An Exploding Star and the Search for Life
Some time ago I was reading the science news when I came across an article about the first time astronomers had caught a star in the very act of exploding. The article made a remarkable comment:
The New York Times appears convinced that there is life on other planets, and it is not alone. Lisa Curtis, exhibits manager for the Space Science Institute, said, “Microbes are the most common life form on Earth, and it’s highly likely that microbes are what we’ll discover on another planet.”
She had our own solar system in mind, and Mars in particular. There has been a huge push to find microbes on Mars now that we know no “little green men” live there. Her confidence is not surprising, since the hope of finding life brings in more money for the search. That is not to say she does not truly believe it; no doubt she does. But the facts say otherwise. Decades of missions to Mars, including the rover Perseverance, which has been collecting rock samples since 2021, have yet to find a single living thing.
The Same Chemicals, the Same Assumptions
It seems odd that some (not all) believe aliens arose the same way evolution says humans and animals did on earth, out of the same chemicals. When it comes to evolutionary models, scientists generally treat the hypothesis as fact unless it is proven otherwise. When a discovery does not fit any known evolutionary model, they look for further explanations — anything to avoid the conclusion of intelligent design — but always within the bounds of naturalism.
So the reasoning goes: if humans could evolve from dead chemicals, then aliens could do the same. One can only conclude that a great many beliefs are being brought to this subject before the evidence is ever examined.
Still Searching
Many millions, if not billions, of dollars have been spent searching for other forms of life. Astronomers have now found thousands of planets circling other stars, and radio telescopes have listened for signals from space for more than sixty years. Still, not one living thing, and not one message, has been found anywhere beyond the earth.
The Christian need not be surprised. The stars were not flung together by chance explosions to seed new creatures; God made them, and He made them to declare His glory.