Expert Q&A on searching for alien life

According to popular media, the search for alien life involves advanced technology, space exploration and sometimes even government conspiracies and secret programs. But according to University of Victoria (UVic) astronomer Jon Willis, author of The Pale Blue Data Point: An Earth-Based Perspective on the Search for Alien Life, the search for alien life actually begins right in our own backyard.  

In The Pale Blue Data Point, published Oct. 30 by the University of Chicago Press, Willis investigates the question “Is there life off Earth?” by joining astrobiologists to study life right here on our planet. By envisioning extraterrestrial landscapes through the exploration of Earth’s closest analogs, Willis conjures up alien worlds and unthought-of biological possibilities, speculating what life might look like on other planets by extrapolating from what we can see on Earth. 

On Wednesday, Nov. 26, Willis will discuss his search for alien life at a book launch event at UVic’s Bob Wright Centre. Learn more about joining the event. 

Q. Tell us a little bit about the book.  

A. My book is about astrobiology—the scientific search for life in the universe. In it, I try to answer the question: What does an astrobiologist actually do? by using myself as a guinea pig and joining astrobiologists in the field to learn from them.   

Q. What led you to your interest in astrobiology and why are you fascinated? 

A. The idea that life exists beyond Earth is deeply compelling to many of us, and you don’t need an advanced degree to appreciate the scale of the question. Given my own interest in the subject, and the fact that I am a professor of astronomy at UVic, I realized that I was in a fortunate position to be able to share that passion with my students by creating a beginners guide in the form of a university course: The Search for Life in the Universe (ASTR 201). That was a long time ago now and the course is still going strong, but it is what originally led me to my astrobiological adventures and to write a book about them. 

Q. How are scientists going about the search for alien life?  

A. Well that’s the core of the book really! To answer it, I joined scientists at deep ocean hydrothermal vents in the Pacific Ocean and travelled to the Australian outback in search of the first life on Earth. These two locations respectively teach us what life may be life today on Jupiter’s moon Europa or what life might have looked like on Mars some billions of years ago—when the entire planet was much more Earth-like in its conditions. I visited astronomical observatories in Chile in search of exoplanets and went meteorite hunting in Morocco to find evidence of the origin story of our own solar system. Finally, I immersed myself in the warm waters of the Bahamas with a scientific team that has been studying the resident dolphins for 40 years in the hope of unlocking, not quite the mysteries of alien communication, but our closest approach without leaving Earth. 

Q. Do you think that alien life exists, what do you think it might look like and how far are we from having answers? 

A. That’s three questions in one—and all very profound ones! First, do aliens exist? Yes—almost definitely as the universe is a very big place.  

Second, what will they look like? I think the answer here depends upon where you look. If it is somewhere like the liquid water oceans of Europa then any life that is present might display similarities to Earth life by virtue of sharing some of the same raw materials (liquid water, carbon bearing molecules and energy to make things happen). However, if instead we consider Saturn’s moon Titan, then there are indeed liquids present, but this time it is liquid ethane and methane rather than liquid water. If present on Titan, life may well follow a very different recipe compared to Earth, which is what makes it such a compelling destination for upcoming space missions.  

How far are we from having answers—from detecting life? Other scientists writing about the search for extraterrestrial intelligence have answered this question far better than I ever could: “The probability of success is difficult to estimate; but if we never search, the chance of success is zero.” 

Q. In the book, you went on a number of different adventures to explore Earth’s analogs to extraterrestrial landscapes. What’s the most memorable experience you had as part of these adventures? 

A. Many stand out. Sitting in the darkened control room of a ship while we controlled robots two kilometres beneath us at hydrothermal vents felt exactly like a space mission to Europa. I also remember standing on a lonely outcrop of rock in a desolate expanse of western Australia and forming in my mind a vision of the ancient Earth that was drawn in the rocks before me. What struck me at each of these locations, and many more, is how tangible the science is to the mind’s eye when you are immersed in them. 

Q. What did you learn that surprised you the most while researching and adventuring for this book? 

A. How much fun it all was! 

Q. Aliens are a common part of many science fiction books and movies. How does your search for alien life differ from what is commonly depicted in media? 

A. I discovered on my travels that astrobiology is better because it turns out that science fact is just as, if not more so, exciting, intriguing and compelling than science fiction—and if you follow in my footsteps then you get to participate as well!