programme, which puts experts together to discuss hot topics.
Asked in 2014 if aliens exist, he responded: “I suspect that there might be microbes around all over the place but we have found no life beyond that.
“We are trying very hard to look for life on Mars, there are missions aiming specifically at drilling below the surface.
Either we are alone, or we are not, but both of those ideas terrify me
Brian Cox
“We know there was water on Mars at some point, so we strongly suspect that there may have been and possibly may still be life.”
Dr Cox also added that the idea of anything more than microorganisms absolutely terrified him.
He detailed: “Either we are alone, or we are not, but both of those ideas terrify me.
“We may be the only civilisation in the Milky Way.
“That would be important to know for us to know.
“But if we are not, then how will we know? It’s important for us to listen and look for signs of civilisations.”
Mr Cox revealed during the same show how he believes it is possible for alien microorganisms to evolve, similar to human beings.
He continued: “There is a different answer about complex life.
“When you ask astronomers they will say ‘surely there are other civilisations out there’ because recent data suggests there are 20 billion Earth-like planets.
“But when you ask a biologist, many of them will say ‘yes, but when you look at the history of life on Earth, it took 3.8 billion years to get a civilisation’.
“It took that long to produce anything on Earth, so it could be that life is rare.”
Source: Read Full Article