Produced by: Tarun Mishra Designed by: Manoj Kumar
Leading astrobiologist Nathalie Cabrol has released her new book, *The Secret Life of the Universe: An Astrobiologist’s Search for the Origins and Frontiers of Life*, offering insights into the ongoing search for extraterrestrial life and the origins of life on Earth.
The book delves into two fundamental questions: “Are we alone in the universe?” and “How did life on Earth begin?” Cabrol explores these topics by reflecting on humankind’s role as both the observer and the observed in the search for life.
Cabrol, during an interview with Space.com, emphasizes that the search for life is an ongoing journey. While the scientific community may not yet have concrete answers, she argues that the process of exploration itself is crucial to advancing our understanding of life in the universe.
Credit : NASA
Cabrol discusses the long-standing efforts to search for life on Mars, highlighting the Viking Labeled Release experiment from the 1970s, which remains inconclusive. She stresses the difficulty of distinguishing between environmental signatures and biological signs of life on the planet.
Cabrol also touches on the growing interest in Venus, where extreme conditions make the search for life especially challenging. She highlights the importance of studying different planetary environments to develop general rules for detecting life beyond Earth.
Reflecting on the rapid advancements in space exploration since the 1960s, Cabrol notes that humanity is still in the early stages of understanding the universe. The search for extraterrestrial life is constantly evolving as new data emerges from ongoing missions.
Cabrol is optimistic about the possibility of discovering life, suggesting that SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) could yield breakthroughs at any moment. She believes we are close to finding evidence, possibly through signals or synthetic molecules from distant exoplanets. She said, “I will tell you that we are close. I really do think we are close. Exoplanets are going to be a tricky one. They are so far away. We don’t know where life is and we cannot bring back samples right now. Perhaps finding traces of pollution and synthetic molecules could happen, to make sure we’re finding life.”
Cabrol is fascinated by the convergence of astrobiology, neuroscience, and quantum physics in the study of life and consciousness. She believes that ongoing discussions among experts in these fields could have significant implications for understanding life both on Earth and beyond.