We somehow too focus the attention on little green men, and space can be quite populated with cars. The heartless self-replicated robots probes for which neither the distance, nor time matter. From time to time appearing from universal darkness, they can participate in life of civilizations including this decisively.
What think of it on Earth?
The idea of the self-replicating cars plowing space open spaces isn’t new. Its foundation was laid in the middle of the last century by the outstanding American mathematician John von Neumann. That with which name connect architecture of the majority of modern computers (architecture Neumann’s background). It should be noted that he didn’t consider the idea in relation to space, it was already made after him. Now the term “probe Neumann’s background”, as a rule, is understood as the space probe (the device, the ship) which is sent to space by the creators with a definite purpose: neutral (research), or destructive or creative. Reaching the star system having necessary resources, the probe creates the copies which continue to carry out will of creators.
In space where distances between objects reach improbable sizes and their overcoming requires a huge number of time not comparable to life of living beings, probes Neumann’s background – the ideal instrument of development of space. In the conditions of almost boundless space to send only one probe or even one thousand not quite rationally. Them has to be quite a lot that they could visit as much as possible stars and find the worlds, suitable for life. Even now the scientists participating in work of the Breakthrough Starshot project, planning flight to star system of Alf Zentawr (officially called Riegel Kentavrus now), speak about creation of the whole fleet of microprobes. It is necessary as not all sent probes will be able to transfer extreme conditions of space or not to meet an obstacle on the way. Unambiguously not all from them will safely reach the purpose. Though the speech about self-replicating probes doesn’t go yet, it is still impossible taking into account our technologies. But at the following stage, in a new mission, so probably will also be. Those probes which will reach to the next to us to star system will find a necessary source of raw materials there and, having created the remarks, will send them to the next stars to Alf Zentawre. Including in the direction of Altair.
It has been counted that, extending on our Galaxy with a speed of 10% from velocity of light, self-replicating probes are capable to extend on the Milky Way for half a million years.
Us aliens “have seeded”?
Well who didn’t wonder in what meaning of life? The person can think of that why he lives and in what his mission. And in what mission of mankind? The civilization which has reached the high level of development can be puzzled with a question of sense of the existence too. Especially, when her development will reach the level much surpassing ours. As a rule, people see meaning of life in children. They put in them the knowledge and life experience. To the same answer it is possible to come, having thought of sense of existence of a reasonable civilization. In the future we will develop the next worlds, the mankind will live on Mars, planets about the next stars. But distant space, other galaxies owing to huge distances will probably not be available to our colonization. Whether we will want to send there probes sowers that through thousands or maybe millions of years of wanderings on the Universe they have found the planet suitable for life there, and have created a basis for origin of life. Have participated in a terraformirovaniye of the lifeless worlds, have seeded “life seeds” there, controlled evolution and have brought her to emergence of life forms, capable to creation of a civilization. Or, having found life there, would promote her evolutionary development to reasonable forms.
And now we will present that this idea has already come to someone to mind. Well, for example, to inhabitants of the star Beta of the Canes Venatici system. If there those are. This star – an analog of the Sun, it is more senior than ours approximately on 700 million years and is at distance of some 27 light years from us. Also this idea has come to their mind 2,5-3 million years ago. It just time of emergence of the first of the sort Homo – Homo habilis. The person of the skillful, taken in hand instrument of labor and which has taken the first step on the way of submission to itself the nature.
It is just an illustration, but if we assume that somewhere in the Universe there is also other intelligent life, then it is hardly worth disproving that she can seek to extend herself in space. Especially as we can be only her “children”. In the nearest future to it we won’t find proofs. And if we find, then we will hardly accept. But there are some interesting facts, or, it will be more correct to tell, statements of some researchers which can quite be entered also in this theory.
So, for example, Milton Wainwright, the astrobiologist from University of Sheffield, declares that he and his colleagues have found titanic balls microprobes in an upper atmosphere of our planet. According to his assumption, they are filled with microorganisms of an extraterrestrial origin. Of course, Nature and Science haven’t risked to publish article about his opening. But she left in other less famous magazines. According to Wainwright’s assumption, they could be brought both by comets, and meteorites. Biomaterial DNA in spheres and spheres is planned to be studied in detail. It was declared by professor Chandra Vikramasingkh, the British physicist, the astronomer and the astrobiologist, one of the leading scientists developing a hypothesis of a panspermia and the editor of the magazine in which Wainwright’s article has been published.
Of course, it is possible to assume that microspheres could get to Earth with meteorites or comets, but if they have an artificial origin, then and their messenger could be “man-made” too. We seriously consider the possibility to bring terrestrial microorganisms on planets and their satellites to which we send the interplanetary probes. In that case it is impossible to exclude that life to Earth has been brought incidentally by the probe intelligence agent from other star system.
Supervision from space
If we were created, then hardly would be left unguarded. Even if the probe intelligence agent has incidentally found a civilization of the third planet from the Sun, then to depart, without having left the copy for observation of us, it wouldn’t become. Eventually, as far as the alien civilization surpassed us, it is worth watching us, you never know as we progress in the future. If they live near enough from us, we can constitute for them danger. Today we call their stars and planets the names, tomorrow we will send to them the probes, and the day after tomorrow and we won’t divide something in space. When we reach a certain level of development, we either will be destroyed, or will force to follow all-galactic rules. Remember a hypothesis of a galactic zoo.
A few years ago Robert Wagner and Paul Davies from Arizona State University offered the project of search of traces of stay of representatives of extraterrestrial civilizations on the satellite of our planet. Their plan something reminds the SETI@home project. NASA has hundreds of thousands of pictures of a surface of the Moon with a resolution of 50 cm on 1 pixel made the probe LRO since 2009. By means of networks of distribution calculations in these pictures it would be possible to find something interesting. The astrobiologist and the cosmologist Paul Davies assumes a possibility of existence on the Moon of the probe which arrived to our system at a dawn of our civilization and watching our development. Similar probes can quite travel around space, noting places of origin of life, and it is possible, and helping it to remain. If assumptions of professor Davies are right, then it is quite possible that the probe which arrived to the Moon during the prehistoric period used resources of our companion. From the Moon several its copies departed to space, and it remained to look after our planet.
Perhaps, berserkers already visited our system
Aliens can destroy us. Theoretically yes. A question only in details. How they will make it? Will fly by huge distance to destroy our civilization and to observe how we will writhe in agonal spasms. Or they will send for this purpose the probes berserkers designed to utilize everything that we created for several thousands of years of our almost reasonable existence here. Rather the second.
However, if it is hardly worth doubting the existence of self-replicating probes (if, of course, somewhere there is alien life), then their “range” can be called into question. The biophysicist from the Newcastle university Axel Kovald considers that the self-replicated probes have an action limit. That is they bore these machines, what would purpose, won’t be able to escape out of borders of the sphere with a radius of 225 St. years which center is in the initial point of flight. The reason of it is covered in so-called “catastrophic crash of mistakes”. Kovald considers that reproduction without mistakes is impossible. These mistakes will accumulate from one generation of probes to another. Each new generation of probes will lose the functionality. And over time process of their distribution in space will stop.
In it there is undoubted plus. If near us there is no civilization which extends in this respect Galaxies the probes berserkers designed to clear away vital space, then any time we can quietly live. However, Kovald considers that errors in self-replication can be corrected “controllers” and the limit of distribution can be bypassed. Besides, it is possible to add that the scientists dealing with this issue, as a rule, don’t consider yet not created ways of interstellar travel, for example warp drive etc. And, eventually, berserkers can get to us through wormholes.
We don’t see them, according to Kovald because their creators had to think up for them system of masking that they haven’t been found by representatives of other civilizations.
It isn’t excluded that berserkers already visited Solar system. John Brandenburg, the scientist-physicist from the University of California, is engaged in search of causes of death of a hypothetical Martian civilization. According to one of his versions, as a cause of death serve “space conquistadors” – probes berserkers. According to the scientist, it is possible that a certain advanced civilization, sending probes berserkers to all ends of the Universe, periodically destroys the potential rivals. Brandenburg urges to send as soon as possible to the Red planet an expedition to establish why Mars became the lifeless planet. Perhaps, the past of Mars will give the answer to a question of what future can expect Earth.
Independent life form?
It was noted that the model of self-reproduction of probes Neumann’s background has a certain similarity how bacteria breed. And it means that with some clause they can be considered as a life form. Can happen and so that, unlike the automatic probes dispatched by us on the Solar system probes Neumann’s background aren’t in management of the creators. They it is too far from the place of the beginning of the way. Perhaps, and there are no civilizations which created them for a long time.
At the beginning we specified that for distribution on all Milky Way probes will need half a million years. Such term – a challenge of any civilization. The probes created with in advance particular purposes carry out the program pledged in them, perhaps, thousands, and it is possible, and millions years ago. Carry biological life in the Universe, or, on the contrary, destroy, watch inhabitants of exoplanets or participate in it. Also there are no bases to consider that they couldn’t participate in our life or won’t be able to participate in it in the future. Except for one – if, except as on Earth, in the Universe there is no more intelligent life anywhere.
